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<\/p>\nHave a look at the English sentences below and see if anything stands out for you.<\/p>\n
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This comes from the Japanese course on Duolingo, by the way.<\/p>\n
For me, the use of short on<\/strong> in these contexts seems odd. I would use short of<\/strong> here. When I saw this, I wondered if this is a difference between British English and American English – the English on Duolingo is generally American English.<\/p>\n I’ve noticed other subtle differences in the ways prepositions and other words like articles are used as well. For example, would you say I’m on the beach<\/strong> or I’m at the beach<\/strong>?<\/p>\n One Japanese way to say you’re short of\/on something is \u4e0d\u8db3\u3057\u3066\u3044\u308b<\/strong> (fusoku shite iru). \u4e0d\u8db3<\/strong> (fusoku) on it’s own means insufficiency, deficiency, shortage, lack, scarcity, deficit, dissatisfaction, discontent or complaint\u200b. It appears in such expressions as:<\/p>\n \u4e0d<\/strong> (fu \/ bu) on it’s own means negative, non-, bad, ugly, clumsy, \u8db3<\/strong> (ashi) means foot, paw, arm, leg, gait or pace, and \u8db3<\/strong> (soku) it is used as a counter for pairs of footwear. The verb \u8db3\u308a\u308b<\/strong> (tariru) means to be sufficient or enough, and \u8db3\u308b<\/strong> (taru) means to be sufficient or enough, to be worth doing, to deserve, serve or answer. If you don’t have quite enough of something, you could use the word \u8db3\u3089\u305a<\/strong> (tarasu). It means just under, a little less than or just short of.<\/p>\n\n