53479
Passage in question:

> よっぽど おなかが **すいて いたんだなあ** 。

As I understand, the translation is something along the lines of "You must
have been very hungry." My problem lies within the bold text: how exactly each
element of this passage is constructed? Dictionaries and rikaikun didn't quite
help and I also don't know whether there are any kanji in the passage
(although I doubt it) since I encountered it in a children's cartoon with
kana-only subtitles.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-26T02:24:15.670
53476
2017-09-26T04:05:17.353
2017-09-26T03:53:16.120
5010
25933
question
grammar translation particles
"must have been" construction
* **空【す】く** : (consonant-stem, intransitive, "instant state-change" verb) "to become empty/vacant".
  * **お腹【おなか】が空く【すく】** : (verbal set expression) "to become hungry". See: [Why is it お[腹]{なか}が[空]{す}いた but [腹]{はら}[減]{へ}った?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/1630/5010)
  * **お腹が空いて** : Te-form of お腹が空く.
  * **お腹が空いている** : "to be hungry". See [When is Vている the continuation of action and when is it the continuation of state?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/3122/5010) and [Difference between お腹がすいた and お腹がすいている ― 「お腹がすいた」と「お腹がすいている」の違いは？](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/21576/5010)
  * **お腹が空いていた** : Ta-form (past form) of お腹が空いている. "to have been hungry".
  * **んだ** : =のだ. "It is that ～." This is known as explanatory の. See: [What is the meaning of ～んです/～のだ/etc?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/5398/5010)
  * **なあ** : Just another sentence-final particle to show exclamation.

So the super-literal translation of お腹が空いていたんだなあ would be something like "Oh,
it is that your stomach had become empty."
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-26T04:05:17.353
53479
2017-09-26T04:05:17.353
5010
53476
answer