Still confused with tenses


Which is the correct one?

  * テレビが壊れ **ている** から、見られ **ない** んです。
  * テレビが壊れ **ている** から、見られ **ていない** んです。
  * テレビが壊れ **る** から、見られ **ない** んです。
  * テレビが壊れ **る** から、見られ **ていない** んです。
  * テレビが壊れ **た** から、見られ **ない** んです。
  * テレビが壊れ **た** から、見られ **ていない** んです。

When do we have to use either progressive or plain form such as in the
following sentences?

  * このことを知っていますか。
  * このことを知りますか。
  * 部屋の窓がいつも閉まるから、旅行しているかもしれない。
  * 部屋の窓がいつも閉まっているから、旅行しているかもしれない。
  * 部屋の窓がいつも閉まるから、旅行するかもしれない。
  * 部屋の窓がいつも閉まっているから、旅行するかもしれない。




As for your broken TV, all sentences are correct and are emphasizing different
aspects of your problem. Let me give some loose translations and try to
illustrate the differences.

  * > テレビが壊れ **ている** から、見られ **ない** んです。  
>  My TV is broken, so I can't watch TV.

The progressive tense emphasizes the ongoing state of "being broken". You
intend to repair your TV, but in the meantime, you can't watch TV. You can't
watch the episode you wanted, but you don't sound too troubled by that.

  * > テレビが壊れ **ている** から、見られ **ていない** んです。  
>  My TV is broken, so I haven't been able to watch TV [or rather _anything_
> ].

Again, you intend to repair your TV, but now the progressive tense in the
second half of the sentence means that you also feel the length of "not being
able to watch". (You can't watch _anything_ while your TV is broken.)

  * > テレビが壊れ **る** から、見られ **ない** んです。  
>  I can't watch TV, because [whenever I try to watch TV] my TV breaks. _or_  
>  I can't watch TV, because [I think] my TV is going to break.

This and the next are a bit strange, because the plain form of 壊れる means
either that "every time you watch TV, your TV breaks" or that you're worried
that your TV will break. (Cf. 壊れるから、触らないで! "Don't touch, it's gonna break!")

  * > テレビが壊れ **る** から、見られ **ていない** んです。  
>  My TV always breaks, so I haven't been able to watch TV.

Again, your TV either breaks every time you try to watch (strange), or you're
worried it does (also a little strange), and you're troubled by the fact that
you can't watch anything.

  * > テレビが壊れ **た** から、見られ **ない** んです。  
>  My TV broke, so I can't watch TV.

Your TV broke and it doesn't sound like it's something that you're going to
(try to) repair. As a simple consequence, you can't watch TV.

  * > テレビが壊れ **た** から、見られ **ていない** んです。  
>  My TV broke, so I haven't been able to watch TV [or watch _anything_ ].

This is the most hopeless of them all. Your TV is broken beyond repair, and as
a consequence you lost your link to civilization. [Replace this by a more
reasonable interpretation, by analogy with the above.]

There are other reasons for choosing one tense over the other. For 壊れる one is
more likely to say 壊れている, because 壊れた sounds very careless, in the sense of
"broken and nothing I'm going to do about it". 壊れている sounds more like you're
trying to get it fixed. (Try it with 車 or トイレ!)

* * *

Just briefly,

  1. 部屋の窓がいつも閉まるから、旅行しているかもしれない。
  2. 部屋の窓がいつも閉まっているから、旅行しているかもしれない。
  3. 部屋の窓がいつも閉まるから、旅行するかもしれない。
  4. 部屋の窓がいつも閉まっているから、旅行するかもしれない。

(2) is the only real option. いつも閉まる, as in (1) and (3) would mean "always
[opening and] closing" (or "always closes [whenever I look]") which doesn't
make any sense. And (4) would be "The window is always closed, so he might
travel soon." Why would someone close his windows days or weeks before
travelling?




As for your broken TV, all sentences are correct and are emphasizing different
aspects of your problem. Let me give some loose translations and try to
illustrate the differences.

  * > テレビが壊れ **ている** から、見られ **ない** んです。  
>  My TV is broken, so I can't watch TV.

The progressive tense emphasizes the ongoing state of "being broken". You
intend to repair your TV, but in the meantime, you can't watch TV. You can't
watch the episode you wanted, but you don't sound too troubled by that.

  * > テレビが壊れ **ている** から、見られ **ていない** んです。  
>  My TV is broken, so I haven't been able to watch TV [or rather _anything_
> ].

Again, you intend to repair your TV, but now the progressive tense in the
second half of the sentence means that you also feel the length of "not being
able to watch". (You can't watch _anything_ while your TV is broken.)

  * > テレビが壊れ **る** から、見られ **ない** んです。  
>  I can't watch TV, because [whenever I try to watch TV] my TV breaks. _or_  
>  I can't watch TV, because [I think] my TV is going to break.

This and the next are a bit strange, because the plain form of 壊れる means
either that "every time you watch TV, your TV breaks" or that you're worried
that your TV will break. (Cf. 壊れるから、触らないで! "Don't touch, it's gonna break!")

  * > テレビが壊れ **る** から、見られ **ていない** んです。  
>  My TV always breaks, so I haven't been able to watch TV.

Again, your TV either breaks every time you try to watch (strange), or you're
worried it does (also a little strange), and you're troubled by the fact that
you can't watch anything.

  * > テレビが壊れ **た** から、見られ **ない** んです。  
>  My TV broke, so I can't watch TV.

Your TV broke and it doesn't sound like it's something that you're going to
(try to) repair. As a simple consequence, you can't watch TV.

  * > テレビが壊れ **た** から、見られ **ていない** んです。  
>  My TV broke, so I haven't been able to watch TV [or watch _anything_ ].

This is the most hopeless of them all. Your TV is broken beyond repair, and as
a consequence you lost your link to civilization. [Replace this by a more
reasonable interpretation, by analogy with the above.]

There are other reasons for choosing one tense over the other. For 壊れる one is
more likely to say 壊れている, because 壊れた sounds very careless, in the sense of
"broken and nothing I'm going to do about it". 壊れている sounds more like you're
trying to get it fixed. (Try it with 車 or トイレ!)

* * *

Just briefly,

  1. 部屋の窓がいつも閉まるから、旅行しているかもしれない。
  2. 部屋の窓がいつも閉まっているから、旅行しているかもしれない。
  3. 部屋の窓がいつも閉まるから、旅行するかもしれない。
  4. 部屋の窓がいつも閉まっているから、旅行するかもしれない。

(2) is the only real option. いつも閉まる, as in (1) and (3) would mean "always
[opening and] closing" (or "always closes [whenever I look]") which doesn't
make any sense. And (4) would be "The window is always closed, so he might
travel soon." Why would someone close his windows days or weeks before
travelling?

