Is the following と an example of 'with' or 'compared to'?

Question

what's the meaning of と in [私はお金持ちになったとしても、今と変わらない生活をするでしょう。]?

that と doesn't seem to be a 'connotation' particle. It rather seems like a 'comparison' particle.

English translation:[Even if I were to become rich, I doubt my life would change much from what it is like now.] Japanese version:[私はお金持ちになったとしても、今と変わらない生活をするでしょう。].

It's basically the same thing as と同じ or と違う, I think — Angelos, Jul 23 '20 at 19:21
@AeonAkechi could you explain how と同じ and と違う function? — raruna, Jul 27 '20 at 00:33
Possible duplicate: https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/57038/9831 / https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/71742/9831 — chocolate, Jul 27 '20 at 15:37
While I personally feel kandyman's answer / chocolate's links have answered your question sufficiently, if you're looking for a dictionary definition look at #3 here. — sbkgs4686, Jul 28 '20 at 00:25

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 27 '20 at 15:48

One of the functions of と is to highlight a relationship between a noun phrase with the subject of a clause. This is often used in comparisons. It's similar to the English word 'as' in this sense. For example:

この車は僕のと同じです。This car is the same as my car.

Here, the と serves to show that the subject (この車) has a relationship with the other noun phrase (僕の車). That relationship is then clarified (同じです). It's like saying the relationship between Noun A and Noun B is X.

Similarly, in your sentence 今と変わらない生活, the subject is inferred as the lifestyle of 私はお金持ちになった and と indicates a relationship between that and 今. This relationship is then clarified as 変らない. In other words, the relationship between 'rich lifestyle' and 'current lifestyle' is 'nothing different'.

So it's 'comparison' as i thouhgt. Why doesn't https://jisho.org/word/%E3%81%A8 mention such definitions? — raruna, Jul 27 '20 at 16:52
Strictly speaking, と is not a comparison marker. It indicates a relationship between two nouns or noun phrases. Sometimes this relationship is a comparison, but sometimes it may not be. It needs a clarifying word (同じ, 変らない, etc) to perform that role. Check 'A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar' p476 for more details. Jisho is a useful dictionary, but it's not an authoritative source for grammatical complexities. — kandyman, Jul 27 '20 at 16:57

Is the following と an example of 'with' or 'compared to'?

1 Answers1

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