妹は一昨日から少し風邪気味です。
- My younger sister has had a slight cold since the day before yesterday.
This Japanese sentence "妹は一昨日から少し風邪気味です。" means "My younger sister has had a slight cold since the day before yesterday." in English. It is an N3 High-level example sentence.
Words Contained
AI Explanation
妹は一昨日から少し風邪気味です。 meaning: My younger sister has had a slight cold since the day before yesterday.
⚫︎ The basic sentence structure in Japanese is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV), although the subject can sometimes be omitted if it's clear from the context. ⚫︎ The sentence begins with the subject 妹 (いもうと), "younger sister," marked by the topic particle は (wa). The topic particle indicates what the sentence is about. ⚫︎ The subject is followed by other words and phrases providing information about the subject. ⚫︎ The sentence ends with the copula です (desu), which is a polite form of the verb "to be."
⚫︎ から (kara): Indicates the starting point of an action or state. In this sentence, it signifies the beginning of the time period when the younger sister has been feeling unwell. ⚫︎ It translates to "since" or "from." ⚫︎ に (ni): Although not explicitly used in this sentence, it's often used to mark a time/date. ⚫︎ For example, 一昨日 (おととい) indicates the day before yesterday.
⚫︎ 風邪気味 (kaze kigimi) is an adjectival noun, also known as a na-adjective. ⚫︎ It means "to have a slight cold" or "to feel like you have a cold." ⚫︎ Adjectival nouns take the form of です (desu) when used to describe a subject. ⚫︎ Example: 元気です (genki desu) - "I am well."
⚫︎ 一昨日 (ototoi): Means "the day before yesterday." It functions as an adverbial phrase of time. ⚫︎ 少し (sukoshi): Means "a little" or "slightly." It modifies the state of the younger sister's health, indicating she has a mild cold. This word also functions as an adverb.
⚫︎ 〜気味 (kigimi) is a suffix that attaches to a noun to indicate a tendency or a slight state of something. ⚫︎ It often translates to "to feel like," "to have a tendency to," or "to have a slight..." ⚫︎ Examples: 風邪気味 (kaze kigimi) - "to feel like you have a cold," 疲れ気味 (tsukare kigimi) - "to feel a little tired."