MODULE 4 Politeness in Japanese Language

Introduction

In accordance to the politeness tradition that Japanese people upholds to it

name, most people would use masu-form in every conversation. That’s how
they do it. The chance of getting someone to reply back at you with a nice
reaction is when you respect them in conversations. But with certain actions
and places there are also non-polite areas so to speak but in general it is
actually rude to speak without masu even in those areas.

The polite style can be used at any time in any place and to anybody.
Therefore, the polite style is used most commonly in daily conversation
between adults who are not close friends. It is used when talking to a person
one has met for the first time, to one’s superiors, or even to persons in a
similar age group to whom one is not very close. The polite style may be
chosen when one talks to a person who is younger or lower in rank yet not
so close. The plain style is used when talking to one’s close friends,
colleagues and family members. One needs to be careful about how much
politeness is needed, basing this on the age of your conversation partner and
your type of relationship. If the plain style is used inappropriately, you could
sound rough and impolite, so when you cannot tell the situation it is safer to
use the polite style.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module the students should be able to:

• Students will construct conversations in a polite way.

• Initiate a respective way of writing through the use of polite form

• Identify the time, date and quantity of people leaving/arriving.

Lesson 7 ます Form (polite form of the verb)

ごい: おきます (to wake up) あさ(morning)

ねます(to sleep) ひる(afternoon)

はたらきます(work) ばん（よる）(evening)

やすみます (to take a holiday) おととい(day before yesterday)

べんきょうします (to study) きのう(yesterday)

おわります (to end) きょう(today)

デパート (department store) あした(tomorrow)

ぎんこう(bank) あさって(the day after tomorrow)

ゆうびんきょく(post office) なんふん(what minute)

としょかん(library) げんざい(present time)

びじゅつかん(art museum) ～から(~from)

いま(now) ～まで(~until)

～じ(~o’clock) ～と～(and [connect nouns])

～ふん（～ぽん）(~minute) まいばん(every night)

はん(han) まいあさ(every morning)

なんじ(what time) まいにち(every day)

ごご(P.M.) ごぜん(A.M.)

* verbs were written in its Polite Form (masu-form)

Time is important in Japan, every precious hour/minute counts. Here, the

following lesson will give information about how to use verbs.

The vocabulary words above are changed to its “Polite form”, respectively.

In other lessons, sentences which ends with です (desu), でした(deshita), で

はありません(dewa arimasen), ではありませんでした(dewa arimasen deshita), ま

す(masu), ました (mashita), ません (masen), and ませんでした(masen deshita) are

all polite style.

 (Present/Future) Past
Affirmative V-ます (do) V-した (did)
Negative V-ません (not doing) V-せんでした (did not
do)
Take note that in other lessons, the Dictionary form of the verb is commonly used.
For the sake of learning, the Polite form will be applied for now. It will be
explained further in another lesson.

Verb + ます (masu) form means an affirmative or positive statement. It talks about a

habitual action, the present or the future tense. (do [verb])

Ex.

1. あした わたし は べんきょうします。

I will study tomorrow.

2. わたし の ともだち わ まいにち はちーじ ごご に ねます。

My friend sleeps at 8pm every day.

Verb + ません (masen) is the opposite. It is the negative statement. (don’t [verb]).

1. いま わたし は はたらきません.
I am not working now.

2. わたし は あした ろくーじ に おきません.

I won’t wake up at six tomorrow.

The Ni Particle (に) is used when a verb denotes a momentary action or movement. It is
added when the noun before it uses a numeral.
N(time) に V

Ex.
6 じ はん に おきます。
I wake up at six thirty.
から indicates the starting time or place, and まで indicates the finishing time or place.
N1 から N2 まで

Ex.
9 じ から 5 じ まで はたらきます。
I work from nine to five.

The particle と connects two nouns in coordinate relation.

N1 と N2

ぎんこう の やすみは どようび と にちようび です。

The bank is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Listening Exercise:

Activities
1. Listening
2. Real Dialogue

3. Shadowing

4. Reading

Assessment
1. Quiz

2. Writing

Exercises:

1 2 3 4

A. Express the following verbs as shown in the pictures from Japanese to English.

1. _________________________________________
2. _________________________________________

3. _________________________________________
4. _________________________________________
B. Provide the different masu-forms of each picture above. Consult the sample graph for
basis. Answer should be written in Japanese.

