englishbooks.jp
Facebook
BTB Press
YouTubeDo You Have the Time?
Do you wear a watch? I used to wear one every day, but I have found over the last couple of years that I wear one less and less. I suppose the main reason for this is that I always have my mobile phone with me, so I can easily see what time it is if I need to know. I never made a conscious decision to stop wearing a watch, though. In fact, I really like watches, and I have about five of them. My favorite is one that I bought when I lived in Singapore. I lost it once when it was stolen from my house in Nagoya, but I got it back a few months later when the police caught the burglars.
Actually, I bought a new watch just a few months ago. It’s a “mountain” watch that has all the “ABC” features that climbers and hikers need. “ABC” stands for “altimeter” (to tell you how high you are), “barometer” (to tell you about changes in air pressure so that you will know when bad weather is coming), and “compass.” To be completely honest, though, my phone can do all of those things as well. I had wanted that watch for a few years, and I just decided to buy it as a present for myself when I got my new job.
Anyway, I was wondering whether it is just me who has stopped wearing a watch. To make this week’s topic easy for everyone, here are some questions for you to answer.
1) Do you wear a watch (a) always, (b) usually, or (c) never?
2) Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?
3) How many watches do you have?
4) Do you have a favourite watch that you only wear on special occasions?
5) Do you think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, or do you think they will disappear altogether?
Look forward to hearing your stories.
Hi David & everyone,
Usually I don’t have enough time to post my coment here because I don’t have spare time or the topics are too difficult. However, I think this week’s topic for men, rather than for women, so I’ll put my coment here.
1) Do you wear a watch (a) always, (b) usually, or (c) never?
→My choice is (b). When I go out, I wear a wrist watch.
2) Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?
→I do the same thing as I did when it was 10 or 20 years ago.
3) How many watches do you have?
→I have four wrist watches.
4) Do you have a favourite watch that you only wear on special occasions?
→I have a digital watch for running. It is not expensive but it’s light and has some convenient functions for runners.
5) Do you think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, or do you think they will disappear altogether?
→I think men will be because wrist watches are good fashion items for men.
I prefere analog watches to digital ones because the former ones are more convenient to understand
the remainingtime. Unfortuantely, there are many copied brand watches our there. I don’t like them.
BTW, you put a clock on your blog so we can find the time when a member posted his/her comment.
But its range is 0 to 12. If you can, please change the range to 0 to 24.
See ya,
Hi David and everyone,
Thank you for choosing an easy topic!
Here are my answers to your questions.
1)I don’t wear a watch anymore because of the same reason as yours. The only occasion I wear one is when I take a test like STEP test. Now I got used to not wearing a watch, so when I wear one, I feel uncomfortable.
2)I used to wear a watch most of the time until about 10 years ago. That’s because I didn’t have a cellphone.
3)I have about 4 or 5 wrist watches but I don’t use them anymore and their batteries were dead.
4)I don’t have a favorite watch now but my favorite one when I was in my twenties was the one whose face was the shape of Mickey Mouse face.腕時計の文字盤がミッキーマウスの顔の形
5)I think less people would wear watches but some people would still wear them. Because as Gussan said, some people wear them as fashion items like Rolex ones.
BTW, “Do you have the time?” means “what’s time is it?”, right? And “Do you have time?” means like “Can I talk to you for a minute?”. These two sentences are confusing for me.
Hi everyone,
Did you have a nice three-day holiday? Today I met my girlfriends from college(I mean college days) and had a great time having lunch and having long chat.
Fumie
Hi David,
I love watches so thanks for choosing an easy topic for me 🙂
Here are my answers for your questions:
1) Do you wear a watch (a) always, (b) usually, or (c) never
Yes, (b)
2) Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?
Yes, I was a person who always wearing a watch.
3) How many watches do you have?
I have ten watches.
4) Do you have a favourite watch that you only wear on special occasions?
No, I can’t choose one from them. Each watch has a different charm.
5) Do you think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, or do you think they will disappear altogether?
