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LESSON 1 - Meeting the New Neighbor

This lesson will teach you how to greet and to carry out a conversation in Japanese. In this dialog, Yota Suzuki and Jason Miller meet for the first time at Jason's house in Tokyo.

Yota:

Kon'nichi wa.
Hello.

Jason:

Kon'nichi wa.
Hello.

Yota:

Watashi wa Suzuki Yota desu. Hajimemashite.

I am Yota Suzuki. Nice to meet you.

Jason:

Watashi wa Jeson Miraa desu. Hajimemashite. Doozo yoroshiku.

I am Jason Miller. Nice to meet you. (May I ask you to be kind to me.)

Yota:

Miraa-san, anata wa Amerika-jin desu ka.

Mr. Miller, are you an American?

Jason:

Hai, watashi wa Amerika-jin desu. Anata wa.

Yes. I am American. How about you?

Yota:

Nihon-jin desu.
I am Japanese. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

Jason:

Suzuki-san, anata wa daigaku-sei desu ka.

Mr. Suzuki, are you a college student?

Yota:

Hai, soo desu. Miraa-san wa.

Yes. How about you, Mr. Miller?

Jason:

Watashi wa kookoo-sei desu.

I am a high school student.

Yota:

Otomodachi mo kookoo-sei desu ka.

Is your friend also a high school student?

Jason:

Hai. Suzuki-san wa nan'nen-sei desu ka.

Yes. Mr. Suzuki, what year are you in college?

Yota:

Daigaku ninen-sei desu.

I am a sophomore (second year student).

Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

kon'nichi wa watashi desu anata Amerika-jin Nihon-jin daigaku-sei kookoo-sei otomo-dachi nan'nen-sei ninen-sei

hello I, me, myself am, are, is You American (person) Japanese (person) college student high school student friend what grade level, what year (in school, college) second level, second year (in college = sophomore)
Listen to Vocabulary. (.wav file)

1. Watashi wa Suzuki Yota desu.

This sentence means "I am Yota Suzuki." It is standard for Japanese to use their family name first followed by their given name. The sentence pattern is "Noun wa noun desu" which translates as "Noun is Noun". The wa is a particle indicating a subject or a topic, while desu is an equivalent to "am", "are", and "is".
Examples: Watashi wa Sumisu desu. (I am Mr. Smith.) Watashi wa Tanaka desu. (I am Mr. Tanaka.)

2. Anata wa Amerika-jin desu ka.

This sentence means "Are you an American?" The word ka is a particle which makes a sentence a question.
Examples: Anata wa Nihon-jin desu ka. (Are you Japanese?) Anata wa Suzuki-san desu ka. (Are you Mr. Suzuki?)

3. Otomo-dachi mo kookoo-sei desu ka.

This sentence means "Is your friend also a high school student?" The word mo is a particle and means "also".
Examples: Sumisu-san mo Amerika-jin desu ka. (Is Mr. Smith also an American?) Watashi mo daigaku-sei desu. (I am also a college student.)

4. Nihon-jin desu.

This sentence means "I am Japanese". The word Nihon-jin is a compound of the two words, Nihon and jin. Nihon means "Japan" and jin means "person". The word jin is added to the end of a country's name to signify a person of that country.
Examples: Gaadana-san wa Igirisu-jin desu. (Mr. Gardiner is English. [Igirisu=England]) Rozenbawa-san wa Doitsu-jin desu. (Mr. Rosenbauer is German.[Doitsu=Germany])

5. Watashi wa kookoo-sei desu.

This sentence means "I am a high school student". The word kookoo-sei is a compound of the two words, kookoo and -sei. Kookoo is a shortened form of the wordkootoogakkoo which means "high school" and -sei is an ending which means "student".
Examples: Waatamanu-san wa daigakuin-sei desu. (Mr. Waterman is a graduate student.[daigakuin=graduate school]) Rassoru-san wa daigaku-sei desu. (Mr. Russell is a college student.) Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)

A. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

1. Watashi ( ) Amerika-jin desu.

2. Anata ( ) America-jin desu ( ). 3. Watasi wa kookoosei ( ). 4. Anata ( ) nannen-sei ( ) ( ).

B. Answer the following questions according the question given.

1. Anata wa Amerika-jin desu ka. (yes)_______________________ 2. Yota-san wa Nihon-jin desu ka. (yes)_______________________ 3. Anata wa daigaku-sei desu ka. (yes)_______________________ 4. Anata wa nannen-sei desu ka. (sophomore)___________________ 5. Anata wa kookoo-sei desu ka. (yes)_______________________

LESSON 2 - Yota's Room

In this lesson, Yota Suzuki and Jason Miller discuss items in Yota's room. This lesson will teach you how to greet and to carry out a conversation in Japanese. In this dialog, Yota Suzuki and Jason Miller meet for the first time at Jason's house in Tokyo.

