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Conversation 1
Kobayashi : What did you do day before yesterday? – Ototoi wa nani o shite imashita ka?
Tony : Went to Shibuya for shopping, then watch a drama. – Shibuya e itte kaimono o shite kara, shibai o mimashita.
Kobayashi : What did you buy? – Nani o kaimashita ka?
Tony : I saw sofa & table at the department store near the station but couldn’t find any good ones – Eki no soba no depa-to de, sofa- to te-buru o mimashita ga, ii no ga (mitsukaru)mitsukarimasen deshita.
Kobayashi : What kind of sofa & table you wanted? – Donna no ga hoshikatta desu ka?
Tony : I wished to buy big and beautiful sofa and small square table but only small sofa was available. – Ookikute kirei na sofa- to chisakute shikakui te-buru ga kaitakatta desu ga, chisai sofa- shika arimasen deshita.
Kobayashi : So, you didn’t but anything – Jaa, nani mo kaimasen deshita ka?
Tony : No, I didn’t by sofa & table but I bought a doll for my daughter – Iie, sofa- to te-buru wa kaimasen deshita ga, musume ni omocha o katte kaerimashita.
Meaning : Ototoi (Day before yesterday), Kaimono (Shopping), Shibai (Drama), Sofa- (Sofa), Te-buru (Table), Mitsukaru (Discover / Find), Shikaku (Square), Musume (Daughter), Omocha (Doll)

Conversation 2
Kobayashi : Have you already went for tour? – Mō ryokō shimashita ka?
Tony : Yes, I went to Kyoto & Osaka last month – Hai, sengetsu, Kyōto to Osaka e itte kimashita.
Kobayashi : Is it. Then, is there any other place you wish to visit – Sō desu ka. Sorekara, hoka ni doko e ikitai desu ka?
Tony : I wish to go to Hokkaido & Kyushu – Hokkaidō ya Kyūshū nado e ikitai desu
Meaning : Ryokō (Tour), Sengetsu (Last Month), Hoka (Other)

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In my previous lesson, we learned about “hoshii” which means “Want”. “~tai” has a similar meaning but it uses in conjunction with verbs. In other word, it uses as “Want to do something”. The following examples will show you the different usage of “hoshii” and “~tai”.

Usage of “hoshii”
Q : Do you want a new shoe? – Atarashii kutsu ga hoshii desu ka?
A : Yes, I want a new shoe – Hai, Atarashii kutsu ga hoshii desu.

Usage of “~tai”
Q : Do you want / wish to buy a new shoe? – Atarashii kutsu ga/o (kau)kaitai desu ka?
A : Yes, I want / wish to buy a new shoe – Hai, atarashii kutsu ga/o kaitai desu

Can you see the difference? “~tai” is use in conjunction with “kau (buy)” which equaivalent to “kaitai (wish to buy)”. When using “~tai”, you can either use “ga” or “o” for the noun.

Other examples
Want / Wish to drink coffee – Ko-hi- ga/o (nomu)nomitai desu.
Want / Wish to eat cake – Ke-ki ga/o (taberu)tabetai desu.
Want / Wish to watch western movie – Eiga ga/o (miru)mitai desu
Meaning : Kutsu (Shoe), Eiga (Western Movie)

Enjoy today’s lesson ……

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Today, I will cover the use of “Hoshii” which means “Want or Wish”. The usage is very simple as per examples below :

Q : Do you want today’s newspaper – Kyō no shinbun ga hoshii desu ka?
A : Yes, I want today’s newspaper – Hai, Kyō no shinbun ga hoshii desu.

Yes, I want a cheap stereo – Hai, Yasui sutereo ga hoshii desu.
No, I do not want a cheap stereo – Iie, Yasui sutereo wa hoshiku arimasen.
Meaning : Shinbun (Newspaper), Yasui (Cheap), Sutereo (Stereo)

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My wife and twin babies have finally discharged from hospital. 3 of them are healthy.

All this while in my lessons, I use “ou” for word that represents the long sound. Example : Kinou should be read as Ki No- where the “No-” will be read a bit longer instead of reading it as Ki No U. In Hiragana, it is written as “きのう” (Kinou). That’s why some people here may confuse whether to read it as “Ki No-” or “Ki No U”. In Japan, the romaji they use to identify this type of pronunciation is “ō” which means there’s an “U” at the end of the “O”. This will tell you that you have to read it as “Ki No-” instead of “Ki No U”.

Previously, I did not use “ō” because I didn’t know that this character existed in the font until today, I finally found this character in the font.

So all future lessons related to longer sound that use “ou”, i will put them as “ō”. For example : In hiragana, Tokyo is written as Toukyou which many people don’t even know what is this. So I will use Tōkyō which means you have to read it as To-kyo-.

