#runthrough

Final Fantasy XV Japanese Runthrough Commentary

Yesterday’s archived video is up.

This is just a simple commentary of where we try to close some gaps by talking about Japanese verbs and ending particles.

Scene 5: Central Hospital Hallway. Edward, Alphonse, Kain 

ケイン：大佐のお見舞いに？

アルフォンス：ハボックさんもケガしてるしちゃんと挨拶しときたくて...

アルフォンス：大佐が来てくれなかったら僕は今ごろどうなってたか。

エドワード：フュリー曹長もお見舞い？

中尉のお使い。

Scene 6: Central Hospital Room. Edward, Alphonse, Riza, Havoc

リザ：第三研究所の地下に入ってから数えていた歩数を基にあの大扉までのおおよその距離を出しました。

リザ：方角がはっきりしないので研究所を中心に円を描いてみたのですが。

エドワード：中央司令部。しかもこの建物は...

アルフォンス：大総統官邸。

アルフォンス：その地下にホムンクルスたちが...

_______________________________________________________________________

けいん：大佐のお見舞いに？ (Kein: Taisa no o-mimai ni?)

大佐 (taisa)- is a noun meaning “colonel.”

の (no)- is the genitive particle. The genitive case describes subsets or possessors. “X no Y” tends to translate to “Y of X” or “Y’s X” 

お見舞い (o-mimai)- is a noun meaning “visiting the sick.” It’s a noun that describes an action, and the object of the action is put in the genitive, so t

に (ni)- is the dative particle. The dative describes a time or a direction of an action, or an indirect object. It also sometimes functions to describe the purpose of another verb. This is what’s going on here. The main verb of this phrase is lost, but it is some form of “kuru,” meaning “to come.”

Translation: “[Coming] to visit the colonel?”

_____________________________________

アルフォンス：ハボックさんもケガしてるしちゃんと挨拶しときたくて... (Arufonsu: Habokku-san mo kegashiteru shi chanto aisatsu shito kitakute.)

ハボックさん (Habokku-san)- is the name “Havoc,” one of the colonel’s subordinates, and the address suffix “-san.” This address suffix is the standard one. There are many others, but this is the one to always default to if you are learning to speak Japanese.

も (mo)- is a secondary particle. It accompanies a primary case particle and it means “too” or “even.” The funny thing, though, is that in certain cases the case particle will drop out, which are when the particles are the topical, accusative, and nominative (“wa,” “wo,” and “ga.”)

ケガしてる (kegashiteru)- is the truncated, periphrastic, imperfective, progressive, indicative, affirmative conjugation of the verb “kegasu,” which means “to dirty” but colloquially “to be hurt” (a bit like “to get wasted” in English.) The term periphrastic means that the conjunction is made by using more than one verb. In this case, we’re talking about the use of the gerund of the verb, “kegashite,” plus the copula “iru.”  Progressive means that the verb is in effect through an extended period of time. Imperfective means that the action takes place either in the present or in the future. In this case it is the present. Truncated means that a part of the word has dropped out. In this case, it is the /i/ in “iru.” So we have “kegashite iru,” then the /i/ drops out and we have “kegashiteru.”

し (shi)- is a suffix that describes the phrase as being part of a non-exhaustive list, frequently of reasons. So the fact that Havoc is hurt is one reason, but not the only reason.

ちゃんと (chanto)- is an adverb meaning “properly” or “exactly.”

挨拶 (aisatsu)- is a noun meaning “greeting” or “salute.” It’s describing the action of sharing some kind words with someone.

しと (shito)- is, to our understanding, a colloquial version of the gerund of the verb “suru,” meaning “to do.” Normally, this would be “shite,” but the /e/ turned into an /o/ somehow.

きたくて (kitakute)- is the gerund of the desiderative conjugation of the verb “kuru,” meaning “to come.” This verb often takes the gerund to describe the purpose of one’s coming. The gerund in this case is “shito,” which, in itself, is conjunctival, which joins actions. More literally one “comes and greets,” which is taken to mean that one “comes to greet.” The desiderative conveys a desire. So one “wants to come to greet.” The fact that “kuru” too is in its gerund form probably indicates that it is conjunctival as well.

Translation: “Havoc is hurt, so we wanted to come to greet [him] properly [and]...”

_____________________________________

アルフォンス：大佐が来てくれなかったら僕は今ごろどうなってたか。 (Arufonsu: Taisa ga kite kurenakattara boku wa ima-goro dou natteta ka.)

大佐 (Taisa)- is the same as before.

が (ga)- is the nominative particle. The nominative particle marks the subject of a sentence.

来て (kite)- is the gerund of the verb “kuru.”

くれなかったら (kurenakattara)- is the negative, conditional conjugation of the verb “kureru,” meaning “to give.” The combination of the gerund and the verb “kureru” indicates that the gerund is an action done to the benefit of one’s inner circle. It is more literally something along the lines of  “to give me by coming.” There are a few conditional constructions in Japanese, this is the -ra conditional, which is made by taking a past construction and adding -ra at the end. This construction tends to emphasize the protasis, or the “if part” of the conditional.

