HOME | Pronunciation | Contact Me     

Happy Prosperous Chinese New Year To All. I will be off for Chinese New Year from today until 4th Feb 2006.

One Response »

Before I move further on other usage of ~te, I will post some examples of how to converse using the ~te form we have learned so far.

Conversation 1
Tony : Excuse me, can you please take photo for me? – Sumimasen, shashin o (toru)totte kudasai?
Watanabe : Yes. Ready. I’m taking – Hai. Ii desu ka. Torimasu yo.
Meaning : Sumimasen (Excuse Me / Sorry), Shashin (Photo)

Conversation 2
Tony : Wait a moment. Please repeat again- Chotto (matsu)matte kudasai. Mou ichido (iu)itte kudasai.
Watanabe : Can’t you hear? – Kikoemasen deshita ka?
Tony : Yes, please say louder – Hai, motto ookii koe de itte kudasai.
Meaning : Chotto (A Moment), Matsu (Wait), Mou (Again), Ichido (One more time), Kikoemasen (Can’t hear), Motto (More), Ookii (Big / Large), Koe (Voice), Ookii Koe (Loud)

Conversation 3
Jen : Please come to the station at 7 o’clock tomorrow morning – Ashita no asa, 7 ji ni eki e (kuru)kite kudasai
Yoda : 7 o’clock. It’s too early – 7 ji desu ka. Zuibun hayai desu ne.
Jen : Yeah. Please don’t be late – Ee. (Okureru)Okurenaide kudasai.
Meaning : Ashita (Tomorrow), Asa (Morning), Zuibun (Very), Okureru (Late / Delay)

Conversation 4
Yoda : Hurry Up. Class is starting – (Isogu)Isoide kudasai. Jugyou ga (hajimaru)hajimarimasu yo.
Watanabe : OK, coming now – Hai, ima ikimasu.
Yoda : Oh, but please don’t run at the corridor – Aa, demo rouka wa (hashiru)hashiranaide kudasai.
Meaning : Isogu (Hurry), Jugyou (Class / Lesson), Hajimaru (Start / Begin), Rouka (Corridor), hashiru (Run)

Enjoy your lesson !!! 😉

6 Responses »

Today I will cover a topic on requesting for a favour from someone.

Please open the door – Doa o (akeru)akete kudasai
Please close the window – Mado o (shimeru)shimete kudasai
Please switch on the light – Denki o (tsukeru)tsukete kudasai
Please stand – (Tatsu)Tatte kudasai
Meaning : Doa (Door), Akeru (Open), Mado (Window), Shimeru (Close), Denki (Electric / Light), Tsukeru (Switch On), Tatsu (Stand)

Please pack the box with a big and beautiful paper – Ookikute kirei na kami de hako o tsutsunde kudasai
Please carry the desk to the room next door – Tonari no heya ni tsukue o (hakobu)hakonde kudasai
Please lend me your car tomorrow – Ashita kuruma o (kasu)kashite kudasai
Please have a look at the blackboard behind you – Ushiro no kokuban o (miru)mite kudasai
Please let me know your phone number – Denwa bangou o (oshieru)oshiete kudasai
Meaning : Kami (Paper), Tsutsumu (Pack), Heya (Room), Tsukue (Desk), Hakobu (Carry), Ashita (Tomorrow), Kasu (Lend), Ushiro (Behind / Back), Kokuban (Blackboard), Miru (Look / See / Watch), Denwa (Phone), Bangou (Number), Oshieru (Teach)

Using negative sentences for ~te kudasai
Please do not write a letter with red pen – Akapen de tegami wa (kaku)kakanaide kudasai
Please do not take picture in the temple – Otera no naka de shashin wa (toru)toranaide kudasai
Meaning : Akapen (Red Pen), Tegami (Letter), Shashin (Photo), Toru (Take)

Conversion from normal form to “nai” form. Just change the last character (Third Character) to the (First Character). If you refer to the Pronunciation Section, you will know what I mean by First & Third Character. 5 characters in each category : ie. (1)Ka (2)Ki (3)Ku (4)Ke (5)Ko

Kau (Buy) – Kawanai
Kaku (Write) – Kakanai
Oyogu (Swim) – Oyoganai
Hanasu (Talk) – Hanasanai
Matsu (Wait) – Matanai
Hakobu (Carry) – Hakobanai
Nomu (Drink) – Nomanai
Uru (Sell) – Uranai

Special Words
Kiru (Wear) – Kinai
Miru (See / Watch) – Minai
Kuru (Come) – Konai
Suru (Do) – Shinai
Taberu (Eat) – Tabenai

Whenever there is “nai” (not), ~de is always use instead of ~te

3 Responses »

As promise yesterday, today I will cover the first part of using “~te” form. It is to combine 2 adjectives in 1 sentence. Here we go!!!