Jason:

Ohayoo Gozaimasu.
Good morning.

Yota:

Ohayoo Gozaimasu.
Good morning.

Jason:

Sore wa nan desu ka.

What is that?

Yota:

Kore desu ka. Kore wa kamera desu.

This? This is a camera.

Jason:

Dare no kamera desu ka.

Whose camera is it?

Yota:

Watashi no kamera desu.

It is my camera.

Jason:

Sore mo anata no desu ka.

Is that also yours? Yota:

Iie, kono konpyuutaa wa tomodachi no desu.

No, this computer is my friend's.

Jason:

Kore wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka.

What is this (item) in Japanese?

Yota:

Nihon-go de sore wa "denwa" desu.

In Japanese, that is a telephone.

Jason:

Jaa, are wa.

Then, how about that over there?

Yota:

Are wa hon de, kore wa zasshi desu.

That over there is a book and this is a magazine. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

ohayoo gozaimasu sore kore are nan kamera dareno kono konpyuutaa Nihon-go denwa hon zasshi

good morning that this that over there what camera whose this (possessive) computer Japanese telephone book magazine
Listen to Vocabulary. (.wav file)

1. Kore wa Kamera desu.

The sentence means literally "As for this, it is a camera". A better English translation would be "This is a camera". The sentence pattern is Kore wa noun desu, which translates as "This is Noun". Kore, sore, are and dore are a group of related words meaning "this", "that", "that over there" and "which"
kore this sore that are that over there (further away)

dore which Examples: Sore wa konpyuutaa desu. (That is a computer.) Are wa daigaku desu. (That over there is a college.)

2. Kore desu ka. Kore wa denwa desu.

This sentence means "This? This is a telephone". The pattern "Noun desu ka" in the beginning of the sentence is for emphasis.
Examples: Watashi desu ka. Watashi wa Itaria-jin desu. (Me? I am Italian [Itaria = Italy]) Are desu ka. Are wa tomodachi no konpyuutaa desu. (That over there? It is my friend's computer.)

3. Dare no kamera desu ka.

This sentence means "Whose camera is it?" Dare means "who" and dare no implies "whose". No is a particle that shows possession between two nouns. In this sentence, the subject sore wa is omitted because in Japanese, if the subject is already mentioned, it is not necessary to repeat it.
Examples: Dare no konpyuutaa desu ka. (Whose computer is it?) Dare no denwa desu ka. (Whose telephone is it?)

4. Watashi no kamera desu.

This sentence means "This is my camera". Again, the subject is omitted for the same reason as seen in #3. Watashi no implies "my" and anata no implies "your". The sentence pattern with no has the first noun possessing the second. For instance, Miraasan no zasshi means "Miller's magazine".
Examples: Sore wa anata no denwa desu.

(That is your telephone.) Kore wa Waatamanu-san no hon desu. (This is Mr. Waterman's book.)

5. Iie, kono konpyuutaa wa tomodachi no desu.

This sentence means "No, this computer is my friend's". The words tomodachi no mean "friend's", with konpyuutaa being understood since it was already mentioned as a topic.Kono konpyuutaa means "this computer". Kono, sono, ano and dono are a group of related words that show possession of a noun, meaning "this", "that", "that over there", and "which". Kore, sore, are and dore cannot show possession but stand alone in their meaning. Kono, sono, ano and dono can only show possession and cannot stand alone.
Examples: Sono zasshi wa Kaatan-san no desu. (That magazine is Mr. Cartin's.) Ano denwa wa Miraa-san no desu. (That telephone over there is Mr. Miller's.) Dono hon wa Suzuki-san no desu ka. (Which book is Mr. Suzuki's?) Kono hon wa tomodachi no desu. (This book is my friend's.) Kore wa tomodachi no desu. (This is my friend's.) 6. Kore wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka.

