# make things difficult



## Pacerier

Hi all, what's the correct verb to use for "making things difficult" for someone. 

Like say how should we translate this sentence: "My parents always don't want to let things go my way. They love to *make things difficult for me* so that I will not have a good life"


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## akimura

This is actually a tough one.  A direct translation of _They love to *make things difficult for me*_ would be 彼らは私にとって物事を難しくするのが大好きだ.  However, this doesn't sound like natural Japanese.  Those who are not familiar with English may find it difficult to understand what it means.

Is it correct to say that the sentence _They love to *make things difficult for me*_ means _They love to *meddle in my business *_or_ They love to *poke their noses into my business*_?  Then, the following indirect translations using idiomatic phrases may work:彼らは*おせっかいを焼く*のが大好きだ
彼らは*余計な世話を焼く*のが大好きだ
彼らは*私のことにちょっかいを出す*のが大好きだ​


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## divisortheory

*make things difficult for me* is a really general and ambiguous term.  It could mean any of the above things you suggested.

Could you use a Japanese word like 面倒くさい or しんどい to express the meaning of "make things difficult for me"?


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## Wishfull

Pacerier said:


> "My parents always don't want to let things go my way. They love to *make things difficult for me* so that I will not have a good life"



いつも両親は私の好きなようにはさせたがらない。うるさいことを言うのが好きで、私を不愉快にさせる。


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## Pacerier

Heys btw what does させたがらない means?


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## Pacerier

Wishfull said:


> いつも両親は私の好きなようにはさせたがらない。うるさいことを言うのが好きで、私を不愉快にさせる。


Heys btw what does させたがらない means?



akimura said:


> This is actually a tough one.  A direct translation of _They love to *make things difficult for me*_ would be 彼らは私にとって物事を難しくするのが大好きだ.  However, this doesn't sound like natural Japanese.  Those who are not familiar with English may find it difficult to understand what it means.


Heys thanks for the help. Btw what may be a natural alternative for とって物事を難しくするのが大好きだ? or is there none?



akimura said:


> Is it correct to say that the sentence _They love to *make things difficult for me*_ means _They love to *meddle in my business *_or_ They love to *poke their noses into my business*_?  Then, the following indirect translations using idiomatic phrases may work:彼らは*おせっかいを焼く*のが大好きだ
> 彼らは*余計な世話を焼く*のが大好きだ
> 彼らは*私のことにちょっかいを出す*のが大好きだ​


Btw is おせっかいを焼く a fixed phrase like 世話を焼く?




divisortheory said:


> *make things difficult for me* is a really general and ambiguous term.  It could mean any of the above things you suggested.


Actually I wanted it to be broad and ambiguous, so "make things difficult for me" basically covers everything.


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## Wishfull

Pacerier said:


> Heys btw what does させたがらない means?



don't want to let things go

させる＝let things go
させたがる＝want to let things go
させたがらない＝do not want to let things go


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## Pacerier

Heys thanks =D

Btw I was wondering is there any difference between うるさいことを言うのが好きで.. and うるさいことを言いたがるで.. ?


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## Wishfull

They are the same thing.

BTW, うるさいことを言いたがるで....　is wrong Japanese.
うるさいことを言いたがり、.... is correct.


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## Pacerier

Just to make sure, are these two sentences both perfectly natural japanese? :

1) いつも両親は私の好きなようにはさせたがらない。うるさいことを言いたがり、私を不愉快にさせる。
2) いつも両親は私の好きなようにはさせたがらない。うるさいことを言うのが好きで、私を不愉快にさせる。


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## akimura

The _<subject> makes <object> <object complement>_  structure is something on which Japanese students of English at middle and  high schools take hours of lessons in translating this structure into Japanese.



Pacerier said:


> Heys thanks for the help. Btw what may be a natural alternative for とって物事を難しくするのが大好きだ? or is there none?



I would say no generic phrases exist.  Translations seem to be very context-dependent to me.  I would interpret the sentence in question as _They love to *meddle in my business *_or_ They love to *poke their noses into my business*_,  and then I would come up with one of the previous three suggestions.

If the phrase "make things difficult" is generic, I'm curious how this phrase would fit into different context situations.  For each I may be able to come up with non-generic Japanese sentences.  Or maybe we could come up with generic Japanese phrases.  As of now, I have no idea what would be a generic Japanese phrase.


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## Wishfull

Pacerier said:


> Just to make sure, are these two sentences both perfectly natural japanese? :
> 
> 1) いつも両親は私の好きなようにはさせたがらない。うるさいことを言いたがり、私を不愉快にさせる。
> 2) いつも両親は私の好きなようにはさせたがらない。うるさいことを言うのが好きで、私を不愉快にさせる。



I think both are equally natural Japanese for the (literal) translation.
I don't know what you mean by "perfectly natural Japanese".

If you want "perfect", you have to provide more context.
The gender of the speaker, to whom the speaker is saying, the age of the speaker, where does he/she lives, etc.

いつも両親は私の好きにはさせてくれない。いちいち口出ししては私をアンハッピーにさせる。(or 私の人生を台無しにする。）
いつも両親は私の思うとおりにはさせてくれない。難しい注文をつけては、私の人生をむちゃくちゃにする。
might be more natural.

Though I somehow feel I'm not on the right track of the original question.
Akimura is on the right track.

edit) 話をややこしくする　might be another translation for "make things difficult".


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## Pacerier

Heys btw doesn't 話をややこしくする mean "speaking complicatedly?"


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## akimura

Pacerier said:


> doesn't 話をややこしくする means "speaking complicatedly?"



No.  話をややこしくする means "complicate things" or "make things complicated."
話 can mean "things", as can be found in the ninth definition of 話 in 大辞泉.


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## Pacerier

Ok thanks for the clarification =D


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