This string. Strong string – Hosoi ito desu. Tsuyoi ito desu.
The string is thin but strong – Hosokute tsuyoi ito desu.

Thin magazine. Interesting magazine. – Usui zasshi desu. Omoshiroi zasshi desu.
The magazine is thin but interesting – Usukute omoshiroi zasshi desu

Old Temple. Famous Temple. – Furui Otera. Yuumei na otera.
The temple is old but famous. – Furukute yuumei na otera desu.
Meaning : Hosoi (Thin – Use for human, long item), Tsuyoi (Strong), Usui (Use for books, papers), Zasshi (Magazine), Omoshiroi (Interesting), Otera (Temple)

You can also combine Adjectives + Verbs. Example : Kono kuruma wa takakute kaenai desu (I couldn’t buy this car because it is too expensive).

Yesterday, I covered the conversion from Verbs to ~te form (ie. Kaku >> Kaite). Today I will show you how to convert adjective into ~te form as shown in the examples above.

44 Responses »

So far we have learned how to convert to “~masu” & “~katta” form. Today I will show you how to convert into “~te” form. “Te” is use in connection with the following words :

~te can be used for combination of 2 adjectives. Example : Yasui Desu. Oishii Desu. (Cheap. Delicious) – Yasukute oishii desu. Other usage will be :

Tabete kudasai (Please Eat) – Requesting
Tabete imasu (Eating) – Similar to the “~ing” in English
Tabete arimasu (I have been eaten) – Something has been done
Kaite okimasu (I have wrote it) – Do something in advance / in preparation
Tabete mimasu (Eat and see) – Trying something and see how is the result
Tabete shimaimashita (I have completely eaten) – To imply something which is completed
Tabete ikimasu (Go and eat) – Saying something that is going to happen
Tabete hoshii (Want to eat) – Wanted to do something

I will cover each usage above later after this lesson on how to convert normal form to ~te form

It is a little confuse for the conversion. With a little more practise, you will be able to master it. Later, I will cover the lesson on how to combine 2 adjectives using ~te form. Stay Tune!!!

30 Responses »

I will cover the conversation part of what we have learned in previous lesson.

Conversation 1
Tony : It was a good weather yesterday – Kinou wa ii tenki deshita ne
Yoda : Yeah. But, today is warmer than yesterday – Ee. Demo, kyou no hou ga kinou yori atatakai desu ne
Tony : That’s right – Sou desu ne
Meaning : Kinou (Yesterday), Tenki (Weather), Demo (But), Kyou (Today), Atatakai (Warm)

Conversation 2
Tony : Is Japan’s summer sultry? – Nihon no natsu wa mushi atsui desu ne?
Mieko : Yeah, I was in Japan last year, it was so hot – Ee, watashi wa kyonen no natsu mo nihon ni imashita ga, totemo atsukatta desu yo.
Tony : America’s summer is better than Japan’s summer – Amerika no natsu no hou ga nihon no natsu yori ii desu ne
Meaning : Natsu (Summer), Mushi Atsui (Sultry), Atsui (Hot), Kyonen (Last Year)

Conversation 3
John : For me, I like spring the most in a year – Watashi wa, 1 (ichi) nen no naka de, haru ga ichiban suki desu
Mieko : I like spring too but I like summer more – Watashi ha haru mo suki desu ga, natsu no hou ga suki desu
Meaning : Nen (Year), Naka (In / Inside), Haru (Spring), Ichiban (First / Most), Mo (Too)

Conversation 4
Miyata : Between our friends, who is the tallest? – O tomodachi no naka de, dare ga ichiban se ga takai desu ka?
Tony : Mieko is the tallest – Mieko ga ichiban takai desu
Miyata : How about John – Jon wa?
Tony : John is tall too but he is not taller than Mieko – Jon mo takai desu ga, Meiko hodo takaku arimasen
Meaning : Tomodachi (Friends), Dare (Who), Se (Height), Takai (Tall / Expensive)

Conversation 5
Tony : Is your car and mine the same? – Anata no kuruma to watashi no wa onaji desu ka?
Mieko : Yes, it’s the same but the color is different – Hai, onaji desu ga, iro ga chigaimasu.
Meaning : Onaji (Same), Iro (Color), Chigau / Chigaimasu (Different)

Hope the above conversation could give you a clear picture of how to use the hou ga, yo ri, etc.

