"ikesou"

Author: smith     12 20th, 2008 in xn--9ou.com     edit

  • I'm a bit confused by this form of the verb "iku" I came across in a song. The exact line in the song is "dokomade mo ikesou", and I've been told that this sentence means something along of the lines of "It seems as if I can go anywhere".

    With the help of the Japanese Conjugation Builder (http://member.nifty.ne.jp/ComWin/grammar/bldverb/index.htm) I constructed the thesis that the "-sou" part is probably a shortened version of "-sou da", which is, as I've been told, often appended to verbs to indicate probability, e.g. in weather forecasts.

    The only thing that's bugging me is the "-ke" inflection before the "sou". Isn't "ike" the imperative of "iku"? According to the conjugation builder, the "correct" form would be "iki-sou da". So is the site wrong in this case? I've been told that it sometimes produces erratic results. Or is "ikesou" a different verb form that's missing in the conjugation builder?
    Can someone help? Thanks in advance.


  • Apparently it isn't in WWWJDIC either....maybe it's just my usage and someone else will have a better explanation. :confused:


  • ”行くそう” is also seen, although it may not be an independent form for seems to go ?


  • ”行くそう” is also seen, although it may not be an independent form for seems to go ?
    You do know that there are essentially two different 'そう' constructions don't you?

    'Looks like' http://www.pikkle.com/jgram/viewOne.php?tagE=sou
    and
    'I hear that' http://www.pikkle.com/jgram/viewOne.php?tagE=sou-2


  • Thank you very much, yet again I'm saved by the mighty Elizabeth! :D

    アン、アン、アン、とっても大好き、エリザベス！！！

    Then I guess whoever translated it as "It seems as if I can go anywhere" was wrong since "ikeru" seems to mean "to be good at something"?


  • Yes...and when you can keep them straight, which even natives
    have trouble with at times, the "eru" and "rareru" potential
    endings are closer to 'mature,' adult-like speech ;).


  • Better switch to an online translator then. :D
    行ける means to be able to go.


  • You do know that there are essentially two different 'そう' constructions don't you?

    'Looks like' http://www.pikkle.com/jgram/viewOne.php?tagE=sou
    and
    'I hear that' http://www.pikkle.com/jgram/viewOne.php?tagE=sou-2
    Yeah, I realized the two meanings just not how it was indicated by the variance in stem form. Thanks!


  • Turns out the conjugation builder actually gives you "ikeru" meaning being able to do something if you type in "iku" but I had no idea you can drop the "-ru" and append the "sou" to it. Thanks again, guys. :p


  • Try ikeru instead. :note:


  • "行くことが出来る" and　"行ける" are basically the same thing right?

    You're just using the "e" form of verbs to express abililty or ableness.


  • :bluush:

    Well, I still love my JWPce. At least its inbuilt dictionary allows me to add new phrases. It didn't have "kure" and "aho", either. -__-

    http://mitglied.lycos.de/phxl/misc/ikeru.gif


  • Apparently it isn't in WWWJDIC either....
    WWWJDIC generally doesn't list potential forms unless they
    have a different meaning than you would expect. The expected 行ける = be able to go still applies as well but isn't explicitly listed separately from 行く.

    Incidently, 行ける is used more widely than just 'to be good at'. It's used to mean 'to go well' (e.g. when deciding on a theme for your class for the school culture festival "それなら行けるだろう") and also to say that a certain drink has a lot of kick :D


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