I think that people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, because there are a lot of people who love watches like me 🙂
I was sixteen when I bought a watch by myself for the first time. I like small watches like bracelets, and antiques. When I visited the UK several years ago, we(two of my sisters and I) went to a flea market. I found a lovely watch and my sister bought it as my birthday present. It was a wind-up type(I am not sure if it’s proper words for 手巻き時計) and I liked it very much. Unfortunately, I lost it sometime later and I have no idea when I lost it. I was so sad when I noticed that I had lost it. All I could think of was at my station. So I went to the station and reported about it but I couldn’t find it 🙁
amo
Hi David and everyone,
Here are my answers ;
1) Do you wear a watch (a) always, (b) usually, or (c) never?
(b)usually
Like Gussan, I wear a watch when I go out and take it off as soon as I get home.
2) Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?
No, it wouldn’t.
3) How many watches do you have?
I’m not sure, but I have 2 or 3 watches.
4) Do you have a favourite watch that you only wear on special occasions?
No.
Every day I wear a same watch that I bought about 15 years ago, it still works. It’s a SEIKO watch. It has a timeless design and fits for almost all types of clothing, so I like it very much.
5) Do you think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, or do you think they will disappear altogether?
I think people will still be wearing watches 10 years or even 20 years from now, because some people consider them as a part of fashion.
Unlike David, I look at my wrist watch when I need to know what time it is outside my home. I don’t know the reasons, though…
By the way, believe it or not, it is said that how you choose and associate with your wrist watches show how you choose and associate with the opposite sex(a boy/girlfriend) in psychology.
So, first you ask someone, “What type of wrist watch do you usually wear?” and then “Why do you wear(choose) it?”. And the answers show your type of man/woman and your ways of choosing a boy/girlfriend…
「いつもどういう腕時計してる？」と尋ねてみます。
で、「それはなんで（なんでそれを選んだの）？」と聞いてみてください。
心理学では腕時計の好みや選び方が、その人の異性の好み、選び方や付き合い方を表す、と言われてるみたいです。本当かどうか知らないけど。理由は腕時計は肌身離さず身につけるもの＝大事なもの＝恋人、みたいな理由みたいです。これって結構みんな知ってる心理テストですよね。
See you !
Hi David,
I have a question.
I answered to your question 2) as below.
>2) Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?
>No, it wouldn’t.
I meant “いいえ、１０年前、２０年前と変わっていません”.
Is my answer correct?
Hi David and everyone,
I had a nice relaxing weekend. My husband and I rented some movies and watched them at home. Actually, we were not planning to have a “watching movies weekend”, but the one we saw on Saturday had a sad ending, and I needed to watch something happy and cheerful, so we ended up watching three movies.
Anyway, I’m glad this week’s topic is an easy one, and here are my answers to the questions.
1) Do you wear a watch (a) always, (b) usually, or (c) never?
I usually at home, so I don’t need to wear a watch, but I sometimes wear one when I go out.
My husband likes watches, and he always wears one when he goes out. He often leaves his cell phone at home, but he never forgets to wear a watch when he goes to work.
2) Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?
Yes. I used to wear a watch every day.
3) How many watches do you have?
I have one. I have bought several watches so far, but I only buy a new one when the old one is broken or when I have lost it, so I always have just one. It’s enough for me if I have one I like.
My husband has five watches, and he chooses one that fits the season, the clothes, or his moods. One of his is similar to the one in the picture on the blog. He is wearing it today.
4) Do you have a favourite watch that you only wear on special occasions?
The one I wear is my favorite. It’s silver and like a simple bracelet.
My husband has a favorite watch that he wears on special occasions. He says he wears it when he has an important business. It’s slightly dark silver, and the face of the watch is black. You can see the inside of the watch from a small circle window on the face, and from a bigger circle window on the back. Men like watches that you can see the inside of them working, don’t they?(Or is it just my husband??) Anyway, I like my husband’s favorite watch too, because I picked it out when he was torn between the one and the other.
