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Shimau is a really cool word. It helps you start sounding like a real human being, not just a walking Japanese textbook. Shimau isn't colloquial, although it does have some colloquial forms, but it can make your speech sound informal and natural. As a way of starting our discussion, I want you to think about a similar word in English, and see if you can figure out what it does. Look at the following examples:
He ate the ice cream. He ate up the ice cream. Now, think about this for a second before you read on. Just what is the word up doing to those sentences? How is the meaning of each of the first sentences different from the second sentences? Have you got an answer? What the word up does is it adds the idea of "doing something completely." He didn't just eat the ice cream--he totally ate it all up. She didn't merely fill the bucket half way--she filled it up--we get the image in our minds of a bucket brimming full of water. I didn't just buy a few books--I bought up all the ones they had! Well, the verb shimau is very similar to this use of the English word up. It means "to do completely," and it emphasizes the fact that the doer did the verb all the way. When used in a context that makes the verb undesirable, the shimau adds a kind of disappointing feel to the sentence. UseTo use shimau simply attach it in the appropriate tense to the -te form of whatever verb you're using. Let's try a few examples.
Kare wa Boku no aisu-kuriimu wo zenbu tabete shimatta!
Hanako-san desu ka? Mou gakkou ni itte shimatta n desu.
Kono hon wo mou yonde shimatta yo. Now for some of the "disappointment" shimau's:
Boku tachi no chiimu wa makete shimatta.
Kimi ni ageru tsumori no purezento wo mite shimatta no?
O-hiru made nete shimatta!
Making it more colloquialThere are a few ways of loosening up a bit, to sound yet more casual. The first way is standard, so I guess you can't call it colloquial. It works by merging the te of the main verb with chau (chatta, past tense), a shortned form of shimau.Thus, tabete shimau turns to tabechau.
Ten-ten are retained: Nonde shimau turns to nonjau. Doubled consonants are retained: Natte shimau turns to natchau.
Another way that is very similar but is colloquial (I think) is to add chimau (or jimau, in the case of verbs that have -te forms that use ten-ten) onto the primary verb. That was a mouthful! It goes like this: Tabechimau. Nonjimau. Natchimau. Pretty easy, huh? So, have fun! Start sounding more like a real Japanese person! Impress your friends! Start using shimau today! |