Breakdown of watasi no tokei ha mada naotte imasen.
Questions & Answers about watasi no tokei ha mada naotte imasen.
What does の do in 私の時計?
Why is は used after 時計?
は marks the topic of the sentence.
In 私の時計はまだ直っていません, the topic is 私の時計 — as for my watch...
This does not always match the English subject exactly. Japanese often organizes sentences as:
- Topic
- comment about that topic
So the structure is roughly:
- As for my watch, it is not fixed yet.
Using は can also give a slight contrastive feeling in some contexts, such as my watch (as opposed to something else), but here it is mainly just the normal topic marker.
What does まだ mean here?
まだ means still or not yet, depending on whether the sentence is positive or negative.
In this sentence, it appears with a negative verb:
- まだ直っていません
So it means:
- has not been fixed yet
- is still not fixed
A very common pattern is:
- まだ + negative
For example:
- まだ食べていません = I haven’t eaten yet
- まだ来ていません = hasn’t come yet
What is the dictionary form of 直って?
Why is it 直っていません and not 直していません?
This is a very important point.
There are two related verbs:
- 直る = to be repaired / to get fixed
- intransitive
- 直す = to repair / to fix something
- transitive
So:
- 時計が直る = the watch gets fixed / is repaired
- 時計を直す = someone fixes the watch
Your sentence uses 直る, not 直す, because it is talking about the state of the watch, not the action of a repairer.
So:
- 直っていません = it is not fixed yet
- 直していません would mean something more like (someone) has not fixed it, focusing on the action, not the resulting state
What does 〜ている mean in 直っていません?
Here, 〜ている does not mean an action is actively happening right now.
With some verbs, especially verbs that describe a change of state, 〜ている shows the resulting state.
Since 直る means to become fixed, 直っている means:
- is in the state of being fixed
- more naturally, is fixed
So:
- 直っている = is fixed
- 直っていない / 直っていません = is not fixed
This is similar to:
- 結婚する = to get married
結婚している = to be married
- 死ぬ = to die
- 死んでいる = to be dead
So in your sentence, 直っていません means it has not reached the fixed state.
Why is the sentence negative if the meaning is not fixed yet?
Does this sentence mean someone is repairing the watch right now?
No, not necessarily.
直っていません does not mean someone is fixing it right now.
It means the watch is not in the fixed state yet. It may be:
- still broken
- currently being repaired
- waiting to be repaired
- not successfully repaired yet
The sentence focuses on the result, not on the ongoing action.
Could 私の be omitted?
Yes, very often.
If it is already clear whose watch you are talking about, Japanese would often simply say:
- 時計はまだ直っていません。
Japanese frequently omits information that is understood from context.
Including 私の makes it explicit:
- my watch
Omitting it can sound more natural if the ownership is already obvious.
Does 時計 mean watch or clock?
It can mean either watch or clock.
時計 is a general word for a timepiece. The exact meaning depends on context.
For example:
- on your wrist: probably watch
- on the wall: probably clock
So 私の時計 could mean my watch or my clock. If the English meaning shown to the learner says watch, that is probably the intended meaning in this sentence.
Why is there no word for it in the sentence?
Because Japanese often leaves out pronouns when they are not needed.
In English, we often say:
- My watch is not fixed yet.
- It isn’t fixed yet.
Japanese does not need a separate word for it here, because 私の時計 is already the topic, and the rest of the sentence comments on it.
So once 私の時計は is said, Japanese naturally understands that the rest is about the watch.
What is the polite level of いません?
いません is the polite negative form of います.
In this sentence, it is part of the polite expression:
- 直っていません
The plain form would be:
- 直っていない
So:
- 私の時計はまだ直っていません。 = polite
- 私の時計はまだ直っていない。 = plain / casual
The meaning is basically the same, but the politeness level is different.
How is the sentence pronounced?
It is pronounced:
わたし の とけい は まだ なおって いません。
Breakdown:
- 私 = わたし
- の
- 時計 = とけい
- は = pronounced わ here, because it is the topic particle
- まだ
- 直って = なおって
- いません
A natural rhythm would be:
わたしの とけいは まだ なおっていません。
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