5) Do you think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, or do you think they will disappear altogether?
I think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now. I hope they will be because I like to see men wearing a watch.(I know I’m strange! LOL) I’m not interested in brand goods, so any watch will do as long as they are good and fit my liking, but I prefer analog watches.
Hi YU,
I didn’t know that psychological test. It’s interesting!
See you soon,
Tomo
PS David – The comment box on the last entry is still open.
Hi David and everyone,
It’scorching hot today, isn’t it? I felt like I wanted to turn on the air conditioner for the first time this season, but haven’t done yet.
I had a great weekend in Tokyo.
Amo, I visited three museums on the first day.(I moved around from nine in the morning to ten at night and it sounds crazy! On the next day, I went to another exhibition.
Here are my answers to this week’s topic:
>1) Do you wear a watch (a) always, (b) usually, or (c) never?
–(b)
Yes, I usually wear the watch when I go out. I have my cell phone with me too, so there’s no problem without the watch, but it’s easier for me to make sure the time with the watch.
2) Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?
–Yes, it would because it would have been very inconvenient going out without wearing the watch.
3) How many watches do you have?
–5 watches I usually use three among them depending on each situation. The old one among them is 37-year-old wind-up watch.
4) Do you have a favourite watch that you only wear on special occasions?
—Yes. I have a watch I like, but it is not the one I wear only special occasions.
I bought that watch last fall when I travelled to Canada. I fell in love with it at the first sight; its brand is “Roots” from Canada, and the color of the leather and face is cranberry. It’s casual and not a top brand-name one like Omega, but my favorite at the moment.
5) Do you think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, or do you think they will disappear altogether?
—I don’t think they will disappear, but the function will change year by year. Like gussan, many people are health conscious these days are interested in how they should check their health-rate, calories or some other things. Watches that provide these functions have already been available for consumers, and a lot more people start using these ones.
Watches are not just to make sure the time but to satisfy people’s various kinds of demand.
Hi Fumie,
>These two sentences are confusing for me.
Yes, indeed.
Actually I had the same feeling as you had and I wrote about it on my blog last year.
If your are interested in it, have a look at it from the following site.
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/22anne22/c/59717c4aafa908df25476c18bb322664/2
It’s an interesting episode in the book.
Hi YU,
心理テストですか？
It sounds interesting but scary!
Anne
Hi Anne,
Thank you. I read the topic of your blog. It’s interesting. Having just one word,”the” makes two sentences totally diffenrent meaning.
Fumie
Hi David,
YU asked you how to answer this question “Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?” in her second comment, and I first thought her version(No, it wouldn’t.) was right, but on second thought, another version came to mind; “No, it wouldn’t have.” Which is correct??
Actually, I don’t understand why you used that tense for the question. I thought it might be past condition like, “Would your answer have been different if it had been 10 or 20 years ago?”, but it’s still difficult for me to understand… Could it be “Would your answer be different if it was 10 or 20 years ago?”
See you soon,
Tomo
Hi everyone,
I want to write something, but I just can’t.
As Gussan says, “watches” is rather a men’s topic.
Hi Tomo,
Your husband is interesting !
He sometimes leaves his cellphone, but never forgets to wear his watch.
The phychological test results say that those who always wear a watch cannot live without his/her partner(you!). You are an absolute necessity(必需品) for him. I’m happy for you! 🙂
Hi amo,
I admire people who find the worth of antiques and love them. I prefer brand-new articles. I simply can’t use the stuff someone else has used, even if they were very valuable…
So, I visit flea markets, but I almost don’t buy anything there.
Hi Anne,
I like ゆきねえ（兵頭ゆき）.
I didn’t know she is from Nagoya.
Do you know she owns her brand, called “Yuki Hyodo” and sells lingerie now?
When I saw her appearing in a TV shopping programm to advertise her brand’s lingerie, I was a bit shocked.
“Lingerie” just doesn’t correspond to my image of ゆきねえ. She is a woman with boyish looks, especially, her hair style is very unique. It’s like a pineapple, isn’t it!?
