MY 日本 NOTES

日本語 Information Collected from Several Sources

©２００９

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Table of Contents
Verb Conjugation Grammar cont…
Stem Form 4 Telephone phrases 30
Negative Form 4 Imasu & Arimasu – ‘to be’ 30
Dictionary Form 5 Mada – ‘Still or Not yet’ 30
Te Form 5 Suggesting with Mashou 31
Past & Negative Past 6 Kimasu vs. Ikimasu – ‘come & go’ 31
Polite / Neutral Form 6 Emphasizing with ’yo’ 31
Desu 7 Verb that use ’Shimasu’ 32
Irregular Verbs 7 Asking for favors – ‘onegaishimasu’ 32
Extended Use of ‘suru ’ 8 “mou’ – Already & (not) anymore 33
Common U-Verbs 9 “-te kudasai” – Making Requests 33
Common Ru-Verbs 10 “Gozaimasu” – ‘we have’ 33
Adjectives Understanding Directions 34
Adjectives 11 Uses of “deshou” 35
Informal Form 11 Cheaper & bigger 35
Polite / Neutral Form 12 Always, Sometimes, & other words of frequnecy 36
Irregular Adjective Conjugation 12 Both…and… 36
Common I-Adjectives 13 Joining sentences with “kedo” 36
Common Na-Adjectives 14 Joining senteces with the Te-form 37
Particles ... ga jōzu desu – is good at… 37
wa 15 Hazukashikute – joining i-agjectives with -kute 38
ga 15-16 Mada atte inai – not yet 38
o 17 to omoimasu – I think 39
no 17 Sashimi ya sushi ya – Sashimi and sushi, etc… 39
ni 18 …koto ga dekimasu – can / be able to 40
de 19 Issho ni shimasen ka – Invitations, using a negative verb 40
to 20 Talking about Periods of time 40
Pronouns Questions foreigners are often asked 41-42
Personal Pronouns 21-22 Ichiban - superlatives 42
Indefinite Pronouns 23 Describing how something looks 43
Demonstrative & Interrogative 24 Plain form + No Desu 43
Kore, Sore, Are, & Dore 25 Plain form + Kara - Because 44
Kono, Sono, Ano, & Dono 25 Donna – what kind of? 44
Grammar to iimashita – Reported speech 45
Simple Sentences 26 Eigo de nan to iimasu ka – What do you say in English? 45
Forming Questions 26 Marking alternatives 46
Articles 26 Asking permission 46
Arimasu vs. Desu 27 Refusing permission 47
Ja arimasen 27 Other Advice 47
noun - “no” 28 Prepositions 48
The Future 28 Mi ni iku – go to see 48
The tag question “ne” 28 Ni tsuite – regarding or concerning 49
Suki desu / Kirai desu 29 Yotei – making plans 49
Asking for Something 29 Ikitai – I want to go and other desires 49-50

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Grammar cont…
Shinaide kudasai – please don’t 51
Tsumori – talking about intentions 51
Arimasu vs. Motte masu – having and holding 51
-ta koto ga arimasu ka – have you ever…? 52
-tara – if… 52-53
-eba – if we do so 54
Dare mo, Doko mo, Nani mo – nobody, nowhere, nothing 55
Comparisons 55
Samuku natte – It’s getting cold 55
Dareka – someone 56
Au mae ni – before meeting 56
Yōji go owatte kara– after the errands are finnished 56
Mazu– first of all 56
Tame ni– in order to 57
-nakereba narimasen– must or have to 57
Forming adverbs from adjectives 58
katte, yokatta – I’m glad we bought… 58
to ieba – talking of… 59
toki – the time when… 59
Phrases of frequency 59

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Verb Conjugation --- Stem Form
Stem form – shortest form of a verb. Cannot stand alone,needs a suffix to indicate tense or
another condition.

RU-verbs lose the –ru at the end of the verb

taberu
tabe
iru
i

U-verbs lose the –u at the end of the verb and is replaced by –i

oyogu
oyogi
kau
kai

 One exception is when the u-verb ends with –tsu. The –tsu ending becomes –chi

matsu
machi

Verb Conjugation --- Negative Form

Negative Form – Opposite of the dictionary form.

RU-verbs use the stem form and add –nai to the end.

tabe + -nai = tabenai

mi + -nai = minai

U-verbs also use the stem form but they replace the final -i with –anai (-a + -nai)

kaki
kak + -anai = kakanai

tori
tor + -anai = toranai

 Here are some exceptions

U-verbs who’s stem form end in:

• -shi become –sanai (both the h and i are dropped.)

• a vowel plus –i become –awanai (the vowel and –i are both dropped.)
• -chi become –tanai

hanashi
hanas + -anai = hanasanai

kai
ka + -wanai = kawanai
machi
ma + -tanai = matanai

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Verb Conjugation --- Dictionary Form

Dictionary Form – Also called plain form. This form is also the present and future tense.

Some Dictionary
form verbs

taberu – to eat
miru – to watch
iru – to exist (people and animals)
hanasu – to speak
kaku – to write
oyogu – to swim
nomu – to drink
shinu – to die
asobu – to play
kau – to buy
toru – to take
aru – to exist (inanimate things)
iku – to go
kuru – to come
suru – to do
desu – to be

Verb Conjugation --- Te – Form

Te-Form – called so because it always ends in te or de

RU-verbs use the stem form and add –te to the end.

tabe + -te = tabete

mi + -te = mite

U-verbs –
U-verb ending with:

ku – drop –ku and add –ite

gu – drop –gu and add –ide

su – just add –te

bu & mu – are both dropped and

-nde is added.

u, ru, & tsu – are all dropped

and –tte is added.

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Verb Conjugation --- Past and Negative Past
Past Tense – Use the te-form and change the final -e to an –a

tabete
tabeta
nonde
nonda

Negative Past Tense – Use this form to say you didn’t do something in the Past.

Take the negative form of the verb, drop the final –i and add –katta

tabenai
tabenakatta
(don’t eat) (didn’t eat)

ikanai
ikanakatta
(don’t go) (didn’t go)

Verb Conjugation --- Polite / Neutral Form

Add the following to the verb stem form:

Present -masu

Negative Present -masen

Past -mashita

Negative Past -masendeshita

Example:

nomu – (to drink)

Stem form: nomi

Present nomimasu

Negative Present nomimasen

Past nomimashita

Negative Past nomimasendeshita

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Verb Conjugation --- Desu
Desu (to be) – it expresses the identity or state of people and things. It follows either a noun or
an adjective. It can also express the location of people and things.

Polite:

desu (is a)

ja arimasen (isn’t a)

deshita (was a)

ja arimasendeshita (wasn’t a)

Informal:

da (is a)

ja nai (isn’t a)

datta (was a)

ja nakatta (wasn’t a)

 ja is used in everyday conversations. It can be

replaced by dewa occasionally.

Verb Conjugation --- Irregular Verbs

Irregular Verbs – There are only two irregular verbs. kuru – to come and suru – to do

Kuru (to come)
Dictionary form

konai
Negative form

ki
Stem form
kite
Te-form
kita
Past tense
konakatta
Negative Past

Suru (to do)
Dictionary form

shinai
Negative form

shi
Stem form
shite
Te-form
shita
Past tense
shinakatta
Negative Past

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Verb Conjugation --- Extended Use of ‘Suru’
Suru has many extended uses that occur quite often

To make –
(1) Adverb form of I-adjective + suru: To change I-adjective to adverb form, replace
the final ~i with ~ku.

ōkī
ōkiku

(2) Adverb form of Na-adjective + suru: To change Na-adjective to adverb form,

replace the final ~na with ~ni.

kireina
kireini

To decide –
It should be used when you are choosing from several available alternatives.

Koohii ni shimasu. I'll have coffee.

To price –
When accompanied by phrases indicating prices, it means "cost."
Kono kaban wa gosen en
This bag cost 5,000 yen.
shimashita.

To feel, to smell, or to hear –

Nami no oto ga suru. I hear the sound of the waves.

Loan word + Suru –

The loan words are often combined with "suru" to change the word into a verb.

doraibu suru to drive taipu suru to type

kisu suru to kiss nokku suru to knock

Noun of Chinese origin + Suru –

It is combined with nouns of Chinese origin to make a noun into a verb.

to do the
benkyou suru to study sentaku suru
washing
shitsumon
ryokou suru to travel to ask questions
suru
denwa suru to telephone yakusoku suru to promise

sanpo suru to take a walk yoyaku suru to reserve

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 Common U-Verbs

Dictionary Form English Formal Form Te-Form

aruku arukimasu aruite
to walk
歩く 歩きます 歩いて
asobu asobimasu asonde
to play
遊ぶ 遊びます 遊んで
au aimasu atte
to meet
会う 会います 会って
hairu hairimasu haitte
to enter
入る 入ります 入って
hajimaru hajimarimasu hajimatte
to begin
始まる 始まります 始まって
iku ikimasu itte
to go
行く 行きます 行って
kaeru kaerimasu kaette
to return
帰る 帰ります 帰って
kakaru kakarimasu kakatte
to take
かかる かかります かかって
kaku kakimasu kaite
to write
書く 書きます 書いて
kau kaimasu katte
to buy
買う 買います 買って
kiku kikimasu kiite
to listen
聞く 聞きます 聞いて
matsu machimasu matte
to wait
待つ 待ちます 待って
motsu mochimasu motte
to have
持つ 持ちます 持って
narau naraimasu naratte
to learn
習う 習います 習って
nomu nomimasu nonde
to drink
飲む 飲みます 飲んで
okuru okurimasu okutte
to send
送る 送ります 送って
omou omoimasu omotte
to think
思う 思います 思って
oyogu oyogimasu oyoide
to swim
泳ぐ 泳ぎます 泳いで
to know shirimasu shitte

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 shiru 知ります 知って
知る
suwaru suwarimasu suwatte
to sit
座る 座ります 座って
tatsu tachimasu tatte
to stand
立つ 立ちます 立って
tomaru tomarimasu tomatte
to stop
止まる 止まります 止まって
tsuku tsukimasu tsuite
to arrive
着く 着きます 着いて
uru urimasu utte
to sell
売る 売ります 売って
utau utaimasu utatte
to sing
歌う 歌います 歌って
wakaru wakarimasu wakatte
to understand
分かる 分かります 分かって
warau waraimasu waratte
to laugh
笑う 笑います 笑って
yomu yomimasu yonde
to read
読む 読みます 読んで

Common Ru-Verbs

kangaeru kangaemasu kangaete

to think
考える 考えます 考えて
miru mimasu mite
to see
見る 見ます 見て
neru nemasu nete
to sleep
寝る 寝ます 寝て
oshieru oshiemasu oshiete
to teach
教える 教えます 教えて
taberu tabemasu tabete
to eat
食べる 食べます 食べて

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Adjectives
Japanese adjectives can be placed either before a noun or at the end of a sentence.
(a good book or The book is good)

There are two types of adjectives in Japanese:

I-adjectives and Na-adjectives. These are called like so because an adjective either ends in
an i or na.
benrina – convenient
kirēna – beautiful
kōkana – expensive
omoshiroi – interesting
takai – expensive
atsui – hot

Both the ending i and na change depending on the context. Japanese adjectives conjugate
based on different factors.

