My Japanese Notes
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MY 日本
NOTES
日本語 Information Collected from Several Sources
©２００９
1
Table of Contents Grammar cont…
Verb Conjugation
Telephone phrases
30
Negative Form
4 4
Imasu & Arimasu – ‘to be’
30
Dictionary Form
5
Mada – ‘Still or Not yet’
30
Te Form
5
Suggesting with Mashou
31
Past & Negative Past
6
Kimasu vs. Ikimasu – ‘come & go’
Polite / Neutral Form
6
Emphasizing with ’yo’
31
Desu
7
Verb that use ’Shimasu’
32
Irregular Verbs
7
Asking for favors – ‘onegaishimasu’
Extended Use of ‘suru ’
8
“mou’ – Already & (not) anymore 33
Common U-Verbs
9
“-te kudasai” – Making Requests 33
Common Ru-Verbs
10
Stem Form
Adjectives
31
“Gozaimasu” – ‘we have’
33
Understanding Directions
34
32
Adjectives
11
Uses of “deshou”
35
Informal Form
11
Cheaper & bigger
35
Polite / Neutral Form
12
Always, Sometimes, & other words of frequnecy
Irregular Adjective Conjugation
12
Both…and…
36
Common I-Adjectives
13
Joining sentences with “kedo”
36
Common Na-Adjectives
14
Joining senteces with the Te-form
Particles
... ga jōzu desu – is good at…
wa
15
ga
15-16
o
36
37 37
Hazukashikute – joining i-agjectives with -kute
38
Mada atte inai – not yet
38
17
to omoimasu – I think
39
no
17
Sashimi ya sushi ya – Sashimi and sushi, etc…
ni
18
…koto ga dekimasu – can / be able to
de
19
Issho ni shimasen ka – Invitations, using a negative verb
to
20
Talking about Periods of time
Pronouns
40
41-42
42
Personal Pronouns
21-22
Indefinite Pronouns
23
Describing how something looks 43
Demonstrative & Interrogative
24
Plain form + No Desu
43
Kore, Sore, Are, & Dore
25
Plain form + Kara - Because
44
Kono, Sono, Ano, & Dono
25
Donna – what kind of?
44
to iimashita – Reported speech
45
Grammar
40
40
Questions foreigners are often asked Ichiban - superlatives
39
Simple Sentences
26
Eigo de nan to iimasu ka – What do you say in English?
Forming Questions
26
Marking alternatives
46
Articles
26
Asking permission
46
Arimasu vs. Desu
27
Refusing permission
47
Ja arimasen
27
Other Advice
47
noun - “no”
28
Prepositions
48
The Future
28
Mi ni iku – go to see
48
The tag question “ne”
28
Ni tsuite – regarding or concerning
Suki desu / Kirai desu
29
Yotei – making plans
Asking for Something
29
Ikitai – I want to go and other desires
45
49
49 49-50
2
Grammar cont… Shinaide kudasai – please don’t 51 Tsumori – talking about intentions
51
Arimasu vs. Motte masu – having and holding
51
-ta koto ga arimasu ka – have you ever…? 52 -tara – if… -eba – if we do so
52-53 54
Dare mo, Doko mo, Nani mo – nobody, Comparisons
nowhere, nothing 55
55
Samuku natte – It’s getting cold
55
Dareka – someone
56
Au mae ni – before meeting
56
Yōji go owatte kara– after the errands are finnished 56 Mazu– first of all
56
Tame ni– in order to
57
-nakereba narimasen– must or have to
57
Forming adverbs from adjectives 58 katte, yokatta – I’m glad we bought… 58 to ieba – talking of…
59
toki – the time when…
59
Phrases of frequency
59
3
Verb Conjugation --- Stem Form Stem form – shortest form of a verb. Cannot stand alone,needs a suffix to indicate tense or another condition. RU-verbs lose the –ru at the end of the verb taberu iru
tabe i
U-verbs lose the –u at the end of the verb and is replaced by –i oyogu kau
oyogi kai
One exception is when the u-verb ends with –tsu. The –tsu ending becomes –chi matsu
machi
Verb Conjugation --- Negative Form Negative Form – Opposite of the dictionary form. RU-verbs use the stem form and add –nai to the end. tabe + -nai = mi + -nai
tabenai = minai
U-verbs also use the stem form but they replace the final -i with –anai (-a + -nai) kaki tori
kak + -anai tor + -anai
= =
kakanai toranai
Here are some exceptions U-verbs who’s stem form end in:
• -shi become –sanai (both the h and i are dropped.) • a vowel plus –i become –awanai (the vowel and –i are both dropped.) • -chi become –tanai hanashi hanas + -anai kai ka + -wanai machi ma + -tanai
= = =
hanasanai kawanai matanai
4
Verb Conjugation --- Dictionary Form Dictionary Form – Also called plain form. This form is also the present and future tense. Some Dictionary form verbs taberu – to eat miru – to watch iru – to exist (people and animals) hanasu – to speak kaku – to write oyogu – to swim nomu – to drink shinu – to die asobu – to play kau – to buy toru – to take aru – to exist (inanimate things) iku – to go kuru – to come suru – to do desu – to be
Verb Conjugation --- Te – Form Te-Form – called so because it always ends in te or de RU-verbs use the stem form and add –te to the end. tabe + -te = mi + -te
tabete = mite
U-verbs – U-verb ending with: ku – drop –ku and add –ite gu – drop –gu and add –ide su – just add –te bu & mu – are both dropped and -nde is added. u, ru, & tsu – are all dropped and –tte is added.
5
Verb Conjugation --- Past and Negative Past Past Tense – Use the te-form and change the final -e to an –a tabete nonde
tabeta nonda
Negative Past Tense – Use this form to say you didn’t do something in the Past. Take the negative form of the verb, drop the final –i and add –katta tabenai (don’t eat)
tabenakatta (didn’t eat)
ikanai ikanakatta (don’t go) (didn’t go)
Verb Conjugation --- Polite / Neutral Form Add the following to the verb stem form: Present
-masu
Negative Present
-masen
Past
-mashita
Negative Past
-masendeshita
Example: nomu – (to drink) Stem form: nomi Present Negative Present
nomimasu nomimasen
Past
nomimashita
Negative Past
nomimasendeshita
6
Verb Conjugation --- Desu Desu (to be) – it expresses the identity or state of people and things. It follows either a noun or an adjective. It can also express the location of people and things. Polite: desu (is a) ja arimasen deshita
(isn’t a)
(was a)
ja arimasendeshita
(wasn’t a)
Informal: da
(is a)
ja nai
(isn’t a)
datta (was a) ja nakatta (wasn’t a)
ja is used in everyday conversations. It can be replaced by dewa occasionally.
Verb Conjugation --- Irregular Verbs Irregular Verbs – There are only two irregular verbs. kuru – to come and suru – to do Kuru (to come) konai ki kite kita konakatta
Suru (to do) shinai shi shite shita shinakatta
Dictionary form Negative form Stem form Te-form Past tense Negative Past
Dictionary form
Negative form Stem form Te-form Past tense Negative Past 7
Verb Conjugation --- Extended Use of ‘Suru’ Suru has many extended uses that occur quite often To make – (1) Adverb form of I-adjective + suru: To change I-adjective to adverb form, replace the final ~i with ~ku. ōkī
ōkiku
(2) Adverb form of Na-adjective + suru: To change Na-adjective to adverb form, replace the final ~na with ~ni. kireina
kireini
To decide – It should be used when you are choosing from several available alternatives. Koohii ni shimasu.
I'll have coffee.
To price – When accompanied by phrases indicating prices, it means "cost." Kono kaban wa gosen en shimashita.
This bag cost 5,000 yen.
To feel, to smell, or to hear – Nami no oto ga suru.
I hear the sound of the waves.
Loan word + Suru – The loan words are often combined with "suru" to change the word into a verb. doraibu suru
to drive
taipu suru
to type
kisu suru
to kiss
nokku suru
to knock
Noun of Chinese origin + Suru – It is combined with nouns of Chinese origin to make a noun into a verb. benkyou suru
to study
sentaku suru
to do the washing
ryokou suru
to travel
shitsumon suru
to ask questions
denwa suru
to telephone
yakusoku suru
to promise
sanpo suru
to take a walk
yoyaku suru
to reserve
8
Common U-Verbs Dictionary Form
English
Formal Form
Te-Form
aruku 歩く
to walk
arukimasu 歩きます
aruite 歩いて
asobu 遊ぶ
to play
asobimasu 遊びます
asonde 遊んで
au 会う
to meet
aimasu 会います
atte 会って
hairu 入る
to enter
hairimasu 入ります
haitte 入って
hajimaru 始まる
to begin
hajimarimasu 始まります
hajimatte 始まって
iku 行く
to go
ikimasu 行きます
itte 行って
kaeru 帰る
to return
kaerimasu 帰ります
kaette 帰って
kakaru かかる
to take
kakarimasu かかります
kakatte かかって
kaku 書く
to write
kakimasu 書きます
kaite 書いて
kau 買う
to buy
kaimasu 買います
katte 買って
kiku 聞く
to listen
kikimasu 聞きます
kiite 聞いて
matsu 待つ
to wait
machimasu 待ちます
matte 待って
motsu 持つ
to have
mochimasu 持ちます
motte 持って
narau 習う
to learn
naraimasu 習います
naratte 習って
nomu 飲む
to drink
nomimasu 飲みます
nonde 飲んで
okuru 送る
to send
okurimasu 送ります
okutte 送って
omou 思う
to think
omoimasu 思います
omotte 思って
oyogu 泳ぐ
to swim
oyogimasu 泳ぎます
oyoide 泳いで
to know
shirimasu
shitte 9
shiru 知る
知ります
知って
suwaru 座る
to sit
suwarimasu 座ります
suwatte 座って
tatsu 立つ
to stand
tachimasu 立ちます
tatte 立って
tomaru 止まる
to stop
tomarimasu 止まります
tomatte 止まって
tsuku 着く
to arrive
tsukimasu 着きます
tsuite 着いて
uru 売る
to sell
urimasu 売ります
utte 売って
utau 歌う
to sing
utaimasu 歌います
utatte 歌って
wakaru 分かる
to understand
wakarimasu 分かります
wakatte 分かって
warau 笑う
to laugh
waraimasu 笑います
waratte 笑って
yomu 読む
to read
yomimasu 読みます
yonde 読んで
Common Ru-Verbs kangaeru 考える
to think
kangaemasu 考えます
kangaete 考えて
miru 見る
to see
mimasu 見ます
mite 見て
neru 寝る
to sleep
nemasu 寝ます
nete 寝て
oshieru 教える
to teach
oshiemasu 教えます
oshiete 教えて
taberu 食べる
to eat
tabemasu 食べます
tabete 食べて
10
Adjectives Japanese adjectives can be placed either before a noun or at the end of a sentence. or The book is good) (a good book There are two types of adjectives in Japanese: I-adjectives and Na-adjectives. These are called like so because an adjective either ends in an i or na. benrina – convenient kirēna – beautiful kōkana – expensive omoshiroi – interesting takai – expensive atsui – hot Both the ending i and na change depending on the context. Japanese adjectives conjugate based on different factors. Example: When placed at the end of a sentence, the i or na change or disappear and a extra item like the verb desu shows up in various forms.
