If i say そいつは笑える would it be translated to "that's funny" or " that would have
made him laugh" ?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T20:01:03.137
59376
2018-06-12T12:53:44.900
29922
question
translation meaning
そいつ -a person or a thing?
It would be translated as “He’ll be able to laugh.” or sometimes even just as
“He can laugh.”

Because you’re using a verb with particle は it’s automatically implied that
you say that whatever comes before the は performs the action (in most cases).

To say “That’s funny.” I suggest you use “それは面白い。”

Also keep in mind that you can only use そいつ and the like for informal
situations. In formal situations you’ll hear そちら instead.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T20:07:57.553
59377
2018-06-11T21:16:40.833
2018-06-11T21:16:40.833
29797
29797
59376
answer
## Short answer

Depending on context, そいつ can refer to a person. そいつ can also be a substitute
それ, when referring to things in a very informal way.

そいつは笑える can mean "that person's funny" or "that thing (tangible or not) is
funny", with そいつ being very informal (and playfully endearing or purposefully
demeaning, heavily depending on context)

More literally and generally: "that (noun) is laughable".

## From my observations

**When そいつ refers to a person/animal**

そいつ/こいつ/あいつ contains a very colloquial, possibly endearing nuance: (in the
case of a guy) "Oh, that dude? That fool's funny".

However, it may in the more literal sense be the opposite of endearing: "Oh,
that guy? He's such a fool, it's funny (in a very condescending way).

そいつ/こいつ/あいつ is used by someone who considers himself/herself socially higher
than そいつ/こいつ/あいつ in the context of what the speaker of saying. On the surface
(like when お前 is used) this may be purposefully condescending, like when
someone means to demean someone, but this can be also used as a term of
endearment to signify that two people may have a good relationship. For
example: two friends, a 先輩 referring to a 後輩 endearingly, or a pet owner to a
dear pet. In modern English, it has similarities to when someone refers to a
friend as "that fool", but in an endearing sense.

**When そいつ functions like それ, referring to a thing**

This is very similar to when a teacher, especially in science or math, refers
to an entity (variable, symbol, etc.) as "this guy" or "that guy", in that a
thing is being referred to in a light-hearted, casual way.

## Reference

そいつ is an abbreviation for そやつ or そのやつ, used both for persons or for それ in
limited situations:
<https://ja.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%81%9D%E3%81%84%E3%81%A4>

## Side note

笑える in this sense is one of those "translation traps" if doing a literal
translation from Japanese to English, as common usage is different between the
two. True, 笑える is the 可能形 of 笑う, but in English this may lead one to see this
as strictly "able to laugh". But in Japanese, 笑える, at least in everyday usage,
is used in situations where the English equivalent is "that's funny", often
(not always) in situations that are kind of funny but not roll-on-the floor
funny. If someone thought something was super funny, there are expressions
like "HAHAHAHAH", "面白い!" "それは超面白い！" "あいつやばい!", etc.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T21:40:48.107
59379
2018-06-11T23:39:48.390
2018-06-11T23:39:48.390
29590
29590
59376
answer
そいつ can mean a person and things. It is a rude way of saying a person and
another way of saying それ.

そいつは笑える can mean "That's funny" and "He(She) is laughable", but it would be
more used for things than a person. あいつは笑える is used for a person.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-12T07:54:47.633
59388
2018-06-12T08:01:32.290
2018-06-12T08:01:32.290
7320
7320
59376
answer
In 99% of the cases, そいつは笑える (literally "That's laughable") should mean
"That's funny". Another possibility, although a very small possibility, is
"That person is able to laugh".

There is no way it can be interpreted as "That would have made him laugh"
because there is no causative sense nor subjunctive mood in this sentence.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-12T12:53:44.900
59393
2018-06-12T12:53:44.900
5010
59376
answer