Example:
When placed at the end of a sentence, the i or na change or disappear and a
extra item like the verb desu shows up in various forms.

Adjectives --- Informal Form

I-adjectives:

Present (same)

Negative Present -ku nai

Past -katta

Negative Past -ku nakatta

(NOTE: the dashed forms replace the final i.)

Na-adjectives:

Present da

Negative Present ja nai

Past datta

Negative Past ja nakatta

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Adjectives --- Polite / Neutral Form
I-adjectives:

Present desu

Negative Present -ku arimasen

Past -katta desu

Negative Past -ku arimasendeshita

(NOTE: the dashed forms replace the final i.)

Na-adjectives:

Present desu

Negative Present ja arimasen

Past deshita

Negative Past ja aimasendeshita

Some variations of both the i and na adjectives Negative Present forms are:

i-adj. -ku nai desu

na-adj. ja nai desu

Some variations of both the i and na adjectives Negative Past forms are:

i-adj. -ku nakatta desu

na-adj. ja nakatta desu

Adjectives --- Irregular adjective Conjugation

The irregular adjective most frequently used is i-i (good). It’s stem part is i, and it’s inflected
part is the second i. The stem part i beomes yo in all forms except the Present form.

Present i-i-desu (is good)

Negative Present yo-ku arimasen (isn’t good)

Past yo-katta desu (was good)

Negative Past yo-ku aimasendeshita (wasn’t good)

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 Common I-Adjectives

atarashii furui
new old
新しい 古い
atatakai suzushii
warm cool
暖かい 涼しい
atsui samui
hot cold
暑い 寒い
oishii mazui
delicious bad tasting
おいしい まずい
ookii chiisai
big small
大きい 小さい
osoi hayai
late, slow early, quick
遅い 早い
omoshiroi tsumaranai
interesting, funny boring
面白い つまらない
kurai akarui
dark bright
暗い 明るい
chikai tooi
near far
近い 遠い
nagai mijikai
long short
長い 短い
muzukashii yasashii
difficult easy
難しい 優しい
ii warui
good bad
いい 悪い
takai hikui
tall, expensive low
高い 低い
yasui wakai
cheap young
安い 若い
isogashii urusai
busy noisy
忙しい うるさい

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 Common Na-Adjectives

ijiwaruna shinsetsuna
mean kind
意地悪な 親切な
kiraina sukina
distasteful favorite
嫌いな 好きな
shizukana nigiyakana
quiet lively
静かな にぎやかな
kikenna anzenna
dangerous safe
危険な 安全な
benrina fubenna
convenient inconvenient
便利な 不便な
kireina genkina
pretty healthy, well
きれいな 元気な
jouzuna yuumeina
skillful famous
上手な 有名な
teineina shoujikina
polite honest
丁寧な 正直な
gankona hadena
stubborn showy
頑固な 派手な

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Particles --- Wa

Wa is the topic maker. Its similar to English expressions ‘As for’ and ‘Speaking of’. It marks
something that has already been introduced or is familiar with both the speaker and
listener.
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
(As for me, I am a student)

Besides being the topic maker, wa is used to show contrast or to emphasize the subject.

Bīru wa nomimasu ga, wain wa nomimasen.

(I drink beer, but I don’t drink wine.)

The thing being contrasted may or may not be stated. Also particles such as – ni, de,
kara, and made can be combined with wa (double particles) to show contrast.

Koko de wa tabako o suwanaide kudasai.

(Please don’t smoke here [but you may smoke there].

Particles --- Ga

Ga is the subject maker. It is only used when introducing something new.

Marī ga Jon o sasotta.

(Mary invited Jon.)

When a question word is the subject iti s always followed by ga – never wa. To answer the
question, it also has to be followed by ga.

Dare ga kimasu ka. Yoko ga kimasu.

(Who is coming?) (Yoko is coming.)

• Ga is used for emphasis, to distinguish a person or things from all others. If the topic is
marked by wa, it is very important. But if the subject is marked by ga it is the most
important of the sentence.

Taro wa gakkō ni ikimashita. Taro ga gakkō ni ikimashita

(Taro went to school.) (Taro is the one who went to school.)

• The object of the sentence is usually marked by the particle o, but some verbs and
adjectives take ga instead of o.

Kuruma ga hoshii desu. Nihongo ga wakarimasu.

(I want a car.) (I understand Japanese.)

• The subject of a subordinate clause normally takes "ga" to show that the subjects of the
subordinate and main clauses are different.

Watashi wa Mika ga kekkon shita koto o shiranakatta.

(I didn't know that Mika got married.)

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• Ga can be used to join two sentences which are in contrast, so it is much like the English
but. Ga ends the first part of the sentence before the comma, whereas the English but
begins the second part of the sentence.
Maiku san wa kimasu ga, Takahashi san wa kimasen.
Mike is coming, but Ms. Takahashi isn’t.

• Sometimes ga is used to link two sentences even though there isn’t a very strong element
of contrast.
Watashi wa kaimono ga totemo suki desu ga, Takahashi san wa dō desu ka.
I really enjoy shopping – how about you, Ms. Takahashi?

Review:
ga
が
* Subject marker
* With question words
* Emphasize
* Instead of "o"
* In subordinate clauses
* link two sentences w/
contrast
* link two sentences w/o
contrast

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Particles --- O

• O is placed after a noun, and indicates that the noun is the direct object.

Kinō no kado o mimashita.

(I watched the movie yesterday.)

• Verbs such as walk, run, pass, turn, drive, go through, etc… take the particle o to indicate
the route which the movement follows.

Tsugi no kado o magatte kudasai.

(Please turn the next corner.)

• Verbs such as leave, come out, get off, etc… take the particle o to mark the place from
ones departure.

Hachi-ji ni ie o demasu.
(I leave home at 8 o’clock.)

Particles --- No

• No indicates ownership or attribution.

Kore wa watashi no hon desu.

(This is my book.)

• The final noun can be omitted if it is clear to both speaker and listener.

Are wa watashi no (kuruma) desu.

(This is mine (my car).)

• Noun modification – The noun before no modifies the noun after no.

Nihongo no jugyō wa tanoshī desu.

(The Japanese class is interesting.)

• No can be used many times in a sentence. In this usage the order of nouns in Japanese is
the reverse of the English structure. The normal Japanese order is from large to small, or
general to specific.

yōroppa no kuni no namae

(the names of the countries in Europe)

• No links the noun to the appositive that follows.

Tomodachi no Keiko-san desu.

(This is my friend, Keiko.)

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Particles --- Ni

• Ni is a indirect object maker. The indirect object usually comes before the direct object.

Kare wa watashi ni hon o kuremashita.

(He gave me a book.)

• Some verbs, such as au (to meet) and kiku (to ask), take an indirect object.

Eki de tomodachi ni atta.

(I met my friend at the station.)

• Ni is typically used with location of existence verbs (iru– to exist). It translates into at or
in.
Isu no ue ni neko ga imasu.
(There is a cat on the chair.)

• Ni is used when a motion or action is directed at or onto an object or place.

Kōto o hangā ni kaketa.

(I hung a coat on the hanger.)

• Ni can be translated as to when indicating a destination.

Rainen nihon ni ikimasu.

(I’m going to Japan next year.)

• Ni can also indicate a purpose or intent.

Eiga o mi ni itta.
(I went to see a movie.)

[NOTE:] I follows the noun and the stem form of the verb in this usage.

• Ni is used with various time expressions (year, month, day, and clock time) to indicate a
specific point in time. It translates into at, on, or in. However, expressions of today or
tomorrow don’t take ni.

Hachi-ji ni ie o demasu.
(I leave home at 8 o’clock.)

• Ni indicates an agent (source) in passive or causative verbs. I translate to by or from.

Haha ni shikarareta.
(I was scolded by my mother.)

• Ni is used with notions of Per.

(year, month, day, and clock time)

Ichijikan ni jū-doru haratte kuremasu.

(They pay us ten dollars per hour.)
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Particles --- De

• De indicates the place where an action takes place. It translates into in, at, on, and etc...

Umi de oyoida
(I swam in the ocean.)

• De indicates means, method, or instruments. It translates into by, with, in, by means of,
etc…

Nihongo de hanashite kudasai.

(Please speak in Japanese.)

• De is placed after a quantity, time or amount of money, and indicates an extent.

Zenbu de sen-en desu.

(They cost a 1,000 yen altogether.)

• De also indicates scope. Translates into in, among, within, etc…

Kore wa sekai de ichiban ookii desu

(This is the biggest in the world.)

• De indicates the composition of an object.

Toufu wa daizu de tsukurimasu.

(Tofu is made from soybeans.)

• De indicates required cost. It translates into for, at, etc…

Kono hon o juu-doru de katta.

(I bought this book for ten dollars.)

• De indicates a casual reason or motive for an action or occurrence. It translates into due
to, because of, owing to, etc…

Kaze de gakkou o yasunda.

(I was absent from school due to a cold.)

• De indicates time consumed for a certain action or occurrence. It translates into in, within,
etc…

Ichijikan de ikemasu.
(We can get there in an hour.)

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Particles --- To

• To is used to list nouns or pronouns, but never phrases and clauses.

Eigo to Nihongo o hanashimasu.

(I speak English and Japanese.)

• To indicates a comparison or contrast getween two nouns. Translates to or.

Neko to inu to Dochira ga suki desu ka.

(Which do you like better, cats or dogs?)

• To also indicates accompaniment. Translates into together or with.

Tomodachi to eiga ni itta.

(I went to a movie with my friend.)