This sentence means "What is it in Japanese?" or "How do you say it in Japanese?" The word de is a particle that signifies "in" when referring to a language. Thus, Nihon-go de means "in Japanese". The word Nihon-go is a compound of the two words, Nihon and go. Go means "language" and when added to the end of a country name, it signifies the language of that country.
Examples: Kore wa Doitsu-go de nan desu ka. (What is this in German? [What do you call this in German?]) Itaria-go de sore wa "libro" desu. (In Italian, that is "libro".)

7. Jaa, are wa.

This sentence means "Then, how about that over there?" The sentence should be Jaa, are wa nan desu ka. Again, since nan desu ka is already mentioned and understood, it can be omitted. If you do not want to omit it, it is perfectly fine to say Jaa, are wa nan desu ka.
Examples: Kore wa nan desu ka. (What is this?) Sore wa hon desu. (That is a book.) Jaa, kore wa. (Then, what is this?) Sore wa denwa desu. (That is a telephone.)

8. Are wa hon de, kore wa zasshi desu.

This sentence means "That over there is a book and this is a magazine". De, in this case, is a shortened form of desu. It means "something is X, and something is Y".
Examples: Kore wa kamera de are wa konpyuutaa desu. (This is a camera and that over there is a computer.) Waatamanu-san wa Amerika-jin de Rozenbawa-san wa Doitsu-jin desu. (Mr. Waterman is American and Mr. Rosenbauer is German.) Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)

A. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

kore wa ( ) desu ka. ( (this) ) wa kamera desu. Are ( ) watashi ( ) desu. Kono konpyutaa wa ( (whose) ) desu ka. Are ( ) denwa ( ), kore ( ) kamera desu.

B. Say the following in Japanese.

1. What is this? 2. Whose camera is it? 3. Is this yours? 4. This is my friend's computer. 5. This is my magazine. Click here to check the answers!!

LESSON 3 - Meeting Mary

In this lesson, Jason introduces Yota to Mary from Australia.

Yota:

Miraa-san, ano kata no namae wa nan desu ka.

Mr. Miller, that person over there, what is her name?

Jason:

Ano hito wa Mearii-san desu.

That person over there is named Mary.

Yota:

Mearii-san mo Amerika-jin desu ka.

Is Mary also American?

Jason:

Iie, Mearii-san wa Oosutoraria-jin desu.

No, Mary is Australian.

Yota:

Oosutoraria no doko desu ka.

Where in Australia (is she from)?

Jason:

Saa, watashi wa shirimasen.

Well, I don't know.

Jason and Yota walk over to Mary.

Jason:

Mearii-san, kochira wa Suzuki-san desu.

Mary, this is Mr. Suzuki.

Mary:

Suzuki-san desu ka. Hajimemashite.

Mr. Suzuki? I am pleased to meet you.

Yota:

Suzuki desu. Yoroshiku.

I am Mr. Suzuki. Nice to meet you.

Mary:

Suzuki-san wa Tookyo-umare desu ka.

Mr. Suzuki, are you from Tokyo?

Yota:

Iie, Kyooto desu. Mearii-san wa.

No, (I'm from) Kyoto. How about you, Mary?

Mary:

Watakushi wa Oostoraria no Meruborun-umare desu.

I'm from Melbourne, Australia. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

kata

person (formal)

hito namae Oosutoraria doko shirimasen shiru kochira Tookyoo Tookyoo-umare Meruborun

person (informal) name Australia where I do not know to know this person, this direction Tokyo born (in) Tokyo Melbourne
Listen to Vocabulary. (.wav file)

1. Ano kata no namae wa nan desu ka.

This sentence means literally " As for the name of that person over there, what is it?" a better English translation would be "That person over there, what is her name?" The sentence pattern is "Noun wa nan desu ka?" which translates as "What is noun"
Examples: Sore wa nan desu ka. (What is that?) Ano inu no namae wa nan desu ka. (What is that dogs name? [inu=dog])

2. Oostoraria no doko desu ka.

This sentence means "Where in Australia?" The construction is "Noun no doko desu ka."Doko means "where" and doko desu ka is a familiar way of asking where a place is. The particle no refers to the noun and can mean "within", so you also could say "What part of Australia?". Wa can be used in place of no to ask where a person or something is.
Examples: Itaria no doko desu ka. (Where in Italy?) Waatamanu-san no inu wa doko desu ka. (Where is Mr. Waterman's dog?)

