English translation:
be, is, will be
Structure:
Noun + である
なAdj + である
[Unlike だ/です - である can be used instead of な and の when modifying nouns in formal writing. (Look: example 6)]
Regarding to the note above, which one is the example 6? There’s no numbering in the example tab.
I counted from the top and ended up in this example --> この資料は極秘 である 。 , but I don’t see the modifying noun case in it.
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Ohh sorry, it seems that only I have numbered examples. And the first one is counted as 0.
本来、ミノキシジルという 薬は 高血圧のための薬であるはず だったが、今では 脱毛を予防する薬になった。
Originally, medicine called minoxidil was expected to be a medication for high blood pressure, but nowdays it has become a medication that prevents hair loss.
Normally before はず you will see な after な adjective and の after a noun (or だった for both).
This is why you will often see in later grammar points that である is also allowed next to な/の.
彼かれはパイロットであった。
For this sentence it asks for the polite version, and it turns でありました into the above. Is that right? Is that the polite form of this copula?
@CrisH Hey! You should be getting the hint “[formal・literature・past]” for this particular sentence (not “polite”). Both であった and でありました are valid/acceptable answers here. Cheers!
I was fairly sure it asked for the polite version - I would double-check (is that what you’ve done?), but I don’t think we end-users can see the hints for each question anywhere unless we’re currently answering the questions. Is that right?
I know I do sometimes mix up formal with polite, so that probably is it. I just wanted to confirm.
Yes, I made sure when you made your comment that the hint displayed was “[formal・literature・past]." Cheers!
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Random question, but can anyone explain the humor behind using polite forms as a joke in Japanese?
The provided example:
最後のプリンを食べたのは私であります。
I guess I’m just trying to understand the context in which someone would say this, and why it would be considered a joke.
Why is it funny that a simple house cat in Wagahai wa neko de aru talks in a manner more befitting of an academic or a noble? Why would it be funny to strike a dramatic pose and proclaim “thou shalt not pass” while playing with a child?
A gap between simple everyday situations and exaggerated phrasing is kind of funny, in a way.
I guess I can kind of understand. It’s definitely a cultural difference though. As for the example, if someone ate the last pudding and commented on it like that, I would want to get violent.