12 Responses »

Today I will cover some new word which use the combination of “Dochira (Which)” & “To (And)”

Q : Which one is longer between pencil and pen? – Enpitsu to / dewa pen to, dochira no hou ga nagai desu ka?
A : The pencil is longer than the pen – Enpitsu no hou ga pen yori nagai desu
Meaning : To (And), Yori (than), No Hou Ga (use to describe the one that is better) – ie. Watashi no hou ga wakai desu (I am younger). “No” must be use follow by “Hou Ga”

More Examples
Q : Which winter is colder between Korea & Japan? – Kankoku no fuyu to nihon no fuyu to, dochira no hou ga samui desu ka?
A : Korea is colder than japan – Kankoku no hou ga nihon yori samui desu. OR Kankoku no hou ga samui desu. (you can skip the yori part to cut short the sentence)
Meaning : Kankoku (Korea), Nihon (Japan), Fuyu (Winter), Samui (Cold)

Q : Which one do you like between Japanese food & Western food – Washoku to youshoku to, dochira no hou ga suki desu ka?
A : I like Japanese food more – Washoku no hou ga suki desu
Meaning : Washoku (Japanese Food), Youshoku (Western Food), Suki (Like)

Q : Is the pencil longer than the pen? – Enpitsu no hou ga pen yori nagai desu ka?
A (positive) : Yes, the pencil is longer than the pen – Hai, Enpitsu no hou ga pen yori nagai desu.
A (negative) : No, the pencil isn’t longer than the pen – Iie, Enpitsu wa pen hodo nagaku arimasen

You no longer use the hou ga & yori for negative answer. Instead, you have to replace the Enpitsu no hou ga to Enpitsu wa and pen yori to pen hodo

Good luck 😉

5 Responses »

I will cover conversation in various scenario and some new words that are use during normal conversation.

Conversation 1
Tony : Is that your glove – Sore, kimi no tebukuro　「それ、きみのてぶくろ」
Tanaka : Yeah, that’s right – Ee, sou yo　「ええ、そうよ」
Tony : That’s great / cool – Suteki da ne　「すてきだね」
Tanaka : Thanks – Arigatou　「ありがとう」
Meaning : Tebukuro (Glove), Ee (Yes / Yeah), Sou (Really), Suteki (Lovely / Great), Arigatou (Thanks), [Polite] Arigatou Gozaimasu (Thank You)

Conversation 2
Tanaka : This sweater, how much – Kono se-ta-, ikura datta　「このセーター、いくらだった」
Tony : 4,000 yen – 4,000 en datta yo　「よんせんえんだったよ」
Tanaka : Haa, very cheap. Where you bought it – Hee, yasukatta ne. Doko de　「へえ、やすかったよ。どこで」
Tony : The department store infront of the train station. Now, bargain season – Eki mae no depa-to de. Ima, ba-gen chuu da yo　「えきまえのデパートで。いま、バーゲンちゅうだよ」
Meaning : Se-ta- (Sweater), Ikura (How Much), Hee (When someone feels suprise), Doko (Where), Ima (Now), Ba-gen (Bargain), Chuu (In the midst of something)

Conversation 3
Jenny : How’s this shoe – Kono kutsu, dou　「このくつ、どう」
Ida : Oh, it’s great – Ara, ii wa ne　「あら、いいわね」
Jenny : Yeah, but it’s bit expensive – Ee, demo chotto takai no yo　「ええ、でもちょっとたかいのよ」
Meaning : Kutsu (Shoe), Dou (How), Ara (Oh – word used to express a variety of emotions – delight, relief, surprise or contempt), Ii (Good / Great), Ee (Yeah – affirmative reply), Chotto (A bit / A Little)

Conversation 4
Jenny : Is this temple famous – Kono otera, yuumei na no　「このおてら、ゆうめいなの」
Tanaka : Nope, not that famous – Uun, amari yuumei janai yo　「ううん、あまりゆうめいじゃないよ」
Jenny : It’s very quiet here – Zuibun shizuka ne　「ずいぶんしずかね」
Tanaka : Yeah – Sou da ne　「そうだね」
Meaning : Otera (Temple), Yuumei (Famous), Shizuka (Quiet)

Some meaning of the words were covered previously, so I won’t be repeating it. I also include Hiragana / Katakana for easy reference (for those who has master hiragana / katakana). If you have not, visit Pronunciation session for more info.