If anyone having difficulty with this character, please let me know.

Thanks.

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My wife just gave birth (caesarian) to a twin baby girl. Twins in Japanese is “Futago” as this will be today’s lesson :D. There won’t be any lesson in this 2 days as I have to accompany my wife for at least 2 days at the hospital. Hopefully my wife can be discharged on this Sunday. Now I have started to confuse who’s the elder and who’s the younger (1 minute different) as they looked the same. I need to refer to the tag to identify them by looking at the title, “Twin 1″ & “Twin 2″. Many people told me that after a month or so, I will get use to it and can easily identify the difference.

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Akihabara, Tokyo’s world-famous Electric Town where you will find a wide range of comtemporary electric & electronic appliances at far cheaper prices than any where in Japan. If you have plan to go there, Akihara is a place where you shouldn’t miss this place.

More than 250 electrical appliances and electronics shops of all sizes are located in a small area around Chuo-dori Avenue, in the west of Akihabara Station. In recent years, the main trend has shifted from general home electrical appliances toward the new world of the internet.

This town began specializing in electrical equipment in the latter half of the 1940s, when people’s primary source of information was radio. In the beginning, many shops dealing in radio parts gathered under the elevated railroad of JR. Later, these shops began dealing with home electrical appliances, thus developing into the world’s biggest electrical equipment town.

With many service centers and the showrooms of major manufacturers, as well as duty-free shops and various events, the town is attractive in the eyes of visitors. Among these events, the Denki-matsuri Festival, held in summer and winter, is the biggest, a great chance for good shopping that you should never miss. Take the time to fully explore the wonderland.

To go there, the easiest way is to take subway / train (taxi fare is just too high).

Save Cost (1,100 yen – 77 mins)
– From Narita Airport >> Keisei Funabashi (Use Keisei Line Express – 46mins)
– Keisei Funabashi >> Funabashi (Walk – approx. 3 mins)
– Funabashi >> Akihabara (JR Sobu Line – 28 mins)

Save Time (2,070 yen – 64 mins)
– From Narita Airport >> Nippori (Use Keisei Line Express – 56mins)
– Nippori >> Akihabara (JR Yamanote – 8 mins)

One thing good about Japan is that you will never lost as the subway system is just too convenient. At first, it was a little confuse but as time goes, you will use to it.

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Conversation 1
Kobayashi : I am hungry – Onaka ga (suku)sukimashita ne.
Tony : Yeah, very – Ee, tottemo.
Kobayashi : So, let’s go and eat at the nearby Soba restaurant – Jaa, chikaku no sobaya e (taberu)tabe ni ikimashou.
Meaning : Onaka (Stomach), Suku (Hungry), Tottemo (Very), Chikaku (Nearby), Sobaya (Soba Restaurant), Soba (A type of Japanese Mee)

Kobayashi : Don’t you plan to visit my house this Sunday? – Kondo no nichiyoubi, uchi e (asobu)asobi ni kimasen ka?
Tony : Yes, thank you. Is it near from here? – Hai, arigatou gozaimasu. Koko kara chikai desu ka?
Kobayashi : Yes, it takes 15 minutes by walk – Hai, (aruku)aruite 15 fun gurai desu.
Tony : I see, can you write me your address? – Naruhodo, juusho o (kaku)kaite (morau)moraimasen ka?
Kobayashi : Yes – Hai.
Meaning : Kondo (This time), Nichiyoubi (Sunday), Arigatou Gozaimasu (Thank You), Koko (Here), Chikai (Near), Aruku (Walk), Naruhodo (I see), Juusho (Address), Morau (Receive / Get)

Kobayashi : Isn’t this room hot? – Kono heya, (atsui)atsuku arimasen ka?
Tony : A bit hot – Chotto atsui desu ne.
Kobayashi : So, shall we open the window? – Jaa, mado o (akeru)akemashou ka?
Tony : No, please switch off that stove – Iie, sono suto-bu o (kesu)keshite kudasai.
Meaning : Kono (This), Heya (Room), Atsui (Hot), Chotto (A bit), Akeru (Open), Suto-bu (Stove), Kesu (Switch Off)

Kobayashi : Shall i make you coffee? – Ko-hi- o (ireru)iremashou ka?
Tony : Ya, Please – Ee, onegai shimasu.
Kobayashi : Milk and sugar, how would you prefer? – Miruku to satou wa dou shimashou ka?
Michael : No sugar but please add a little bit of milk only – Satou wa irimasen ga, miruku dake, sukoshi irete kudasai.
Kobayashi : How about you, Tony? – Toni san wa?
Tony : I like black coffee more – Watashi wa burakku no hou ga suki desu.
Kobayashi : Yes, understood. Only milk for Michael amd black for Tony – Hai, wakarimashita. Maikeru san wa miruku dake de, Toni san wa burakku desu ne.
Meaning : Ireru (Put in), Onegai Shimasu (Please – requesting for a favour), Miruku (Milk), Satou (Sugar), Dake (Only), Sukoshi (A little), Burakku (Black – for coffee use)

Certain words cannot be translated with their actual meaning in English. So I change a little to make it easier to understand.