Adjectives --- Informal Form I-adjectives: Present
(same)
Negative Present
-ku nai
Past
-katta
Negative Past
-ku nakatta
(NOTE: the dashed forms replace the final i.)
Na-adjectives: Present Negative Present
da ja nai
Past
datta
Negative Past
ja nakatta
11
Adjectives --- Polite / Neutral Form I-adjectives: Present
desu
Negative Present
-ku arimasen
Past
-katta desu
Negative Past
-ku arimasendeshita
(NOTE: the dashed forms replace the final i.)
Na-adjectives: Present
desu
Negative Present
ja arimasen
Past
deshita
Negative Past
ja aimasendeshita
Some variations of both the i and na adjectives Negative Present forms are: i-adj. na-adj.
-ku nai desu ja nai desu
Some variations of both the i and na adjectives Negative Past forms are: i-adj. na-adj.
-ku nakatta desu ja nakatta desu
Adjectives --- Irregular adjective Conjugation The irregular adjective most frequently used is i-i (good). It’s stem part is i, and it’s inflected part is the second i. The stem part i beomes yo in all forms except the Present form. Present Negative Present
i-i-desu
(is good)
yo-ku arimasen
(isn’t good)
Past
yo-katta desu
(was good)
Negative Past
yo-ku aimasendeshita
(wasn’t good)
12
Common I-Adjectives atarashii 新しい
new
furui 古い
old
atatakai 暖かい
warm
suzushii 涼しい
cool
atsui 暑い
hot
samui 寒い
cold
oishii おいしい
delicious
mazui まずい
bad tasting
ookii 大きい
big
chiisai 小さい
small
osoi 遅い
late, slow
hayai 早い
early, quick
omoshiroi 面白い
interesting, funny
tsumaranai つまらない
boring
kurai 暗い
dark
akarui 明るい
bright
chikai 近い
near
tooi 遠い
far
nagai 長い
long
mijikai 短い
short
muzukashii 難しい
difficult
yasashii 優しい
easy
ii いい
good
warui 悪い
bad
takai 高い
tall, expensive
hikui 低い
low
yasui 安い
cheap
wakai 若い
young
isogashii 忙しい
busy
urusai うるさい
noisy
13
Common Na-Adjectives ijiwaruna 意地悪な
mean
shinsetsuna 親切な
kind
kiraina 嫌いな
distasteful
sukina 好きな
favorite
shizukana 静かな
quiet
nigiyakana にぎやかな
lively
kikenna 危険な
dangerous
anzenna 安全な
safe
benrina 便利な
convenient
fubenna 不便な
inconvenient
kireina きれいな
pretty
genkina 元気な
healthy, well
jouzuna 上手な
skillful
yuumeina 有名な
famous
teineina 丁寧な
polite
shoujikina 正直な
honest
gankona 頑固な
stubborn
hadena 派手な
showy
14
Particles --- Wa Wa is the topic maker. Its similar to English expressions ‘As for’ and ‘Speaking of’. It marks something that has already been introduced or is familiar with both the speaker and listener. Watashi wa gakusei desu. (As for me, I am a student) Besides being the topic maker, wa is used to show contrast or to emphasize the subject. Bīru wa nomimasu ga, wain wa nomimasen. (I drink beer, but I don’t drink wine.) The thing being contrasted may or may not be stated. Also particles such as – ni, de, kara, and made can be combined with wa (double particles) to show contrast. Koko de wa tabako o suwanaide kudasai. (Please don’t smoke here [but you may smoke there].
Particles --- Ga Ga is the subject maker. It is only used when introducing something new. Marī ga Jon o sasotta. (Mary invited Jon.) When a question word is the subject iti s always followed by ga – never wa. To answer the question, it also has to be followed by ga. Dare ga kimasu ka. (Who is coming?)
Yoko ga kimasu. (Yoko is coming.)
• Ga is used for emphasis, to distinguish a person or things from all others. If the topic is marked by wa, it is very important. But if the subject is marked by ga it is the most important of the sentence. Taro wa gakkō ni ikimashita. (Taro went to school.)
Taro ga gakkō ni ikimashita (Taro is the one who went to school.)
• The object of the sentence is usually marked by the particle o, but some verbs and adjectives take ga instead of o. Kuruma ga hoshii desu. (I want a car.)
Nihongo ga wakarimasu. (I understand Japanese.)
• The subject of a subordinate clause normally takes "ga" to show that the subjects of the subordinate and main clauses are different. Watashi wa Mika ga kekkon shita koto o shiranakatta. (I didn't know that Mika got married.) 15
• Ga can be used to join two sentences which are in contrast, so it is much like the English but. Ga ends the first part of the sentence before the comma, whereas the English but begins the second part of the sentence. Maiku san wa kimasu ga, Takahashi san wa kimasen. Mike is coming, but Ms. Takahashi isn’t.
• Sometimes ga is used to link two sentences even though there isn’t a very strong element of contrast. Watashi wa kaimono ga totemo suki desu ga, Takahashi san wa dō desu ka. I really enjoy shopping – how about you, Ms. Takahashi?
Review: ga が * * * * * *
Subject marker With question words Emphasize Instead of "o" In subordinate clauses link two sentences w/ contrast * link two sentences w/o contrast
16
Particles --- O
• O is placed after a noun, and indicates that the noun is the direct object. Kinō no kado o mimashita. (I watched the movie yesterday.)
• Verbs such as walk, run, pass, turn, drive, go through, etc… take the particle o to indicate the route which the movement follows. Tsugi no kado o magatte kudasai. (Please turn the next corner.)
• Verbs such as leave, come out, get off, etc… take the particle o to mark the place from ones departure. Hachi-ji ni ie o demasu. (I leave home at 8 o’clock.)
Particles --- No
• No indicates ownership or attribution. Kore wa watashi no hon desu. (This is my book.)
• The final noun can be omitted if it is clear to both speaker and listener. Are wa watashi no (kuruma) desu. (This is mine (my car).)
• Noun modification – The noun before no modifies the noun after no. Nihongo no jugyō wa tanoshī desu. (The Japanese class is interesting.)
• No can be used many times in a sentence. In this usage the order of nouns in Japanese is the reverse of the English structure. The normal Japanese order is from large to small, or general to specific. yōroppa no kuni no namae (the names of the countries in Europe)
• No links the noun to the appositive that follows. Tomodachi no Keiko-san desu. (This is my friend, Keiko.)
17
Particles --- Ni
• Ni is a indirect object maker. The indirect object usually comes before the direct object. Kare wa watashi ni hon o kuremashita. (He gave me a book.)
• Some verbs, such as au (to meet) and kiku (to ask), take an indirect object. Eki de tomodachi ni atta. (I met my friend at the station.)
• Ni is typically used with location of existence verbs (iru– to exist). It translates into at or in. Isu no ue ni neko ga imasu. (There is a cat on the chair.)
• Ni is used when a motion or action is directed at or onto an object or place. Kōto o hangā ni kaketa. (I hung a coat on the hanger.)
• Ni can be translated as to when indicating a destination. Rainen nihon ni ikimasu. (I’m going to Japan next year.)
• Ni can also indicate a purpose or intent. Eiga o mi ni itta. (I went to see a movie.) [NOTE:] I follows the noun and the stem form of the verb in this usage.
• Ni is used with various time expressions (year, month, day, and clock time) to indicate a specific point in time. It translates into at, on, or in. However, expressions of today or tomorrow don’t take ni. Hachi-ji ni ie o demasu. (I leave home at 8 o’clock.)
• Ni indicates an agent (source) in passive or causative verbs. I translate to by or from. Haha ni shikarareta. (I was scolded by my mother.)
• Ni is used with notions of Per. (year, month, day, and clock time) Ichijikan ni jū-doru haratte kuremasu. (They pay us ten dollars per hour.) 18
Particles --- De
• De indicates the place where an action takes place. It translates into in, at, on, and etc... Umi de oyoida (I swam in the ocean.)
• De indicates means, method, or instruments. It translates into by, with, in, by means of, etc… Nihongo de hanashite kudasai. (Please speak in Japanese.)
• De is placed after a quantity, time or amount of money, and indicates an extent. Zenbu de sen-en desu. (They cost a 1,000 yen altogether.)
• De also indicates scope. Translates into in, among, within, etc… Kore wa sekai de ichiban ookii desu (This is the biggest in the world.)
• De indicates the composition of an object. Toufu wa daizu de tsukurimasu. (Tofu is made from soybeans.)
• De indicates required cost. It translates into for, at, etc… Kono hon o juu-doru de katta. (I bought this book for ten dollars.)
• De indicates a casual reason or motive for an action or occurrence. It translates into due to, because of, owing to, etc… Kaze de gakkou o yasunda. (I was absent from school due to a cold.)
• De indicates time consumed for a certain action or occurrence. It translates into in, within, etc… Ichijikan de ikemasu. (We can get there in an hour.)
