How can you tell if 先 means future/ahead or past/before. What are some ways that help you know… - Feed Post by Aristide
How can you tell if 先 means future/ahead or past/before. What are some ways that help you know which one was meant in a sentence? Is there anything in this sentence that tells you that it is in the future or past? For example: "何十年先も-even after a few decades"
posted by Aristide
Comments 7
this kanji means (ahead) =always remember sth that is ahead in time,experience or,...
You're standing at the beginning of a path, about to begin walking along it...
・The path {"in front of" / "ahead of" / "before"} you already existed prior to you having taken the first step (past).
・The path {"behind" / "following" / "after"} you doesn't exist yet—it will come into existence only if you start walking along the path to create it behind you—and it will won't reach its completed state until you reach the end of the path (future).
The path "ahead" might sound like "future" and may be what you'd use 先 for, but in a strange way it's possible to think of it as "past" instead. The act of walking down the path ahead is something that will take place in the future; the path ahead itself was there before you started walking it.
Just my thoughts about this. Likely not the correct way to think about it as this is completely made up stuff off the top of my head... :P- I'd like to see the whole sentence.
- @JACKBOSMA, Considering the previous question he asked a few days ago http://japaneseclass.jp/feeds/comment/8400 I'm guessing the full sentence is probably this:
「何十年先も君を友達って思ってる」, which you can hear here: https://youtu.be/IV7usfiEbms?t=78 - @mog86uk You are a good man!
Yup, where I got it from
