~te imasu
Long time no see guys & gals. Today I will cover the usage of “~te imasu” which means “doing something”. On how to convert from normal form to “te” form, please refer to my previous post.
Drink coffee – Ko-hi- o nomimasu
Drinking coffee – Ko-hi- o nonde imasu
Drank coffee – Ko-hi- o nomimashita
I am writing a letter to friend – Tomodachi ni tegami o (kaku)kaite imasu
I am not writing postcard to friend – Tomodachi ni hagaki wa kaite imasen
I am singing oddies – Mukashi no uta o (utau)utatte imasu
I am not singing new song – Atarashii uta wa utatte imasen
Meaning : Tomodachi (Friend), Tegami (Letter), Hagaki (Postcard), Mukashi (Olden Days), Uta (Song)
Q : What are you doing? – Nani o (suru)shite imasu ka?
A : Swimming at the pool – Pu-ru de (oyogu)oyoide imasu
Meaning : Nani (What), Pu-ru (Pool)
Once you have master the conversion of ~te form, everything will be easier.
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July 21st, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Thanks for the lesson! A little question though…
Why would you use “mukashi no uta O” versus “atarashii uta WA”. Would it be incorrect to say “atarashii uta O”?
July 21st, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Hi Heather,
The “wa” was used because it is a negative statement.
Positive: Atarashii uta o utatte imasu
Negative: Atarashii uta wa utatte imasen
Hope this help. Thanks
July 21st, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Ahhh… Thanks!
January 13th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Tomodachi? Isn’t that plural meaning friends not friend?
I know plurality is not a big deal with Japanese but Pronouns are the exception right?.
Anata = You
Anatatachi = You all or y’all
Boku = I
Bokutachi = We
etc…
January 13th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Hi Ben,
No. Tomodachi can represents friend or friends although the word comes from “tomo”. In fact tomodachi is a single word unlike anata tachi, boku tachi, etc.