19
Particles --- To
• To is used to list nouns or pronouns, but never phrases and clauses. Eigo to Nihongo o hanashimasu. (I speak English and Japanese.)
• To indicates a comparison or contrast getween two nouns. Translates to or. Neko to inu to Dochira ga suki desu ka. (Which do you like better, cats or dogs?)
• To also indicates accompaniment. Translates into together or with. Tomodachi to eiga ni itta. (I went to a movie with my friend.)
• To is used after onomatopoeic adverbs. Hoshi ga kira kira to kagayaiteiru. (The stars are twinkling.)
• To is commonly used in the phrase to naru, and indicates that something reaches a goal or new state. Tsuini orinpukku no kaisai no hi to natta. (At last the opening day of the Olympics has come.)
• To is used before such verbs as iu, omou, kiku, etc… to introduce a clause or a phrase. Normally preceded by a plain form of a verb. Kare wa asu kuru to itta. (He said that he will come tomorrow.)
• To is placed after a verb or adjective to form a conditional. Translates into as soon as, when, if, etc… A plain form is usually used before the particle to. Shigoto ga owaru to sugu uchi ni kaetta. (I went home as soon as work was over.)
20
Pronouns --- Personal Pronouns A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. The use of Japanese personal pronouns is quite different from English. They are not used as often as their English counterparts, though there are a variety of pronouns in Japanese depending on the gender or the style of speech. If the context is clear, the Japanese prefer not to use the personal pronouns. It is important to learn how to use them, but also important to understand how not to use them. Unlike English, there is no strict rule to have a grammatical subject in a sentence. The following are some Personal Pronouns: 私
watashi
I/me
私たち
watashitachi
we/us
あなた
anata
you (singular)
あなたたち anatatachi
you (plural)
彼
kare
he/him
彼ら
karera
they/them (males or mixed genders)
彼女
kanojo
she/her
彼女ら 彼女ら
kanojora
they/them (females)
あの人 あの人
ano hito
that person
あの人 あの人たち ano hitotachi
those persons
Among these pronouns, watashi and anata are the most common. However, as I mentioned above, they are often omitted in conversation. When addressing your superior, anata is not appropriate and should be avoided. Use the person's name instead. Anata is also used by wives when they address their husbands. Omae is sometimes used by husbands when addressing their wives, though it sounds a little bit old-fashioned. Avoid using anata whenever possible, and use the person's name with san instead. Similarly, when referring to a third person, use the person's name. One way to avoid using anata is to drop it and just use the verb and the question particle, ka. Ikimasu ka. means: Will (you) go (there)? Another way to avoid using anata is to repeatedly use the person’s name. Yōko-san, Yōko-san wa ikimasu ka. means: Yoko, are you going? [Literally means: Yoko, is Yoko going?] 21
Here are some more Examples: Sumisu-san wa eigo o mimashita ka. means: Did you (Mr. Smith) see the movie? Tanaka-san wa nani o kaimashita ka. means: What did she (Mrs. Tanaka) buy? The first-person singular pronoun is typically watashi, but you can say I/me more than one way. The formal version is watakushi. Men say boku in informal and neutral contexts. In informal context some men say ore, some older men say washi, and some young women say atashi. The pronouns for the third person are kare (he) or kanojo (she). Rather than using these words, it is preferred to use the person's name or describe them as ano hito (that person). It is not necessary to include gender. Kyo John ni aimashita.
I saw him (John) today.
Ano hito o shitte imasu ka.
Do you know her?
Kare or kanojo often means a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Kare ga imasu ka.
Do you have a boyfriend?
Watashi no kanojo wa kangofu desu.
My girlfriend is a nurse.
To make plurals, a suffix -tachi is added like watashi-tachi (we) or anata-tachi (you). The suffix -tachi can be added to not only pronouns but to some other nouns referring to people. For example, kodomo-tachi means children. For the word anata, the suffix -gata is used sometimes to make it plural instead of using tachi. Anata-gata is more formal than anata-tachi. The suffix -ra is also used for kare, such as karera (they).
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Pronouns --- Indefinite Pronouns だれか
dareka
someone
どれか
doreka
something
どかか
dokoka
somewhere
何か
nanika
something
いくらか
ikuraka
some/a little
何でも
nandemo
anything
だれも
daremo
no one
どれも
doremo
nothing
どこも
dokomo
nowhere
何も
nanimo
nothing (with neg. verbs); not any
いくらも
ikuramo
not much
何にも
nannimo
nothing at all
The negative indefinite pronouns take a negative verb. Dareka kimashita. means: Someone came. Daremo kimasen deshita. means: No one came. The one reflexive pronoun is （自分）jibun (myself, yourself, etc.). Jibun de hatarakimasu. means: I am working by myself.
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Pronouns --- Demonstrative and Interrogative The demonstrative and interrogative words, which can be pronouns, adjectives, or adverbs, may be divided into four groups depending on the prefix: ko- Something near the speaker. so- Something nearer the listener than the speaker. a- Something at a distance from both speaker and listener. do- Question
Nouns
Adjectival
Adverbial
Location
here こ (ko)
there そ (so)
over there あ (a)
? ど (do)
これ (kore) this
それ (sore) that
あれ (are) that over there
どれ (dore) which
この (kono) this ...
その (sono) that ...
あの (ano) that ... over there
どの (dono) what / which ...
こんな (konna) this kind / like this
そんな (sonna) that kind
あんな (anna) that kind
どんな (donna) what kind
こう (kou) this way
そう (sou) that way
ああ (aa) that way
どう (dou) how
こんなに (konna ni) this much
そんなに (sonna ni) that much
あんなに (anna ni) that much
どんなに (donna ni) how much
ここ (koko) here
そこ (soko) there
あそこ (asoko) over there
どこ (doko) where
こちら (kochira) this side
そちら (sochira) that side
あちら (achira) that side
どちら (dochira) what side
こっち (kocchi) this side
そっち (socchi) that side
あっち (acchi) that side
どっち (docchi) what side
こ こ (koko), こちら (kochira), and こっち (kocchi) all mean "here". こちら (kochira) is more formal than ここ (koko), while こっち (kocchi) is an informal abbreviation of こちら (kochira). The same applies to the そ (so), あ (a), and ど (do) columns. Other interrogative pronouns are the following: だれ いつ いくつ いくら どうして 何 何名
dare who itsu when ikutsu how many ikura how much dōshite why nan / nani what nannin / nannei how many people
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Kore, Sore, Are, and Dore
• In English, we divide things into the two groups of this and that, but in Japanese there are three groups: - kore, meaning this thing or these things near me. - sore, meaning that thing or those things near you. - are, meaning that thing or those things over there, away from both of us. Examples: Kore wa atarashī purintā desu ka. Is this a new printer? Itō san no uchi wa are desu. Mr. Itō’s house is that on over there.
• The corresponding question word is dore – which one? A: Itō san no kuruma wa dore desu ka. Which is your car, Mr. Itō? B: Sore desu. It’s that one.
Kono, Sono, Ano, and Dono
• In English, the words this, that, and which can be used as pronouns or adjectives. In Japanese the words kore, sore, are, and dore are used only as pronouns. The adjectives of these words are kono, sono, ano, and dono, but they still have the same meaning as their pronoun counterparts. Kono wain wa doko no desu ka. Where is this wine from? Ano hito wa dare desu ka. Who’s that person?
Kore wa doko no desu ka. Where is this from? Are wa dare desu ka. Who’s that?
Dono teishoku ni shimasu ka. Dore ni shimasu ka. Which set meal are you going to have? Which are you going to have?
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Grammar --- Simple Sentences
• Simple sentence order: Subject-Object-Verb [noun] (wa/ga) [noun] (o) [verb] Mari ga Jon o sasotta. Mary invited John.
Kore wa hon desu. This is a book.
Grammar --- Forming Questions
• To form a Yes or No question simply add ka to the end of the sentence. You don’t need to make any other changes because ka always indicates a question. Gakusei desu. I’m/He’s a student. Yokohama desu. (This) is Yokohama.
Gakusei desu ka. Are you/Is he a student? Yokohama desu ka. Is (this) Yokohama?
• To form a content question – when you expect specific information or content as an answer – you use a question word and ka.
doko
where
donate
who
dore
which one
dō
how
ikura
how much
itsu
when
nani
what
Example: Kinō no pātī wa dare ga kimashita ka. (Who came to yesterday’s party?)
Grammar --- Articles
• There are no articles (a/an/the) in Japanese, so where they may exist in English, simply ignore them when changing the sentence to Japanese. Amerika no kaisha desu. It’s (an) American company. Sumimasen ga, Nihongo no sensei desu ka. Excuse me, but are you (the) Japanese language Teacher? 26
Grammar --- Arimasu vs. Desu – be, be located, exist
• Both arimasu and desu mean is/are, but there is a difference in the way they are used. Desu is used when one this is, or equals, another. Koko wa Yokohama eki desu. This is Yokohama station.
• The verb arimasu jeans that something exists, so iti s often used to describe the location of something. In this case it is preceded by ni, a particle pointing out place or location. Denwa wa doko ni arimasu ka. Where’s the telephone (located)?
• When describing the location of something, ni arimasu can often be replaced by desu. The nuance is slightly different, but the English translation is usually the same. Ginkō wa doko desu ka. Where’s the bank? [Lit: What place is the bank?]
Ginkō wa doko ni arimasu ka. Where’s the bank? [Lit: In what place is the bank located?]
• The verb arimasu can often be translated as there is/are, or have. Denwa wa arimasu ka. Do you have a telephone?/Is there a telephone?
• Answers to this kind of yes/no question are Hai, arimasu (Yes, I have./Yes, there is.), Iie, arimasen. (No, I haven’t./No, there isn’t.), or Wakarimasen. (I don’t know.). Grammar --- Ja arimasen – isn’t, aren’t
• Ja arimasen is the negative of desu, so it means isn’t or aren’t. Ja is a contraction of de wa. (You may also hear the alternative forms de wa arimasen, ja nai desu, and de wa nai desu, which all mean isn’t or aren’t.) Amerikajin ja arimasen. Igirisujin desu. I’m not American. I’m British. Sensei ja arimasen. Jimu no hito desu. I’m not a teacher. I am an office worker. Ōkii kōkō ja arimasen. It’s not a big high school. A: Kono konpyūtā wa atarashii desu ka. Is this computer new? B: Iie, sō ja arimasen. No, it isn’t. Are wa Watanabe san no kuruma ja arimasen ka. Isn’t that Mr.Watanabe’s car? 27
Grammar --- noun – “no”
• The word no can be used in place of a noun when it is obvious what you are talking about. Kaisha no kuruma desu. It’s the company’s car.
