Start Learning Japanese in the next 30 Seconds with
a Free Lifetime Account

Or sign up using Facebook

This is only my third time playing tennis.

Moderators: Moderator Team, Admin Team

Leon1552
New in Town
Posts: 14
Joined: August 29th, 2014 7:03 am

This is only my third time playing tennis.

Postby Leon1552 » October 30th, 2015 4:02 pm

Hi,

Which is the correct way of saying

This is only my third time playing tennis.


テンスをするのは三回目だけなんだ。

or

テニスをするのは三回だけなんだ。


Thank you. :)

ponti777
New in Town
Posts: 2
Joined: October 30th, 2015 4:11 pm

Re: This is only my third time playing tennis.

Postby ponti777 » October 30th, 2015 5:51 pm

/** ----- Answer ----- **/

[1. Before playing the tennis for the third time]

Code: Select All

The correct way of saying would be..
テニスを【する/やる】のはこれが3回目なんだ。
or テニスは2回しか【した/やった】ことがないんだ。

If you want to emphasize "only 3 times", you can add まだ in front of これが and the sentence would be..
テニスを【する/やる】のはまだこれが3回目なんだ。
or テニスはまだ2回しか【した/やった】ことがないんだ。


[2. After playing the tennis for the third time]

Code: Select All

テニスを【した/やった】のは(まだ)これで3回目なんだ。


■note■
I used symbol 【blah/blahh】 for the words you cannot miss out but you can choose one out from the words listed without altering the meaning,
symbol (blah) for the words you may add if you want to (to emphasize, to make the meaning clear, etc.).



/** ----- Follow-ups ----- **/

■ する and やる (past tense : した and やった) have almost the same meaning so you can use which one you feel like using.
ie.
ぜひ一緒に【やりましょう/しましょう】。(Let's do together.)
サッカー【しません/やりません】か?(Want to play football?)
山登り【行きません/しません】か?(Let's go to a mountain hike.)
一緒に食事【に行きません/しません】か?(Let's go to eat together.)
※Like in the last 2 sentences, there are some cases you can't use やる.
By just remembering that nuance of する is more passive, and やる is more active,
you can figure out that walking and eating is not so much active stuff enough to use やる.

■ In your sentence you have used だけ trying to emphasize the word "only", but まだ should be used here.
だけ should be used when you want to restrict (3回だけ=only three times; 3回目だけ=only the third time).
ie.
君に残されたチャンスはあと3回だけだよ。(You have only 3 chances left.)
1回だけでいいから、お願い!(Just once is enough! Pretty pleeease..!)
ではゲームを始めようか。各自2回テストプレイをしてから公式記録をとる。記録として残るのは3回目のプレイだけだよ。
(Let's start the game. You have 2 tries playing the game and then we will move on to play for the official record. Only the third play would be recorded officially.)
まだ means "only .. until now" and it just shows a state of something, and there is no nuance of restriction.
ie.
まだ電車が来ていない。(Train hasn't come yet.)
日本に来てまだ1年目です。(This is only my first year since I came to Japan.)
まだ1回しかトライしてないからあと2回チャンスがあるぞ。(I've only tried once so I have still 2 more tries/chances left.)

Get 55% OFF + 2 FREE Months
community.japanese
Expert on Something
Posts: 2704
Joined: November 16th, 2012 8:54 am

Re: This is only my third time playing tennis.

Postby community.japanese » November 2nd, 2015 2:52 am

Leon1552 san, ponti777 san,
konnichiwa. :)
As ponti777 san said those sentences are good.
The correct way of saying would be..
テニスを【する/やる】のはこれが3回目なんだ。
or テニスは2回しか【した/やった】ことがないんだ。

Yuki 由紀
Team JapanesePod101.com

Leon1552
New in Town
Posts: 14
Joined: August 29th, 2014 7:03 am

Re: This is only my third time playing tennis.

Postby Leon1552 » November 2nd, 2015 1:32 pm

Thank you ponti777 san and Yuki sensei. :D
勉強になりました!

community.japanese
Expert on Something
Posts: 2704
Joined: November 16th, 2012 8:54 am

Re: This is only my third time playing tennis.

Postby community.japanese » November 3rd, 2015 2:01 am

Leon1552 san,
こんにちは。
どういたしまいして。 :)
Yuki 由紀
Team JapanesePod101.com

Return to “Learn All About Japanese”