Anyway, the book sounds very interesting.
I don’t know how bad her English before going to the US was, but she is qualified to teach English to kids now. That’s amazing!
See you !
Hi Tomo and YU,
“No, it wouldn’t” would be more natural, but “No, it wouldn’t have” would also be correct.
“Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?” is a shortened version of “Would your answer have been different if I had asked you this question 10 or 20 years ago?” I am asking about a hypothetical past – what would your answer have been at that point in time. I suppose it is a bit like the third conditional structure. Does that help?
PS “Would your answer be different…” doesn’t work because the answer itself would have been in the past.
Hi David,
Thank you for answering our questions.
I didn’t think so deep as Tomo did… I just thought you asked us, “10年、20年前なら答えは違ってた？”, and I answered, “No”（いいえ、違わないのつもりで） to it.
However, when I read amo’s comment, I lost confident of my answer, “No” somehow.
To be honest, I just wanted to know how I should answer, “Yes” or “No”…
By the way, if I remember correctly, didn’t you annouce us before that you’ll take part in the Suzuka bike race this month? Has it already finished?
Hi YU,
Thanks for letting me know the result! Actually, I was wondering like, “He changes his watch depending on his moods, and he already has five watches but always wants one more. Which means…??” LOL
Anyway, I’m glad it has a good meaning!
Hi David,
Thanks for your help! I’m not sure if I can produce that sentence myself, but I understand why it should be “would have been.”
“Would your answer have been different if I had asked you this question 10 or 20 years ago?”、こう考えると分かりやすいし納得です。 Thank you!
Tomo
Hi Tomo,
Glad to be of help 🙂
Hi YU,
It’s actually Tonari san who is going to be taking part in the 8-hour race at the end of this month. Apparently, my job is going to be putting fuel in the bike when they come in to change riders. My qualifications for this job are:
1) I’m taller than the other members of the team.
2) The fuel is in a can that weighs about 24 kg and has to be carried on your shoulder, so the person holding it has to be reasonably strong.
3) It’s about the only job I can be trusted with!
The worst thing about my job is that the person who does it has to wear a crash helmet and fireproof overalls, so I’m going to be very, very hot. I’ll let you know how I get on.
Hi David,
I posted 2 comments(one for you and the other for Jyoji) after your last comment. And the comments were shown on the screen, and the number of comments became 16, but suddenly they had gone! What happend!?
Hi YU,
Sorry, I have no idea what happened there. I just checked the admin section of the blog, and the comments have disappeared completely. When you posted them, they did come through to my email, though, so I will copy them here. Sorry about that. If it happens again, I will ask the tech guy to look into it.
Anyway, here are your comments.
Hi Jyoji,
I’m wondering if you’ve been very busy lately.
最近忙しそうですね。
決して急かしているわけじゃないんですが、先週のエントリーの和訳まだアップされてないのでどうするのかな～と思って。。。
今までとばしちゃった事とかあるんですか？
それならいいんですけど….良くはないか!? ハハハ。。。 :-)
もし必要だったら全訳したのがあるので言ってくださいね。
先週のはなかなか難しい内容だったので私も先週全訳してみたのです！初トライ！
では！！
Hi David,
I see. Can anyone take part in the 8-hour race?
I found the name of “Tonari” in the entry list.
Is 隣 淳二 Tonari san’s name?
Is he a professional bike racer or an amateur?
In the latter case, how does he earn money to take part in those races?
I’ve not met you in person, but according to your description, you must have a good physique.
> so I’m going to be very, very hot
Oh~, no~~!! I really don’t like the heat!
I wonder why the 8-hour race is always held in the middle of summer…Who decided that!?
Is it a kind of summer festival for bike lovers!?
Anyway, please be careful of the heatstroke!!
I’m looking forward to hearing your trouble stories (How do you say 苦労話 in English !?) in the race! 😉
訂正；
＞I wear only special occasions.
