~たり~たりする Japanese Grammar Lesson
Grammar Type: Phrase
Essential Meaning: Do thing such as X and Y / Sometimes X and sometimes Y
Construction:
- (Verb / い-Adjective / な-Adjective / Noun + Copula) informal past + り(する)
- E.g. 話したり(する) [X does things such as speaking]
- E.g. 食べたり(する) [X does things such as eating]
- E.g. 高かったり(する) [X is sometimes expensive]
- E.g. 静かだったり(する) [X is sometimes quiet]
- E.g. 先生だったり(する) [X is sometimes a teacher]
Notes:
- ~たり~たりする expresses an in-exhaustive listing of actions or states (implying that there may be additional unstated actions or states.) For an exhaustive listing, the regular て-Form is used instead. する follows the ~たり~たり structure regardless of the part of speech that is being listed in order to indicate the tense and formality of the sentence.
- E.g. このレストランのステーキは大きかったり小さかったりする。[This restaurant’s steaks are sometimes large and sometimes small.] This sentence states that the steaks are sometimes large and sometimes small, and it also implies that the steaks are sometimes somewhere in between. Also note that する is used as the main predicate in this example even though the items being listed are adjectives.
- Typically, only two actions or states are listed with ~たり~たりする, but it’s possible to list more. It’s also possible to list only one action or state.
- E.g. 本を読んだり、映画を見たり、テープを聞いたりして日本語を勉強している。[I’m studying Japanese by doing such things as reading books, watching movies, and listening to tapes.] In this example, three actions are listed. Also note that the ~たり~たりする clause can take the て-Form to connect with another clause.
- E.g. 新聞を読んだりして友達がくるのお待っている。[I’m doing thing such as reading the newspaper while waiting for my friend to come.] In this example, only one action is listed.
- When ~たり~たりする is not the final segment of a sentence and the main predicate is an adjective (i.e. not a verb), する may be omitted. If the main predicate is a verb, する can NOT be omitted.
- E.g. 歌ったり踊ったりとても楽しかった。[Doing things such as singing and dancing was really fun.] In this example, ~たり~たりする is not the main predicate and the main predicate is an adjective. Thus, する can be omitted.
- E.g. *私たちはテニスをしたり泳いだり遊んだ。[I enjoyed myself by doing things such as playing tennis and swimming.] This sentence is ungrammatical because する was dropped from ~たり~たり when the main predicate is a verb.
- The slightly altered construction ~たり~たりだ is sometimes used to describe someone or something’s inconstant state (i.e. “A is sometimes X and sometimes Y“). These differing states are often polar opposites, indicating the subject’s inconsistency, unreliability, et cetera.
- E.g. A: 毎日テープを聞いていますか?B: いいえ。 聞いたり聞かなかったりです。[A: Are you listening to the tape every day? B: No. I sometimes listen to it, and I sometimes don’t.]
- E.g. 石川さんは来たり来なかったりで当てにならない。[Ishikawa-san sometimes comes and sometimes doesn’t, so he’s unreliable.]
Example Sentences:
このレストランのステーキは大きかったり小さかったりする。[This restaurant’s steaks are sometimes large and sometimes small.]
私たちは歌ったり踊ったりした。[We did things such as singing and dancing.]
A: 毎日テープを聞いていますか?B: いいえ。 聞いたり聞かなかったりです。[A: Are you listening to the tape every day? B: No. I sometimes listen to it, and I sometimes don’t.]
私はニューヨークでミュージカルを見たりコンサートを聞いたりした。[In New York, I did things such as watching musicals and listening to concerts.]
トムは来たり来なかったりする。[Tom sometimes comes and sometime’s doesn’t come.]
明日は雨が降ったり止んだりするでしょう。[I think it will rain off and on tomorrow.]
この店の魚は新しかったり古かったりする。[This shop’s fish is sometimes fresh and sometimes old.]
日本語の先生は日本人だったりアメリカ人だったりします。[Japanese teachers are sometimes Japanese and sometimes American.]
石川さんは来たり来なかったりで当てにならない。[Ishikawa-san sometimes comes and sometimes doesn’t, so he’s unreliable.]
WILD Examples:
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