Lesson Dialogues
Situation
Friends are talking about moving overseas.
PDF version is 
MP3 version is サクラ：あの、ちょっと話聞いてくれる？
サクラ：あの、ちょっと話（はなし）聞（き）いてくれる
Sakura: Um, can I ask you a question?
ミサキ：いいよ。何？
ミサキ：いいよ。何（なに）？
Misaki: Sure, what’s up?
サクラ：私、仕事で日本を出ることになって。でも私子供いるでしょ？一緒に行こうか迷ってて。
サクラ：私（わたし）、仕事（しごと）で日本（にほん）を出（で）ることになって。でも私（わたし）子供（こども）いるでしょ？一緒（いっしょ）に行（い）こうか迷（まよ）ってて。
Sakura: So, my work is sending me abroad. And you know how I have a child, right? I’m not sure whether to bring him with me.
迷う まよう I can’t decide; I'm not sure; I'm debating
ミサキ：なんで？
ミサキ：なんで？
Misaki: Why?
なんで colloquial form of なぜ; Why
サクラ：やっぱり友達のこととか、学校のこととか、いろいろあるから。特に生活がかなり変わるからさ。一緒に行くべきか迷ってんの。
サクラ：やっぱり友達（ともだち）のこととか、学校（がっこう）のこととか、いろいろあるから。特（とく）に生活（せいかつ）がかなり変（か）わるからさ。一緒（いっしょ）に行（い）くべきか迷（まよ）ってんの。
Sakura: Well for many reasons, you know, friends and school. Especially the lifestyle. A lot would change. I’m not sure if we should go together or not.
学校 がっこう school
べき should
ミサキ：あー。でも親と別に生活するのって、子供にとってはたぶん寂しいんじゃない？
ミサキ：あー。でも親（おや）と別（べつ）に生活（せいかつ）するのって、子供（こども）にとってはたぶん寂（さみ）しいんじゃない？
Misaki: Ah… But don’t you think it’s kind of lonely for children? To live separately from their parents?
親 おや parents
別に べつに separately
にとって for
たぶん probably; perhaps; maybe
寂しい さびしい lonely; lonesome
サクラ：やっぱりそう思うよね～！でも子供に聞いたらさ、行かないって言うの…。
サクラ：やっぱりそう思（おも）うよね～！でも子供（こども）に聞（き）いたらさ、行（い）かないって言（い）うの…。
Sakura: Right? You would think so. But when I asked him about it, he said he was going to stay…
ミサキ：ええ、本当？なんで。
ミサキ：ええ、本当（ほんとう）？なんで。
Misaki: Huh? Really? How come?
サクラ：やっぱり生活が変わるのが嫌なんだって。一人でも問題ないって言われちゃった。
サクラ：やっぱり生活（せいかつ）が変（か）わるのが嫌（いや）なんだって。一人（ひとり）でも問題（もんだい）ないって言（い）われちゃった。
Sakura: He doesn’t want to change lifestyles. He said he’s fine on his own.
嫌 いや unpleasant; disagreeable
ミサキ：でも、サクラは？サクラはいいの？
ミサキ：でも、サクラは？サクラはいいの？
Misaki: But what about you Sakura? Are you okay with it?
サクラ：まあ、本当は一緒に行きたいよ。でも、子供の気持ちもわかるしね。
サクラ：まあ、本当（ほんとう）は一緒（いっしょ）に行（い）きたいよ。でも、子供（こども）の気持（きも）ちもわかるしね。
Sakura: Well, really, I’d like to go together. But at the same time, I know how he feels
ミサキ：そっか～。なんか大変だね。
ミサキ：そっか～。なんか大変（たいへん）だね。
Misaki: Oh…? Yeah, that’s a hard one, huh?
サクラ：ううん。ていうかね、多分あいつ…子供ね、男なんだけど。彼女いるのよ。だからじゃない？
サクラ：ううん。ていうかね、多分（たぶん）あいつ…子供（こども）ね、男（おとこ）なんだけど。彼女（かのじょ）いるのよ。だからじゃない？
Sakura: Well, actually, it’s just a hunch… He’s a boy* and I think he’s got a girlfriend. That’s probably why.
*Up until this point, she has been referring to her son as “her child” or “あいつ(a very informal “he”)” or without a pronoun. We realize her child is male for the first time.
男 おとこ man;male
だから that's why
ミサキ：あ、なるほどね！若いっていいな～！
ミサキ：あ、なるほどね！若（わか）いっていいな～！
Misaki: Oh, I see! Ah, isn’t being young wonderful…!
なるほど I see
若い わかい young
サクラ：私は知らない風にしてるけど！部屋でよく電話してんの！彼女だな、あれは。
サクラ：私（わたし）は知（し）らない風（ふう）にしてるけど！部屋（へや）でよく電話（でんわ）してんの！彼女（かのじょ）だな、あれは。
Sakura: I pretend like I don’t know. But I hear him on the phone in his room. It’s got to be his girlfriend.
部屋 へや room
電話する でんわする to call
ミサキ：へえ～生まれたの、ついこの前だと思ったのに。大きくなったね～！
ミサキ：へえ～生（う）まれたの、ついこの前（まえ）だと思（おも）ったのに。大（おお）きくなったね～！
Misaki: It feels like he was born just the other day. Oh, how he’s grown!
生まれる うまれる to be born
サクラ：早いよね…。いつの間にかもう18だよ。
サクラ：早（はや）いよね…。いつの間（ま）にかもう18だよ。
Sakura: Time flies, huh… Before you know it, eighteen already!
