あ、あとやっぱり、呼び捨てでいいですよ。なんかさんづけって慣れません

I don't really understand how you can use あと and やっぱり like that, what does it imply?
The only thing I can think of is something like, after coming to a conclusion.

It doesn't really imply anything more than the meaning of the two words -- あと ("after" or here more like "Also") and やっぱり ("actually").

Ahhh, okay.

Before, I was just looking at definitions in dic.yahoo for やはり and it seems to mean something like anticipating something beforehand. So, it seemed odd to be able to do it afterward too :lol:. After your explanation, I visited alc and I think I understand now.
Never seen あと used as "also".., although, it does fit the bill. I'll have to make a note of it.

Thanks!
お後がよろしいようで・・・一応

やはり is a little tricky, you usually get lists like this:
やはり

after all
all in all
all the same
as was expected
just as someone thought
just the same
no less

It can be expectation, like やっぱりできないね, but here it's closer to "after all" -- I think that "On second thought" would possibly be a good translation here.

Do you know the expression はてな?

Like rikaichan points out, this one is used before sentences to show doubt. I have heard it in 2 somewhat different contexts:

1. Class is over, every kid gets 3 stickers. One of the kids, in his turn, simply says "はてな". This kid however, is kind enough to further add other acceptable utterances: 何でもいい、任せろ、ランダム.

2. I asked a kid, how many comic books do you have? She said, はてな. She further kindly clarified 数えられないほど.

From 1 and 2 I deduced what はてな basically means. Perhaps I'd define it like "mmm..." with the 'rather magical' implication that you are not so sure about what you have been asked to do and you are waiting for the other party to notice and provide the adequate support that will of course depend on the situation.

Now, does anyone have any idea of the origins of はてな? I think this is the weirdest expression in Japanese.

What is a 馬入れ道?

Maybe, something like a road that can be traversed by horses?

Marumaru Wrote:What is a 馬入れ道?

Maybe, something like a road that can be traversed by horses?

There are hardly any hits in google, but it seems to just mean a track (eg through a forest, field). I don't think it is necessarily for horses.

"馬入れ道とは現在の農道に当たるもので、昔は馬の背中にたい肥等を載せて農地への行き来をしていたため、農地周辺の道は馬一頭が通れる広さがあれば十分だったが、時代が進むに連れて農道としてはほとんど機能しなくなった。"

from the first hit for 馬入れ道 on google.
http://www.nag-doren.or.jp/shirube/shirube05/05_06.htm

Is it politically correct to refer to myself as a 日本語学習者 if I am not a linguist or a university Japanese student?. I am just learning Japanese on my own. I'm very serious about it though.

「死んだ人をほうっておくと、そのうちいやあなにおいがしてきて、腐りはじめるんだってさ。」

"If you just leave a dead body alone, sooner or later they'll start to smell then rot." Anything I'm missing with my translation?

I came upon this expression このまま働き続けても先がないから｡

Does the bold part mean something like in English "there's no point". It would make sense if that's so, and also such a useful expression (I say that all the time in English lol).

@TheVinster

I'm not sure how to translate んだってさ exactly, but doesn't it mean らしい・そうだ?
Anyway, I think the rest of what you wrote is pretty correct.

@Marumaru

Do you have more context?

That it would totally make sense if it means that because the girl that's saying that is all depressed and explaining why she's a failure, etc. I just want confirmation that I can use this expression freely to mean that, this is just the first time I see it.

先がない -- have no future

that's listed on alc.co.jp. alternatively, this.

for "no point" you might use 仕方がない or 意味がない. it would be better to get a sense of how those phrases are used before you use them yourself though.

「昔は盗賊の親分だったけど、今はひっそりときせるかなんか作りながら暮らしている老人が出てきたりする。」

Looking for a translation please. Thanks.

Hi, I'd like to make sure my Japanese is right before I use the following sentences.

1) I have read some parts of it. もう、少し読んでました。

2) What parts of it you don't understand? まだ分からない部分・ところは何ですか？

3) The first class has two kids right? 一番目のクラスは二人だけですよね？

One more thing, can I write なんか just as 何 ?. Because in the manga I'm reading, there are a few instances where I get the feeling it is なんか instead of just なに what they mean, but I could be wrong.

Growl Wrote:One more thing, can I write なんか just as 何 ?. Because in the manga I'm reading, there are a few instances where I get the feeling it is なんか instead of just なに what they mean, but I could be wrong.

It depends on the context as the particle など can take a colloquial form なんか, which is different from なに, and it could lead to unintentionally making the statement/sentence vague or indirect in a manner you did not intend.

I don't think it depends on the context; 何 cannot be read as なんか.

Thanks. If you have time to check my sentences, please let me know if I'm あってます.

[Zgarbas]

From the Tanuki deck: ぼんやりしていたら行き過ぎた。（ゆ以外）

What does ゆ以外 mean?

Zgarbas Wrote:From the Tanuki deck: ぼんやりしていたら行き過ぎた。（ゆ以外）

What does ゆ以外 mean?

I just had a look at the deck and it seems to be in cards where you could confuse the readings.

So in this case ゆ以外 is telling you that it's not ゆきすぎた, but いきすぎた.

Another example from the deck:
尊い話を聞いた。（とうとい以外）
So 尊い is not とうとい in this case, but たっとい

[Zgarbas]

Ah, that makes sense ^^'. Thank you!

What's this dialect? (It's dialect right?)

心配せんといてね
don't worry about me

Growl Wrote:What's this dialect? (It's dialect right?)

心配せんといてね
don't worry about me

I thought 関西弁.
Opinions I can find on Google say 大阪弁 or 関西弁, but dialects seem to be a big topic of argument among some people.
Anyway, just know that yes it is a dialect, and it equates to しないで.

This is the page I used to check: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E...3%E8%A1%A8

Growl Wrote:What's this dialect? (It's dialect right?)

心配せんといてね
don't worry about me

Sounds like a variant of a dialect spoken somewhere in mid-western Japan. If it were the typical Kansai (or Osaka) dialect, it would be 心配せんといてな. It sounds like a mix of this dialect and another dialect spoken somewhere in Estern Japanese. There might be a region where your sentence is the most common version, though. Also, younger native speakers might find this form more natural than older generations do.

In any case, the ね version is not what I would normally say when talking to people from Osaka (I was born and raised there). But I'm pretty sure I said exactly the same sentence more than once without knowing it when I was living in Kanto.

Edit: By the way, when I use the mixed version, I keep the pitch accent of the Osaka dialect. I read it in my head this way too.