僕 (boku)- is a masculine, first-person, singular pronoun. 

は (wa)- is the topical particle. The topical case marks the topic of the sentence. The topic is not the subject. In translation, however, because English requires sentences to have subjects, often the topic becomes the subject in the translation.

今ごろ (imagoro)- is an adverb (and sometimes noun) meaning “about now.” It is the adverb “ima,” meaning “now” and the suffix “goro,” meaning “about.”

どう (dou)- is an adverb meaning “how?”

なってた (natteta)- is the truncated, indicative, progressive, past, affirmative conjugation of the verb “naru,” meaning “to become,” or in this case “to turn out” or “to end up.” This truncated progressive is the same story as last time, of “iru” losing its /i/, with the addition that “iru” is conjugated for the past, making it “ita.” (The way that “naru” behaves and the conjugations it takes on contexts is a bit tricky. To our understanding, it is taking this progressive past to indicate that the actual transformation occurred in the past but the effects last until now.)

か (ka)- is the interrogative ending particle. This is more of a rhetorical thing right now.

Translation: “If the colonel did not come, as for me, how would I have turned out about now?”

_____________________________________

エドワード：フュリー曹長もお見舞い？ (Edowaado: Fyurii-souchou mo omimai?)

フュリー曹長 (Fyurii-souchou)- is the name “Fyurii,” which is Kain’s last name, and the rank “souchou,” used as an address suffix, which is common in military settings. “Souchou” is the rank of a “Sergeant.” 

も (mo)- is the same secondary particle from before. The topical particle has dropped out this time. We should not that Edward is speaking to Kain in the 3rd person. This is normal in Japanese. 

お見舞い (o-mimai)- is the same as before. Note that now the “ni” is not present.

Translation: “As for Sergeant Fuery, [are you] visiting too?”

_____________________________________

けいん：中尉のお使い。 (Kein: Chuui no o-tsukai.)

中尉 (chuui)- is a noun meaning “lieutenant.” 

の (no)- is a genitive particle.

お使い (o-tsukai)- is the noun “tsukai,” meaning “errand.” with the honorific prefix “o-.” This is a “errand of the lieutenant,” which means that it comes from the lieutenant. We think that is simple enough to intuit. You may want to translate this as “for,” and that is fine.

Translation: “An errand for the lieutenant.”

_____________________________________

リザ：第三研究所の地下に入ってから数えていた歩数を基にあの大扉までのおおよその距離を出しました。 (Riza: Dai-san kenkyuujo no chika ni haitte kara kazoete ita hasuu wo moto ni ano oo-tobira made no ooyoso no kyori wo deshimashita.)

第三 (dai-san)- is an adjectival construction meaning “the third.” It comes from the number 3, “san,” and the prefix “dai,” which serves as an ordinal, letting you know that this is the third in some sequence.

研究所 (kenkyuujo)- is a noun meaning “research facility” or really any place where research is done.

の (no)- is the genitive particle.

地下 (chika)- is a noun meaning “basement.”

に (ni)- is the dative particle.

入って (haitte)- is the gerund of the verb “hairu,” meaning “to enter.”

から (kara)- is a post-position (which is like a preposition but it comes after the phrase), which has many meanings, but if you look at the different things it can mean: “since,” “from,” “after,” you’ll get a good notion of what it describes generally. When it precedes a verb phrase with a verb in the gerund, it tends to get translated as “after” or “since,”

数えていた (kazoete ita)- is the periphrastic, indicative, progressive, past, affirmative conjugation of the verb “kazoeru,” meaning “to count.”

歩数 (hosou)- is a noun meaning “steps.” The preceding verb phrase is modifying this noun.

を (wo)- is the accusative particle. The accusative marks the direct object of a sentence, mainly. Or, as it is in this case, it indicates a movement through something else.

基 (moto)- is a noun meaning “base” or “origin.”

に (ni)- is an adverbial suffix used for nouns. We want to say that this is a a special use of the dative particle, but we are not so sure yet. “wo moto ni” is considered an expression meaning “based on”

あの (ano)- is an adjective meaning “that,” as in a thing that is far away from both the speaker and the addressee. 

大扉 (oo-tobira)- is a noun, “tobira,” meaning “door,” and the prefix “oo-” meaning “big.” So this means “big door.”

まで (made)- is a post-position meaning “to” or “till.”

の (no)- is the attributive form of the copula “da.” So all that means is that this phrase is modifying the subsequent noun phrase. This is the “NOUN that is to the big door.”

おおよそ (ooyoso)- is a noun meaning “rough.”

の (no)- is the attributive form of the copula “da.” There are a number of nouns that, to be adjectival, they use this verb in this attributive position. That is what is happening now.

距離 (kyori)- is a noun meaning “distance.” 

