Shiira.Shiira

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from the awesome Japanese Grammar website, Jgram.  It was a tidy tidbit on ~tari.  You can find that information right here.  Briefly, ~tari means “doing/did things like …” and much to my delight, the lyrics to Kamenashi Kazuya/KAT-TUN’s “Someday for Somebody” came to mind. 

When I can make a correlation between something I enjoy and learning something new in Japanese, I really get excited so I was more than overjoyed when the words to this song popped into my head!!!

 

According to jGram, ~tari is used to string together a set of verbs using the Verb stem + tari and is generally referred to as the ~tari suru form.  One of the examples they used:  Tabetari, nondari, nonbirimashita – eating and drinking, I relaxed. 

The ~tari form uses the plain past tense of a verb, the –ta form, and adds ri to the end.  So …

• taberu = tabeta = tabetari (ate)
• nomeru = nonda = nondari (drank)
• asobu = asonda = asondari (played)
• kau = katta = kattari (bought)
• au = atta = attari (met)

 You get the jist, right?  If you need more clarification then just visit the jgram website and have at it.  In the meantime, take a gander at these partial lyrics to the song and my meager, measly attempts at translating.

** Disclaimer(s) **

I’m not that great at Japanese y’all, so if I’ve mispelled any words, used incorrect kana and/or kanji, or just generally have misrepresented the whole concept of ~tari, it is by accident … I apologize … and please leave corrections in the comments.  Also, I do not own any rights associated with Kamenashi Kazuya, KAT-TUN, or the lyrics contained within this post.

* P.S.*
I found a really good set of worksheets on the ~tari form at Japanese Teaching Ideas Have a look-see, it might help.