2020-Sep-14 Level 1 マスク、買えないんですよ。

Lesson Dialogues

Situation 1

Aki and Jun are talking about a report for homework.

アキ：もう書いた？

アキ：もう書(か)いた？

Aki: Did you write it already?

• もう already; soon; again; more; strengthens expression of an emotion; filler word: なんか、もう、帰(かえ)ろうよ: Like, let's go home already?
• 書(か)いた past tense of 書(か)く
• 書(か)く to write

ジュン：まだ。すぐ書けるよね？

ジュン：まだ。すぐ書(か)けるよね？

Jun: Not yet. It can be written quickly, right?

• まだ yet; still; まだ帰(かえ)れない。I can't go home yet.
• すぐ immediately; right away; soon
• 書(か)ける potential form of 書(か)く; ～ける expresses possibility; can; can be
• ～よね shares mutual sentiments; confirms some information: 寒(さむ)いよね。 It's cold, right?; よな is sometimes used by male speakers; かわいいよ。 may imply she might not know that she's cute, かわいいね。 may imply you expect her to notice it too, and かわいいよね。implies that the speaker is certain about the statement and expect the other person to agree

アキ：ううん、私、かなり時間かかったよ。

アキ：ううん、私(わたし)、かなり時間(じかん)かかったよ。

Aki: No, it took me quite a long time.

• ううん nuh-uh; no
• かなり very; considerably; rather; 今日(きょう)はかなり寒(さむ)い。It's very cold today.
• 時間(じかん) time
• かかった past tense of かかる
• かかる to take (time, resource); to cost; to hang
• ～よ introduces new information; emphasises a sentence; 朝(あさ)だよ！It's morning!

ジュン：え、そんなに？　

ジュン：え、そんなに？　

Jun: Huh, that long?

• え、えー expresses surprise or disappointment; えー、本当(ほんとう)？ What? Really?
• そんなに so much; so; like that; often そんなに～ない: そんなに食(た)べれない。I can't eat that much.

アキ：結構、大変だったよ。

アキ：結構(けっこう)、大変(たいへん)だったよ。

Aki: It was pretty tough.

• 結構(けっこう) adv. quite, fairly; na-adj. good
• 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.

ジュン：えー、どうしよう。

ジュン：えー、どうしよう。

Jun: Gee, what should I do?

• どうしよう what should I do?

Situation 2

Haru is trying to pass a thread through the eye of a needle.

ハル：あー、入らない。

ハル：あー、入(はい)らない。

Haru: Ah, it won't go it.

• 入(はい)らない negative form of 入(はい)る
• 入(はい)る to enter; to come in; to go in

アキ：入れるの大変？

アキ：入(い)れるの大変(たいへん)？

Aki: Is it tough to get in?

• 入(い)れる to put in; to include
• ～の の can make other words, such as verbs, function like a noun: 食(た)べるのはやめる。I will stop eating.

ハル：うん、目が悪いのかな？よく見えない。

ハル：うん、目(め)が悪(わる)いのかな？よく見(み)えない。

Haru: Yeah, are my eyes bad? I can't see well.

• うん (casual, non-keigo) yes; yeah
• 目(め) eye; ordinal number suffix (-th)
• 悪(わる)い bad
• ～の emphasises a sentence or question: 本当(ほんとう)にできるの？Can you really do it?; できるの！I can do it!; may sound feminine in some cases; 私(わたし)、できるの。 sounds feminine.
• ～かな indicates uncertainty; softens a sentence; ちょっと寒(さむ)いかな。I think it's a bit cold.
• よく good; well; often; 日本(にほん)によく行(い)きます。 I go to Japan often.
• 見(み)えない negative form of 見(み)える
• 見(み)える to be seen, to be in sight; to look, to seem, to appear

アキ：私、やろうか？

アキ：私(わたし)、やろうか？

Aki: Should I do it?

• やろう ou form of やる; ～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; 作(つく)ろう。let's make.
• やる to do; to give
• ～か？ makes a sentence a question; usually used with keigo sentences in spoken Japanese; textbooks often drop the question mark, but it's common to use a question mark in real-life situations

ハル：できる？

ハル：できる？

Haru: Can you?

• できる to be able to do; to be ready; to be made; to be good at; e.g. 彼女(かのじょ)ができる=to find a girlfriend、 友達(ともだち)ができる=to make a friend

アキ：やってみる。

アキ：やってみる。

Aki: I'll give it a try.

• やって te-form of やる; te-form is often used to connect to other expressions; te-form may indicate a command; 食(た)べて！Please eat!; it's common to end a sentence with a te-form. Japanese people often don't finish a sentence completely: 昨日(きのう)学校(がっこう)行(い)って、勉強(べんきょう)して。。。I went to school yesterday, studied, and…
• ～てみる to try and _; to try something; to attempt to do something; 食(た)べてみる。I'll try eating.

ハル：おー、入った。すごい。

ハル：おー、入(はい)った。すごい。

Haru: Wow, it went it. Amazing.