• To is used after onomatopoeic adverbs.

Hoshi ga kira kira to kagayaiteiru.

(The stars are twinkling.)

• To is commonly used in the phrase to naru, and indicates that something reaches a goal
or new state.

Tsuini orinpukku no kaisai no hi to natta.

(At last the opening day of the Olympics has come.)

• To is used before such verbs as iu, omou, kiku, etc… to introduce a clause or a phrase.
Normally preceded by a plain form of a verb.

Kare wa asu kuru to itta.

(He said that he will come tomorrow.)

• To is placed after a verb or adjective to form a conditional. Translates into as soon as,
when, if, etc… A plain form is usually used before the particle to.

Shigoto ga owaru to sugu uchi ni kaetta.

(I went home as soon as work was over.)

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Pronouns --- Personal Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. The use of Japanese personal pronouns is
quite different from English. They are not used as often as their English counterparts, though
there are a variety of pronouns in Japanese depending on the gender or the style of speech.

If the context is clear, the Japanese prefer not to use the personal pronouns. It is important to
learn how to use them, but also important to understand how not to use them. Unlike English,
there is no strict rule to have a grammatical subject in a sentence.

The following are some Personal Pronouns:

私 watashi I/me

私たち watashitachi we/us

あなた anata you (singular)

あなたたち anatatachi you (plural)

彼 kare he/him

彼ら karera they/them (males or mixed genders)

彼女 kanojo she/her

彼女ら
彼女ら kanojora they/them (females)

あの人
あの人 ano hito that person

あの人
あの人たち ano hitotachi those persons

Among these pronouns, watashi and anata are the most common. However, as I mentioned
above, they are often omitted in conversation. When addressing your superior, anata is not
appropriate and should be avoided. Use the person's name instead.

Anata is also used by wives when they address their husbands. Omae is sometimes used by
husbands when addressing their wives, though it sounds a little bit old-fashioned.

Avoid using anata whenever possible, and use the person's name with san instead. Similarly,
when referring to a third person, use the person's name. One way to avoid using anata is to
drop it and just use the verb and the question particle, ka.

Ikimasu ka.
means: Will (you) go (there)?

Another way to avoid using anata is to repeatedly use the person’s name.

Yōko-san, Yōko-san wa ikimasu ka.

means: Yoko, are you going?
[Literally means: Yoko, is Yoko going?]
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Here are some more Examples:

Sumisu-san wa eigo o mimashita ka.

means: Did you (Mr. Smith) see the movie?

Tanaka-san wa nani o kaimashita ka.

means: What did she (Mrs. Tanaka) buy?

The first-person singular pronoun is typically watashi, but you can say I/me more than one
way. The formal version is watakushi. Men say boku in informal and neutral contexts. In
informal context some men say ore, some older men say washi, and some young women say
atashi.

The pronouns for the third person are kare (he) or kanojo (she). Rather than using these
words, it is preferred to use the person's name or describe them as ano hito (that person). It is
not necessary to include gender.

Kyo John ni aimashita. I saw him (John) today.

Ano hito o shitte imasu ka. Do you know her?

Kare or kanojo often means a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

Kare ga imasu ka. Do you have a boyfriend?

Watashi no kanojo wa
My girlfriend is a nurse.
kangofu desu.

To make plurals, a suffix -tachi is added like watashi-tachi (we) or anata-tachi (you). The
suffix -tachi can be added to not only pronouns but to some other nouns referring to people.

For example, kodomo-tachi means children.

For the word anata, the suffix -gata is used sometimes to make it plural instead of using -
tachi. Anata-gata is more formal than anata-tachi. The suffix -ra is also used for kare, such
as karera (they).

22
Pronouns --- Indefinite Pronouns

だれか dareka someone

どれか doreka something

どかか dokoka somewhere

何か nanika something

いくらか ikuraka some/a little

何でも nandemo anything

だれも daremo no one

どれも doremo nothing

どこも dokomo nowhere

何も nanimo nothing (with neg. verbs); not any

いくらも ikuramo not much

何にも nannimo nothing at all

The negative indefinite pronouns take a negative verb.

Dareka kimashita.
means: Someone came.

Daremo kimasen deshita.

means: No one came.

The one reflexive pronoun is （自分）jibun (myself, yourself, etc.).

Jibun de hatarakimasu.
means: I am working by myself.

23
Pronouns --- Demonstrative and Interrogative

The demonstrative and interrogative words, which can be pronouns, adjectives, or adverbs,
may be divided into four groups depending on the prefix:
ko- Something near the speaker.
so- Something nearer the listener than the speaker.
a- Something at a distance from both speaker and listener.
do- Question

here there over there ?

こ (ko) そ (so) あ (a) ど (do)

これ (kore) それ (sore) あれ (are) どれ (dore)

Nouns
this that that over there which

この (kono) その (sono) あの (ano) どの (dono)

Adjectival this ... that ... that ... over there what / which ...

こんな (konna) そんな (sonna) あんな (anna) どんな (donna)

this kind / like this that kind that kind what kind

こう (kou) そう (sou) ああ (aa) どう (dou)

Adverbial this way that way that way how

こんなに (konna ni) そんなに (sonna ni) あんなに (anna ni) どんなに (donna ni)
this much that much that much how much

ここ (koko) そこ (soko) あそこ (asoko) どこ (doko)

here there over there where
Location
こちら (kochira) そちら (sochira) あちら (achira) どちら (dochira)
this side that side that side what side

こっち (kocchi) そっち (socchi) あっち (acchi) どっち (docchi)

this side that side that side what side

こ こ (koko), こちら (kochira), and こっち (kocchi) all mean "here". こちら (kochira) is more
formal than ここ (koko), while こっち (kocchi) is an informal abbreviation of こちら (kochira).
The same applies to the そ (so), あ (a), and ど (do) columns.

Other interrogative pronouns are the following:

だれ dare who
いつ itsu when
いくつ ikutsu how many
いくら ikura how much
どうして dōshite why
何 nan / nani what
何名 nannin / nannei how many people

24
Kore, Sore, Are, and Dore

• In English, we divide things into the two groups of this and that, but in Japanese there are
three groups:

- kore, meaning this thing or these things near me.

- sore, meaning that thing or those things near
you.
- are, meaning that thing or those things over
there, away from both of us.

Examples:
Kore wa atarashī purintā desu ka.
Is this a new printer?

Itō san no uchi wa are desu.

Mr. Itō’s house is that on over there.

• The corresponding question word is dore – which one?

A: Itō san no kuruma wa dore desu ka.

Which is your car, Mr. Itō?

B: Sore desu.
It’s that one.

Kono, Sono, Ano, and Dono

• In English, the words this, that, and which can be used as pronouns or adjectives. In
Japanese the words kore, sore, are, and dore are used only as pronouns. The adjectives
of these words are kono, sono, ano, and dono, but they still have the same meaning as
their pronoun counterparts.

Kono wain wa doko no Kore wa doko no desu ka.

desu ka.
Where is this wine from? Where is this from?

Ano hito wa dare desu ka. Are wa dare desu ka.

Who’s that person? Who’s that?

Dono teishoku ni shimasu ka. Dore ni shimasu ka.

Which set meal are you going to have? Which are you going to have?

25
Grammar --- Simple Sentences

• Simple sentence order: Subject-Object-Verb

[noun] (wa/ga) [noun] (o) [verb]

Mari ga Jon o sasotta. Kore wa hon desu.

Mary invited John. This is a book.

Grammar --- Forming Questions

• To form a Yes or No question simply add ka to the end of the sentence. You don’t need to
make any other changes because ka always indicates a question.

Gakusei desu. Gakusei desu ka.

I’m/He’s a student. Are you/Is he a student?

Yokohama desu. Yokohama desu ka.

(This) is Yokohama. Is (this) Yokohama?

• To form a content question – when you expect specific information or content as an answer
– you use a question word and ka.

doko where

donate who

dore which one

dō how

ikura how much

itsu when

nani what

Example:
Kinō no pātī wa dare ga kimashita ka.
(Who came to yesterday’s party?)

Grammar --- Articles

• There are no articles (a/an/the) in Japanese, so where they may exist in English, simply
ignore them when changing the sentence to Japanese.

Amerika no kaisha desu.

It’s (an) American company.

Sumimasen ga, Nihongo no sensei desu ka.

Excuse me, but are you (the) Japanese language Teacher?
26
Grammar --- Arimasu vs. Desu – be, be located, exist

• Both arimasu and desu mean is/are, but there is a difference in the way they are used.
Desu is used when one this is, or equals, another.

Koko wa Yokohama eki desu.

This is Yokohama station.

• The verb arimasu jeans that something exists, so iti s often used to describe the location
of something. In this case it is preceded by ni, a particle pointing out place or location.

Denwa wa doko ni arimasu ka.

Where’s the telephone (located)?

• When describing the location of something, ni arimasu can often be replaced by desu. The
nuance is slightly different, but the English translation is usually the same.

Ginkō wa doko desu ka. Ginkō wa doko ni arimasu ka.

Where’s the bank? Where’s the bank?
[Lit: What place is the bank?] [Lit: In what place is the bank located?]

• The verb arimasu can often be translated as there is/are, or have.

Denwa wa arimasu ka.

Do you have a telephone?/Is there a telephone?

• Answers to this kind of yes/no question are Hai, arimasu (Yes, I have./Yes, there is.), Iie,
arimasen. (No, I haven’t./No, there isn’t.), or Wakarimasen. (I don’t know.).

Grammar --- Ja arimasen – isn’t, aren’t

• Ja arimasen is the negative of desu, so it means isn’t or aren’t. Ja is a contraction of de

wa. (You may also hear the alternative forms de wa arimasen, ja nai desu, and de wa
nai desu, which all mean isn’t or aren’t.)

Amerikajin ja arimasen. Igirisujin desu.

I’m not American. I’m British.

Sensei ja arimasen. Jimu no hito desu.

I’m not a teacher. I am an office worker.

Ōkii kōkō ja arimasen.

It’s not a big high school.

A: Kono konpyūtā wa atarashii desu ka.

Is this computer new?

B: Iie, sō ja arimasen.
No, it isn’t.
Are wa Watanabe san no kuruma ja arimasen ka.
Isn’t that Mr.Watanabe’s car?
27
Grammar --- noun – “no”

• The word no can be used in place of a noun when it is obvious what you are talking about.

Kaisha no kuruma desu. Kaisha no desu.