3. Saa, watashi wa shirimasen.

This sentence means "Well, I don't know (but can find out)." Shirimasen is the present negative form of the verb shiru which means "to know". Shirimasen can mean "I don't

know", "He/She doesn't know", "We don't know", or "They don't know", depending on the context of the sentence. Since watashi wa is here as the subject, the meaning is clear.
Examples: Sumisu-san wa shirimasen. (Mr. Smith doesn't know.) Watashi no tomodachi wa shirimasen. (My friend doesn't know.)

4. Meariisan, kochira wa suzuki-san desu.

This sentence means "Mary, this is Mr. Suzuki". Kochira literally means "this direction". But, in this case, it has a special meaning which is "this person". Kochira is used when introducing people.
Examples: Mearii-san, kochira wa Miraa-san desu. (Mary, this is Mr. Miller.) Kimura-san, kochira wa Sumisu-san desu. (Mr. Kimura, this is Mr. Smith.)

5. Suzuki-san wa Tookyoo-umare desu ka.

This sentence literally means "Mr. Suzuki, is Tokyo the place of your origin?" A better translation into English would be "Mr. Suzuki, is your home in Tokyo?" or "Were you born in Tokyo?". Adding umare, which means "born", to the end of a place designates the place as the person's home.
Examples: Rozenbaawa-san wa Munhen-umare desu. (Mr. Rosenbauer is from Munich [Munchen].) Gaadana-san wa Rondon-umare desu. (Mr. Gardner is from London.) 6. Iie, Kyoto desu.

This sentence means "No, it is in Kyoto", referring to where Mr. Suzuki's home is. As has been explained before, you do not have to repeat watakushi wa Kyoto-umare desu. The subject (I) is clear. You can say Kyoto desu or Kyoto-umare desu, if the previous statement explains the situation clearly.
Examples: Waatamanu-san wa Daarasu-umare desu ka. (Mr. Waterman,is your home in Dallas?) Iie, Rondon desu. (No, it is in London.) Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)

A. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

1. 2. 3. 4.

( (that) ) ( (this) ) Suzuki-san America no

kata wa ( (who) ) desu ka. kata no namae wa ( (what) ) desu ka. wa ( (where) ) umare desu ka. ( (where) ) desu ka.

B. Answer the question based on the dialogue.

1. Mearii-san wa Amerika-jin desu ka. 2. Mearii-san wa doko-umare desu ka. 3. Suzuki-san wa Kyoto umare desu ka.

LESSON 4 - Discussing the Weather

This lesson will teach you how to greet and to carry out a conversation in Japanese. In this dialog, Yota Suzuki and Jason Miller meet for the first time at Jason's house in Tokyo.

Yota:

Miraa-san, Shibaraku desu ne.

Mr. Miller, it's been a long time.

Jason:

Aa, Suzuki-san, kon'nichiwa.

Oh, Mr. Suzuki, hello.

Yota:

Ogenki desu ka.

Are you in good spirits? (are you healthy?)

Jason:

Hai, genki desu.

Yes, I am.

Yota:

Saikin isogashii desu ka.

Have you been busy lately?

Jason:

Ee, chotto isogashii desu.

Yes, I am a little busy.

Yota:

Kyoo wa ii tenki desu ne.

It's nice weather today, isn't it.

Jason:

Hai, demo chotto atsui desu ne.

Yes, but it is a little hot.

Yota:

Soo desu ne. Ima Amerika mo atsui desu ka.

So it is. Is it also hot in the United States now? Jason:

Hai, atsui deshoo.

Yes. It is probably hot.

Yota:

Amerika no fuyu wa samui desu ka.

Is it cold in the winter in the United States?

Jason:

Ee. Watashi wa Shiatoru-umare desu ga, totemo samui desu yo.

Yes. My home is in Seattle, it is very cold. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

shibaraku ne Aa O-genki genki saikin isogashii chotto kyoo tenki ii demo atsui Soo desu ne ima deshoo (form of desu) fuyu samui ee totemo yo

it's been a long time (particle used when expecting agreement) Oh! feeling in good spirits (formal) feeling in good spirits (informal) recently busy a little today weather good but hot so it is; yes (an expression of agreement) now it is probably winter cold yes (more information than hai) very (particle used for emphasis)
Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

1. Miraa-san, shibaraku desu ne.

The sentence means "Mr. Miller, it's been a long time". Shibaraku is used when two people who know each other meet after not seeing each other for a significant amount of time. Ne is added to the end of the sentence when expecting agreement.
Examples: Moriyama-san, shibaraku desu ne. (Mr. Moriyama, it's been a long time.) Sumisu-san, shibaraku desu ne. (Mr. Smith, it's been a long time.)