ーーーI wear only on special occasions.
> many people are health conscious these days are interested in how they should check their health-rate, calories or some other things.
—- many people are health conscious these days and are interested in how they should check their health-rate, calories or some other things.
Hi YU,
>Do you know she owns her brand, called “Yuki Hyodo” and sells lingerie now?
—I didn’t know that. I had a look at the web site of her lingerie online shop. Each one seems to be focused on the concept “comfortable to wear” and looks nice.
Hi Tomo,
>he chooses one that fits the season, the clothes, or his moods.
—Wow! The image of your husband looks like “real(できる）businessman”! That sounds nice!
Your husband’s story reminds me of a TV drama called “The Good Wife”,that is one of my favorites. In the drama, a competent lawyer wore a very nice watch and it captured my eyes.
Watches and other props play an important role in making movies and dramas better.don’t they?
Here’s the photo of him.
http://watchesinmovies.info/tv/good-wife-the-2009/
Hi David,
Looking forward to hearing your story at Suzuka, but in the height of the summer, the job is going to be very hard, so be careful with the heatstroke!
Good luck with Tonarisan and his team including you!
Anne
Hi David,
Thank you for copying my comments.
I didn’t know that our comments go through to your email. Anyway, I’m relieved to know that my comments were still alive somewhere else…
Hi David,
Let’s look at only the good side. You are tall and strong, and I think most men want to be like that 😉
Anyway, I’m looking forward to hearing your “hot” stories!
Hi YU,
I just re-read amo’s comment, and I got what you meant. Sorry for my misunderstanding!
I think she said “Yes” because her answer would have changed from (b) to (a).
Hi Anne,
Ha ha ha, you have a nice imagination!(far too nice for my husband! LOL) He doesn’t look like the actor at all, but he is very pleased that you think of him as できる. 今日は気分よく眠れるんじゃないでしょうか（笑）
I liked the lawyer’s watch too, but it must be very expensive!! 時計は男性にとって、女性のアクセサリーみたいなものなんでしょうかね～
Good night,
Tomo
Hi David,
You are supposed to carrry 24kg of a can on your shoulder. Wow, you are strong! Good luck with the race! It is going to be an ordeal to do such a hard job swiftly in this heat, please be careful!
Hi YU,
>Is 隣 淳二 Tonari san’s name?
I’m not sure but when David mentioned Tonari san, he meant his next-door neighbor or his ex next-door neighbor? 隣 isn’t his friend’s name? Or am I misunderstand?
Fumie
Hi YU,
Oh, sorry that my sentence made you confused.
I just omitted the part of () “Yes, (it would, because) I was a person ….” maybe I shouldn’t have had that.
By the Way, I never have heard about “心理テスト” that you mentioned. So I have many watches so I should have a lot of boy friends? That would be nice:)
Hi Fumie,
If my memory is correct, Tonari San’s name is 隣. He mentioned that before.
I got to go bye,
Have a nice day
amo
Hi David and everyone
Thank you for your feedback. I always miss to write it in feedback entry 🙁
Here is my answer.
1) Do you wear a watch (a) always, (b) usually, or (c) never?
Yes (b). I wear a watch when I go out. It is still fastest way to know the time.
2) Would your answer have been different 10 or 20 years ago?
No, it wouldn’t.
3) How many watches do you have?
Three. But one is broken. The other one is for not to wear.
4) Do you have a favourite watch that you only wear on special occasions?
I have a no choice because I have only one watch which I can wear. It’s my favorite.
5) Do you think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, or do you think they will disappear altogether?
No I don’t think so. Watches have a role not only to tell the time. But it will be less popular and be more fashionable thing.
The more I read your comments, the more I want a new watch.
Hi Anne
the website you introduced is very interesting. The author of the site might really love watches. How do you find this site?
Time to work! Bye.
trmr
Hi everyone,
My friend’s name is 隣淳二. He is not a professional racer, so he has to pay a lot of money to enter the race. There are three riders in the team, and they split the cost between them.