It’s the company’s car. It’s the company’s.

Dare no shinbun desu ka. Dare no desu ka.

Whose newspaper is it? Whose is it?

Grammar --- The Future

• The –masu form is also used to refer to events happening in the future. If it is not clear
from the context whether a present or future meaning is intended, then a time word such
as tomorrow/next week/at 2:00 can be used.

Watanabe san wa ahita Tōkyō e ikimasu.

Mr. Watanabe will go to Tokyo tomorrow.

Tomodachi wa asatte Igiru kara kimasu.

Thay day after tomorrow, a friend is coming from Britian.

Ahista, oshiemasen.
I’m not teaching tomorrow.

Kyō nani o shimasu ka.

What are you going to do today?

Grammar --- The tag question - NE

• The particle ne at the end of a sentence plays the same role as tag questions in English,
such as isn’t it?, didn’t he?, aren’t they?, don’t you?, an I right?, etc… Such questions may
be asking for confirmation, in which case they have rising intonation, or they may just be
asking for agreement, in which they have falling intonation.

Maiku san wa Amerikanjin desu ne.

Mike is an American, isn’t he?

Kono wain wa oishii desu ne.

This wine is good, isn’t it!

Mainishi Nihongo no shinbun o yomimasu ne.

You read a Japanese newspaper every day, don’t you?

28
Grammar --- Suki desu/Kirai desu – I like it/I hate it

• Unlike English, the Japanese words for like, hate and the various shades in between are not
verbs, so they need to be followed by desu. The sugject of a sentence is the thing or
person liked or disliked, and so is followed by wa or ga. Here are some sentences to show
how to say various degrees of like and dislike: dai suki desu ‘I like very much’, suki desu
‘I like’, amari suki ja arimasen ‘I don’t like very much’, kirai desu ‘I dislike’, dai-kirai
desu ‘I loathe’.

(Watashi wa) sashimi ga dai-suki desu.

I love raw fish.

Ano sensei ga dai-kirai desu.

I loathe that teacher.

Maiku san wa eiga ga suki desu ne.

Mike likes (going to) movies, doesn’t he?

Sakana ga kirai desu ka.

Don’t you like fish? [Lit: Do you dislike fish?]

Grammar --- O kudasai – Asking for something

• The word kudasai means please give me, although it sounds politer than that in Japanese,
and can be translated into English in several different ways. When you want someone to
give you something – for example in a resturant, or when shopping – simply say what you
want and add o kudasai.

Sumimasen, mizu o kudasai.

Excuse me, could I have some water, please?

A: Nani o nomimasu ka.

What would you like to drink? [Lit: What will you drink?]

B: Wain o kudasai.
Wine, please.

Mainichi Shinbun o kudasai.

I’d like the Mainichi Newspaper please.

29
Grammar --- Moshi moshi – Telephone phrases

• Here are some commonly used telephone phrases:

Moshi moshi Hello?

Tanaka san desu ka. Is this Mr.Tanaka?
Tanaka san wa irasshaimasu ka. Is Mr.Tanaka there?
Tanaka san onegai shimasu. Mr. Tanaka, please.
Harisu desu. This is (Mr.) Harris.
Sumisu Enjiniaringu no Harisu desu. This is (Mr.) Harris, from Smith Engineering.

• The following phrases are all polite ways of finishing a telephone conversation.

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Please treat me well.

Shitsurei shimasu. Excuse me.
Gomen kudasai.Pardon me for any inconvenience.

Grammar --- Imasu and Arimasu – to be

• The verbs imasu (from iru) and arimasu (from aru) both mean to be/exist but there is a
very important difference between them. Imasu is used only to refer to the existence or
location of animate objects. Arimasu is used only to refer to inanimate objects.

Kyō no shinbun wa doko ni arimasu ka. Watanabe san wa doko ni imasu ka.
Where’s today’s newspaper? Where’s Mr. Watanabe?

Uchi ni terebi ga arimasen. Uchi ni inu ga imasen.

We don’t have a televison at home. We don’t have a dog at home.
[Lit: At home, there isn’t a televison.] [Lit: At home, there isn’t a dog.]

Grammar --- Mada – Still or Not yet

• When mada is followed by a positive verb, it can be translated as still in the sense of
something remaining as it was some time ago.

Gohan wa mada takusan arimasu.

There’s still a lot of rice.

Maiku san wa mada gakkō ni imasu ka.

Is Mike still at the school?

• When mada is followed by a negative verb, it can usually be translated as (not) yet.

Nihongo ga mada wakarimasen.

I don’t understand Japanese yet.

Takushii wa mada kimasen ne.

The taxi hasn’t come yet, has it?

• The phrase Mada desu by itself means Not yet.

30
Grammar --- Suggesting with Mashou

• If you want to suggest doing something, then the way to express it is to change the final –
masu of the verb to -mashō. This usually corresponds to Lets – in English.

Ashita Yokohama e ikimashō.

Let’s go to Yokohama tomorrow.

Kā rajio o kikimashō.
Let’s listen to the car radio.

Kōhii o nomimashō.
Let’s have [Lit: drink] some coffee.

• If you turn it into a question, then it becomes the equivalent of Shall we –? or Shall I -?

Kyō wa nani o shimashō ka.

What shall we fo today?

Nani o tabemashō ka. Skana ni shimashō ka.

What shall we eat? Shall we have fish?

Grammar --- Kimasu vs. Ikimasu – come and go

• The verbs kimasu (come) and ikimasu (go) are sometimes used in a slightly different way
from English. Ikimasu means to leave where you are now, regardless of where you’re
going, whereas English go means to leave where you are now and go anywhere except
where the person you are speaking to is.

A: Ashita, watashi no uchi ni kimasu ka.

Are you coming over to my house tomorrow?

B: Hai, ikimasu. Nan-ji ni ikimashō ka.

Yes, I am. What time shall I come [Lit: go]?

Grammar --- Emphasizing with Yo

• The particle yo at the end of a sentence doesn’t have any meaning in itself, but is used to
give the sentence emphasis, so it acts like an exclamation mark in English.

Watashi no sūtsukēsu desu. Watashi no sūtsukēsu desu yo.

It’s my suitcase. Hey, it’s my suitcase!

Ii desu. Ii desu yo.

It’s okay. Hey, it’s okay!

31
Grammar --- Verbs which use Shimasu

• The are a number of verbs which are made up of a noun with shimasu. Here are some of
them. The particle o is optional.

benkyō benkyō (o) shimasu

study, work to study

denwa denwa (o) shimasu

a telephone to telephone, call

shigoto shigoto (o) shimasu

work, employment to work

tenisu tenisu (o) shimasu

tennis to play tennis

hanashi hanashi (o) shimasu

a talk, conversation to have a conversation

Ashita, tomodachi to tenisu o shimasu.

I’m going to play tennis with a friend tomorrow.

Itō san wa tokodoki shichi-ji made shigoto shimasu.

Mr. Itō sometimes works ntil 7:00.

Grammar --- Asking for favor - Onegai shimasu

• The phrase onegai shimasu can be used instead of kudasai when you are asking for
something.

Kōhii o onegai shimasu./ Kōhii o kudasai.

Coffe, please.

• It can also mean Please do that, when used in reponse to someone offering to do
something for you.

A: Ashita denwa shimashō ka.

Shall I phone (you) tomorrow?

B: Hai, onegai shimasu.

Yes, please.

32
Grammar --- Mō - Already and (Not) any more

• When mō is used with a positive verb, it corresponds to the English already, indicating that
something is not in the same condition it was a while ago.

Mō jū-ji desu.
It’s already 10:00.

Kenji san wa mō daigakusei desu ka.

Is Kenji at university [Lit: a university student] already?

• When mō is used with a negative verb, it corresponds to (not) any more.

Mō sono resutoran e wa ikimasen.

I’m not going to that resturant any more.

Mondai wa mō arimasen.
I don’t have any problems any more.

Grammar --- -te kudasai – Making requests

• When the Te-form is followed by kudasai, it is a way of asking someone to do something.

Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.

Please speak slowly.

Konban denwa shite kudasai.

Please call me this evening.

Sensei no hanashi o kite kudasai.

Listen to what the teacher has to say.

Grammar --- Gozaimasu – we have

• When talking about family members, vocabulary can differ markedly in Japanese,
depending on who you are talking to, the degree of fomality of the situation and even the
relative age of the people talking. In situations which demand a high degree of curtesy,
such as a sales assistant in a department store talking to a customer, or staff in a
prestigious hotel talking to a quest, the speaker is likely to use the very formal and humble
gozaimasu instead of arimasu.

A: Kono hoteru ni wa, fakkusu ga arimasu ka. B: Hai, gozaimasu.

Do you have a fax in this hotel? Yes, we do.

• In the same way, de gozaimasu is used in formal situations instead of desu.

A: Sumimasen, kono sētā wa ikura desu ka.
Excuse me, how much is this sweater?
B: Sore wa kyū-sen en de gozaimasu.
It’s 9,000 yen.

33
Grammar --- Understanding Directions

• Here are some useful sentences for giving and understanding directions.

Koko made onegai shimasu.

(As you hand over the map and directions of where you want to go)
To this place, please.

Massugu itte kudasai.

Please go straight ahead.

Mō sukoshii massugu itte kudasai.

Please go a little futher ahead.

Koko de migi ni magatte kudasai.

Please turn right here.

Shingō de hidari ni magatte kudasai.

Please turn left at the traffic lights.

Tsugi no shingō de migi ni magatte kudasai.

Please turn right at the next traffic lights.

Tsugi no kado de tomete kudasai.

Please stop at the next corner.

Koko de ii desu.
This [Lit: here] is fine.

Hidari-sawa ni arimasu.
It’s on the left-hand side.

Gakkō wa migi-gawa ni arimasu.

The school is on the right-hand side.

34
Grammar --- Uses of deshō

• The word deshō has its origins in desu, but it has different nuances depending on the
situation and intonation used, When it is used in a question, and followed by ka, it is the
equivalent of I wonder… , so it makes the question less direct.

Kore wa nan desu ka. Kore wa nan deshō ka.

What’s this? I wonder what this is?

Kaigi wa nan-ji desu ka. Kaigi wa nan-ji deshō ka.

What time is the meeting? I wonder what time the meeting is?

• When it is used with rising intonation, it is asking for agreement of the person being spoken
to, so it is similar to ne, but softer and less direct.

Are wa Watanabe san no uchi deshō.