2. Ee, chotto isogashii desu. / Ee, totemo isogashii desu.

The first sentence means "Yes, I am a little busy." The second sentence means "Yes, I am very busy." Chotto is a descriptive that means "a little". It can be added to any adjective to de-emphasize an expression. Totemo is the opposite; it means "very". It can be added to any adjective to emphasize an expression . Totemo is used to really emphasize an expression.
Examples: Ee, chotto samui des. (Yes, it is a little cold.) Ee, totemo samui desu. (Yes, it is very cold.)

Here you learn a new sentence pattern: Noun wa Adjective desu. It is almost
the same as noun wa noun desu in the present tense.
Examples: Kyoo wa samui desu. (Today, it is cold.) Anata wa isogashii desu ka. (Are you busy?)

3. Kyoo wa ii tenki desu ne.

The sentence above means "The weather is pleasant today." Kyoo wa is the topic and is used to emphasize that the following sentence refers to this day. Ii tenki is a frequently used expression in conversation. Usually, comments about the weather immediately follow a greeting.
Examples: Kyoo wa totemo atsui desu. (It is very hot today.) Kyoo wa chotto atsui desu. (It is a little hot today.)

4. Soo desu ne.

This expression means "So it is", "Yes, it is", or simply "yes". It is used frequently in conversation to agree. Soo desu ka is a variation meaning "Oh, really?" and is used when the speaker is hearing new information.
Examples: Tanaka-san wa Kyooto-umare desu ne. (Mr. Tanaka is from Kyoto, isn't he?) Soo desu ne. (Yes, he is. [He refers back to the previous statement.])

5. Ima, America mo atsui desu ka.

This sentence means "Is it also hot in the United States now?" Ima means "now" and is used often to emphasize an occurrence that is happening at this point in time.
Examples: Ima, Waataman-san wa daigaku-sei desu. (Mr. Waterman is a college student now.) Ima, Doitsu mo samui desu ka. (Is it also cold in Germany now?) 6. Hai, atsui deshoo.

This sentence means "Yes, it is probably hot". Deshoo is a variation of desu and means "it is probably". In this sentence, Jason is commenting that he thinks it is hot in the United States now because of past experience. He uses deshoo because he is not positive since he is not there at this moment.
Examples: Waarasu-san wa Rondon-umare deshoo. (Mr. Wallace is probably from London.) Are wa Akutsu-san no kamera deshoo. (That camera over there is probably Mr. Akutsu's.) 7. Ee, Totemo samui desu yo.

This sentence means "Yes, it is very cold". The particle yo is used to emphasize a statement. This should be used with caution as sometimes, it may be considered rude or impolite. It should only be used with someone that the speaker knows well. Ee is a more informal way of saying "yes" than hai.
Examples: Ee, ano hito wa Shaafu-san desu. (Yes, that person over there is Mr. Shauf.) Ee, totemo atsui desu, yo. (Yes, it is very hot.) Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)

A. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

1. Suzuki-san, ( 2. Saikin ( 3. Ee, (

).

(It has been a long time.) (busy).

) desu ka. ) desu.

(a little busy) (bad) (also)

4. Kyoo wa ( 5. Amerika ( 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

) tenki desu ne. ) samui desu.

B. Answer the following questions according the question given.

Ogenki desu ka. Saikin isogashii desu ka. Kyoo wa ii tenki desu ne. Amerika mo atsui desu ka. Nihon mo atsui desu ka.

LESSON 5 - Yota's Birthday and Mary's Parents

In this lesson, Mr. Suzuki asks Mr. Miller about his age and Mary about her parents.

Yota:

Miraa-san wa nansai desu ka.

Mr. Miller, how old are you?

Jason:

Jyuu-nana-sai desu. Suzuki-san wa.

I am seventeen (years old). How about you, Mr. Suzuki?

Yota:

Jyuu-kyuu-sai desu. Kinoo wa tanjoobi deshita.

I am nineteen (years old). Yesterday was my birthday.

Jason:

Soo desu ka. Omedetoo gozaimasu.

Oh really? Happy birthday.

Yota:

Arigatoo. Miraa-san no otoo-san to okaa-san wa ogenki desu ka.

Thank you. Are your father and mother doing well (in good spirits)?

Jason:

Hai, genki desu.

Yes, they are fine.