When you start motorcycle racing, you can get a “national” licence. This allows you to take part in local club races. If you get a certain number of points in a season (or if you win at least o, you can apply for an “international” licence. This allows you to take part in all-Japan races and major events like the Suzuka 8-hour. Of course, Tonari-san has an international licence.
Hi amo,
I see, but please don’t aplogize.
I’m the only person who took your sentence wrongly.
By the way, I’m not really sure what the differences between “always” and “usually” are.
I know “always” is translated as “いつも” and “usually” as “ふだんは、たいていは”, though…
My dictionary says that “usually” is translated as “いつも” too… 🙁
I read in the Internet that some people don’t take off
their wristwatch even when they take a bath. I thought we can say that those people “always” wear a watch, but I don’t think you weren’t that extreme, were you?
This is my case…
When I go out, I “always” wear a watch (unless I forget it!) = Whenever I go out, I wear a watch. However, this “always” actually should be “usually”?
That’s why I chose (b)usually myself, although I “always” wear a watch when I go out.
I’m confused…so now you know what I meant, don’t you?
When I read your sentence, I didn’t understand why you answered “Yes”, because I felt your next sentence sounded “No” to me. Or just the frequency of wearing a watch has changed as Tomo guessed (always to usually)?
Hi David,
I see. Tonari san does his job for bike races?
In my living place, some amateur sufers run their own “surf shop” or “surfing school” near the beach to enter the (international) surf contest.
I don’t know if it’s true or not, in Europe some people work just to have a great vacation…In fact, when I used to work, French people often suddenly stopped corresponding with us during the summer… hahaha…but, it’s a nice motive for working. It’s much better than to work only to pay the housing loan or children’s school fee…
Hi David and everyone!
About this topic, I remember I was a person who was always worried about the time, like when gtting a bus, meeting someone, I was always there about 10-20minutes before they came. So I could do nothing without a wrist watch and I even wore one while sleeping when I had to wake up early morning.
When I carelessly lost my only watch about 7years ago,I was a bit panicked.But having used my mobile to check the time until I’ve got new one, I got used to it day by day ,and now I don’t need it and never wear one any more.
I don’t know how many times I saw my watch a day worrying about the time. So I think it’s good for me to be less nervous about it than I was wearing the one.
>Do you think people will still be wearing watches 10 years from now, or do you think they will disappear altogether?
I don’t think they will disappear because as other members said, watches are the great tool of fashion. I think it will never change even 10 years from now.
See you soon everyone!
rinko
Hi rinko,
When I meet new people, I usually check if he/she is punctual or not. In my opinion, that tells you really a lot about the person. In general, punctual people are more reliable for everything, and I like those type of people. You must be a very reliable person!!
Hi trmr,
I happened to come across the site while I was browsing by putting “movies+watches” in the blank. I like watching movies and am interested in props like clothes, jewelry, watches, furniture and other ones that are used in the movies.
Yeah, this site is interesting!
Anne
Hi David and YU,
I’m sorry I’m the one who mistook the name of David’s friend. Untril today I had a completely wrong idea. David use Japanese words sometimes, so I thought he said お隣さん。
Fumie
Hi YU,
>I’m not really sure what the differences between “always” and “usually” are.
Me neither! Sometimes they sound different, but other times they sound almost the same to me. I don’t think “always” has to mean “24 hours a day, 365 days a year”, and I think watches are usually something you wear when you go out like hats or shoes. David says, “I always have my mobile phone with me” in the entry, but I don’t think he has it with him when he takes a bath.（したりして?? 笑）
>When I go out, I “always” wear a watch (unless I forget it!) = Whenever I go out, I wear a watch. However, this “always” actually should be “usually”?
I would say “always” in your case.
> I didn’t understand why you answered “Yes”, because I felt your next sentence sounded “No” to me.