早い はやい fast; quickly
ミサキ：そっか！なら、自分で生活できるかも。子供に任せたら？
ミサキ：そっか！なら、自分（じぶん）で生活（せいかつ）できるかも。子供（こども）に任（まか）せたら？
Misaki: Oh! Well, in that case, he might be able to live on his own. Why don’t you leave it up to him?
任す まかす to leave something up to someone
サクラ：うん、そうだよね。そうする。ありがとう！今度おいしいものでも食べに行こうね！
サクラ：うん、そうだよね。そうする。ありがとう！今度（こんど）おいしいものでも食（た）べに行（い）こうね！
Sakura: Yeah, I think you’re right. Thanks! Let’s go grab something to eat some time!
今度 こんど next time
おいしい delicious; tasty
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Im sorry i have a bit of questions regardin this and The questions I have are
1.)私、仕事で日本を出ることになって。でも私子供いるでしょ？一緒に行こうか迷ってて。
–This one was confusing a bit cuz of を with 出る but I think I understand that just to mean to leave japan. The 2nd one was this verb 迷ってて the [てて] is what got me quite confused as to why the double て? What’s the difference between that and simply 迷ってる now I would understand if it was ～～～迷ってて ～～～ to continue the sentence but here the sentence ends
2.あー。でも親と別に生活するのって、子供にとってはたぶん寂しいんじゃない？
–As for this one the って after の got me lost I get them saying but with the parents they do life separately with the の as explanation but the って idk why it’s there
3.)
やっぱりそう思うよね～！でも子供に聞いたらさ、行かないって言うの…。
–As for this one the 言うの is confusing? If the speaker Is telling about a past story and uses たら it express surprise that the follow thing happens [When I did A B happened to my surprised] so why is 言う in present tense and not 言ったの
4.) ううん。ていうかね、多分あいつ…子供ね、男なんだけど。彼女いるのよ。だからじゃない？
Lastly thus with the ていうか im not understanding so could u explain this ていうか more? Thanks!
1.)私、仕事で日本を出ることになって。でも私子供いるでしょ？一緒に行こうか迷ってて。
–This one was confusing a bit cuz of を with 出る but I think I understand that just to mean to leave japan. The 2nd one was this verb 迷ってて the [てて] is what got me quite confused as to why the double て? What’s the difference between that and simply 迷ってる now I would understand if it was ～～～迷ってて ～～～ to continue the sentence but here the sentence ends
ー 日本を出る here means “be out of Japan.”
The standard form of 迷ってて is 迷っていて, which consists of 迷っている and それで (So, I’m wondering)
2.あー。でも親と別に生活するのって、子供にとってはたぶん寂しいんじゃない？
–As for this one the って after の got me lost I get them saying but with the parents they do life separately with the の as explanation but the って idk why it’s there
ー xxxって works in the same way as は.
It can be replaced as でも親と別に生活するのは、子供にとってはたぶん寂しいんじゃない？
3.)
やっぱりそう思うよね～！でも子供に聞いたらさ、行かないって言うの…。
–As for this one the 言うの is confusing? If the speaker Is telling about a past story and uses たら it express surprise that the follow thing happens [When I did A B happened to my surprised] so why is 言う in present tense and not 言ったの
ー Saying 言ったの is fine, but here she is using the present tense to make it sound like a live commentary.
I notice the present tense is used in the same way in English as well.
4.) ううん。ていうかね、多分あいつ…子供ね、男なんだけど。彼女いるのよ。だからじゃない？
Lastly thus with the ていうか im not understanding so could u explain this ていうか more?
ー The standard form of ていうか is xxxと言うか.
It means here “rather”, “more like” or “actually.”
I’m sorry. #3 I’m not following what you mean it shows it a live commentary. What would be an English example?
And for #1 I thought ている= て form plus いる which means exist I’m not following you with this explanation I’m sorry.
It can be translated as “But our kids are saying they won’t go (with me).”
xxxている is the present form or the present progressive.
迷っている can mean “I’m wondering” or “I can’t make up my mind.”
Ah so the 言うの can mean both making it into a noun like 言う= Say 言うの= Saying but it also serves as the “Explanational” の? If that’s the cause it makes somewhat sense I was just confused cuz 言っているのwould mean they are saying or have been saying so I was lost between why use “言うの” instead of “言ってるの”
言うの consists of a verb + sentence-ending particle, not a noun.
She could’ve said 言ったの, but she made it in the present tense since it’s her current concern.
You’ll get the hang of the nuance by making sentences by yourself as other learners do.
Hello. Can you help me makes sense of this sentence. 多分あいつ…子供ね、男なんだけど. Thanks in advance.
“Maybe that one, I mean, my child…well, he’s a boy, and he has a girlfriend. I think that’s why (he doesn’t want to leave Japan.)”
あいつ is used to address the third party. It can be either someone close to the speaker or someone the speaker doesn’t like.
Before the line, she kept calling her son 子供(a child, a kid). So ミサキ can’t tell if the child is a boy or a girl. So サクラ is telling ミサキ that her child is a son.
It’s a bit odd since ミサキ knew when he was born and she should’ve known the child is a boy, but that’s what the sentence means.
Thank you so much. That translation makes a lot more sense now. I love these lessons by the way 🙂
No problem! I’m glad to know it makes sense to you.
And your comment makes our team happy. Thank you. 🙂
サクラ：私は知らない風にしてるけど
Sakura: I pretend like I don’t know
So I’m a little confused on the sentence above.
知らない = I don’t know
風 = way, style
してる = I know
So how does this becomes “I pretend like I didn’t know”. Does 知らない風に as a whole “become the word “pretend to not know”. As in like “I don’t know” + “way”.
Think this way: I (act) in a way that I don’t know.