を (wo)- is the accusative particle.

出しました (dashimashita)- is the polite, indicative, past, affirmative conjugation of the verb “dasu,” which means many things, but in this context it seems to be describing that one “made out” a distance. What the verb generally describes is to make something explicit or public. 

Translation: “Based on the steps that I counted since I entered the basement of the third research facility, I made out a rough distance that is to that big door.” 

_____________________________________

リザ：方角がはっきりしないので研究所を中心に円を描いてみたのですが。 (Riza: Hougaku ga hakkiri shinai no de kenkyuujo wo chuushin ni maru wo kaite mita no desu ga.)

方角 (hougaku)- is a noun meaning “direction.”

が (ga)- is the nominative particle. 

はっきり (hakkiri)- is an adverb meaning “clearly” or “definitively.”

しない (shinai)- is the indicative, imperfective, negative conjugation of the verb “suru,” meaning “to do.” “Hakkiri suru” means “to become clear.”

の (no)- is a substantivizing suffix, making this phrase a noun.

で (de)- is the instrumental particle. The instrumental particle indicates the means or cause of an action. “no de” is seen as a compound particle that means something equivalent to “because.” This compound particle seems to only take the imperfective conjugations, but its tense is determined by the main verb in the verb phrase. (In this case, it is “mita.”)

研究所 (kenkyuujo)- is the same as before.

を (wo)- is the accusative particle. This is one of these cases where it is describing motion through, we believe. (Don’t hold us to this.)

中心 (chuushin)- is a noun meaning “center.”

に (ni)- is the dative particle. 

円 (maru)- is a noun meaning “circle.”

を (wo)- is the accusative particle, marking the direct object.

描いて (kaite)- is the gerund of the verb “kaku,” meaning “to draw.”

みた (mita)- is the indicative, past, affirmative conjugation of the verb “miru,” meaning “to try.” The gerund indicates what one is trying to do.

の (no)- is the substantivizing suffix.

です (desu)- is the polite, indicative, imperfective, affirmative, conjugation of the copula “da.” A copula, which we have amazingly not seen until now, is a verb that establishes an identity relationship or describes the existence of a thing. 

が (ga)- is a conjunction, often found at the end of sentences to allow others to chip in and keep the conversation fluent.

Translation: “Because the direction did not become clear, I tried to draw a circle in the center through the research facility.”

_____________________________________

エドワード：中央司令部。しかもこの建物は... (Edowaado: Chuuou shireibu. Shikamo kono tatemono wa...)

中央 (chuuou)- is a noun, being used adjectivally, meaning “central.”

司令部 (shireibu)- is a noun meaning “headquarters.” Because we have a sentence without a verb, we are allowed to add an “it is.”

しかも (shikamo)- is an adverb meaning “moreover.”

この (kono)- is an adjective meaning “this,” as in a thing close to the speaker. It is the /k/ counterpart to “ano,” which we saw before.

建物 (tatemono)- is a noun meaning “building.”

は (wa)- is the topical particle. This is just a topical phrase, really. The rest is supplemented by Alphonse.

Translation: “It is central headquarters. Moreover, this building...”

_____________________________________

アルフォンス：大総統官邸。 (Arufonsu: Dai-soutou kantei.)

大総統 (dai-soutou)- is the noun “soutou,” meaning supreme ruler, and the honorific suffix “dai-,” meaning “great.” The way that this gets translated officially is as “führer.” The title “führer” is uniquely German, like shougun is to Japanese. So there is no way to perfectly justify the use of the translation outside of the fact that this show is Germanic. The “dai-” is sort of added for adornment and to just add to the extent of his power. Note also that this noun is lacking a case particle, which would be “no.”

官邸 (kantei)- is a noun meaning “residence.”

Translation: “[It is] the führer’s residence.”

_____________________________________

アルフォンス：その地下にホムンクルスたちが... (Arufonsu: Sono chika ni homunkurusu-tachi ga)

その (sono)- is an adjective meaning “that,” as in close to the addressee and not the speaker. This is the /s/ counterpart to “kono” and “ano.”

地下 (chika)- is the same as before.

に (ni)- is the dative particle.

ホムンクルスたち (homunkurusu-tachi)- is the noun “homunkurusu,” meaning “homunculus,” which is an element of the show’s lore. What a homunculus is in the show is an artificial person made from a philosopher’s stone. (What it refers to in real life is an artificial little person.) The suffix “-tachi” makes nouns plural and tends to be reserved for nouns describing humans.

が (ga)- is the nominative particle. Note that there is no verb. The verb is the copula “iru.”

Translation: “The homunculi [are] in that basement...”

RunThrough, the UK’s largest and Europe’s fastest growing running events company, is pleased to reveal the return of the Hillsborough Castle and Gardens Running Festival on Sunday, July 28 2024. This highly anticipated event, set against the scenic backdrop of Hillsborough, offers a variety of distances, ensuring there is something for every runner. With the success of the Hillsborough Running…