Kaisha no desu. It’s the company’s.
Dare no shinbun desu ka. Whose newspaper is it?
Dare no desu ka. Whose is it?
Grammar --- The Future
• The –masu form is also used to refer to events happening in the future. If it is not clear from the context whether a present or future meaning is intended, then a time word such as tomorrow/next week/at 2:00 can be used. Watanabe san wa ahita Tōkyō e ikimasu. Mr. Watanabe will go to Tokyo tomorrow. Tomodachi wa asatte Igiru kara kimasu. Thay day after tomorrow, a friend is coming from Britian. Ahista, oshiemasen. I’m not teaching tomorrow. Kyō nani o shimasu ka. What are you going to do today?
Grammar --- The tag question - NE
• The particle ne at the end of a sentence plays the same role as tag questions in English, such as isn’t it?, didn’t he?, aren’t they?, don’t you?, an I right?, etc… Such questions may be asking for confirmation, in which case they have rising intonation, or they may just be asking for agreement, in which they have falling intonation. Maiku san wa Amerikanjin desu ne. Mike is an American, isn’t he? Kono wain wa oishii desu ne. This wine is good, isn’t it! Mainishi Nihongo no shinbun o yomimasu ne. You read a Japanese newspaper every day, don’t you?
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Grammar --- Suki desu/Kirai desu – I like it/I hate it
• Unlike English, the Japanese words for like, hate and the various shades in between are not verbs, so they need to be followed by desu. The sugject of a sentence is the thing or person liked or disliked, and so is followed by wa or ga. Here are some sentences to show how to say various degrees of like and dislike: dai suki desu ‘I like very much’, suki desu ‘I like’, amari suki ja arimasen ‘I don’t like very much’, kirai desu ‘I dislike’, dai-kirai desu ‘I loathe’. (Watashi wa) sashimi ga dai-suki desu. I love raw fish. Ano sensei ga dai-kirai desu. I loathe that teacher. Maiku san wa eiga ga suki desu ne. Mike likes (going to) movies, doesn’t he? Sakana ga kirai desu ka. Don’t you like fish? [Lit: Do you dislike fish?]
Grammar --- O kudasai – Asking for something
• The word kudasai means please give me, although it sounds politer than that in Japanese, and can be translated into English in several different ways. When you want someone to give you something – for example in a resturant, or when shopping – simply say what you want and add o kudasai. Sumimasen, mizu o kudasai. Excuse me, could I have some water, please? A: Nani o nomimasu ka. What would you like to drink? [Lit: What will you drink?] B: Wain o kudasai. Wine, please. Mainichi Shinbun o kudasai. I’d like the Mainichi Newspaper please.
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Grammar --- Moshi moshi – Telephone phrases
• Here are some commonly used telephone phrases: Moshi moshi Hello? Tanaka san desu ka. Is this Mr.Tanaka? Tanaka san wa irasshaimasu ka. Is Mr.Tanaka there? Tanaka san onegai shimasu. Mr. Tanaka, please. Harisu desu. This is (Mr.) Harris. Sumisu Enjiniaringu no Harisu desu. This is (Mr.) Harris, from Smith Engineering.
• The following phrases are all polite ways of finishing a telephone conversation. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Please treat me well. Shitsurei shimasu. Excuse me. Gomen kudasai.Pardon me for any inconvenience.
Grammar --- Imasu and Arimasu – to be
• The verbs imasu (from iru) and arimasu (from aru) both mean to be/exist but there is a very important difference between them. Imasu is used only to refer to the existence or location of animate objects. Arimasu is used only to refer to inanimate objects. Kyō no shinbun wa doko ni arimasu ka. Where’s today’s newspaper?
Watanabe san wa doko ni imasu ka. Where’s Mr. Watanabe?
Uchi ni terebi ga arimasen. We don’t have a televison at home. [Lit: At home, there isn’t a televison.]
Uchi ni inu ga imasen. We don’t have a dog at home. [Lit: At home, there isn’t a dog.]
Grammar --- Mada – Still or Not yet
• When mada is followed by a positive verb, it can be translated as still in the sense of something remaining as it was some time ago. Gohan wa mada takusan arimasu. There’s still a lot of rice. Maiku san wa mada gakkō ni imasu ka. Is Mike still at the school?
• When mada is followed by a negative verb, it can usually be translated as (not) yet. Nihongo ga mada wakarimasen. I don’t understand Japanese yet. Takushii wa mada kimasen ne. The taxi hasn’t come yet, has it?
• The phrase Mada desu by itself means Not yet. 30
Grammar --- Suggesting with Mashou
• If you want to suggest doing something, then the way to express it is to change the final – masu of the verb to
-mashō. This usually corresponds to Lets – in English.
Ashita Yokohama e ikimashō. Let’s go to Yokohama tomorrow. Kā rajio o kikimashō. Let’s listen to the car radio. Kōhii o nomimashō. Let’s have [Lit: drink] some coffee.
• If you turn it into a question, then it becomes the equivalent of Shall we –? or Shall I -? Kyō wa nani o shimashō ka. What shall we fo today? Nani o tabemashō ka. Skana ni shimashō ka. What shall we eat? Shall we have fish?
Grammar --- Kimasu vs. Ikimasu – come and go
• The verbs kimasu (come) and ikimasu (go) are sometimes used in a slightly different way from English. Ikimasu means to leave where you are now, regardless of where you’re going, whereas English go means to leave where you are now and go anywhere except where the person you are speaking to is. A: Ashita, watashi no uchi ni kimasu ka. Are you coming over to my house tomorrow? B: Hai, ikimasu. Nan-ji ni ikimashō ka. Yes, I am. What time shall I come [Lit: go]?
Grammar --- Emphasizing with Yo
• The particle yo at the end of a sentence doesn’t have any meaning in itself, but is used to give the sentence emphasis, so it acts like an exclamation mark in English. Watashi no sūtsukēsu desu. It’s my suitcase.
Watashi no sūtsukēsu desu yo. Hey, it’s my suitcase!
Ii desu. It’s okay.
Ii desu yo. Hey, it’s okay!
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Grammar --- Verbs which use Shimasu
• The are a number of verbs which are made up of a noun with shimasu. Here are some of them. The particle o is optional. benkyō study, work
benkyō (o) shimasu to study
denwa a telephone
denwa (o) shimasu to telephone, call
shigoto work, employment
shigoto (o) shimasu to work
tenisu tennis
tenisu (o) shimasu to play tennis
hanashi a talk, conversation
hanashi (o) shimasu to have a conversation
Ashita, tomodachi to tenisu o shimasu. I’m going to play tennis with a friend tomorrow. Itō san wa tokodoki shichi-ji made shigoto shimasu. Mr. Itō sometimes works ntil 7:00.
Grammar --- Asking for favor - Onegai shimasu
• The phrase onegai shimasu can be used instead of kudasai when you are asking for something. Kōhii o onegai shimasu./ Kōhii o kudasai. Coffe, please.
• It can also mean Please do that, when used in reponse to someone offering to do something for you. A: Ashita denwa shimashō ka. Shall I phone (you) tomorrow? B: Hai, onegai shimasu. Yes, please.
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Grammar --- Mō - Already and (Not) any more
• When mō is used with a positive verb, it corresponds to the English already, indicating that something is not in the same condition it was a while ago. Mō jū-ji desu. It’s already 10:00. Kenji san wa mō daigakusei desu ka. Is Kenji at university [Lit: a university student] already?
• When mō is used with a negative verb, it corresponds to (not) any more. Mō sono resutoran e wa ikimasen. I’m not going to that resturant any more. Mondai wa mō arimasen. I don’t have any problems any more.
Grammar --- -te kudasai – Making requests
• When the Te-form is followed by kudasai, it is a way of asking someone to do something. Yukkuri hanashite kudasai. Please speak slowly. Konban denwa shite kudasai. Please call me this evening. Sensei no hanashi o kite kudasai. Listen to what the teacher has to say. Grammar --- Gozaimasu – we have
• When talking about family members, vocabulary can differ markedly in Japanese, depending on who you are talking to, the degree of fomality of the situation and even the relative age of the people talking. In situations which demand a high degree of curtesy, such as a sales assistant in a department store talking to a customer, or staff in a prestigious hotel talking to a quest, the speaker is likely to use the very formal and humble gozaimasu instead of arimasu. A: Kono hoteru ni wa, fakkusu ga arimasu ka. Do you have a fax in this hotel?
B: Hai, gozaimasu. Yes, we do.
• In the same way, de gozaimasu is used in formal situations instead of desu. A: Sumimasen, kono sētā wa ikura desu ka. Excuse me, how much is this sweater? B: Sore wa kyū-sen en de gozaimasu. It’s 9,000 yen. 33
Grammar --- Understanding Directions
• Here are some useful sentences for giving and understanding directions. Koko made onegai shimasu. (As you hand over the map and directions of where you want to go) To this place, please. Massugu itte kudasai. Please go straight ahead. Mō sukoshii massugu itte kudasai. Please go a little futher ahead. Koko de migi ni magatte kudasai. Please turn right here. Shingō de hidari ni magatte kudasai. Please turn left at the traffic lights. Tsugi no shingō de migi ni magatte kudasai. Please turn right at the next traffic lights. Tsugi no kado de tomete kudasai. Please stop at the next corner. Koko de ii desu. This [Lit: here] is fine. Hidari-sawa ni arimasu. It’s on the left-hand side. Gakkō wa migi-gawa ni arimasu. The school is on the right-hand side.
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Grammar --- Uses of deshō
• The word deshō has its origins in desu, but it has different nuances depending on the situation and intonation used, When it is used in a question, and followed by ka, it is the equivalent of I wonder… , so it makes the question less direct. Kore wa nan desu ka. What’s this? Kaigi wa nan-ji desu ka. What time is the meeting?
