わたしの わかい とき わたしの かぞくは そふの いえ に すんで いました
When I was young, my family lived in my grandfather’s house.
かれは だいく でした
He was a carpenter.
わたしは かれの どうぐが あります
I still have his tools.
かれは ちいさな にほんていえん を にわ に つくりました
He created a small Japanese garden in the yard.
にほんていえんは まえのにわ の かべの となり に ありました
The Japanese garden was next to the wall in the front yard.
かれは ちいさな おかを かべに ぶつけて つくりました
He made a small hill against the wall.
ざくろのき が おかに そだちました
A pomegranate tree grew on the hill.
その にほんていえんは その おおきなき の ひかげに ありました
The Japanese garden was in the shade of that large tree.
いしは おかに ありました
There were rocks on the hill.
わたしの そふは そこの ちいき の いし を あつめました
My grandfather collected stones from the area.
いえ を つくったとき それは その ちいきの ゆいつの いえ でした
When he built the house, it was the only house in the region.
かれは すてきな かたちの いし を えらびました
He chose stones with beautiful shapes.
ひとつの いし は おわんのような かたち でした
One stone was shaped like a bowl.
ちいさい しょくぶつは いしの あいだに おかれました
Small plants were placed between the stones.
くさ の はっぱ は ながく て たいら です
The leaves of the grass are long and flat.
*About Adjective + くて(で) + B
The て form of an い-Adjective, or で form of a noun (or な-Adjective) is exactly the same as the て form of a verb, in that it carries the meaning of 'and', and is used for linking.
[い]Adjective[い] + く + て [な]Adjective + で + Phrase Noun + で + Phrase
それは にほん ばしら(せきしょう) かもしれません
It might have been Japanese sweet flag.
おかの まえに たき が ありました
In front of the hill, there was a waterfall.
みず は いけ に おちました
The water fell into a pond.
いけは コンクリート で つくられました
The pond was made of concrete.
＊られます(られました)= The passive form
The passive form is used when the person towards whom the action is
performed becomes the subject of the sentence instead of being the object.
A sentence in the active form such as I read a book (わたしは ほんを よみます)has:
-
I: subject, the one who performs the action
-
book: object, the one towards whom the action is performed
If we want to rephrase this sentence in the passive we have to make the object book the subject of the sentence:
the book is read by me.(ほんは わたしに よまれます)
In Japanese the principle is the same: we want to make the person towards whom the action is performed the subject of the sentence.
Since the subject and object of the sentence are expressed using particles, it will be necessary to change the order of the particles as well as conjugate the verb in the passive form.いけの まわり は ちいさい いし が ありました Around the pond were small stones.
ちいさい しま は いけに ありました
There was a small island in the pond.
それは おおきい コンクリートのいし に ちいさい いし が ちりばめ られていました
It was a large concrete stone with small stones embedded in it.
それは いし の ように みえます
It looked like a stone.
ほんとうの しま では ありません
It wasn’t a real island.