Yota:

Mearii-san, otoo-san to okaa-san wa doko desu ka.

Mary, where are your father and mother?

Mary:

Meruborun desu.

They live in Melbourne. Yota:

Oshigoto wa nan desu ka.

What do they do for a living?

Mary:

Chichi wa kaisha-in de, haha wa kookoo no kyooshi desu.

My father is a businessman and my mother is a high school instructor.

Yota:

Aa, sensei desu ka.

Oh, a teacher?

Mary:

Hai, rekishi no sensei desu.

Yes, she is a history teacher. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

nansai -sai ichi ni san shi, yon go roku shichi, nana hachi kyuu, ku jyuu kinoo tanjoobi deshita omedetoo-gozaimasu otoo-san okaa-san shigoto oshigoto

how old number suffix for age one two three four five six seven eight nine ten yesterday birthday was; were (past tense of desu) congratulations father (someone else's) mother (someone else's) job (informal) job (formal)

chichi haha kaisha-in kyooshi sensei rekishi

father (the speaker's) mother (the speaker's) businessman; white collar worker instructor teacher history
Listen to Vocabulary. (.wav file)

1. Miraa-san, nan-sai desu ka.

The first sentence means, "Mr. Miller, how old are you?" Nansai is a compound of the word nan, meaning "what" and the ending -sai, meaning "age." The second sentence means "I am seventeen (years old)." The addition of -sai to jyuu-nana changes the meaning of jyuu-nana from simply the number seventeen to seventeen years old.
Examples: A: Shaafu-san, nan-sai desu ka. (A: Mr. Shauf, how old are you?) B: Ni-jyuu-nana-sai desu. (B: I am twenty-seven [years old].) 2. Miraa-san no otoo-san to okaa-san wa ogenki desu ka.

This sentence means, "Mr. Miller, are your father and mother well?" This sentence introduces a new pattern: Noun to noun wa. To is a particle which is the Japanese equivalent of the English "and."
Examples: Wootaaman-san to Furiimanu wa tomodachi desu. (Mr. Waterman and Mr. Freeman are friends.) Sumisu-san to Tanaka-san wa sensei desu. (Mr. Smith and Mr. Tanaka are teachers.) 3. Chichi wa kaisha-in de, haha wa kookoo no kyooshi desu.

This sentence above means, "My father is a businessman and my mother is high school instructor." This introduces the pattern: noun de noun desu. De is a shortened form ofdesu which acts as a connector of two sentences, adding the conjunction "and" to the meaning.
Examples: Woorasu-san wa rekishi no sensei de Gaadana-san wa eigo no sensei desu. (Mr. Wallace is a history teacher and Mr. Gardner is an English teacher. [Eigo=English]) Mearii-san wa ni-jyuu-go-sai de Jyuuri-san wa ni-jyuu-roku-sai desu. (Mary is twenty-five [years old] and Julie is twenty-six [years old].) Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)

A. Say the following numbers in Japanese.

1. 7 2. 10 3. 15 4. 20 5. 23 6. 34 7. 57 8. 68 9. 81 10. 96 11. 100 12. 121 13. 135

B. How do you say the following?

1. 2. 3. 4.

I am sixteen years old. I am twenty-two years old. Are you twenty-five years old? How old are you? ), Tanaka-san ( ) gakusei desu.

C. Fill in the following blanks.

1. Sumisu-san ( 2. Chichi (

) kyoshi (

), haha wa kaisha-in desu.

LESSON 6 - The Weekend / Japanese Writing ( / )

Today, before you learn a dialogue, you are going to learn how to write Japanese characters. There are three Japanese writing systems: 1. Kanji: Characters imported from China long ago, each conveying an idea, usually having two readings. A set of more than 7,000 ideographic characters used to represent concrete concepts such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. 2. Hiragana: A phoenetic alphabet, or syllabary (a set of characters, where each character represents a syllable) used to represent particles in sentences, verb inflexions (this usage is called okurigana), and other words not written in kanji. Another use is to write them above Japanese text to indicate the pronunciation of Kanji (this usage is called furigana). 3. Katakana: Another phonetic alphabet or syllabary used primarily for foreign names

or places and words of foreign origin. Katakana are written using straight lines. Besides these three writing systems, Japanese is sometimes written in Roman letters called roomaji. The three systems of writing above are used together (mixed) in written Japanese. For those of you who would like to view the romaji for this lesson, you can click here to download or view a text file that contains the romaji. (Right click the link if you would like to save the file to your computer instead of viewing online.) If the file shows in your browser, click "Back" to return to this lesson. We recommend this only be used as a study aid, as we believe it is more beneficial when learning Japanese to learn the kana.
Get the Romaji for this lesson.