Actually, I felt the same way as you, but I thought that she meant “Yes, my answer would have been different((b) → (a)).” I might be wrong, though…
最初の質問に選択肢があったから、生まれた誤解ではないでしょうか。 a),b),c) で答えた場合、「時計をつける・つけない」という意味だけじゃなくても、「はい、答えは違います」と言えるのかな??と思ったのですが。。。 でも自信なしです。 これは人によって受け取り方が違うかもしれないですね。
Hi rinko,
Wow, you are very punctual! I think what YU said is very true, but it might be a good idea for you to forget about time once in a while 😉
Hi Anne and trmr,
I checked the site again. I didn’t realize how interesting the site was last night! Yes, the person must love watches!!
See you soon,
Tomo
PS Fumie, you are not the only one who mistook “Tonari-san” for お隣さん. 前にも同じように誤解した人がいたから大丈夫ですよ 😉
Hi Anne,
Three museums? You must’ve been tired at that night. Anyway, I am glad to hear that you had a great time in Tokyo.
By the way, I had a look the site that you mentioned, it’s interesting. I had an opportunity to have a drink with a couple of guys who work for Breitling. Not to mention that both of them were wearing their own brand’s watches. Those were very nice but unfortunately, they were too big for me:(
Hi YU,
>I read in the Internet that some people don’t take off their wristwatch even when they take a bath.
Really? No one around me do something like that. I never even thought of wearing a watch at home. So I just simply took his question “Do you wear a watch when you go out?”
So my answers should be:
1) I usually wear a watch when I go out.
2) Yes, it would. I was a person who always wore a watch when I went out. So my answer would have been a) in this case.
>I’m not really sure what the differences between “always” and “usually” are.
I am not sure but I learnt like this:
always > usually > often > seldom/rarely/hardly ever > never.
今、Tomoのコメント読みました。私なんか間違ってます？？
「はい、答えは違います。なぜなら、昔はいつも時計をしてたので（出かけるときは）」
私が、usually をalways にした理由は昔は時計を忘れたと気づいたら、家に取りに戻っていたからです（もちろん、戻れる範囲で気づいた場合ですが）。でも今は携帯があるので、忘れても取りに帰ることをしなくなったので、usually としたのですがおかしいですか。
Good night,
amo
Hi Fumie,
Please don’t say sorry!
It doesn’t matter much to me whether Tonari san’s name is お隣さん or お向かいさん（笑）, but maybe it does a bit to David…!?
I don’t know how David introduced Tonari san to you all at first, but he(Tonari san) really might have been David’s next-door neighbour(お隣さん)!!
If a person whose name is 隣 lived next to your house/room, wouldn’t it be interesting?
もし『隣』という名前の人が『お隣さん』だったら面白くありませんか？フフフ。。。
Hi Tomo,
Thank you for sharing your ideas about “always” and “usually”.
>これは人によって受け取り方が違うかもしれないですね。
そうかも知れないですね。
I’m a bit curious to know how David(native speaker) reads amo’s sentence, though…
Anyway, I’m relieved to hear that at least there was another person(you!)who felt the same way as me. 私の妄想じゃなかったようだわ！
> it might be a good idea for you to forget about time once in a while
And it might be a good idea for you to forget about your mobile phone once in a while. Long time ago I was once really into checking my mobile phone and sending SMSs. And one day, my German language class teacher called me “携帯依存症”, but I’m not really interested in mobile phones any more now, or should I say “I can’t keep up with the new technology!? 😉
Now I can’t remember how the life without a cell phone was….
Hi amo,
I learned like that too(!), but what Tomo and I wanted to say was…”usually” が時々”always”のような意味、または逆で使われることもあってよくわからないってことです。
> 今、Tomoのコメント読みました。私なんか間違ってます？？
「はい、答えは違います。なぜなら、昔はいつも時計をしてたので（出かけるときは）」
私が、usually をalways にした理由は昔は時計を忘れたと気づいたら、家に取りに戻っていたからです（もちろん、戻れる範囲で気づいた場合ですが）。でも今は携帯があるので、忘れても取りに帰ることをしなくなったので、usually としたのですがおかしいですか。
いいえ、間違ってませんよ。
ただそういう事情を知らなかったのと、上にも書いたようにusuallyとalwaysは時々紛らわしい使われ方をするので私がただ単に考えすぎただけだと思います。気を悪くしたのならゴメンなさいね。
訂正；
＞be careful with the heatstroke!