Kore wa nan deshō ka. I wonder what this is? Kaigi wa nan-ji deshō ka. I wonder what time the meeting is?
• When it is used with rising intonation, it is asking for agreement of the person being spoken to, so it is similar to ne, but softer and less direct. Are wa Watanabe san no uchi deshō. That’s Mr. Watanabe’s house, right? Nihongo wa muzukashii deshō. Japanese is difficult, isn’t it?
• When the intonation is falling at the end of the sentence, it shows that the speaker is almost, but not completely, sure of his facts, so is making an assumption. This kind of sentence is often translated into English words such as probably, must be, almost certainly. Hokkaidō wa ima samui deshō. It’s probably cold in Hokkaido now. Sono saizu wa daijōbu deshō. I guess that size will be okay.
• Deshō can also be used instead of desu when you want to be extra polite. Sumimasen ga, Tanaka san deshō ka. Excuse me, but would you be Mr. Tanaka?
Grammar --- Motto yasui, Motto ōkii – cheaper and bigger
• To describe something as bigger, smaller, more expensive, cheaper, etc… , in Japanese, simply put motto (more) in front of the appropriate word, which is the equivalent of saying more big, more small, more quiet. Sumimasen ge, motto chiisai no wa arimasu ka. Excuse me, but do you have a smaller one? Kono buraun no jaketto wa suki desu ga, sono kuroi no wa motto suki desu. I like this brown jacket, but I like that black one more. Tsugi no tesuto wa motto muzukashii deshō. The next test will probably be more difficult. 35
Grammar --- Itsumo, tokidoki– always, sometimes and other words of frequency
• Here are some of the most commonly-used words of frequency that are usful. They usually come before the verb, but they also can be used to begin the sentence or phrase. itsumo always
yoku often
tokidoki sometimes
amari not often
zenzen never, not at all
Ani wa ima daigakusei desu ga, zenzen benkyō shimasen. My elder brother is a university student now, but he never does any work. Itsumo ginkō no tonari no resutoran de hiru-gohan o tabemasu. We always eat lunch at the restautant next to the bank.
Grammar --- … Mo… Mo – Both … and …
• Sentences with … mo … mo are the eauivalent of both…and… when in the positive, and neither…nor… when in the negative. Osake me biiru mo nomimasu ka. Dakara atama ga itai desu yo. You drank (both) sake and beer? That’s why you have a headache! Kōhii mo o-cha mo nomimasen. I don’t drink (either) coffee or green tea.
Grammar --- Joining senteces with Kedo – but
• The word kedo (and it’s more formal varitations keredo and keredomo) is used to join sentences together with the meaning but, and always ends the first part of the sentence, before the comma. It can sometimes be used instead of ga (but), but kedo is the only one that can be used in the sense of although. Tenisu wa dai-suki desu kedo, amari jōzu ja arimasen. Although I really like tennis, I’m not good.
• When an i-adjective is followed by kedo, the desu which usually comes after such an adjective can be omitted. Sono o-sake wa oishii kedo, chotto takai desu. That sake is delicious, but it’s very expensive.
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Grammar --- Joining senteces with the Te-form
• The Te-form of verbs can be used to link two or more sentences together, and can often be translated as and. The Te-form can be used in the middle of a sentence regardless of whether the event it describes happened in the past, is happening now, or will happen in the future, because it is the verb at the end of the sentence that shows the overall tense of the sentence. Doyōbi no asa ni Tōkyō e ikimashita. + Atarashii sūtsu o kaimashita. = Doyōbi no asa ni Tōkyō e itte, atarashii sūtsu o kaimashita. On Saturday morning I went to Tokyo, and bought a new suit.
• Here are some examples of how the te-form is used in this way. Ashita Pari ni itte, asatte wa Roma ni ikimasu. Tsukaremasu yo. I go to Paris tomorrow, and Rome the next day. I’m going to be tired! Kinō no yoru, uchi ni ite, bideo o mimashita. Yesterday evening, I stayed home and watched a video.
• The equivalent form for desu is de. Getsuyōbi no yoru wa yakyū no renshū desu. + Kanyōbi wa tenisu no renshū desu. = Getsuyōbi no yoru wa yakyū no renshū de, kanyōbi wa tenisu no renshū desu. Monday evening is baseball practice, and Tuesday is tennis practice. Watashi wa Eigo ga heta desu. + Hazukashii desu. = Watashi wa Eigo ga heta de, hazukashii desu. I’m embrassed because I’m bad at Einglish. [Lit: I’m bad at English, and I’m embarassed.]
Grammar --- ... ga jōzu desu – is good at…
• With the words jōzu (good at) and heta (poor at), it’s the thing that you are good or bad at that takes the subject particle ga. The person who is good or bad at it, is shown by wa. Ogawa san wa Eigo ga jōzu desu ne. Ms. Ogawa is good at English, isn’t she?
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Grammar --- Hazukashikute – joining i-agjectives with -kute
• In Japanese when you want to link to link several simple sentences together you can link them with the te-form of verbs (Pari ni itte, tanoshikatta desu). It is similar when joinging sentences which end in i-adjectives: drop the final –i and then add –kute. Omoshiroi eiga deshita. + Ii eiga deshita. = Omoshirokute, ii eiga dehita. It was a good, interesting movie. [Lit: I was an interesting and good movie.] Sūgaku wa muzukashii desu. + Sūgaku wa suki ja arimasen. = Sūgaku wa muzukashikute, suki ja arimasen. Mathematics is difficult, and I don’t like it.
• [Note] in some cases, the ifrst part of the sentence is giving a reason for what is stated in the second part. Atama ga itakute, ku-ji han ni nemashita. I had a headache, and (so) I went to bed at 9:30. Sensei no kotae wa nagakute, wakarimasen deshita. The teacher’s answer was long, and I didn’t understand it. Tenki ga warukute, zenzen deshita. The weather was bad, and it’s a pity.
Grammar --- Mada atte inai – not yet
• When something hasn’t yet happened, it is often described using the –te imasen/-te inai form. Kiru-gohan wa mada tabete imasen. I haven’t eaten luch yet. Taiiku no sensei wa mada kite imasen. The physical education teacher isn’t here yet.
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Grammar --- to omoimasu – I think
• The phrase for I think – to moimasu – is often added to the end of a sentence when giving an opinion. There is no need to make changes to the sentence which is expressed as the thought, except any verbs are put into the plain form, and the i-adjective don’t need to be followed by desu. Sore wa zannen desu. That’s a pity.
Sore wa zennen da to moimasu. I think that’s a pity.
Takahashi san wa kimasen. Ms. Takahashi isn’t coming.
Takahashi san wa konai to omoimasu. I think Ms.Takahashi isn’t coming.
• If you want to talk about what someone else is thinking, then it’s usual to use omotte imasu. Maiku san wa, Nihon wa ii kuni da to omotte imasu. Mike thinks that Japan is a great country.
• Both kangaeru and omou may be tranlated as think. Omou is used when you are talking about an opinion or feeling, whereas kangaeru means to consider/think about. Nani o kangaete imasu ka. What are you thinking about?
Grammar --- Sashimi ya sushi ya – Sashimi and sushi, etc…
• The word ya, like to, means and when used to join a list of items, but when ya is used, it implies that the items you have mentioned are just a sample. and that there are others on the list that you haven’t mentioned. (To make this meaning more obvious, you can also add nado, et cetera, if you wish.) Sono gakkō de Eigo ya Furansugo ya Doitsugo (nado) o oshiete imasu. At that school they teach English, French, German, and the like. Kyōto ya Nara (nado) e ikimashita. I went to Kyoto, Nara, etc…
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Grammar --- …koto ga dekimasu – can/be able to
• There are several ways of saying can, be able to in Japanese, but the easiest way is to add koto ga dekimasu to the plain form of the verb. It literally means –ing is possible. Maiku san wa kanji o kaku koto ga dekimasu ka. Mike, can you write kanji characters? Kore o zenbu taberu koto ga dekinai to omoimasu. I can’t eat all this, I think.
• In case where it is obvious what the verb is going to be, it isn’t necessary to mention it (you don’t need the verb or koto). Nihongo ga dekimasu ka. Can you (speak) Japanese? Piano ga dekimasu ka. Can you (play) the piano?
Grammar --- Issho ni shimasen ka – Invitations, using a negative verb
• When you want to invite someone to do something, a polite way of doing so is to use a negative question, in other words, one ending in –masen ka. Raishū no doyōbi wa tanjōbi no pātii o shimasu ga, Maiku san mo kimasen ka. I’m having a birthday party next Saturday – would you like to come mike? Mo sukoshi nomimasen ka. Would you like a little more to drink?
Grammar --- Talking about Periods of time
• To talk about something which has been going on for some time, simply use the –te imasu form. This corresponds to the have/has been –ing form in English. Ni-nen-kan Nihongo o benkyō shite imasu. I have been studying Japanese for two years. Chōdo ichi-nen-kan kono uchi ni sunde imasu. I’ve been living in this house for just a year. San-ji han kara denwa de hanashite imasu yo. She’s been talking on the phone since 3:30!
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Grammar --- Questions foreigners are often asked
• Here are some questions that you will be likely asked several times in Japan, with some possible responses. Q: Nan-sai desu ka./O-ikutsu desu ka. How old are you? A: Jū-nana-sai desu./Ni-jū-kyū-sai desu./Go-jū-sai desu. I’m seveteen./I’m twenty-nine./I’m fifty. Q: Kuni wa dochira desu ka. What country are you from? A: Amerika kara desu./Amerikajin desu. I’m from the USA./I’m American Q: Amerikajin desu ka. Are you American? A: Hai, sō desu./Iie, Igirisujin desu. Yes, I am./No, I’m British. Q: Nihon o dō omoimasu ka. What do you think of Japan? A: Dai-suki desu./Hito ga ōi desu ne./Ii kuni da to omoimasu. I like it very much./It’s very crowded, isn’t it?/I think it’s a great country. Q: Itsu Nihon e kimashita ka. When did you come to Japan? A: Senshū no kayōbi ni kimashita./Ichi-nen mar ni kimashita. Last week’s Tuesday./A year ago Q: Itsu made Nihon ni imasu ka. When are you in Japan until? A: Raishū no mokuyōbi made desu. Until next week’s Thursday. Q: Nihon no jōsei/densei o dō omoimasu ka. What do you think of Japanese women/men? A: Totemo kirei/shinsetsu/hanasmu da to omoimasu. They’re very beautiful/kind/handsome.
