2020-Jun-1 Level 1 あー、どこか行きたいなぁ。

Lesson Dialogues

Situation 1

At the office, Mayu and Tanaka are working together.

田中:これで、いいかな?

田中(たなか):これで、いいかな?

Tanaka: Is this OK, do you think?

  • これ this
  • in; at; from; by: フォークで食(た)べる to eat with a fork; 家(いえ)で食(た)べる to eat at home
  • 良(よ)い、いい good
  • かな indicates uncertainty; softens a sentence: ちょっと寒(さむ)いかな。I think it's a bit cold.

マユ:うん、ほとんど終わったね。

マユ:うん、ほとんど終(お)わったね。

Mayu: Yeah, it's almost finished.

  • うん yes; yeah
  • ほとんど almost; nearly; mostly
  • 終(お)わった past tense of 終(お)わる
  • 終(お)わる to end; to finish
  • ~ね shares information or experiences; softens a sentence; expects an agreement; isn't it?; don't you?; 雨(あめ)だね。Oh, it's raining (as you can see).

田中:少し大変だったね。

田中(たなか):少(すこ)し大変(たいへん)だったね。

Tanaka: It was a bit hard work, wasn't it?

  • 少(すこ)し a little; a few
  • 大変(たいへん) serious; terrible; hard; difficult
  • だった past tense of nouns and na-adjectives; 雨(あめ)だった。 It was raining.

マユ:うん、でも終わってよかったー!

マユ:うん、でも終(お)わってよかったー!

Mayu: Yeah, but I'm glad it's done!

  • でも but; however; or something; でも、日本(にほん)に行(い)きたい。But, I want to go to Japan.
  • よかった past tense of 良(よ)い、いい

Situation 2

On their way back from the office, Mayu and Naomi are talking.

マユ:ナオミ、今の仕事好き?

マユ:ナオミ、今(いま)の仕事(しごと)好(す)き?

Mayu: Naomi, do you like your current job?

  • 今(いま) now
  • 仕事(しごと) work, job; 仕事(しごと)する to work
  • 好(す)き favorite; to like; to love

ナオミ:え?どうしたの?

ナオミ:え?どうしたの?

Naomi: Huh? What's up?

  • expresses surprise or disappointment
  • どうしたの what's up?; what's wrong?; what's the matter? ; えー、本当(ほんとう)? What? Really?

マユ:ちょっと、気になったから。

マユ:ちょっと、気(き)になったから。

Mayu: I was just... wondering.

  • ちょっと (just) a little; a bit; (conversation filler)
  • 気(き) mind; heart; motivation; intention; mood; feelings
  • なった past tense of なる
  • なる to become; to get; to come; to do; to start; to do; to turn into
  • 気(き)になる to worry about, to care about; to wonder
  • ~から because; since: 雨(あめ)だから行(い)きません。I won't go because it's raining.; use だから with nouns and na-adjectives.

ナオミ:今の仕事…結構好きだよ。

ナオミ:今(いま)の仕事(しごと)…結構(けっこう)好(す)きだよ。

Naomi: My current job... I like it well enough.

  • 結構(けっこう) adv. quite, fairly; na-adj. good
  • ~よ introduces new information; emphasises a sentence; 朝(あさ)だよ!It's morning!

Situation 3

Friday lunch time at the office, Mayu and Tanaka are talking.

マユ:あー、どこか行きたいなぁ。

マユ:あー、どこか行(い)きたいなぁ。

Mayu: Aaah, I'd like to go out somewhere.

  • あー er; uh; um; hmm; ah; oh
  • どこか somewhere, anywhere; in some way, somehow
  • 行(い)きたい たい form of 行(い)く; ~たい expresses desire; I want to __
  • 行(い)く to go
  • ~な expresses emotions; emphasises the emotion; softens the sentence; often なー; 日本(にほん)へ行きたいな。I want to go to Japan; かわいいなー。It's so cute.

田中:そうだねー。明日、どこかに行く?

田中(たなか):そうだねー。明日(あした)、どこかに行(い)く?

Tanaka: Yeah... Shall we go somewhere tomorrow?

