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I came across this sentence: 船に乗るのは二回目だ

It was an example sentence in a Japanese children's book for learning Kanji,
so there's not any context. Because of 目 I took it to mean "this is the second
time that I ride a boat."

How could I switch the subject around to say "I'm riding a boat for the second
time."? I would guess: 今、二回目に船に乗っている. Is it correct to use 二回目に as an adverb
"for the second time" or is there any other (more natural/common) way?
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2017-06-27T17:42:06.210
48804
2017-06-29T08:16:43.340
question
translation adverbs
Confusion about usage of ordinal numbers
「二度も船に乗っている。」 would be close to "I've ridden in a/the ship/boat before."

So, if you are on the boat now, say, 「（以前に）船に乗ったことがある。」

But, if you insist on saying, literally, "I'm riding a boat for the second
time," and the sentence you started with is for some reason not satisfactory,
try it this way: 「私は只今、二回目の船乗りを経験しています。」 and wait for the strange looks and
nods you get. (You can drop the 「経験」.)

It's not that they'll think you're being a crazy 外人、 it's that they'll be
wondering why you are being so emphatic.

(afterthought)

As far as I have heard it in use, Japanese would tend to accept the phrase
that you asked about,「船に乗るのは二回目だ」、 as sufficiently emphasizing that this is
the second time. Different emphasis patterns from German.

(end-afterthought)
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2017-06-28T21:31:40.747
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2017-06-29T08:16:43.340
2017-06-29T08:16:43.340
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answer
"For the second time" = 二回目に / 二度目に  
cf. "For the first time" = 初めて / 最初に  
"For the third time" = 三回目に / 三度目に"

You can use it like this:

>   * **二回目に** 京都へ行ったとき、金閣寺を見ました。  
>  I saw Kinkaku-ji Temple when I went to Kyoto _for the second time_.
>   * **二回目に** 会ったときに電話番号を教えてもらいました。  
>  (Someone) gave me his number when I met him _for the second time_.
>

So your sentence "I'm riding a boat for the second time" can literally
translate to:

> 二回目に船に乗ります。← You'd usually say this before riding the boat  
>  二回目に船に乗っています。← You'd say this while you're on the boat

These are grammatically correct and natural, but we'd usually say it more like
船に乗るのは（これが/これで/今回が/今回で）二回目です。or 二度目です。
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2017-06-29T07:13:24.017
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2017-06-29T07:13:24.017
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answer