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Q: O-hashi wa daijōbu desu ka. Are you okay with chopsticks? A: Hai, daijōbu desu. Yes, I’m fine. Q: O-hashi wa jōzu desu ne. You’re good at (using) chopsticks. A: Arigatō. Thank you. Q: Sashimi to taberu koto ga dekimasu ka. Can you eat raw fish? A: Hai, dai-suki desu. Yes, I like it very much. Q: Kekkon shite imasu ka./O-hitori desu ka. Are you married?/Are you single? A: Hai, sō desu./Iie, mada desu./Iie, kekkon shite imasu./ Rikkon shite imasu. Yes, Iam./No, not yet./No, I’m married./I’m divorced.
Grammar --- Ichiban - superlatives
• If you want to say that something is biggest, or best, or faster, or most beautiful, then all you need to do is add ichiban (number one or most) before the relevant adjective. Nihon de ichiban takai yama wa Fuji-san desu. The highest mountain in Japan is Mount Fuji. Kurasu no naka de, dare ga ichiban wakai desu ka. Who’s the youngest in the class? Ichiban suki-na tokoro wa doko desu ka. What is your favorite place?
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Grammar --- Describing how something looks
• To describe how something looks or appears to be, add -sō to the appropriate adjective. With I-adjectives, you need to drop the final –i first. This is the equivalent of saying it looks…, seems… Hashi wa muzukashi-sō da kedo, jitsu wa muzukashiku arimasu. Chopsticks look difficult (to use), but in fact they’re not (diffcult). Wada san no atarashii sūtsu o mite judasai yo. Taka-sō desu ne. Hey, look at Mr.Wada’s new suit. It looks expensive, doesn’t it!
• The –sō form of ii/yoi is irregular: yosa-sō (looks good). Kono kissaten wa yosa-sō desu yo. Hairimashō. This coffee shop looks good. Let’s go in. Katō sensei wa atama ga yosa-sō desu ne. Mr. Katō looks clever, doesn’t he?
• This pattern is also useful for describing how you think some else is feeling, as it is generally considered that you can’t really know how they’re feeling, only how they appear to be feeling. Fumiko chan wa tomodachi ga takusan iru keo, itsumo sabishi-sō desu ne. Fumiko has lots of friends, but she always looks lonely, doesn’t she? Watanba san wa atama ga ita-sō desu ne. Daijōbu deshō ka. Mr. Watanabe looks as if he has a headache. I wonder if he’s all right. Maiku san wa kyō ureshi-sō desu ne. Mike looks happy, doesn’t he?
Grammar --- Plain form + No Desu
• When a sentence ends in no desu, or more colloquially n’desu, it often indicates that the speaker is explaining something, or asking for an explanation of something. It is also sometimes used to indicate emphasis, so it can be shown in the sorresponding English with an explamation mark. N’ desu can follow the plain form of a verb, an I- or Na-adjective (with the –na endng). Pronounce it as if the n’ ends the previous word (e.g. takai n’ desu = takain desu). Iroiro-na mondai ga arimasu. Dō suru n’ desu ka. There are all sort of problems, aren’t there? What are you going to do? Nani o shite iru n’desu ka. What are you doing? Kono terebi wa mō dame-na n’ desu yo. Atarashii no o kaimashō. This Tv is no good any more! Let’s buy a new one. 43
Grammar --- Plain form + Kara - Because
• When you want to explain the reason for something (in other words, where you might say because or so in English), the word you need is kara. It can some after the plain form of the verb or an I-adjective. Note that kara comes at the end of the first part of the sentence bfore the comma, so it’s the first part of the sentence that is giving the reason, and the second part that gives the result. Skinkansen de itta kara, jikan ga amari kakarimasen deshita. Because we went by Shinkansen, it didn’t take very long. Katō san wa hansamu de, shinsetsu-na hito da kara, gārufurendo ga ōi deshō. Mr. Katō is handsome, and a kind man, so I’m sure he has many girlfriends!
• As in English, it is possible to say only the part of the sentence giving the reason. A: Saitō san wa sabishi-sō desu ne. Ms. Saitō looks lonely, doen’t she? B: Ē, bōifurendo ga ima Igirisu ni iru kara. Yes, because her boyfriend is in Britain at the moment.
Grammar --- Donna – what kind of?
• This word belongs to another group of ko-, so-, a-, and do- words. They are konna (this kind of), sonna (that kind of), anna (that kind of [not connected to either of us]), and donna (what kind of?). Nihon no fuyu wa donna tenki desu ka. What kind of wheater is it in Japan in the winter? Sonna shitsumon ni kotaeru koto ga dekimasen. I can’t answer that kind of question. Konna resutoran wa iya desu ne. This kind of resterant is horrible, isn’t it? Anna hito wa dai-kirai desu. I loathe that sort of person.
• These words can also be used in front of adjective to mean this much, to this extent, etc…, in which case they need to be followed by ni. Kongetsu, sonna ni isogashiku arimasen. This month, we’re not that busy. Konna ni atsui hi wa amari nai n’desu ne! We don’t hany many days this hot, do we!
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Grammar --- to iimashita – Reported speech
• The verb iimasu (plain form: iu) means say, speak, report, so it is often used to relate what someone else has said. In such a case, it is preceded by the particle to, which signals a quotation. Maiku san wa, “Kayaku hashiru koto ga dekimasen,” to iimashita ga, jitsu wa totemo hayai desu. Mike said, “I can’t run fast,” but in fact he’s very fast.
• In reported speech, when you’re talking about what someone else said rather than quoting their actual words, simply put everything that was said into the plain form. Maiku san wa, ashita yakyū o suru to iimashita. [= Maiku san wa, “Ahita yakyū o shimasu,” to iimashita.] Mike said he’s playing baseball tomorrow.
• The particle to is also used with other verbs which show some sort of quotation, such as kiku (ask, hear), omou (think), kaku (write), and kotaeru (reply). Haha wa, Ohaio wa ima totemo atsui, to tegami ni kakimashita. My mother wrote in her letter that it’s very hot in Ohio now.
• It’s common to leave out da when reporting on questions. Kyō wa jū-san-nichi ka to kikimashita ka. He asked if it was the 13th today.
• When you are talking about what someone else says in the present tense, then it’s usual to use the –te iru form. Takahashi san wa tsukareta to itte imasu. Ms. Takahashi says she’s tired.
Grammar --- Eigo de nan to iimasu ka – What do you say in English?
• The verb iimasu is useful for when you want to ask how to say something in English or Japanese. A: Sensei, sumimasen ga, ‘the fall’ wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka. Teacher, excuse me, but how do you say “the fal;” in Japanese? B: “Aki” to iimasu. It’s “aki”. “Tegami” o Eigo de “letter” to iimasu ka. For “tegami,” do you say “letter” in English? 45
Grammar --- Marking alternatives
• The particle ka is used to mark alternative, so it is similar to the English or when it somes between nouns. Buchō ka kachō ga sore o kimeta hō ga ii to omoimasu. I think it’s best if the department chief or the section chief decides that. Doyōbi ka nichiyōbi ni ikimasu. I’ll go on Saturday or Sunday. Sono koto ni tsuite, Wada san ka Tanaka san to sōdan shite kudasai. Whit regard to that matter, please consult Mr. Wada or Mr. Tanaka. Kōra ka kōhii ga hoshii desu. I want some cola or coffee.
Grammar --- Asking permission
• When you want to ask permission to do something, add mo ii desu ka to the te-form, which is like saying –ing, is it alright? A positive answer to such a request can simply be Hai, ii desu or Hai, -te mo ii desu. A: Sumimasen ga, koko ni suwatte mo ii desu ka. Excuse me, but is it all right if I sit here? B: Ie desu. Dōzo. Yes, please go ahead. Nihongo de setsumei shite mo ii desu ka. Is it okay to explain it in Japanese? Haha wa, itte mo ii to iimashita ga, chichi wa dame da to iimashita. My mother said I could go, but my father said I could’t. [Lit: … said it was no good]
• When you want to ask if it’s all right not to do something, then find the negative –nai verb form (ikanai, don’t go) , and change it to –nakute. Then add the ending –mo ii desu. A: Kore o zenbu tabenakute mo ii desu ka. Is it all right if I don’t eat all of this? B: Hai, (tabenakute mo) ii desu yo. Yes, it’s all right (if you don’t eat it). Issho ni ikanakute mo ii desu ka. Is it all right if I don’t go with you?
• You can also use this pattern to give permission, as well as ask for it. Namae to jūsho o kakanakute mo ii desu. It’s all right not to write your name and address. 46
Grammar --- Refusing permission
• To refuse permission, again find the te-form of the verb, and then add wa ikemasen. The word ikemasen means musn’t, forbidden, bad, so this is a very strong refusal. Sono heya ni haitte wa ikemasen yo. Hey, you musn’t go into that room. Nihongo no jūgyō de wa, Eigo de hanashite wa ikemasen. In the Japanese class, you musn’t speak in Englsih.
Grammar --- Other Advice
• To make a strong suggestion that someone do something, add hō ga ii to the plain past form of the verb, that is the ta-form. This is the Equivalent of: you’d better…, you ought to…, or it would be best if you… Tsukareta n’desu ka. Ja konban kayaku neta hō ga ii desu ne. You’re tired? Well, you’d better go to bed early tonight. Atsui toki ni, eakon o kaetta hō ga ii to omoimasu yo. It’s probaly best to use an air conditioner when it’s hot.
• If you want to suggest that someone shouldn’t do something, then add hō ga ii to the – nai form of the verb. (plain negative) Sonna ni hayaki okoranai hō ga ii desu yo. You shouldn’t get angry so quickly. Ano hito wa o-kyaku san da kara, kare to kenka shinai hō ga ii desu yo! He’s a customer, so it would be best if you don’t argue with him!
