When conveying thoughts, you express yourself as follows: “I think this is better.” “(watashi ha) kore ga ii to omou yo.” “I think Suzuki san will go alone.” “(watashi ha) suzuki sann ha hitori de iku to omoimasu.” “Omou” (think) can mean the following: Drawing one’s own conclusions: What I’m saying is something I decided on myself. My own idea: Stating one’s own opinion. Uncertainty: Concerning what I’m saying, I haven’t confirmed the facts. When you are drawing your own conclusions or expressing your own ideas, the subject (watashi / I) is often omitted, as the listener understands you are referring to the subject (I) at the end of the sentence. When you are stating another person’s thoughts or ideas, you do not use direct statements. It is a peculiarity of Japanese that you do not state other people’s opinions as fact. In these cases you show that you are stating the thoughts or ideas of the person you are speaking to by adding an confirming suffix such as “ne,” as in: “You think this is good, don’t you?” “(anata ha) kore ga ii to omou no ne.” “You are thinking of going alone, aren’t you?” “(anata ha) hitori de ikou to omotte imasu ne.” If there is a third party referred to, you can make guesses about them in the following ways: “Nakamura sann seems to think this is good.” “nakamura sann ha kore ga ii to omou sou desu.” “Nakamura sann seems to think she will go alone.” “nakamura sann ha hitoride ikouto omotte iru you desu.” It is wrong to use “think” (omitting the “I”) when discussing your own emotions or feelings as it gives the impression that you are talking about somebody else’s. An odd expression. × “I think I like sweets.” “(watashi ha) amai mono ga suki da to omou no.” × “I think I’m tired.” “(watashi ha) tsukareta to omoi masu.”
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