Two events are of course least connected when they are expressed with two separate sentences:
Kishida-san-ga waraimashita. Ariyoshi-san-mo waraimashita. “Ms. Kishida laughed. Ms. Ariyoshi also laughed.”
A language user can present two events as related events, in which case a clause-final particle such as -kara or -kedo connects the events:
Kishida-san-ga waratta-kara, Ariyoshi-san-mo waraimashita. “Because Ms. Kishida laughed, Ms. Ariyoshi also laughed.”
Since these are separate events and only connected by speakers, each part has its own tense marker, and the subjects of the two parts are often different. Furthermore, each part may carry its own politeness marker -mas(h)-:
Kishida-san-ga waraimashita-kara, Ariyoshi-san-mo waraimashita. “Because Ms. Kishida laughed, Ms. Ariyoshi also laughed.”
Integrating Smaller Events into a Larger Event
An event may be considered part of a larger event as its condition, objective, or sub-event. Various constructions for subordinate clauses are used for integrating such events:
Migi-kara ni-ban-me-no botan-o osu-to, disuku-ga dete-kimasu.
“When you press the second button from the right, the disk will come out.”
Minna-ni kikoeru yoo-ni ookina koe-de hanashite-kudasai. “Please speak up so that everyone can hear you.”
The subject’s own reason for action (or inaction) is also integrated as part of a larger event:
Naomi-wa atama-ga itai-kara eiga-ni ikanai koto-ni shita.
“Naomi decided not to go to the movies because she had a headache.” Such subordinate clauses have their own tense marker separate from that of the main clause, and can have their own subject separate from that of the main clause. However, they are considered more dependent on the main clauses than are clauses containing the speaker’s reasons, and are less likely to carry politeness markers. Sentences containing politeness markers in such subordinate clauses are considered hyperpolite:
Migi-kara ni-ban-me-no botan-o oshimasu-to, disuku-ga dete-kimasu. “When you press the second button from the right, the disk will come out.”
Closely Related Sub-Events
Some sub-events are conceived to be even more closely connected. Te-forms and stem forms, which are tenseless, connect them:
( )
Watashi-ga denwachoo-de shirabe(te), denwa-o kaketa-n-desu. “I checked [the number] in the telephone book and made a phone call.”
( )
Watashi-ga denwachoo-de shirabe(te), Shimamura-san-ga denwa-o kaketa-n- desu.
“I checked [the number] in the telephone book, and Ms. Shimamura made a phone call.”
The subject of the te-form or the stem form and the subject of the final verb are typically identical, because the two events are closely connected (see Units 50 and 51). When the subjects are different, they form a pair of contrastive statements (see Unit 50) or are conceived as steps toward a common objective, as in the last example above.
One of the sub-events may be subordinated to the other semantically as the means:
Kookoo-made mainichi aruite-itta. “I went to high school on foot every day.”
Kasa-o motte dekaketa.
“I went out carrying an umbrella.”
Such te-forms are often translated into English adverbial phrases. Further Integration of Events
The subordination of te-forms and stem forms can proceed further, and you may not perceive two sub-events at all in the following examples:
Tabete-kita.
“I came having eaten (and I am ready).”
Tabete-kureta.
“He ate (for my sake).”
Tabete-mita.
“I ate (to see if I like it).”
Tabete-oita.
“I ate (in preparation).”
Tabe-hajimeta. “I started to eat.”
Tabe-tsuzuketa. “I continued eating.”
In these, the first verb and the second verb are so closely connected that the second functions as an auxiliary verb to the first. Interestingly, there is a subtle difference between these uses of te-forms and stem forms in terms of the event structure. The te-form type construction carries the sense of consequence or impact; the stem form type does not. For instance, contrast the following two:
Tabete-shimatta.
Tabe-owatta. “I finished eating.”
Both of these are commonly translated as “I finished eating,” but the first one means more; it has a judgmental sense of “out of control, deviation from the norm.” The second one does not carry any such judgmental sense. In other words, no consequence or impact is implied in the case of a stem form.
Similarly, of the following pair of sentences, which are both translated as “it started to rain,” the first has the sense of an external event approaching and affecting the speaker’s personal space. The second is merely an objective statement without reference to where the speaker is:
Ame-ga futte-kita.
“It started to rain (affecting my space).”
Ame-ga furi-hajimeta. “It started to rain.”
Thus, even though these uses of te-forms and stem forms may look quite similar, there still is a considerable difference between the two. Te-forms retain the trace of two separate events. This difference has a curious consequence in ordering stem forms and te-forms. Since the construction involving a stem form is more tightly integrated as a single event than one involving a te-form, the stem form precedes the te-form if they are combined; the opposite order is ungrammatical:
Yomi-hajimete-mita.
“I started to read (to see what would happen).” *
*Yonde-mi-hajimeta.
Checking your comprehension: How would you translate the following sentence
which combines the two auxiliary verbs meaning “to finish”?
Tabe-owatte-shimatta.