  • そう so (as in "I think so"); そう思(おも)う。 I think so. ; そうなんだ。 I see;
  • 明日(あした) tomorrow

マユ:二人で?

マユ:二人(ふたり)で?

Mayu: The two of us?

  • 二人(ふたり) two people

田中:うん。どこに行こうか?

田中(たなか):うん。どこに行(い)こうか?

Tanaka: Yeah, where shall we go?

  • どこ where
  • 行(い)こう 行(い)こう ou form of 行(い)く; ~ou expresses suggestion; let's __; 食(た)べよう。 let's eat; 行(い)こう。 let's go; 遊(あそ)ぼう。 let's play.
  • ~か makes a sentence a question; usually used with keigo sentences in spoken Japanese

マユ:どうしようか?

マユ:どうしようか?

Mayu: What shall we do?

  • どうしよう what should I do?

Situation 4

At the hospital.

医者:どうしました?

医者(いしゃ):どうしました?

Doctor: How can I help?

  • どうしました? How can I help you?; What’s the matter?; What’s wrong?
  • しました past tense of します
  • します ます form of する; ~ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
  • する to do; to make; to decide on; to choose

タケル:なんか気持ち悪いです。

タケル:なんか気持(きも)ち悪(わる)いです。

Takeru: For some reason, I'm not feeling very well.

  • なんか such as; like; things like …; or something like that; (conversation filler)
  • 気持(きも)ち feeling; sensation; mood
  • 悪(わる)い bad
  • です polite ending; use this polite form, called "keigo," when you talk to strangers, people who are older than you, and in business situations.

医者:昨日は何を食べました?

医者(いしゃ):昨日(きのう)は何(なに)を食(た)べました?

Doctor: What did you have to eat yesterday?

  • 何(なに) what
  • 食(た)べました past tense of 食(た)べます
  • 食(た)べます ます form of 食(た)べる; ~ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
  • 食(た)べる to eat

タケル:えーと、ほとんど食べてないです。

タケル:えーと、ほとんど食(た)べてないです。

Takeru: Erm, I hardly ate anything.

  • えーと well; let me see
  • 食(た)べて te-form of 食(た)べる; te-form is often used to connect to other expressions; te-form may indicate a command: 食(た)べて!Please eat!
  • ~て(い)ない negative form of ~て(い)る
  • ~て(い)る verb form to express continuation; 食(た)べる + ている = 食(た)べている eating; てる is a colloquial version of ている

Step 2 - Take the Quiz

Let's see how many words you remember.
Take the quiz here.

Step 3 - Writing Exercises (Optional)

Let's practice what you learned here.

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lebergud671
lebergud671
5 years ago

Can’t download mp3 file, i see this:
AccessDenied
Request has expired
1800
2020-07-04T09:55:08Z
2020-07-04T09:55:32Z
BAE6E6669420C878

2fWnuK+SGxLS1gVL2jQgk0/gtO1mXnHs0CFDDn/ANkF/Z04AC9Ay6uUzOsk2J2teUiWgOwRLz6Y=

Yuta
Yuta
5 years ago
Reply to  lebergud671

Can you clear browser cache and try it again?

Domz
Domz
5 years ago

I see. I was thinking back then that 難しい is difficult in solving a problem while 大変 is difficult in a sense that it takes a lot of effort/energy to do. Is it right then to put it that way ?

Yuta
Yuta
5 years ago
Reply to  Domz

That seems generally true but that’s not everything.
For example, you can say 大変だ! when something bad happened. So be open to other ways of using these words.

Domz
Domz
5 years ago
Reply to  Yuta

Ok, I will. Thanks!

Domz
Domz
5 years ago

Is there a difference between 大変 and 難しい? 気になりましたから。

Yuta
Yuta
5 years ago
Reply to  Domz

Yes, 大変 isn’t always 難しい。
If you are working 12 hours a day, we might say 大変だね (that’s tough) but we wouldn’t say 難しいね (that’s difficult)。

Domz
Domz
5 years ago
Reply to  Yuta

I see. I was thinking back then that 難しい is difficult in solving a problem while 大変 is difficult in a sense that it takes a lot of effort/energy to do. Is it right then to put it that way ?

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