Friday 9 October 2015

translation - Why is 翼をください translated as "Please give me wings"?


I checked that sentence on Google. Apparently, the translation is "Please give me wings." This confuses me because ...


翼 = wing
を = direct object marker.

ください = please


There's no give!


Update: this comes from the title of a song.



Answer



Believing that 「ください」 always means "please" is a very common rookie mistake.


「ください」 can mean "please" only when it is attached as a subsidiary verb to another verb. The other verb is the main verb.


「来{き}てください。」 (来る + ください) means "Please come (here)!"


「ちょっと待{ま}ってください。」 (待つ + ください) means "Please wait a sec!" 


When 「ください」 is used independently (without being attached to another verb), it can only mean "Give me ~~!" or "Please give me ~~!"


Thus, 「翼をください」 means "(Please) give me wings!"



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