That’s Mr. Watanabe’s house, right?

Nihongo wa muzukashii deshō.

Japanese is difficult, isn’t it?

• When the intonation is falling at the end of the sentence, it shows that the speaker is
almost, but not completely, sure of his facts, so is making an assumption. This kind of
sentence is often translated into English words such as probably, must be, almost certainly.

Hokkaidō wa ima samui deshō.

It’s probably cold in Hokkaido now.

Sono saizu wa daijōbu deshō.

I guess that size will be okay.

• Deshō can also be used instead of desu when you want to be extra polite.

Sumimasen ga, Tanaka san deshō ka.

Excuse me, but would you be Mr. Tanaka?

Grammar --- Motto yasui, Motto ōkii – cheaper and bigger

• To describe something as bigger, smaller, more expensive, cheaper, etc… , in Japanese,

simply put motto (more) in front of the appropriate word, which is the equivalent of saying
more big, more small, more quiet.

Sumimasen ge, motto chiisai no wa arimasu ka.

Excuse me, but do you have a smaller one?

Kono buraun no jaketto wa suki desu ga, sono kuroi no wa motto suki desu.
I like this brown jacket, but I like that black one more.
Tsugi no tesuto wa motto muzukashii deshō.
The next test will probably be more difficult.

35
Grammar --- Itsumo, tokidoki– always, sometimes and other words of frequency

• Here are some of the most commonly-used words of frequency that are usful. They usually
come before the verb, but they also can be used to begin the sentence or phrase.

itsumo yoku tokidoki amari zenzen

always often sometimes not often never, not at all

Ani wa ima daigakusei desu ga, zenzen benkyō shimasen.

My elder brother is a university student now, but he never does any work.

Itsumo ginkō no tonari no resutoran de hiru-gohan o tabemasu.

We always eat lunch at the restautant next to the bank.

Grammar --- … Mo… Mo – Both … and …

• Sentences with … mo … mo are the eauivalent of both…and… when in the positive, and
neither…nor… when in the negative.

Osake me biiru mo nomimasu ka. Dakara atama ga itai desu yo.

You drank (both) sake and beer? That’s why you have a headache!

Kōhii mo o-cha mo nomimasen.

I don’t drink (either) coffee or green tea.

Grammar --- Joining senteces with Kedo – but

• The word kedo (and it’s more formal varitations keredo and keredomo) is used to join
sentences together with the meaning but, and always ends the first part of the sentence,
before the comma. It can sometimes be used instead of ga (but), but kedo is the only one
that can be used in the sense of although.

Tenisu wa dai-suki desu kedo, amari jōzu ja arimasen.

Although I really like tennis, I’m not good.

• When an i-adjective is followed by kedo, the desu which usually comes after such an
adjective can be omitted.

Sono o-sake wa oishii kedo, chotto takai desu.

That sake is delicious, but it’s very expensive.

36
Grammar --- Joining senteces with the Te-form

• The Te-form of verbs can be used to link two or more sentences together, and can often
be translated as and. The Te-form can be used in the middle of a sentence regardless of
whether the event it describes happened in the past, is happening now, or will happen in
the future, because it is the verb at the end of the sentence that shows the overall tense of
the sentence.

Doyōbi no asa ni Tōkyō e ikimashita. +

Atarashii sūtsu o kaimashita. =
Doyōbi no asa ni Tōkyō e itte, atarashii sūtsu o kaimashita.
On Saturday morning I went to Tokyo, and bought a new suit.

• Here are some examples of how the te-form is used in this way.

Ashita Pari ni itte, asatte wa Roma ni ikimasu. Tsukaremasu yo.

I go to Paris tomorrow, and Rome the next day. I’m going to be tired!

Kinō no yoru, uchi ni ite, bideo o mimashita.

Yesterday evening, I stayed home and watched a video.

• The equivalent form for desu is de.

Getsuyōbi no yoru wa yakyū no renshū desu. +

Kanyōbi wa tenisu no renshū desu. =
Getsuyōbi no yoru wa yakyū no renshū de, kanyōbi wa tenisu no renshū desu.
Monday evening is baseball practice, and Tuesday is tennis practice.

Watashi wa Eigo ga heta desu. +

Hazukashii desu. =
Watashi wa Eigo ga heta de, hazukashii desu.
I’m embrassed because I’m bad at Einglish. [Lit: I’m bad at English, and I’m
embarassed.]

Grammar --- ... ga jōzu desu – is good at…

• With the words jōzu (good at) and heta (poor at), it’s the thing that you are good or bad
at that takes the subject particle ga. The person who is good or bad at it, is shown by wa.

Ogawa san wa Eigo ga jōzu desu ne.

Ms. Ogawa is good at English, isn’t she?

37
Grammar --- Hazukashikute – joining i-agjectives with -kute

• In Japanese when you want to link to link several simple sentences together you can link
them with the te-form of verbs (Pari ni itte, tanoshikatta desu). It is similar when joinging
sentences which end in i-adjectives: drop the final –i and then add –kute.

Omoshiroi eiga deshita. + Ii eiga deshita. =

Omoshirokute, ii eiga dehita.
It was a good, interesting movie.
[Lit: I was an interesting and good movie.]

Sūgaku wa muzukashii desu. + Sūgaku wa suki ja arimasen. =

Sūgaku wa muzukashikute, suki ja arimasen.
Mathematics is difficult, and I don’t like it.

• [Note] in some cases, the ifrst part of the sentence is giving a reason for what is stated in
the second part.

Atama ga itakute, ku-ji han ni nemashita.

I had a headache, and (so) I went to bed at 9:30.

Sensei no kotae wa nagakute, wakarimasen deshita.

The teacher’s answer was long, and I didn’t understand it.

Tenki ga warukute, zenzen deshita.

The weather was bad, and it’s a pity.

Grammar --- Mada atte inai – not yet

• When something hasn’t yet happened, it is often described using the –te imasen/-te inai
form.

Kiru-gohan wa mada tabete imasen.

I haven’t eaten luch yet.

Taiiku no sensei wa mada kite imasen.

The physical education teacher isn’t here yet.

38
Grammar --- to omoimasu – I think

• The phrase for I think – to moimasu – is often added to the end of a sentence when giving
an opinion. There is no need to make changes to the sentence which is expressed as the
thought, except any verbs are put into the plain form, and the i-adjective don’t need to be
followed by desu.

Sore wa zannen desu. Sore wa zennen da to moimasu.

That’s a pity. I think that’s a pity.

Takahashi san wa kimasen. Takahashi san wa konai to omoimasu.

Ms. Takahashi isn’t coming. I think Ms.Takahashi isn’t coming.

• If you want to talk about what someone else is thinking, then it’s usual to use omotte
imasu.

Maiku san wa, Nihon wa ii kuni da to omotte imasu.

Mike thinks that Japan is a great country.

• Both kangaeru and omou may be tranlated as think. Omou is used when you are talking
about an opinion or feeling, whereas kangaeru means to consider/think about.

Nani o kangaete imasu ka. What are you thinking about?

Grammar --- Sashimi ya sushi ya – Sashimi and sushi, etc…

• The word ya, like to, means and when used to join a list of items, but when ya is used, it
implies that the items you have mentioned are just a sample. and that there are others on
the list that you haven’t mentioned. (To make this meaning more obvious, you can also add
nado, et cetera, if you wish.)

Sono gakkō de Eigo ya Furansugo ya Doitsugo (nado) o oshiete imasu.

At that school they teach English, French, German, and the like.

Kyōto ya Nara (nado) e ikimashita.

I went to Kyoto, Nara, etc…

39
Grammar --- …koto ga dekimasu – can/be able to

• There are several ways of saying can, be able to in Japanese, but the easiest way is to add
koto ga dekimasu to the plain form of the verb. It literally means –ing is possible.

Maiku san wa kanji o kaku koto ga dekimasu ka.

Mike, can you write kanji characters?

Kore o zenbu taberu koto ga dekinai to omoimasu.

I can’t eat all this, I think.

• In case where it is obvious what the verb is going to be, it isn’t necessary to mention it
(you don’t need the verb or koto).

Nihongo ga dekimasu ka.

Can you (speak) Japanese?

Piano ga dekimasu ka.

Can you (play) the piano?

Grammar --- Issho ni shimasen ka – Invitations, using a negative verb

• When you want to invite someone to do something, a polite way of doing so is to use a
negative question, in other words, one ending in –masen ka.

Raishū no doyōbi wa tanjōbi no pātii o shimasu ga, Maiku san mo kimasen ka.
I’m having a birthday party next Saturday – would you like to come mike?

Mo sukoshi nomimasen ka.

Would you like a little more to drink?

Grammar --- Talking about Periods of time

• To talk about something which has been going on for some time, simply use the –te imasu
form. This corresponds to the have/has been –ing form in English.

Ni-nen-kan Nihongo o benkyō shite imasu.

I have been studying Japanese for two years.

Chōdo ichi-nen-kan kono uchi ni sunde imasu.

I’ve been living in this house for just a year.

San-ji han kara denwa de hanashite imasu yo.

She’s been talking on the phone since 3:30!

40
Grammar --- Questions foreigners are often asked

• Here are some questions that you will be likely asked several times in Japan, with some
possible responses.

Q: Nan-sai desu ka./O-ikutsu desu ka.

How old are you?
A: Jū-nana-sai desu./Ni-jū-kyū-sai desu./Go-jū-sai desu.
I’m seveteen./I’m twenty-nine./I’m fifty.

Q: Kuni wa dochira desu ka.

What country are you from?
A: Amerika kara desu./Amerikajin desu.
I’m from the USA./I’m American

Q: Amerikajin desu ka.

Are you American?
A: Hai, sō desu./Iie, Igirisujin desu.
Yes, I am./No, I’m British.

Q: Nihon o dō omoimasu ka.

What do you think of Japan?
A: Dai-suki desu./Hito ga ōi desu ne./Ii kuni da to omoimasu.
I like it very much./It’s very crowded, isn’t it?/I think it’s a great country.

Q: Itsu Nihon e kimashita ka.

When did you come to Japan?
A: Senshū no kayōbi ni kimashita./Ichi-nen mar ni kimashita.
Last week’s Tuesday./A year ago

Q: Itsu made Nihon ni imasu ka.

When are you in Japan until?
A: Raishū no mokuyōbi made desu.
Until next week’s Thursday.