Mary, what will you do this weekend?

I'm going shopping.

Where will you go (shopping)?

I will go to Shinjuku.

What will you buy?

I don't know yet, but perhaps I will buy some clothes.

Mr. Suzuki, what will you do?

I will study at home.

Why?

I have a test on Monday.

What kind of test?

An economics test.

Oh really? Good luck. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

this(the upcoming) weekend to do shopping to go to; at; on to Shinjuku to buy yet perhaps Western-style clothes house (speaker's) at at my house to study why Monday test, exam to have because of (preceding sentence) economics Good Luck
Listen to Vocabulary. (.wav file)

1.

This sentence means "Mary, what will you do this (coming) weekend?" is the equivalent of "this" or "this coming" in English, referring to the present or something which will occur soon.
Examples: (Mr. Waterman, what will you do this [coming] Saturday?)

(Shimasu) is a verb meaning "to do." It is a semi-formal form and is used in everyday life. All Japanese verbs have semi-formal forms. (non-past affirmative, nonpast negative, past affirmative, past negative)
non-past affirmative to do to go to buy to understand to study to have negative past affirmative negative

Examples: (Where are you going?) (Where did you go?) (I went to Tokyo.) (Did you but clothes?) (No, I did not [buy any clothes].) Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)

A. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

1. Kondo no shuumatsu ( ) o shimasu ka. 2. ( ) e ikimasu ka.. 3. ( ) o benkyoo shimasu ka.

B. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words (From left to right). Non-past positive Non-past negative Past positive Past negative

Click here to check the answers!!

LESSON 8 - Kyoto Trip ( )

Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Miller discuss what they did during the weekend. For those of you who would like to view the romaji for this lesson, you can click here to download or view a text file that contains the romaji. (Right click the link if you would like to save the file to your computer instead of viewing online.) If the file shows in your browser, click "Back" to return to this lesson. We recommend this only be used as a study aid, as we believe it is more beneficial when learning Japanese to learn the kana.
Get the Romaji for this lesson.

Did you go somewhere this weekend?

Yes, I went to Kyoto.

Is that so? How was it?

It was fun.

What did you see?

I saw a lot of old temples.

Did you go somewhere, Mr. Suzuki? :

No, I did not go anywhere. But I went to the department store.

Did you buy something?

I bought a CD.

Do you like music?

Yes, I like it very much. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

Kyoto How fun old temple many, a lot department store music to like to like very much
Listen to Vocabulary. (.wav file)

1.

This sentence means Did you go anywhere this weekend? The particle attached the interrogative (where) is translated as somewhere or anywhere.

2.

This sentence means How was it? is the past tense of (to be) . The sentence in the present tense would be (How is it?).

3.

The sentence is translated as It was fun. is the past tense of . added to the stem of an i-adjective makes the adjective into the past tense as shown in the table below.
Present Affirmative fun busy hot cold early Past Affirmative

4.

The sentence means Did you go somehere, Mr. Suzuki? This sentence is the same in grammar construction as grammar point # 1 () except follows . is simply added for emphasis.
Examples: (Let's go somewhere this weekend.)

5.

The sentence means No, I did not go anywhere . The particle following (where) in a negative response means anywhere.
Examples: (Because I am going to study this weekend, I am not going anywhere.)

6.

This sentence means Did you buy something? The particle following the interrogative makes the word mean something or anything.

Examples: (Why don't we watch something on TV?) Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)

A. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

1. ( ) (Are you going somewhere tomorrow?) 2. ( ) (What did you see?) 3. ( ) (Did you see something?) 4. ( ) (Where did you go?) 5. ( ) (Did you go somewhere?)
B. Rewrite the following with past tense.

1. 2. 3. 4. Click here to check the answers!!

LESSON 9 - Going to a Restaurant ( )

Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Miller are going to a restaurant. For those of you who would like to view the romaji for this lesson, you can click here to download or view a text file that contains the romaji. (Right click the link if you would like to save the file to your computer instead of viewing online.) If the file shows in your browser, click "Back" to return to this lesson. We recommend this only be used as a study aid, as we believe it is more beneficial when learning Japanese to learn the kana.
Get the Romaji for this lesson.

