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+--- Thread: Grammar Question (~nan desu / ~なんです) (/thread-688.html)
Grammar Question (~nan desu / ~なんです) - fredde79 - 2007-07-26
Hi everybody.
When looking or listening to real japanese I often hear frases like this
^Poteto nan desu^ I would translate this as ^It is potatoes^
But i would also translate ^Potato desu^, as ^It is potatoes^.
I can not tell the difference between these two sentences. I have looked in my grammar book but cant find anything on this. The more i think about it I begin to wonder if ^Poteto nan desu^, should not be translated into something like ^Potatoes is what it is^. And that it is used when explaining something.
I would be glad if someone could help me because I hear it all the time and its eating away at me at nights and i cant sleep or eat or ....
Grammar Question (~nan desu / ~なんです) - shaydwyrm - 2007-07-26
As I understand it, ポテトなんです is a contraction of ポテトなのです, which essentially does mean "it's a potato", but has an explanatory tone. In a few places I've seen it glossed as "It's that it's a potato", which is not far from your "Potato is what it is". I think "ポテトですから" is similar in meaning.
Grammar Question (~nan desu / ~なんです) - wrightak - 2007-07-26
Following on from shaydwyrm, you should look up "~のです" in your grammar book and you should find an entry. I've always had trouble with the construction since there's no English equivalent. I wouldn't bother trying to think of a way of translating it, I'd just try to understand it. It's extremely common and if you encounter it enough then you pick up the gist.
Grammar Question (~nan desu / ~なんです) - fredde79 - 2007-07-26
Thanks for your answers! That clear things up、 but probably, as you say no idea to dwell on details, if your understand the gist of it。
ありがとう！