Q: Nihon no jōsei/densei o dō omoimasu ka.

What do you think of Japanese women/men?
A: Totemo kirei/shinsetsu/hanasmu da to omoimasu.
They’re very beautiful/kind/handsome.

41
 Q: O-hashi wa daijōbu desu ka.
Are you okay with chopsticks?
A: Hai, daijōbu desu.
Yes, I’m fine.

Q: O-hashi wa jōzu desu ne.

You’re good at (using) chopsticks.
A: Arigatō.
Thank you.

Q: Sashimi to taberu koto ga dekimasu ka.

Can you eat raw fish?
A: Hai, dai-suki desu.
Yes, I like it very much.

Q: Kekkon shite imasu ka./O-hitori desu ka.

Are you married?/Are you single?
A: Hai, sō desu./Iie, mada desu./Iie, kekkon shite imasu./ Rikkon shite imasu.
Yes, Iam./No, not yet./No, I’m married./I’m divorced.

Grammar --- Ichiban - superlatives

• If you want to say that something is biggest, or best, or faster, or most beautiful, then all
you need to do is add ichiban (number one or most) before the relevant adjective.

Nihon de ichiban takai yama wa Fuji-san desu.

The highest mountain in Japan is Mount Fuji.

Kurasu no naka de, dare ga ichiban wakai desu ka.

Who’s the youngest in the class?

Ichiban suki-na tokoro wa doko desu ka.

What is your favorite place?

42
Grammar --- Describing how something looks

• To describe how something looks or appears to be, add -sō to the appropriate adjective.
With I-adjectives, you need to drop the final –i first. This is the equivalent of saying it
looks…, seems…

Hashi wa muzukashi-sō da kedo, jitsu wa muzukashiku arimasu.

Chopsticks look difficult (to use), but in fact they’re not (diffcult).

Wada san no atarashii sūtsu o mite judasai yo. Taka-sō desu ne.
Hey, look at Mr.Wada’s new suit. It looks expensive, doesn’t it!

• The –sō form of ii/yoi is irregular: yosa-sō (looks good).

Kono kissaten wa yosa-sō desu yo. Hairimashō.

This coffee shop looks good. Let’s go in.

Katō sensei wa atama ga yosa-sō desu ne.

Mr. Katō looks clever, doesn’t he?

• This pattern is also useful for describing how you think some else is feeling, as it is
generally considered that you can’t really know how they’re feeling, only how they appear
to be feeling.

Fumiko chan wa tomodachi ga takusan iru keo, itsumo sabishi-sō desu ne.
Fumiko has lots of friends, but she always looks lonely, doesn’t she?

Watanba san wa atama ga ita-sō desu ne. Daijōbu deshō ka.

Mr. Watanabe looks as if he has a headache. I wonder if he’s all right.

Maiku san wa kyō ureshi-sō desu ne.

Mike looks happy, doesn’t he?

Grammar --- Plain form + No Desu

• When a sentence ends in no desu, or more colloquially n’desu, it often indicates that the
speaker is explaining something, or asking for an explanation of something. It is also
sometimes used to indicate emphasis, so it can be shown in the sorresponding English with
an explamation mark. N’ desu can follow the plain form of a verb, an I- or Na-adjective
(with the –na endng). Pronounce it as if the n’ ends the previous word (e.g. takai n’ desu
= takain desu).

Iroiro-na mondai ga arimasu. Dō suru n’ desu ka.

There are all sort of problems, aren’t there? What are you going to do?

Nani o shite iru n’desu ka.

What are you doing?

Kono terebi wa mō dame-na n’ desu yo. Atarashii no o kaimashō.

This Tv is no good any more! Let’s buy a new one.

43
Grammar --- Plain form + Kara - Because

• When you want to explain the reason for something (in other words, where you might say
because or so in English), the word you need is kara. It can some after the plain form of
the verb or an I-adjective. Note that kara comes at the end of the first part of the
sentence bfore the comma, so it’s the first part of the sentence that is giving the reason,
and the second part that gives the result.

Skinkansen de itta kara, jikan ga amari kakarimasen deshita.

Because we went by Shinkansen, it didn’t take very long.

Katō san wa hansamu de, shinsetsu-na hito da kara, gārufurendo ga ōi deshō.

Mr. Katō is handsome, and a kind man, so I’m sure he has many girlfriends!

• As in English, it is possible to say only the part of the sentence giving the reason.

A: Saitō san wa sabishi-sō desu ne.

Ms. Saitō looks lonely, doen’t she?
B: Ē, bōifurendo ga ima Igirisu ni iru kara.
Yes, because her boyfriend is in Britain at the moment.

Grammar --- Donna – what kind of?

• This word belongs to another group of ko-, so-, a-, and do- words. They are konna (this
kind of), sonna (that kind of), anna (that kind of [not connected to either of us]), and
donna (what kind of?).

Nihon no fuyu wa donna tenki desu ka.

What kind of wheater is it in Japan in the winter?

Sonna shitsumon ni kotaeru koto ga dekimasen.

I can’t answer that kind of question.

Konna resutoran wa iya desu ne.

This kind of resterant is horrible, isn’t it?

Anna hito wa dai-kirai desu.

I loathe that sort of person.

• These words can also be used in front of adjective to mean this much, to this extent, etc…,
in which case they need to be followed by ni.

Kongetsu, sonna ni isogashiku arimasen.

This month, we’re not that busy.

Konna ni atsui hi wa amari nai n’desu ne!

We don’t hany many days this hot, do we!

44
Grammar --- to iimashita – Reported speech

• The verb iimasu (plain form: iu) means say, speak, report, so it is often used to relate
what someone else has said. In such a case, it is preceded by the particle to, which signals
a quotation.

Maiku san wa, “Kayaku hashiru koto ga dekimasen,” to iimashita ga, jitsu wa
totemo hayai desu.
Mike said, “I can’t run fast,” but in fact he’s very fast.

• In reported speech, when you’re talking about what someone else said rather than quoting
their actual words, simply put everything that was said into the plain form.

Maiku san wa, ashita yakyū o suru to iimashita.

[= Maiku san wa, “Ahita yakyū o shimasu,” to iimashita.]
Mike said he’s playing baseball tomorrow.

• The particle to is also used with other verbs which show some sort of quotation, such as
kiku (ask, hear), omou (think), kaku (write), and kotaeru (reply).

Haha wa, Ohaio wa ima totemo atsui, to tegami ni kakimashita.

My mother wrote in her letter that it’s very hot in Ohio now.

• It’s common to leave out da when reporting on questions.

Kyō wa jū-san-nichi ka to kikimashita ka.

He asked if it was the 13th today.

• When you are talking about what someone else says in the present tense, then it’s usual to
use the –te iru form.

Takahashi san wa tsukareta to itte imasu.

Ms. Takahashi says she’s tired.

Grammar --- Eigo de nan to iimasu ka – What do you say in English?

• The verb iimasu is useful for when you want to ask how to say something in English or
Japanese.

A: Sensei, sumimasen ga, ‘the fall’ wa Nihongo de

nan to iimasu ka.
Teacher, excuse me, but how do you say “the fal;” in Japanese?

B: “Aki” to iimasu.
It’s “aki”.

“Tegami” o Eigo de “letter” to iimasu ka.

For “tegami,” do you say “letter” in English?

45
Grammar --- Marking alternatives

• The particle ka is used to mark alternative, so it is similar to the English or when it somes
between nouns.

Buchō ka kachō ga sore o kimeta hō ga ii to omoimasu.

I think it’s best if the department chief or the section chief decides that.

Doyōbi ka nichiyōbi ni ikimasu.

I’ll go on Saturday or Sunday.

Sono koto ni tsuite, Wada san ka Tanaka san to sōdan shite kudasai.
Whit regard to that matter, please consult Mr. Wada or Mr. Tanaka.

Kōra ka kōhii ga hoshii desu.

I want some cola or coffee.

Grammar --- Asking permission

• When you want to ask permission to do something, add mo ii desu ka to the te-form,
which is like saying –ing, is it alright? A positive answer to such a request can simply be
Hai, ii desu or Hai, -te mo ii desu.

A: Sumimasen ga, koko ni suwatte mo ii desu ka.

Excuse me, but is it all right if I sit here?
B: Ie desu. Dōzo.
Yes, please go ahead.

Nihongo de setsumei shite mo ii desu ka.

Is it okay to explain it in Japanese?

Haha wa, itte mo ii to iimashita ga, chichi wa dame da to iimashita.

My mother said I could go, but my father said I could’t. [Lit: … said it was no good]

• When you want to ask if it’s all right not to do something, then find the negative –nai
verb form (ikanai, don’t go) , and change it to –nakute. Then add the ending –mo ii
desu.

A: Kore o zenbu tabenakute mo ii desu ka.

Is it all right if I don’t eat all of this?
B: Hai, (tabenakute mo) ii desu yo.
Yes, it’s all right (if you don’t eat it).

Issho ni ikanakute mo ii desu ka.

Is it all right if I don’t go with you?

• You can also use this pattern to give permission, as well as ask for it.

Namae to jūsho o kakanakute mo ii desu.

It’s all right not to write your name and address.

46
Grammar --- Refusing permission

• To refuse permission, again find the te-form of the verb, and then add wa ikemasen. The
word ikemasen means musn’t, forbidden, bad, so this is a very strong refusal.

Sono heya ni haitte wa ikemasen yo.

Hey, you musn’t go into that room.

Nihongo no jūgyō de wa, Eigo de hanashite wa ikemasen.

In the Japanese class, you musn’t speak in Englsih.

Grammar --- Other Advice

• To make a strong suggestion that someone do something, add hō ga ii to the plain past
form of the verb, that is the ta-form. This is the Equivalent of: you’d better…, you ought
to…, or it would be best if you…

Tsukareta n’desu ka. Ja konban kayaku neta hō ga ii desu ne.

You’re tired? Well, you’d better go to bed early tonight.

Atsui toki ni, eakon o kaetta hō ga ii to omoimasu yo.

It’s probaly best to use an air conditioner when it’s hot.

• If you want to suggest that someone shouldn’t do something, then add hō ga ii to the –
nai form of the verb. (plain negative)

Sonna ni hayaki okoranai hō ga ii desu yo.

You shouldn’t get angry so quickly.

Ano hito wa o-kyaku san da kara, kare to kenka shinai hō ga ii desu yo!
He’s a customer, so it would be best if you don’t argue with him!