Present/Future Past
Affirmative Do Did
Negative Not doing Did not do

1.

2.

3.

4.

C. Translate the following sentences in Japanese:

1．I study everyday.

__________________________________________________________

2．I did not work yesterday.

__________________________________________________________

3．What time did you wake up?

__________________________________________________________

4．Megan and Maria did not sleep yesterday.

__________________________________________________________
Lesson 8 りょこう (Travel)

ごい: いきます(go) せんげつ(last month)

きます(come) こんげつ(this month)

かえります(go home, return) らいげつ(next month)

がっこう (school) きょねん(last year)

スーパー(supermarket) ことし(this year)

えき (station) らいねん(next year)

ひこうき (airplane) ーがつ(-th month of the year)

ふね(ship) なんがつ(what month)

でんしゃ(electric train) いつ(when)

ちかてつ(subway, underground) たんじょうび(birthday)

しんかんせん(Shinkansen, Bullet Train) つぎの(next)

バス(bus) ーにち(-th day of the month, タクシー(taxi) - days)

じてんしゃ（bicycle） なんにち(which day of the

くるま(car) month, how many days)

せんしゅう(last week) あるいて(on foot)

こんしゅう(this week)

らいしゅう(next week)

Travelling to Japan is a very noteworthy experience to potential Tourist

and definitely becomes memorable to them. The following information will
give an idea on how to answer the day/month cycle, the means, and the way
it will be performed. Students will be given a task to identify different
scenarios when travelling. Take note that the masu-form will still be observed
on each sentence construct.
 N (place) へいきます／きます／かえります

When a verb indicates movement to a certain place, the particle へ is put after the place
noun to show the direction of the move. [Note] The particle へ is read え.
Ex.

1. がっこう へ いきます。
I will go to School.
2. フィリピン へ きました。
I came to the Philippines.
3. うち へ かえります。
I will go home.
Sometimes when an interrogative takes the particle も and the verb following it is
negative, all that is represented by the interrogative is denied.

• どこ［へ］も いきませんでした。
I didn’t go anywhere.

N (vehicle) で いきます／きます／かえります

The particle で indicates a means or a method. When verbs denoting movement (いきます／
きます／かえります,etc.) are used with で, which denotes as a means of transportation.
The noun preceding で is a vehicle in this case.

• でんしゃ で いきます。
I’ll go by train.
• タクシー で きました。
I came by taxi.

When you walk somewhere, you use the expression あるいて. In this case, で is
not used.
• えき から あるいて かえりました。
I walked home from the station.

いつ is used when you want to ask about time, the interrogatives using なん such as
なんじ、 なにょうび、 なんにち and なんがつ are used. Other than these, the
interrogative いつ (when) is also used to ask when something will happen/happened. いつ
does not take the particle に.

• いつ にほん へ きましたか。
。。。３がつ２５にちに きました。
When did you come to Japan?
… I came on March 25th.
• いつ としょかん へ いきますか。
。。。らいしゅう いきかす。
When will you go to the Library?
… I’ll go there next week.
Listening Exercise:

Activities
1. Listening
2. Real Dialogue

3. Shadowing 4. Reading

Assessment
1. Quiz

Exercises:
1 2 3 4

NEU

A. Translate the following as shown in the pictures from Japanese.

1. I will go to New Era University.

___________________________________________________

2. Did you go to the library yesterday?

___________________________________________________

3. I came to America.

___________________________________________________

4. I will go to the Bank next week.

___________________________________________________

1 2 3 4
 B. Express the means of transportation that you will use to go to your destination in
Japanese. (I will go to [Place] by [Transport])

1. ___________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________

C. Based on the Pictures on Exercise A, answer the following interrogative questions. Write
your answers in Japanese.

Ex. Q. いつ がっこう え いきましたか。（せんげつ） D.

A. せんげつ がっこう え いきました。

1. いつ ニュー エラ だいがく へ きましたか。(せんしゅう)

__________________________________________________________

2. いつ としょかん え いきますか。（あした）

__________________________________________________________

3. いつ アメリカ へ かえりますか。（らいねん）

__________________________________________________________

4. いつ ぎんこう へ いきましたか。（きのう）

__________________________________________________________

D. Make a timetable of your scheduled daily activities, and rate them in the right
order: your activity, the means and the way it is performed.

MORNING Activities:
*
*
*
NOON Activities:
*
*
*
EVENING Activities:
*
*
*