I am reviewing N5-N4 level grammar, before I make the Jump to level 3. I am using an JFE anki deck to do this. I've run into a few sentences that I am having trouble grasping.

kawa no mizu wo nonde iru tokoro desu


Maikeru san ga koronde iru tokoro desu


The english translations don't help much, but here they are.

1.It is the time that they are drinking river water

1. It is the time that Michael is falling down.


These are not my translations, this is a premade deck. I'm guessing the te iru in both sentences has something to do with being in process of.., but I am not sure.

Thanks

I think your interpretation is about right, but those are some pretty unnatural translations, and I think that the second example is just an unnatural example in general. I think a better translation for the first one would probably be:

[They are] drinking water right now.

[Zgarbas]

"Tokoro da" is used to denote a state where one is about to do something (Vinf+tokoro da), is in the midst of doing something (Vte +iru+tokoro da, or Vte ita+tokoro da) or has already done something(Vpast+tokoro da). It can also be used with adjectives or nouns.

JimmySeal Wrote:I think your interpretation is about right, but those are some pretty unnatural translations, and I think that the second example is just an unnatural example in general. I think a better translation for the first one would probably be:

[They are] drinking water right now.

In case the op is confused I *think* Jimmy meant [They are] drinking river water right now.

Yep, that's what I meant. Wasn't looking closely enough.

Thanks for all the help

From DOBJG's explanation of tokoro da (usage #2):

II. Vte iru/ita tokoro da is similar to Vte iru/ita. The difference is that the former focuses more on the state or the scene while the latter concentrates on the action. Compare the usages of the two expressions in [3] and [4].

[3] あ、ジョン が 走っている。
(Look! John is running.)

[4] この写真 は 学生 が フリスビー を しているところです。
(This picture shows students playing frisbee
(lit. is a scene of students playing frisbee).)

I would have read them as:

1) This is where water is drank from the river.
2) This is where Michael fell.

[Zgarbas]

different tokoros.

Notice that "this is" is not present in the original sentences; you added it in your translations. Also you've changed around the verbs -- "nonde iru" means "[someone] is drinking", not a passive "is drank". "koronde iru" means "is falling", not "fell".