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Grammar --- Prepositions

• When you are talking about the location of something in Japanese, instead of saying, for
example, “underneath the table” you say the equivalent of “the table’s underneath” (tēburu
no shita). Here are some common words for describing the location of something or
someone:

ue – on, on top, above soba – nearby, by the side

shita – below, under mae – in front of
naka – in, inside ushiro – behind
tonari – next to soto – outside
aida – between chikaku – near

Kissaten wa ginkō to yūbinkyoku no aida ni arimasu.

The coffee shop is between the bank and the post office.

Eki no mae de aimashō.

Let’s meet in front of the station.

Tanaka san kara no tegami wa wāpuro no ue ni atta kedo, ima doko deshō ka.
The letter from Mr.Tanaka was on top of the word processor, but where is it now?

Saitō san no apāto wa ichiban ue ni arimasu.

Ms. Satō’s apartment is right at the top.

Grammar --- Mi ni iku – go to see

• Just as in English we can say go to see, go to buy, go to eat, etc… , so in Japanese it is

possible to create phrases with the same kind of meaning. Just remove the –masu from
the masu-form of the verb, and add ni iku. Here are some examples:

shi ni iku - go to do
tabe ni iku - go to eat
nomi ni iku - go to have a drink
kai ni iku - go to buy
ai ni iku - go to meet
mi ni iku - go to see

Nomi ni ikimashō.
Let’s go for a drink.

Ashita no asa tomodacgu to issho ni tenisu o shi ni ikimasu.

I’m going to play tennis with some friends tomorrow morning.

Kinō Yokohama e atarashii sūtsu o kai ni itta kedo, taihen takakute, kaimasen
deshita.
Yesterday I went to Yokohama to buy a new suit, but they were really expensive, so I
didn’t buy one.

48
Grammar --- Ni tsuite – regarding or concerning

• The phrase ni tsuite means regarding, concerning, about and comes after the thing to
which it refers.

Kachō kara no memo ni tsuite shitsumon ga arimasu ga.

I have a question concerning the memo from the section chief.

Kyō no kaigi wa nan ni tsuite desu ka.

What’s today’s meeting about?

Grammar --- Yotei – making plans

• The word yotei is very useful for when you are discussing plans and schedule. When it
comes after the plain form of a verb, it is the equivalent of I plan to (do).

Shachō no ashita no yotei wa nan desu ka.

What’s the persident’s schedule for tomorrow?

Kotoshi no natsu yasumi ni wa, gaikoku e iku yotei desu.

For my summer vacation this year, my plan is to go abroad.

A: Ashita no asa wa aite imesu ka.

Are you free tomorrow?
B: Sumimasen ga, ashita wa Yokohama no shisha ni
yoru yotei desu kara, chotto muzukashii desu.
I’m sorry, but tomorrow I’m scheduled to drop by at the Yokohama
branch office, so it’s a bit difficult.

Grammar --- Ikitai – I want to go and other desires

• To express a wish or desire to do something, replace -masu from the masu-form with
–tai. Here are some examples:

iku - ikimasu - ikitai want to go

taberu - tabemasu - tabetai want to eat
hanasu - hanashimasu - hanashitai want to talk
kau - kaimasu - kaitai want to buy
uru - urimasu - uritai want to sell
suru - shimasu - shitai want to do

• The –tai form is generally used to talk about you own wishes and wants, or to ask
someone else about their feelings. It is not used to describe what someone else wants,
though. To get around this you can say the equivalent to: I think he wanys to…, He said
that he wants to…, I heard that he wants to…, etc…

Maiku san wa , keiyaku ni tsuite hanashitai to iimashita.

Mike said, he wants to talk about the contract.

49
 Wada san wa kotoshi gaikoku e ikitai to itte imasu.
Mr. Wada says that he wants to go abroad this year.

Sukoshi dake tabetai n’desu.

I only want to eat a little.

Shachō kara no memo ni tsuite kikitai n’ desu ga.

I’d like to ask you about the memo from the president.

• The –tai ending acts in the same way as I-adjectives, so it has a negative form which
ends in –taku arimasen, for talking about things you don’t want to do, and a past form
which ends in –takatta desu, for talking about what you wated to do previously

Sono koto ni tsuite kenka o shitaku nai n’ desu yo.

Hey, I don’t want to argue about that!

Ichi-nichi yasumi o torikatta kedo, taihen isogashikute, toru koto ga dekimasen deshita.
I wanted to take a day off, but I couldn’t because I was extremly busy.

• The –tai form is a verb ending showing that you want to do something. If, however, you
want a thing, then you need the –i adjective hoshii. As with –tai, you need to use phrases
like I think that…, He said that…, etc… , if you are describing what someone else wants.
(Note that wa marks the person who wants the object, and ga marks whatever it is they
want.)

Watashi wa atarashii wāpuro ga hoshii desu ga, o-kane ga nai kara, dame desu.
I want a new word processor, but I don’t have any money, so it’s impossible.

Kanojo wa, bōifurendo ga hoshii to iimashita.

She said she wants a boyfriend.

Tanjōbi ni wa, nani ga hashii desu ka.

For your birthday, what would you like?

Saitō san wa motto nagai yasumi ga hoshii to iimashita.

Mrs. Saitō said she wants a longer vacation.

50
Grammar --- Shinaide kudasai – please don’t

• When you want to ask someone not to do something you start with the negative –nai form,
and then add –de kudasai.

Sō shinaide kudasai.
Please don’t do that.

Sono repōto o mada buchō ni dasanaide kudasai.

Don’t give that report to the (department) chief yet, please.

Grammar --- Tsumori – talking about intentions

• The word tsumori means intention, so the sentence-ending tsumori desu after the plain
form of a verb can usually be translated as intend to do or mean to do.

Sore wa mondai desu ne. Dō suru tsumori desu ka.

That’s a problem, isn’t it? What do you intend to do?

Sono keikaku ni tsuite Watanabe san to hanasu tsumori datta ga, wasuremashita.
I meant to talk to Mr. Watanabe about the project, but I forgot.

Grammar --- Arimasu vs. Motte masu – having and holding

• The verb motsu means hold, but you will usually come across it in the –te iru form, when
it means posses, hold, have. Both aru and motsu can be tranlated into English as have,
but aru is used when somethind exists, whereas motsu includes the nuance of possession.

Denwa ga arimasu ka. Denwa o motte imasu ka.

Do you have/Is there a phone? Do you possess a phone?

Sono shachō kara no memo o motte imasu ka.

Do you have that memo from the president?

51
Grammar --- -ta koto ga arimasu ka – have you ever…?

• This phrase using the plain past form (-ta) of the verb followed by koto ga arimasu ka is
used when you are asking someone about their experiences, so it is the equivalent of the
English Have you ever…? Koto means thing/event and coupled with the past form of a verb
you can think of it as experience, so tabeta koto is experience of eating.

Fuji san ni nobotta koto ga arimasu ka.

Have you ever climbed Mt. Fuji?

Sonna koto o kangaeta koto ga nai n’ desu yo!

I’ve never considered such a thing!

A: Amerika e itta koto ga arimasu ka.

Have you ever been to the USA?
B: Iie, arimasen. Kyonen Kanada e itta kedo,
Amerika wa mada desu.
No, I haven’t. I went to Canada last year, but I haven’t been to
USA yet.
[Lit: …but the USA is not yet.]

Grammar --- -tara – if…

• To make this kid of if sentence in Japanese, just add –ra to the plain past tanse of the verb
(-ta). This is often called the –tara form, as all verbs end in –tara (or occasionally –
dara).

Plain form Plain past -tara form meaning

taberu tabeta tabetara If I/you, etc…, eat
iku itta ittara If you go
kuru kita kitara If you come
aru atta attara If there is
naru natta nattara If it becomes
da datta dattara If it is

O-kanemochi dattara, doko e ikitai to omoimasu ka.

If you were rich, where do you think you’d lik to go?

Soko o migi ni magattara, eki ni demasu.

If you turn right there, you’ll come out at the station.

• With the negativem when you want to talk about is something doesn’t happen, add –ra to
the negative of the plain past tense (the one that ends in –nakatta).

Negative Neg. past -tara form meaning

konai konakatta konkattara If you don’t come
ikanai ikanakattai kanakattara If you don’t go
shinai shinakatta shinakattara If you don’t do
nai nakatta nakattara If there isn’t

52
 Wada san ga sugu konakattara, dō shimasu ka.
If Ms. Wada doesn’t come soon, what will we do?

Jikan da nakattara, shinakute mo ii desu yo.

If you don’t have time, it’s alright if you don’t do it.

• The word moshi, or if, can be added to the beginning of a sentence to alert the listener
early on that this is going to be an if sentence, and it also adds emphasis. However, it is
still necessary to have the –tara verb ending.

Moshi mondai ga attara, oshiete kudasai.

If there are any problems, please let me know.

• The –tara ending can also be added to I-adjectives. Use the past tense –katta ending,
and add –ra.

Takakattara, mochiron kaimasen.

If it’s expensive, of course I won’t buy it.

• You can use the –tara form for making suggestions like How about –ing? or Why don’t we…

Soko de mattara dō desu ka.

Why don’t we wait over there?

• Sometimes the dō desu ka ending is left off, and the meaning merely implied.

Koko de suwattara?
How about we sit here.

• The –tara form can only be used for sentences where the two events mentioned take place
one after the other. Therefore, you can use it for the equivalent of If we go to Tokyo, let’s
visit Michiko, but not for If we go to Tokyo, we should Michiko beforehand. Another way of
making if sentences is with the verb ending –eba.

53
Grammar --- -eba – if we do so

• The verb ending –eba shows another way of making if sentences. To form it start with the
plain form of the verb, drop the final –u and replaces it with –eba.

Plain form -eba form meaning

dekiru dekireba If I can
kaku kakeba If I write
kuru kureba If I come
aru areba If I have

Ame ga fureba, dekakeru yotei o yamemashō.

If it rains, let’s drop the plan to go out.
Minna de sōdan sureba ii to omoimasu.
I think it’s best if we discuss it altogether.

• When you want to talk about a situation if something doesn’t happen, then find the
negative plain form (ending in –nai), drop the final –i and add –kereba.

Plain Neg. -kereba form meaning

ikanai ikanakereba If I don’t go
nai nakereba If there isn’t
wakaranai wakaranakereba If I don’t understand
matte inai matte inakereba If he isn’t waiting

Jikan ga nakereba, shikata ga arimasen.

