~たり~たりする

~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. 話はなしたり(する) [X does things such as speaking]
  • E.g. 食たべたり(する) [X does things such as eating]
  • E.g. 高たかかったり(する) [X is sometimes expensive]
  • E.g. 静しずかだったり(する) [X is sometimes quiet]
  • E.g. 先生せんせいだったり(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おおきかったり小ちいさかったりする。[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. 本ほんを読よんだり、映画えいがを見みたり、テープを聞きいたりして日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしている。[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. 新聞しんぶんを読よんだりして友達ともだちがくるのお待まっている。[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. 歌うたったり踊おどったりとても楽たのしかった。[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. *私わたしたちはテニスをしたり泳およいだり遊あそんだ。[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: 毎日まいにちテープを聞きいていますか？B: いいえ。 聞きいたり聞きかなかったりです。[A: Are you listening to the tape every day? B: No. I sometimes listen to it, and I sometimes don’t.]
  • E.g. 石川いしかわさんは来きたり来こなかったりで当あてにならない。[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おおきかったり小ちいさかったりする。[This restaurant’s steaks are sometimes large and sometimes small.]

私わたしたちは歌うたったり踊おどったりした。[We did things such as singing and dancing.]

A: 毎日まいにちテープを聞きいていますか？B: いいえ。 聞きいたり聞きかなかったりです。[A: Are you listening to the tape every day? B: No. I sometimes listen to it, and I sometimes don’t.]

私わたしはニューヨークでミュージカルを見みたりコンサートを聞きいたりした。[In New York, I did things such as watching musicals and listening to concerts.]

トムは来きたり来こなかったりする。[Tom sometimes comes and sometime’s doesn’t come.]

明日あしたは雨あめが降ふったり止やんだりするでしょう。[I think it will rain off and on tomorrow.]

この店みせの魚さかなは新あたらしかったり古ふるかったりする。[This shop’s fish is sometimes fresh and sometimes old.]

日本語にほんごの先生せんせいは日本人にほんじんだったりアメリカ人じんだったりします。[Japanese teachers are sometimes Japanese and sometimes American.]

石川いしかわさんは来きたり来こなかったりで当あてにならない。[Ishikawa-san sometimes comes and sometimes doesn’t, so he’s unreliable.]

WILD Examples:

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