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“~mashou” means “Let’s do something”. For example : Let’s play (Asobimashou). It is as simple as ABC 😉

Examples
Kobayashi : Today, where do you go? – Kyou, doko e (iku)ikimasu ka?
Tony : I will be going to Shinjuku – Shinjuku e ikimasu
Kobayashi : How about you? – Anata wa?
Michael : I will be going to Shinjuku too – Watashi mo Shinjuku e ikimasu
Tony : Then, let’s go together – Jaa, issho ni ikimashou ka?
Michael : Alright, let’s go – Ee, ikimashou
Meaning : Kyou (Today), Doko (Where), Issho ni (Together)

Other Examples
Let’s drink coffee at the coffee shop – Kissaten de ko-hi- o (nomu)nomimashou
Let’s erase off the words on the blackboard – Kokuban no ji o (kesu)keshimashou
Let’s sing Japanese songs – Nihongo no uta o (utau)utaimashou
Meaning : Kissaten (Coffee Shop), Kokuban (Blackboard), Ji (Words), Kesu (Erase), Uta (Songs), Utau (Sing)

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In english, “~te ikimasu” & “~ni ikimasu” is very much the same but in Japanese, they were different. “~te ikimasu” represents “doing something and go” where “~ni ikimasu” represents “go and do something”

Example
Kudamono o (kau)katte ikimasu – I will buy fruits to your place
Kudamono o (kau)kai ni ikimasu – I go and buy fruits

~ni ikimasu is a combination of the following scenario
Go to post office – Yuubinkyoku e ikimasu
Buy stamps – Kitte o kaimasu
I go and buy stamps at the post office – Yuubinkyoku e kitte o kai ni ikimasu
Meaning : Kitte (Stamps)

Other Examples
I go and play at friend’s house – Tomodachi no uchi e (asobu)asobi ni ikimasu
Who would you go and meet – Dare ni (au)ai ni ikimasu ka
Meaning : Tomodachi (Friend), Asobu (Play / Visit), Dare (Who), Au (Meet)

Well, in English we normally don’t use “go and” but just “Who would you meet”. Hope this is not too confusing.

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Conversation time to cover what we have learned

Conversation 1
Kobayashi : Where are you going? – Doko e ikimasu ka?
Tony : I go to post office and send letter – Yuubinkyoku e (iku)itte, tegami o (dasu)dashite kimasu.
Meaning : Doko (Where)

Conversation 2
Kobayashi : Is everyone gathered? – Minna (atsumaru)atsumarimashita ka?
Tony : No, Michael is not here – Iie, Maikeru san wa imasen.
Kobayashi : Tony, please call Michael (and come back) – Toni san, Maikeru san (yobu)yonde (kuru)kite kudasai.
Meaning : Minna (Everyone / Everybody), Atsumaru (Gather), Yobu (Call)

Conversation 3
Tony : I go and make a call (and come back) for a while, is it alright? – Chotto denwa o (kakeru)kakete kimasu ga, ii desu ka?
Kobayashi : Ya, please – Ee, douzo.
Meaning : Chotto (A while / A moment), Denwa (Telephone), Denwa o kakeru (Make a call), Douzo (Please / Go ahead)

Conversation 4
Tony : Please wait for a while. I need to take my briefcase and coat at the classroom (and come back) – Chotto (matsu)matte kudasai. Kyoushitsu kara kaban to ko-to o (toru)totte kimasu.
Kobayashi : Then, I wait for you downstair – Jaa, kaidan no shita de (matsu)matte imasu ne.
Tony : Yes, will return soon – Hai, sugu (modoru)modorimasu.
Meaning : Matsu (Wait), Kyoushitsu (Classroom), Kaban (Briefcase), Ko-to (Coat), Toru (Take), Kaidan (Staircase), Shita (Down / Under), Sugu (Soon / Immediate), Modoru (Return)

Conversation 5
Kobayashi : Please bring me 3 cups of tea. Then, please deliver this to Tanaka at second floor – Ocha o mittsu (motsu)motte kite kudasai. Sorekara, 2 kai no Tanaka san ni kore o (todokeru)todokete kite kudasai.
Tony : Yes, understood – Hai, (wakaru)wakarimashita.
Meaning : Ocha (Tea), Mittsu (3), Motsu (Bring / Carry), 2 kai (2nd Floor), Todokeru (Forward / Deliver), Wakaru (Understand)

Enjoy your lesson !!!

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