10 Responses »

Few days ago, I have posted how to communicate in a normal-form (inpolite / friends-talk). Today I will add a bit more on this subject.

Usually, male and female use different way such as “boku”, “kimi” and “ore” is used by male where “watashi” and “anata” is used by female.

Conversation 1
Q : Is the exam difficult?
Q : (Polite) – Shiken wa muzukashikatta desu ka?
Q : (Normal – Male & Female) – Shiken, muzukashikatta?

A : No, it isn’t that difficult
A : (Polite) – Iie, muzukashiku arimasen deshita.
A : (Normal – Male) – Uun, muzukashikunakatta yo
A : (Normal – Female) – Uun, muzukashikunakatta wa yo

Meaning : Shiken (Exam), Muzukashii (Difficult)

Ladies will in most cases add a “wa” at the end.

Conversation 2
Polite
Q : How was (your trip to) Kyoto? – Kyouto wa dou deshita ka?
A : (I) enjoyed it very much – Tottemo omoshirokatta desu.
Q : Wasn’t there cold? – Samuku arimasen deshita ka?
A : Yes, it was cold – Hai, samukatta desu.

Q : Kyouto, Dou datta?
A : Tottemo omoshirokatta yo
Q : Samukunakatta?
A : Un, samukatta yo.

Meaning :Kyouto (Kyoto – State name), Dou (How), Omoshiroi (Fun / Enjoy), Samui (Cold)

6 Responses »

Most Japanese Language Center teaches their student on the “polite form” such as “masu”, “desu”, etc. But even though they can master the “polite form”, they may not be able to understand what the Japanese is communicating because they are using an “inpolite form” or “friends-talk”.

Japanese uses different way of conversation depending on who they are talking to. If they are talking to a person who they respect such as bosses, senior, new friends, etc, they would use the “polite form” like “wakarimasu“, “shimasu“, “kakimasu“. If they are talking with close friends, family members, subordinates or someone who should respect them, then the words they use will be totally different like “wakaru”, “suru” and “kaku”. See, the “masu” is gone now !!!

Example
English : Is this your pen?
Polite : Kore wa anata no enpitsu desu ka?
Normal : Kore, kimi no enpitsu?

English : Yes, this is mine
Polite : Hai, kore wa watashi no desu.
Normal : Un, boku no da yo

English : No, This isn’t mine
Polite : Iie, kore wa watashi no dewa arimasen.
Normal : Uun, boku no janai

The above examples shown almost each words are different between “polite form” and “normal form”. The meaning of them are :

Polite Form => Normal Form
Watashi => Boku (For Male only & Moderate Polite), Watashi (For Female) and Ore (For Male only & normal form)

Anata => Kimi (For Male only & Moderate Polite), Anata (For Female) Omai (For Male only & normal form)

Hai => Un
Iie => Uun
dewa arimasen => janai
desu => da
arimasen => nai
deshita => datta

Form others word such as verbs where we use convert from normal to “masu” such as tsutsumimasu, wakarimasu, kakimasu and so on that I have covered previously. For non-polite way, we don’t need to convert it to “masu form” and we use tsutsumu, wakaru, kaku and so on.

Remember, for female, dont ever use “boku” and “ore” as they are use by male only.

Conversation
Q : This belongs to who? – Kore wa dare no?
A : It’s not mine. Maybe it’s belongs to Tony – Boku no janai yo. Tabun, Toni no da yo.
Q : Oh, is it – Aa, sou.

Some sentences shown above have a “yo” at the end and this is only some sort of expression like what I have teached earlier for “ne”. “Boku no da” and “Boku no da yo” are the same meaning but most of the time the Japanese will add a “yo” behind to show deeper expression on the sentence.

Hope it is not too confuse. Go back to all previous lessons and try to convert them to “Inpolite” or “Normal Form” yourself. This way, you will be able to master this very quickly.

14 Responses »