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Grammar --- Prepositions
• When you are talking about the location of something in Japanese, instead of saying, for example, “underneath the table” you say the equivalent of “the table’s underneath” (tēburu no shita). Here are some common words for describing the location of something or someone: ue – on, on top, above shita – below, under naka – in, inside tonari – next to aida – between
soba – nearby, by the side mae – in front of ushiro – behind soto – outside chikaku – near
Kissaten wa ginkō to yūbinkyoku no aida ni arimasu. The coffee shop is between the bank and the post office. Eki no mae de aimashō. Let’s meet in front of the station. Tanaka san kara no tegami wa wāpuro no ue ni atta kedo, ima doko deshō ka. The letter from Mr.Tanaka was on top of the word processor, but where is it now? Saitō san no apāto wa ichiban ue ni arimasu. Ms. Satō’s apartment is right at the top.
Grammar --- Mi ni iku – go to see
• Just as in English we can say go to see, go to buy, go to eat, etc… , so in Japanese it is possible to create phrases with the same kind of meaning. Just remove the –masu from the masu-form of the verb, and add ni iku. Here are some examples: shi ni iku - go to do tabe ni iku - go to eat nomi ni iku - go to have a drink kai ni iku - go to buy ai ni iku - go to meet mi ni iku - go to see
Nomi ni ikimashō. Let’s go for a drink. Ashita no asa tomodacgu to issho ni tenisu o shi ni ikimasu. I’m going to play tennis with some friends tomorrow morning. Kinō Yokohama e atarashii sūtsu o kai ni itta kedo, taihen takakute, kaimasen deshita. Yesterday I went to Yokohama to buy a new suit, but they were really expensive, so I didn’t buy one.
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Grammar --- Ni tsuite – regarding or concerning
• The phrase ni tsuite means regarding, concerning, about and comes after the thing to which it refers. Kachō kara no memo ni tsuite shitsumon ga arimasu ga. I have a question concerning the memo from the section chief. Kyō no kaigi wa nan ni tsuite desu ka. What’s today’s meeting about?
Grammar --- Yotei – making plans
• The word yotei is very useful for when you are discussing plans and schedule. When it comes after the plain form of a verb, it is the equivalent of I plan to (do). Shachō no ashita no yotei wa nan desu ka. What’s the persident’s schedule for tomorrow? Kotoshi no natsu yasumi ni wa, gaikoku e iku yotei desu. For my summer vacation this year, my plan is to go abroad. A: Ashita no asa wa aite imesu ka. Are you free tomorrow? B: Sumimasen ga, ashita wa Yokohama no shisha ni yoru yotei desu kara, chotto muzukashii desu. I’m sorry, but tomorrow I’m scheduled to drop by at the Yokohama branch office, so it’s a bit difficult.
Grammar --- Ikitai – I want to go and other desires
• To express a wish or desire to do something, replace
-masu from the masu-form with
–tai. Here are some examples: iku taberu hanasu kau uru suru
-
ikimasu tabemasu hanashimasu kaimasu urimasu shimasu
-
ikitai want tabetai want hanashitai want kaitai uritai shitai
to go to eat to talk want to buy want to sell want to do
• The –tai form is generally used to talk about you own wishes and wants, or to ask someone else about their feelings. It is not used to describe what someone else wants, though. To get around this you can say the equivalent to: I think he wanys to…, He said that he wants to…, I heard that he wants to…, etc… Maiku san wa , keiyaku ni tsuite hanashitai to iimashita. Mike said, he wants to talk about the contract. 49
Wada san wa kotoshi gaikoku e ikitai to itte imasu. Mr. Wada says that he wants to go abroad this year. Sukoshi dake tabetai n’desu. I only want to eat a little. Shachō kara no memo ni tsuite kikitai n’ desu ga. I’d like to ask you about the memo from the president.
• The –tai ending acts in the same way as I-adjectives, so it has a negative form which ends in –taku arimasen, for talking about things you don’t want to do, and a past form which ends in –takatta desu, for talking about what you wated to do previously Sono koto ni tsuite kenka o shitaku nai n’ desu yo. Hey, I don’t want to argue about that! Ichi-nichi yasumi o torikatta kedo, taihen isogashikute, toru koto ga dekimasen deshita. I wanted to take a day off, but I couldn’t because I was extremly busy.
• The –tai form is a verb ending showing that you want to do something. If, however, you want a thing, then you need the –i adjective hoshii. As with –tai, you need to use phrases like I think that…, He said that…, etc… , if you are describing what someone else wants. (Note that wa marks the person who wants the object, and ga marks whatever it is they want.) Watashi wa atarashii wāpuro ga hoshii desu ga, o-kane ga nai kara, dame desu. I want a new word processor, but I don’t have any money, so it’s impossible. Kanojo wa, bōifurendo ga hoshii to iimashita. She said she wants a boyfriend. Tanjōbi ni wa, nani ga hashii desu ka. For your birthday, what would you like? Saitō san wa motto nagai yasumi ga hoshii to iimashita. Mrs. Saitō said she wants a longer vacation.
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Grammar --- Shinaide kudasai – please don’t
• When you want to ask someone not to do something you start with the negative –nai form, and then add –de kudasai. Sō shinaide kudasai. Please don’t do that. Sono repōto o mada buchō ni dasanaide kudasai. Don’t give that report to the (department) chief yet, please.
Grammar --- Tsumori – talking about intentions
• The word tsumori means intention, so the sentence-ending tsumori desu after the plain form of a verb can usually be translated as intend to do or mean to do. Sore wa mondai desu ne. Dō suru tsumori desu ka. That’s a problem, isn’t it? What do you intend to do? Sono keikaku ni tsuite Watanabe san to hanasu tsumori datta ga, wasuremashita. I meant to talk to Mr. Watanabe about the project, but I forgot.
Grammar --- Arimasu vs. Motte masu – having and holding
• The verb motsu means hold, but you will usually come across it in the –te iru form, when it means posses, hold, have. Both aru and motsu can be tranlated into English as have, but aru is used when somethind exists, whereas motsu includes the nuance of possession. Denwa ga arimasu ka. Denwa o motte imasu ka. Do you have/Is there a phone? Do you possess a phone? Sono shachō kara no memo o motte imasu ka. Do you have that memo from the president?
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Grammar --- -ta koto ga arimasu ka – have you ever…?
• This phrase using the plain past form (-ta) of the verb followed by koto ga arimasu ka is used when you are asking someone about their experiences, so it is the equivalent of the English Have you ever…? Koto means thing/event and coupled with the past form of a verb you can think of it as experience, so tabeta koto is experience of eating. Fuji san ni nobotta koto ga arimasu ka. Have you ever climbed Mt. Fuji? Sonna koto o kangaeta koto ga nai n’ desu yo! I’ve never considered such a thing! A: Amerika e itta koto ga arimasu ka. Have you ever been to the USA? B: Iie, arimasen. Kyonen Kanada e itta kedo, Amerika wa mada desu. No, I haven’t. I went to Canada last year, but I haven’t been to USA yet. [Lit: …but the USA is not yet.]
Grammar --- -tara – if…
• To make this kid of if sentence in Japanese, just add –ra to the plain past tanse of the verb (-ta). This is often called the –tara form, as all verbs end in –tara (or occasionally – dara). Plain form taberu iku kuru aru naru da
Plain past tabeta itta kita atta natta datta
-tara form tabetara ittara kitara attara nattara dattara
meaning If I/you, etc…, eat If you go If you come If there is If it becomes If it is
O-kanemochi dattara, doko e ikitai to omoimasu ka. If you were rich, where do you think you’d lik to go? Soko o migi ni magattara, eki ni demasu. If you turn right there, you’ll come out at the station.
• With the negativem when you want to talk about is something doesn’t happen, add –ra to the negative of the plain past tense (the one that ends in –nakatta). Negative konai ikanai shinai nai
Neg. past konakatta ikanakattai shinakatta nakatta
-tara form konkattara kanakattara shinakattara nakattara
meaning If you don’t come If you don’t go If you don’t do If there isn’t 52
Wada san ga sugu konakattara, dō shimasu ka. If Ms. Wada doesn’t come soon, what will we do? Jikan da nakattara, shinakute mo ii desu yo. If you don’t have time, it’s alright if you don’t do it.
• The word moshi, or if, can be added to the beginning of a sentence to alert the listener early on that this is going to be an if sentence, and it also adds emphasis. However, it is still necessary to have the –tara verb ending. Moshi mondai ga attara, oshiete kudasai. If there are any problems, please let me know.
• The –tara ending can also be added to I-adjectives. Use the past tense –katta ending, and add –ra. Takakattara, mochiron kaimasen. If it’s expensive, of course I won’t buy it.
• You can use the –tara form for making suggestions like How about –ing? or Why don’t we… Soko de mattara dō desu ka. Why don’t we wait over there?
• Sometimes the dō desu ka ending is left off, and the meaning merely implied. Koko de suwattara? How about we sit here.
• The –tara form can only be used for sentences where the two events mentioned take place one after the other. Therefore, you can use it for the equivalent of If we go to Tokyo, let’s visit Michiko, but not for If we go to Tokyo, we should Michiko beforehand. Another way of making if sentences is with the verb ending –eba.
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Grammar --- -eba – if we do so
• The verb ending –eba shows another way of making if sentences. To form it start with the plain form of the verb, drop the final –u and replaces it with –eba. Plain form dekiru kaku kuru aru
-eba form dekireba kakeba kureba areba
meaning If I can If I write If I come If I have
Ame ga fureba, dekakeru yotei o yamemashō. If it rains, let’s drop the plan to go out. Minna de sōdan sureba ii to omoimasu. I think it’s best if we discuss it altogether.
• When you want to talk about a situation if something doesn’t happen, then find the negative plain form (ending in –nai), drop the final –i and add –kereba. Plain Neg. ikanai nai wakaranai matte inai
-kereba form ikanakereba nakereba wakaranakereba matte inakereba
meaning If I don’t go If there isn’t If I don’t understand If he isn’t waiting
Jikan ga nakereba, shikata ga arimasen. If you don’t have time, it can’t be helped. O-sake o yamenakereba byōki ni narimasu yo. If you don’t quit drinking, you’ll get sick.