If you don’t have time, it can’t be helped.
O-sake o yamenakereba byōki ni narimasu yo.
If you don’t quit drinking, you’ll get sick.

• With I-adjectives, drop the final –i and add –kereba. With negatives (atsuku nai, yoku
nai, omoshiroku nai, etc…), do the same thing.

I-adjective -kereba form meaning

atsui atsukereba If it’s hot
hoshi hoshikereba If you want
yoku nai yoku nakereba If it’s not good
samuku nai samuku nakereba If it’s not cold

Ashita tenki ga yokereba, dokoka e ikimashō ka.

If the weather’s nice tomorrow, shall we go somewhere?
Kozutsumi ga sonna ni omoku nakereba, kōkūbin de okutte mo ii desu.
If the parcel isn’t too heavy, it’s okay to send it by airmail.

• The –ba forms for desu are de areba (if it is) and de nakereba (if it isn’t). However, de
areba is fairly formal, and nara is used more often in everyday speech.
Kirai nara, tabenakute mo ii desu. Nichiyōbi de nakereba, iku koto ga dekimasen.
If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. If it’s not a Sunday, I can’t go.

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Grammar --- Dare mo, Doko mo, Nani mo – nobody, nowhere, nothing

• When question words like dare, nani, or doko are followed by mo and a negative verb,
the meanins change from who, what, where to not anyone, not anything, and not
anywhere.

A: Tonari no heya ni dare ga imasu ka.

Who’s in the next room?
B: Dare mo imasen.
No one.

Hoka ni nani mo nakattara, kore de kaigi o owarimashō.

If there isn’t anything else, let’s finnish the meeting here.

Grammar --- Comparisons

• When making a comparison between two things, imagine they’re on two sides (hō) of a
pair of scales, being measured against each other. Then you just need to ask the equivalent
of Which side is fast/slow/expensive?: Dotchi no hō ga hayai/osoi/takai desu ka. The
word dotchi is a common short form of dochira, in this case meaning which one.
• If you want to answer that this one or that one is the faster, then use kotchi (kochira) or
sotchi (sochira): Kotchi no hō ga hayai/osoi/takai desu.

A: Kore to kore to, dotchi no hō ga ii desu ka.

Which is better of these two?
B: Yasui hō o kaimashō.
Let’s buy the cheaper one.

• You might also hear this pattern without no hō.

O-sake to biiru to, dochira ga suki desu ka.

Which to you like, sake or beer?

Grammar --- Samuku natte – It’s getting cold

• The verb naru means become/get so it can be used with adjectives to make phrases such
as get late, become dark, and used with nouns for phrases like become a teacher, become
an adult. With –ii adjectives, drop the final –i and add –ku.

Samuku narimashita ne! Mō sugu fuyu desu yo.

It’s got cold, hasn’t it! It’ll soon be winter!

Osoku natte, sumimasen.

I’m sorry I’m late.
[Lit: It has become late, and I’m sorry.]

• With Na-adjectives and with nouns, add ni.

Kare wa kitto yūmei ni narimasu yo. Ōkiku nattara, nani ni naritai n’ desu ka.
He’s definitely going to become famous. When you grow up, what do you want to be?

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Grammar --- Dareka – someone

• Adding –ka to the end of question words such as are, itsu, nani, and doko is a bit like
putting some in front of equivalent words in English (or in the case of questions and
negatives, any).

Gomen kudasai! Dareka imasu ka.

Excuse me! Is there anyone there?

Itsuka Hokkaidō e ikitai ne.

I want to go to Hokkaido sometime.

• Note that the particles o and ga are usually dropped after these words.

Grammar --- Au mae ni – before meeting

• In order to talk about one event happening before another, use mae ni (before) after the
plain form of the verb. You can use the present tense of the plain form (iku, taberu, suru,
etc…), whether you’re talking about two events in the past, present, or future.

Watashi wa neru mae ni, itsumo hon o yomimasu.

Before I go to sleep, I always read a book.

Harau mae ni, kono yōshi ni kakikonde kudasai.

Before you pay, please fill in this form.

Grammar ---Yōji go owatte kara– after the errands are finnished

• When you want to talk about one event happening after another, use the te-form of the
verb with kara.This is the equivalent of saying after –ing, and can be used whether the
second part of the sentence is in the past, present, or future.

Sono shukudai o owatte kara, sugu neta hō ga ii to omoimasu.

After you finish your homework, I think you should go straight to bed.

Shashin ga dekite kara, misete kudasai ne.

When the photographs are done, please show them.

Grammar --- Mazu– first of all

• Use the word mazu (first of all/to begin with) when you are beginning to describe a
sequence of events, instructions, or directions. Other useful words to continure with are
sore kara (and then/after that), soshite (then), sono ato (after that), sono tsuigi ni
(next), saigo ni (finally/at the end).

Mazu Igirisu ni itte, sore kara Furansu ni itte, saigo ni Itaria ni ikimashita. Totemo
tanoshikatta desu yo.
First we went to Britain, then we went to France, and finally we went to Italy. It was
really enjoyable!
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Grammar --- Tame ni– in order to

• The phrase tame ni after a noun means for the benefit of or for the sake of, showing
purpose. The English equivalent is often simply for.

Kono jisho wa gaijin no tame desu.

This dictionary is for (the benefit of) foreigners.

Nihongo no benkyō no tame ni totemo isogashii desu.

I’m very busy with my Japanese studies.

• It can also come after the plain form of the verb, in which case it ia often expressin a
reason, meaning for the purpose of or in order to. Note that in Japanaese, the reason is
given in the first part of the sentence.

Kēki o tsukuru tame ni, tamago o kaimsau.

I’m going to buy some eggs to make a cake.

Kore o miseru tame ni kimashita.

I came to show you this.

Grammar --- -nakereba narimasen– must or have to

• Another use of –nakereba form is to make a pattern when means must/have to. To do
this, add narimasen. which means it’s no good/it won’t do. Then you have –nakereba
narimasen which literally means if you don’t…, it’s no good or in other words you
must/you have to.

Ashita wa o-kyaku ga takusan kuru kara, kyō ichi-nichi-jū ryōri o tsukuranakereba

narimasen.
Tomorrow we have a lot of guests coming, so I have to spend all day today making
food.

Heya ga kitanai desu ne. Sōji shinakereba narimasen.

The room’s dirty, isn’t it. I must clean it.

• The negative don’t have to… is expressed with –nakute mo ii desu.

Kyō owaranakute mo ii desu.

You don’t have to finish it today.

• You may also come across the verb endings –nakereba ikemasen and –nakereba dame
desu, which can be translated as must/have to.

Sore o Ogawa san ni misenakereba dame desu yo.

You must show that to Mr. Ogawa.

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Grammar --- Forming adverbs from adjectives

• To make an adverb (describing how something is done, such as incredibly, cheaply,

quickly) from an I-adjective, drop the final –i and add –ku.

I-adj. meaning Adverb meaning

sugoi incredible sugoku incredibly
yasui cheap yasuku cheaply
hayai quick, early hayaku quickly, early
ii/yoi good, fine yoku well, often

Kōra o sonna ni hayaku nomanaide kudasai.

Don’t drink your cola so quickly.

Mō natsu dakara, ima sukii-uea o totemo yasuku kau koto ga dekimasu.

It’s summer now, so you can buy ski-wear really cheaply.

• With na-adjectives, you don’t need the –na, but follow the word up with ni instead.

Na-adj. meaning Adverb meaning

jōzu skillful jōzu ni skillfully
genki energetic genki ni energetically
kantan simple kantan ni simply

Nihongo no jiko shōkai o totemo jōzu ni shimashita.

He introduced himself very well in Japanese.

Kantan ni setsumei shite kudasai.

Please explain it simply.

Grammar --- katte, yokatta – I’m glad we bought…

• The phrase katte, yokatta actually means we bought, and it was good, but this –te
yokatta ending can usually be thought of as I’m glad that/it’s lucky that/it’s good that.

Sono kozutsumi o kōkūbin de okutte, yokatta desu.

It’s good that you sent that parcel by airmail.

Saikin tenki ga yoku natte, yokatta desu ne.

I’m glad that the weather has got better recently.

• The opposite meaning can be expressed with –te, zannen desu, or it’s a shame/pity that…

Shiteiseki o toru koto ga dekinakute, zannen desu ne.

It’s a shame we couldn’t get reserved seats, isn’t it?

Tanaka san wa issho ni konakute, zannen desu ne.

It’s a pity that Ms. Tanaka didn’t come with us, isn’t it?

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Grammar --- to ieba – talking of…

• The word ieba comes from iu, to talk, and so to ieba means if you’re talking about… This
phrase is used at the beginning of a sentence when you’ve just been reminded of
something you want to talk about.

A: Saitō san no tanjōbi no pātii ni ikimasu ka.

Are you going to Ms. Saitō’s birthday party?

B: Hai, ikimasu yo. A, tanjōbi to ieba, raishū wa

haha no tanjōbi desu. Purezento o kawanakereba
narimasen.
Yes, I am. And talking of birthdays, next week it’s my mother’s
birthday. I must buy her a present.

Grammar --- toki – the time when…

• The word toki by himself means time/occasion but it also often occurs in cases where
English used when/whenever to talk about what is or was happening during a certain period
(for example, whenever it rains…, when I was a student…).

Ame no toki, kibun ga waruku narimasu.

Whenever it rains, I feel miserable.

Tesuto no toki, itsumo takushii ni norimasu.

When I have a test, I always get a headache.

• It can also be used after a verb or verb phrase. Remember that the verb should be in the
plain form.

Densha ga konde iru toki, yoku takushii ni norimasu.

When the trains are crowded, I often take a taxi.

Kōfun shite iru toki, kao ga akaku narimasu.

When I get excited, my face goes red.

Grammar --- Phrases of frequency

• This is the pattern you need when you want to talk about the frequency with which
something happens.

ichi-nichi ni yon-kai four times a day

ni-shūkan ni ik-kai once every two weeks
ik-kagetsu ni ni-kai twice a month
san-kagetsu ni ik-kai once in three months
ichi-nen ni san-kai three times a year
go-nen ni ik-kai once in five years

Atarashii kaisha de wa, rok-kagetsu ni ik-kai Yōroppa e shutchō ni ikimasu.

At my new company, I’ll be going on a business trip to Europe once every six months.
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