34074
即死 is a noun with meaning "instant death" and the grammar

> S＋が/は＋Ｎ＋する

as far as I know, means someone does something. For example,

  * 僕は勉強する。I study.
  * 彼がテニスする。He plays tennis.

Now, if I apply the noun 即死, for example,

  * 彼が即死した。

Which is the correct translation?

  * He died instantly. (my translation)
  * He was killed instantly. (google's translation)

I don't understand why google used passive form here.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-11T08:36:25.823
34072
2016-05-11T17:21:54.010
11192
question
grammar
How should I translate 彼が即死した?
I think Google preferred "to be killed" because 即死 is usually used with sudden
physical accidents like a car crash, lightning strike, explosion, gun shot,
etc. Take a look at [examples sentences
here](http://ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/content/%E5%8D%B3%E6%AD%BB). In English,
"to be killed" is frequently used with those (maybe more often than "to die
of"?), while 殺される in Japanese is basically only for murder cases.

It's safe to use 即死 with, for example, a sudden heart attack, but it's less
common.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-11T14:12:22.867
34074
2016-05-11T14:12:22.867
5010
34072
answer