Aren't you thirsty?

Yes, I am. Shall we get something to drink?

Yes. How about that restaurant?

That's fine. Let's go in.

It's a beautiful restaurant, isn't it?

I wonder what's good.

There are lots of things, aren't there?(There's a lot to choose from,isn't there?)

Welcome. May I take your order please?

I'd like an orange juice and a cake please.

I'd like a cola please. Then, since I am hungry, I'll have a sandwich.

Yes, I'll bring them immediately. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

throat to dry

to drink to enter pretty, beautiful a lot, many, a variety welcome order orange juice cake cola then, afterwards, after that stomach to be empty sandwich to bring, to carry (humble form)
Listen to Vocabulary. (.wav file)

1.

This sentence means Aren't you thirsty? Literally translated, it means Our throat has dried, is that so. is a subject particle used when introducing a new topic, especially when the subject refers to the parts of the body such as eye, nose, ear, etc.

2.

This sentence means It's a beautiful restaurant, isn't it. There are two main types of adjectives in Japanese: i-adjectives (i.e. adjectives that end in ) and na-adjectives (adjectives that end in . With i-adjectives in the present tense, the i always remains attached to the adjective whether the adjective is standing alone or modifying a noun. With na-adjectives in the present tense, the na part is only used when modifying a noun. Up to now, the only other na-adjective we have learned is (genki).

3.

This sentence has been translated as May I take your order please? The prefix before certain nouns changes the noun into a formal (polite) form. is also used as a prefix for applying the formal form to nouns. Examples of prefixes include: (name), (job), (weather), and (birthday). Generally, is used with words of Chinese origin and is used with words of Japanese origin.

4.

The sentence means I'd like an orange juice and a cake please. is a polite expression used when making requests, especially in restaurants or stores. It can also be translated as May I have or please bring me.

5.

This sentence is translated as Yes, I'll bring them immediately. is the humble (polite) form of (to bring, to carry). With some Japanese verbs, the humble form is constructed by placing the prefix to the front of the verb, truncating the , and adding to the end of the verb. Literally, means to humbly bring.
Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)

LESSON 10 - Days of the Month ()

Mr. Miller and Mr. Suzuki are talking about the date. For those of you who would like to view the romaji for this lesson, you can click here to download or view a text file that contains the romaji. (Right click the link if you would like to save the file to your computer instead of viewing online.) If the file shows in your browser, click "Back" to return to this lesson. We recommend this only be used as a study aid, as we believe it is more beneficial when learning Japanese to learn the kana.
Get the Romaji for this lesson.

What day is it today?

Today is April 1st.

This coming Saturday is the 5th, isn't it?

Yes, it is. How come?

A friend is coming from America.

Is that so? About how long is he staying?

For two weeks.

Mr. Miller, how much longer will you be in Japan?

Six months.

How is Japan?

It is fun.

Your Japanese has gotten really good.

Not at all, but I still want to practice more. Listen to Dialog up to this point. (.wav file)

what day day Saturday still about how much, about how many skillful, good at more
Days of the Week

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Friday Saturday Sunday

Dates of the Month Note: most dates are just the number plus . Following are the exceptions!

first second third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth tenth fourteenth twentieth
Months of the Year

January February March April May June July August September October November December
Listen to Vocabulary. (.wav file)

1. There are three main verbs of existence in Japanese:

. These are all forms of the verb to be. is the allencompassing verb to be, which can be conjugated similar to English (I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, you are, they are) taking both animate and inamimate nouns as well as adjectives. and both mean There is or There are, however, the subjects in sentences using these verbs are restricted. (which can also be translated as I am, They are, etc.) refers to humans or animals whereas refers to inanimate objects. In many cases, the verb can also mean to have.
Examples of : (I am an American.) (What day is it today?) (It's hot, isn't it?) (This is a book.) (You are a good student.) (How is Japan?) Examples of : (I am at school now.) (There are a lot of Americans in Japan.) (Is your sister at home?) (The dog is on top of the chair.) (About how long will you be in Japan?) Examples of : (There are a lot of temples in Kyoto.) (Do you have a pen?) (I have a test this coming Monday.)

2.

This sentence means Your Japanese has gotten really good. In this sentence, the key verb is which means to become and is a very common verb used in Japan.

3.

This sentence has been translated as I want to practice more. means I want to practice. verb + means (I) want to do .
Listen to the sentences in Grammar notes. (.wav file)