~shi Thursday, Aug 31 2006 

Today, I will start a first level 4 lesson on the usage of “~shi”. This is use for a combination of 2 subjects like the following example :

Subject : I play tennis. I play golf. - Tenisu o shimasu. Gorufu o shimasu.
Q : Do you play sports? - Anata wa supo-tsu o shimasu ka?
A : Yes, I play tennis as well as golf - Hai, tenisu mo suru shi, gorufu mo shimasu
Meaning : Supo-tsu (Sports), Tenisu (Tennis), Gorufu (Golf)

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Conversation Friday, Aug 18 2006 

It’s being a while without any new post. This was due to my laptop being hit by lightning and the motherboard was burnt. Anyway I got it back now and would like to cover the last part of Level 3 before moving into Level 4.

Conversation 1
Tony : Have you decided what to do during summer holiday - Natsu yasumi, dō suru ka, (kimeru)kimeta
Kobayashi : No, not yet. How about you - Uun, mada. Toni-san wa
Tony : I have decided to go camping in August - Kimatte iru no wa 8 gatsu no kyanpu dake da yo
Meaning : Natsu (Summer), Yasumi (Holiday / Rest), Kimeru (Decide), Kyanpu (Camp)

Conversation 2
Kobayashi : My car could’t go out because there’s a big truck parking in front of my house - Uchi no mae ni ookii torakku ga (Tomaru)tomatte ite, kuruma o dasu koto ga dekinain da.
Tony : When was the truck parked there - Sono torakku, itsu kara (Tomeru)tomete aru no
Kobayashi : Hmm, I think it’s being there for 30 minutes - Sō da naa, mō 30 bun naru ka na
Meaning : Torakku (Truck), Tomaru / Tomeru (Stop / Park), Itsu (When)

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Final Lesson for Level 3 Thursday, Aug 3 2006 

This will be the final lesson for Level 3. I will cover other words / sentences related to this level. Next , I will post some conversations on what we have learned in this level before I proceed to Level 4. So,Stay Tune!!!

Q : Who is the person wearing spectacles? - Megane o kakete iru no wa dare desu ka?
A : The person who is wearing spectacles is Tony - Megane o kakete iru no wa toni desu.

If you are refering to human, you can also use “hito wa” instead of “no wa”. As you know, “no” means “belongs to” so with the conbination of “no” & “wa”, it will becomes “referring to something / someone”. Of course, “no wa” can be used for things as well. For example : Hako ni haite aru no wa nan desu ka? (What is in the box?).

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