Today’s Question
What does 父はこっそりお酒を買い込んでいた mean?
Today’s Grammar Point: ~こむ
込む/ 込 みます is a verb that has the meaning of “to be crowded” or “to be packed,” but it is also used as an auxiliary verb that follows the stem of a verb. ~ 込む means:
- ~ and go in… or ~ and put … in ….
- to ~ enough, to ~ completely
Connection
- [verb stem] 込む
[verb stem] is the ます form of a verb without ます.
Examples of Meaning 1
上がり込む = to enter the house proper (by removing one’s shoes and stepping up onto the floor level)
家に帰ったら友だちが勝手に上がり込んでいた。
When I got home, I found a friend of mine was already in my house.
買い込む = to buy in, to buy up, to stock up on …
父はこっそりお酒を買い込んでいた。(today’s question sentence)
My Dad had stocked up some drinks secretly.
書き込む = to fill in (a document), to write in
書類に必要事項を書き込んでください。
Please fill in required points.
吸い込む = to inhale, to breath in, to suck up
大きく息を吸い込んでください。
Please take a deep breath.
飛び込む = to jump in, to dive into, to fly into
川で溺れている子どもを見かけて、ジョンさんは橋から川に飛び込んだ。
Seeing a child drowning in the river, John jumped into the river from the bridge.
飲み込む = to swallow, to take down, to drink in
サクランボの種を飲み込まないでください。
Don’t swallow the stone of the cherry.
払い込む = to pay, to deposit, to pay up
会費はもう払い込みました。
I’ve already paid the membership fee.
申し込む = to apply, to ask for, to file an application, to book, etc.
クイズコンテストに参加 申し込んだ。
I entered my name in a quiz contest.
お早めにお申し込みください。
Please reserve it early.
Examples of Meaning 2
教え込む = to instill, to plant (an idea)
礼儀は小さいときから 教え込むことが肝心だ。
It’s important to teach good manners from an early age.
思い込む = to be convinced, to be obsessed
メアリーさんは自分が病気だと 思い込んでいる.
Mary is convinced she is sick.
考え込む = to be lost in thought, to brood over …, to be at a loss (what to do)
何をそんなに考え込んでいるんですか.
What are you thinking so hard about?
座り 込む = to sit down (and refuse to move), to plant oneself down
彼は玄関口に座り込んで動こうとしなかった。
He sat down at the front door and wouldn’t move.
あまりのショックにその場にへなへなと 座り込んだ。
It was such a shock that my legs gave way and I had to sit down on the spot.
使い込む = to embezzle, to misappropriate (public money); to use … for a long time, to break in
ジョンさんは会社の金を使い込んだらしい。
Apparently John embezzled his company’s funds.
よく使い込んだ辞書
a well-thumbed dictionary
話し込む = to talk for hours, to fall in to conversation
あの二人はずっと話し込んでいる。
Those two have been deep in conversation for hours.