Kids and growing up
Collocations, Stage 2chunk 8 of 24People & talk
Family life: having kids, a baby arriving, growing up, raising children and looking after someone.
- kodomo ga iruhave children, have kids
- kodomo ga umareruhave a baby
- otona ni narugrow up, become an adult
- kodomo o sodateruraise children, bring up kids
- mendou o mirulook after, take care of
Mix-ups kodomo iru? (got kids?) is having them and kodomo umareta (the baby came) is the birth, with the child as subject in both, not kodomo o motsu. sodateru is raising (sodatsu is being raised), otona ni naru is growing up, and mendou o miru (look after) is not mendokusai (what a hassle).
kodomo ga iru
polite kodomo ga imasuhave children, have kids
子供がいる こどもがいる 子供がいます
verbiru いるbe, exist (people and animals); with ga, have (people, pets)typical 15% of kodomo
trap English 'have' leads to kodomo o motte iru or the thing-verb aru; in talk, kids, siblings and partners take iru: kodomo iru?, kyoudai iru? (kodomo o motsu oya, parents with children, is written style).
Among friends, the get-to-know-you question is kodomo iru? (got kids?), answered un, hitori iru. Politely you ask okosan imasu ka? (or okosan wa irasshaimasu ka?), answered futari imasu. The number goes after the noun: kodomo futari iru (I have two kids). kyoudai iru? and kanojo iru? work the same way.
uchi wa kodomo futari iru n da.
We've got two kids.
うちは子供二人いるんだ。
uchi wa kodomo ga futari iru n desu.
We have two children.
うちは子供が二人いるんです。
kodomo dekita = we're having a baby, or we've had kids (kekkon shite kodomo mo dekita). The birth itself is kodomo ga umareru: kodomo umareta (the baby's here).
Same verb: kyoudai (brothers and sisters), kareshi (boyfriend), kanojo (girlfriend), petto (a pet)Learn alongside: tomodachi ga dekiru, tomodachi ni naru, kodomo ga umareruMain list: iru (Stage 1), aru (Stage 1), motsu (Stage 1)
kodomo ga umareru
polite kodomo ga umaremasuhave a baby
子供が生まれる こどもがうまれる 子供が生まれます
verbumareru 生まれるbe borntypical 3% of kodomo
trap English 'we had a baby' leads to kodomo ga atta, which isn't said. kodomo o motsu is real but means being a parent as a stage of life (kodomo o motte kara = since I became a parent). Birth news makes the baby the subject: kodomo ga umareta. kodomo o umu (give birth) is said about the mother.
The way to share baby news, with the child as subject: kodomo ga umareta (we had a baby), raigetsu umareru n da (it's due next month). akachan works the same way, and kodomo dekita is the earlier 'we're expecting'.
senshuu, kodomo ga umareta n da.
We had a baby last week.
先週、子供が生まれたんだ。
senshuu, kodomo ga umareta n desu.
We had a baby last week.
先週、子供が生まれたんです。
Your own birth takes the same verb: toukyou de umareta (I was born in Tokyo).
Same verb: akachan (baby), mago (grandchild), koneko (kittens)Learn alongside: tomodachi ga dekiru, tomodachi ni naru, kodomo ga iruMain list: dekiru (Stage 1), motsu (Stage 1), aru (Stage 1), n da (Stage 1)
otona ni naru
polite otona ni narimasugrow up, become an adult
大人になる おとなになる 大人になります
verbnaru なるbecome (with ni after a noun)typical 71% of otona
trap English 'grow up' leads to sodatsu, which is being raised or growing as a child (toukyou de sodatta = I grew up in Tokyo); becoming an adult, or acting like one, is otona ni naru.
Two everyday uses: growing up over the years (otona ni nattara = when you're grown up) and acting mature: otona ni natta ne (you've really grown up), motto otona ni natte yo (grow up a bit).
otona ni nattara wakaru yo.
You'll understand when you're older.
大人になったら分かるよ。
otona ni nattara wakarimasu yo.
You'll understand when you're older.
大人になったら分かりますよ。
otonappoi = mature for your age; otonagenai = childish (of an adult). To a child, 'when you grow up' is usually ookiku nattara (ookiku nattara nani ni naritai?).
Same verb: oya (parent), shakaijin (working adult), hatachi (twenty: turn twenty)Main list: naru (Stage 1), -ku naru / -ni naru (Stage 4), -tara (Stage 2)
kodomo o sodateru
polite kodomo o sodatemasuraise children, bring up kids
子供を育てる こどもをそだてる 子供を育てます
verbsodateru 育てるraise, bring up, grow (children, plants, juniors)typical 1% of kodomo
Used about parenting as a whole: hitori de kodomo o sodateta (she raised her kids alone), kodomo sodateru no tte taihen da yo. Everyday talk often uses the noun kosodate (parenting) instead: ima kosodate-chuu (I'm busy raising kids).
kodomo sodateru no tte taihen da yo ne.
Raising kids is tough, isn't it.
子供育てるのって大変だよね。
kodomo o sodateru no wa taihen desu yo ne.
Raising children is hard work, isn't it.
子供を育てるのは大変ですよね。
sodatsu is the intransitive side: inaka de sodatta (I grew up in the countryside). Having a dog is inu o kau; inu o sodateru is only raising one from a puppy.
Same verb: buka (subordinates: buka o sodateru = bring your team on), yasai (vegetables), hana (flowers), kouhai (juniors: train them up)Main list: taihen (Stage 3), -no (Stage 2), yo ne (Stage 1)
mendou o miru
polite mendou o mimasulook after, take care of
面倒を見る めんどうをみる 面倒を見ます
verbmiru 見るsee, look; here, see to, look aftertypical 79% of mendou
Used for looking after kids, pets, juniors or ageing parents; o is often dropped in speech: kodomo no mendou mite kureru? (can you watch the kids?). Most often heard with te kureru or te ageru: zutto mendou mite kureta (they always looked out for me).
kodomo no mendou mite kureru?
Can you look after the kids?
子供の面倒見てくれる？
kodomo no mendou o mite moraemasu ka?
Could you look after the children?
子供の面倒を見てもらえますか？
mendoumi ga ii = good at looking after people, a common compliment for a senpai or big sister. sewa o suru (kodomo no sewa) is the near twin; mendou o miru adds taking responsibility for someone. It shares the noun with mendokusai (what a hassle) but not the feel.
Same verb: kodomo (kids: chotto kodomo mitete = keep an eye on the kids), nimotsu (bags: nimotsu mitete = watch my bags), mise (the shop: mise mitete = mind the shop)Learn alongside: gohan o ogoru, osewa ni naru (Stage 3), gochisou ni naru (Stage 3)Main list: miru (Stage 2), -te kureru (Stage 2), -te ageru (Stage 2), -te moraeru? (Stage 2)