• With I-adjectives, drop the final –i and add –kereba. With negatives (atsuku nai, yoku nai, omoshiroku nai, etc…), do the same thing. I-adjective atsui hoshi yoku nai samuku nai
-kereba form atsukereba hoshikereba yoku nakereba samuku nakereba
meaning If it’s hot If you want If it’s not good If it’s not cold
Ashita tenki ga yokereba, dokoka e ikimashō ka. If the weather’s nice tomorrow, shall we go somewhere? Kozutsumi ga sonna ni omoku nakereba, kōkūbin de okutte mo ii desu. If the parcel isn’t too heavy, it’s okay to send it by airmail.
• The –ba forms for desu are de areba (if it is) and de nakereba (if it isn’t). However, de areba is fairly formal, and nara is used more often in everyday speech. Kirai nara, tabenakute mo ii desu. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it.
Nichiyōbi de nakereba, iku koto ga dekimasen. If it’s not a Sunday, I can’t go. 54
Grammar --- Dare mo, Doko mo, Nani mo – nobody,
nowhere, nothing
• When question words like dare, nani, or doko are followed by mo and a negative verb, the meanins change from who, what, where to not anyone, not anything, and not anywhere. A: Tonari no heya ni dare ga imasu ka. Who’s in the next room? B: Dare mo imasen. No one. Hoka ni nani mo nakattara, kore de kaigi o owarimashō. If there isn’t anything else, let’s finnish the meeting here.
Grammar --- Comparisons
• When making a comparison between two things, imagine they’re on two sides (hō) of a pair of scales, being measured against each other. Then you just need to ask the equivalent of Which side is fast/slow/expensive?: Dotchi no hō ga hayai/osoi/takai desu ka. The word dotchi is a common short form of dochira, in this case meaning which one. • If you want to answer that this one or that one is the faster, then use kotchi (kochira) or sotchi (sochira): Kotchi no hō ga hayai/osoi/takai desu. A: Kore to kore to, dotchi no hō ga ii desu ka. Which is better of these two? B: Yasui hō o kaimashō. Let’s buy the cheaper one.
• You might also hear this pattern without no hō. O-sake to biiru to, dochira ga suki desu ka. Which to you like, sake or beer?
Grammar --- Samuku natte – It’s getting cold
• The verb naru means become/get so it can be used with adjectives to make phrases such as get late, become dark, and used with nouns for phrases like become a teacher, become an adult. With –ii adjectives, drop the final –i and add –ku. Samuku narimashita ne! Mō sugu fuyu desu yo. It’s got cold, hasn’t it! It’ll soon be winter! Osoku natte, sumimasen. I’m sorry I’m late. [Lit: It has become late, and I’m sorry.]
• With Na-adjectives and with nouns, add ni. Kare wa kitto yūmei ni narimasu yo. He’s definitely going to become famous.
Ōkiku nattara, nani ni naritai n’ desu ka. When you grow up, what do you want to be? 55
Grammar --- Dareka – someone
• Adding –ka to the end of question words such as are, itsu, nani, and doko is a bit like putting some in front of equivalent words in English (or in the case of questions and negatives, any). Gomen kudasai! Dareka imasu ka. Excuse me! Is there anyone there? Itsuka Hokkaidō e ikitai ne. I want to go to Hokkaido sometime.
• Note that the particles o and ga are usually dropped after these words. Grammar --- Au mae ni – before meeting
• In order to talk about one event happening before another, use mae ni (before) after the plain form of the verb. You can use the present tense of the plain form (iku, taberu, suru, etc…), whether you’re talking about two events in the past, present, or future. Watashi wa neru mae ni, itsumo hon o yomimasu. Before I go to sleep, I always read a book. Harau mae ni, kono yōshi ni kakikonde kudasai. Before you pay, please fill in this form.
Grammar ---Yōji go owatte kara– after the errands are finnished
• When you want to talk about one event happening after another, use the te-form of the verb with kara.This is the equivalent of saying after –ing, and can be used whether the second part of the sentence is in the past, present, or future. Sono shukudai o owatte kara, sugu neta hō ga ii to omoimasu. After you finish your homework, I think you should go straight to bed. Shashin ga dekite kara, misete kudasai ne. When the photographs are done, please show them.
Grammar --- Mazu– first of all
• Use the word mazu (first of all/to begin with) when you are beginning to describe a sequence of events, instructions, or directions. Other useful words to continure with are sore kara (and then/after that), soshite (then), sono ato (after that), sono tsuigi ni (next), saigo ni (finally/at the end). Mazu Igirisu ni itte, sore kara Furansu ni itte, saigo ni Itaria ni ikimashita. Totemo tanoshikatta desu yo. First we went to Britain, then we went to France, and finally we went to Italy. It was really enjoyable! 56
Grammar --- Tame ni– in order to
• The phrase tame ni after a noun means for the benefit of or for the sake of, showing purpose. The English equivalent is often simply for. Kono jisho wa gaijin no tame desu. This dictionary is for (the benefit of) foreigners. Nihongo no benkyō no tame ni totemo isogashii desu. I’m very busy with my Japanese studies.
• It can also come after the plain form of the verb, in which case it ia often expressin a reason, meaning for the purpose of or in order to. Note that in Japanaese, the reason is given in the first part of the sentence. Kēki o tsukuru tame ni, tamago o kaimsau. I’m going to buy some eggs to make a cake. Kore o miseru tame ni kimashita. I came to show you this.
Grammar --- -nakereba narimasen– must or have to
• Another use of –nakereba form is to make a pattern when means must/have to. To do this, add narimasen. which means it’s no good/it won’t do. Then you have –nakereba narimasen which literally means if you don’t…, it’s no good or in other words you must/you have to. Ashita wa o-kyaku ga takusan kuru kara, kyō ichi-nichi-jū ryōri o tsukuranakereba narimasen. Tomorrow we have a lot of guests coming, so I have to spend all day today making food. Heya ga kitanai desu ne. Sōji shinakereba narimasen. The room’s dirty, isn’t it. I must clean it.
• The negative don’t have to… is expressed with –nakute mo ii desu. Kyō owaranakute mo ii desu. You don’t have to finish it today.
• You may also come across the verb endings –nakereba ikemasen and –nakereba dame desu, which can be translated as must/have to. Sore o Ogawa san ni misenakereba dame desu yo. You must show that to Mr. Ogawa.
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Grammar --- Forming adverbs from adjectives
• To make an adverb (describing how something is done, such as incredibly, cheaply, quickly) from an I-adjective, drop the final –i and add –ku. I-adj. sugoi yasui hayai ii/yoi
meaning incredible cheap quick, early good, fine
Adverb sugoku yasuku hayaku yoku
meaning incredibly cheaply quickly, early well, often
Kōra o sonna ni hayaku nomanaide kudasai. Don’t drink your cola so quickly. Mō natsu dakara, ima sukii-uea o totemo yasuku kau koto ga dekimasu. It’s summer now, so you can buy ski-wear really cheaply.
• With na-adjectives, you don’t need the –na, but follow the word up with ni instead. Na-adj. jōzu genki kantan
meaning skillful energetic simple
Adverb jōzu ni genki ni kantan ni
meaning skillfully energetically simply
Nihongo no jiko shōkai o totemo jōzu ni shimashita. He introduced himself very well in Japanese. Kantan ni setsumei shite kudasai. Please explain it simply.
Grammar --- katte, yokatta – I’m glad we bought…
• The phrase katte, yokatta actually means we bought, and it was good, but this –te yokatta ending can usually be thought of as I’m glad that/it’s lucky that/it’s good that. Sono kozutsumi o kōkūbin de okutte, yokatta desu. It’s good that you sent that parcel by airmail. Saikin tenki ga yoku natte, yokatta desu ne. I’m glad that the weather has got better recently.
• The opposite meaning can be expressed with –te, zannen desu, or it’s a shame/pity that… Shiteiseki o toru koto ga dekinakute, zannen desu ne. It’s a shame we couldn’t get reserved seats, isn’t it? Tanaka san wa issho ni konakute, zannen desu ne. It’s a pity that Ms. Tanaka didn’t come with us, isn’t it?
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Grammar --- to ieba – talking of…
• The word ieba comes from iu, to talk, and so to ieba means if you’re talking about… This phrase is used at the beginning of a sentence when you’ve just been reminded of something you want to talk about. A: Saitō san no tanjōbi no pātii ni ikimasu ka. Are you going to Ms. Saitō’s birthday party? B: Hai, ikimasu yo. A, tanjōbi to ieba, raishū wa haha no tanjōbi desu. Purezento o kawanakereba narimasen. Yes, I am. And talking of birthdays, next week it’s my mother’s birthday. I must buy her a present.
Grammar --- toki – the time when…
• The word toki by himself means time/occasion but it also often occurs in cases where English used when/whenever to talk about what is or was happening during a certain period (for example, whenever it rains…, when I was a student…). Ame no toki, kibun ga waruku narimasu. Whenever it rains, I feel miserable. Tesuto no toki, itsumo takushii ni norimasu. When I have a test, I always get a headache.
• It can also be used after a verb or verb phrase. Remember that the verb should be in the plain form. Densha ga konde iru toki, yoku takushii ni norimasu. When the trains are crowded, I often take a taxi. Kōfun shite iru toki, kao ga akaku narimasu. When I get excited, my face goes red.
Grammar --- Phrases of frequency
• This is the pattern you need when you want to talk about the frequency with which something happens. ichi-nichi ni yon-kai ni-shūkan ni ik-kai ik-kagetsu ni ni-kai san-kagetsu ni ik-kai ichi-nen ni san-kai go-nen ni ik-kai
four times a day once every two weeks twice a month once in three months three times a year once in five years
Atarashii kaisha de wa, rok-kagetsu ni ik-kai Yōroppa e shutchō ni ikimasu. At my new company, I’ll be going on a business trip to Europe once every six months. 59
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