ーーーtake care not to get heatstroke!
Hi Fumie and everyone,
You are not the only one who thought that way as Tomo said.
We had the same kind of talks before and David explained to us that Tonari-san is his name. Now he is famous on this blog,isn’t he?
Hi amo,
Yes, I was sooo tired. If I live in Tokyo, I wouldn’t do such a crazy thing!
It’s around six in the morning and is not hot. I hear birds tweeting outside,but in an hour or so, I’ll hear cicadas shrilling instead. It’s going to be another hot day today. It felt like even my eyes were burning when I went out yesterday.
Anne
Hi amo, YU and Toni
Thank you for sharing the thoughts of “always” and “usually”.
I understand the difference between “always” and “usually” is that “usually” is almost always but has some exception. Is it right?
“I usually wear a watch” could be “Whenever I go out, I always wear a watch”. Because “always” in second sentence is used in limited scope. Both sentence insist that there are some situations that I don’t wear one, right?
trmr
Hi YU,
I think I was wrong, both of my answers should be b)
I checked the meaning of “always” and it said “all the time, on all occasions.”
So I think I shouldn’t use “always” if it is not 100%. As I said, There were time that I did not wear a watch in my past, so it should be “usually”
Have a nice day,
amo
Hi trmr,
Thank you for sharing your ideas.
>”Whenever I go out, I always wear a watch.”
I’m not sure if “always” is necessary in this sentence, because “whenever” itself already means “always/いつでも、いつも”. I might be wrong, though…
Because David just asked us “Do you wear a watch?”, I was not really sure if he meant “day and night, 24 hours a day” or “when you go out” or else. If he had meant the second case, I might have answered a)always, as I “always”(99% of the cases)wear a watch when I go out, but as you mentioned, “I usually wear a watch” and “I always wear a watch” mean almost the same, and “I usually wear a watch” sounds more natural to me in this case. So, it’s really complicated, isn’t it?
However, I “never” wear one when I’m at home,so it was difficult for me to answer the question.
でも常識的に考えてDavidは『Do you wear a watch when you go out?』と聞いていると考えるのが妥当なんだと思います(amoのように）。
See you!
Hi everyone,
I think you can use “always” if it’s not “100%” because it also can be used as in “often” like, “He is always complaining.” Of course, this case is a bit different from the case of wearing a watch, and the speaker is just exaggerating the situation, but I don’t think “always” always means “all the time” or “on all occasions.”
>でも常識的に考えてDavidは『Do you wear a watch when you go out?』と聞いていると考えるのが妥当なんだと思います(amoのように）。
I think so too, so in my sense, if you said “I usually wear a watch”, I would think that you sometimes don’t wear a watch when you go out(on purpose, not by accident).
Speak to you soon,
Tomo
PS YU – I’ve never sent SMSs.(To be honest, I don’t know how to do it! LOL) Actually, I didn’t have a cell phone 5 years ago. I sometimes check blogs or look for something on my phone, but I usually use my phone when I need to contact someone. I could live without one because I have other ways to do those things, but I couldn’t live without a computer!
PPS trmr – You meant “Hi amo, YU and Tomo”? 指が少しずれちゃったみたいですね（笑） Don’t worry, it often happens to me too 😉
Hi everyone,
It’s interesting that some of you stick to the usage of the words:always and usually.
I suppose words have some umbiguity in their meanings to some extent. So, both of them can be used in the same meaning.
I think, generally sqpeaking ‘always! means 100%, but it can be used with exceptions.
Speaking in Japanese, always means いつも, and usually means 普段, I think.
In their meanings, いつも is stronger than 普段.
See ya.