• 入(はい)った past tense of 入(はい)る
• すごい i-adj. fantastic, wonderful, terrible; adv. awfully, very, immensely

Situation 3

A customer is having their bicycle fixed at a bicycle shop.

自転車屋：終わりましたよ。

自転車屋(じてんしゃや)：終(お)わりましたよ。

Bicycle Shop: It's done.

• 終(お)わりました past tense of 終(お)わります
• 終(お)わります ます form of 終(お)わる; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• 終(お)わる to end; to finish

客：どこが悪かったんですか？

客(きゃく)：どこが悪(わる)かったんですか？

Customer: Where was the bad part?

• どこ where
• 悪(わる)かった past tense of 悪(わる)い
• ～んです commonly used when you explain something; 実(じつ)は日本人(にほんじん)なんです。 In fact, I'm Japanese.

自転車屋：ここに問題がありました。もう使えますよ。

自転車屋(じてんしゃや)：ここに問題(もんだい)がありました。もう使(つか)えますよ。

Bicycle Shop: The issue was here. You can use it now.

• ここ here
• ～に indicates a destination, place or point of attention: 日本(にほん)に行(い)く to go to Japan; 友達(ともだち)に話(はな)す to talk to a friend; indicates the result or goal of an action: 大人(おとな)になる to become an adult; indicates an actor in a passive sentence: 先生(せんせい)に見(み)つかった。I was found by a teacher.
• 問題(もんだい) problem; question
• ありました past tense of あります
• あります ます form of ある; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• ある to be (existence); to have (possession); to happen; use ある for objects and いる for people and animals
• 使(つか)えます ます form of 使(つか)える; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• 使(つか)える potential form of 使(つか)う; ～える expresses possibility; can; can be
• 使(つか)う to use; to handle

客：よかった。乗って帰れます。

客(きゃく)：よかった。乗(の)って帰(かえ)れます。

Customer: Good. I can ride it on the way back.

• よかった paste tense of よい・いい; "what a relief": 元気(げんき)でよかった。It's good (I'm relieved) that you are fine.
• 乗(の)って te-form of 乗(の)る; te-form is often used to connect to other expressions; te-form may indicate a command; 食(た)べて！Please eat!; it's common to end a sentence with a te-form. Japanese people often don't finish a sentence completely: 昨日(きのう)学校(がっこう)行(い)って、勉強(べんきょう)して。。。I went to school yesterday, studied, and…
• 乗(の)る to ride; to get on; to take (the train, bus etc.)
• 帰(かえ)れます ます form of 帰(かえ)れる; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• 帰(かえ)れる potential form of 帰(かえ)る; ～れる expresses possibility; can; can be
• 帰(かえ)る to return; to go home; to go back

Situation 4

They would like to buy masks, but they are sold out everywhere.

田中：マスク、買えないんですよ。どうですか？

田中(たなか)：マスク、買(か)えないんですよ。どうですか？

Tanaka: I can't buy masks. How about you?

• マスク mask
• 買(か)えない negative form of 買(か)える
• 買(か)える potential form of 買(か)う; ～える expresses possibility; can; can be
• 買(か)う to buy
• どう how; what; どう思(おも)う？What do you think?; how about: ラーメンどう？How about (eating) ramen?
• ～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.

佐藤：私もです。買えませんね。

佐藤(さとう)：私(わたし)もです。買(か)えませんね。

Sato: It is the same for me. We can't buy them, can we?

• ～も too; also; 私(わたし)も行(い)く！ I'll go too!
• 買(か)えません negative form of 買(か)えます
• 買(か)えます ます form of 買(か)える; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• ～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：いろんなとこ、見てるんですけど。

田中(たなか)：いろんなとこ、見(み)てるんですけど。

Tanaka: That's even though I am looking at all kinds of places.

• いろんな various; different kinds of; いろんなものを買(か)った。I bought many different kinds of things; いろんな is more colloquial than いろいろな
• 所 (ところ)、とこ place: 広(ひろ)い所(ところ) a big place; point: わからない所(ところ)ある？Is there anything you don't understand?; part; aspect: どんなところが好(す)き？ What part do you like?; area; explains the current situation: 食(た)べているところ I'm in the middle of eating; 食(た)べたところ I just finished eating (= at the point where I finished eating.)
• 見(み)て te-form of 見(み)る; te-form is often used to connect to other expressions; te-form may indicate a command; 食(た)べて！Please eat!; it's common to end a sentence with a te-form. Japanese people often don't finish a sentence completely: 昨日(きのう)学校(がっこう)行(い)って、勉強(べんきょう)して。。。I went to school yesterday, studied, and…
• 見(み)る to see; to look; to watch; to check; we use 観(み)る for things like sports or TV shows
• ～てる 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; some verbs such as 知(し)る uses this form to express the present situation 知(し)っている (I know) but uses the present native form to say the opposite: 知(し)らない (I don't know); often てん in spoken Japanese: それ、知(し)ってんの？Do you know that?
• ～けど but; however; although; though; a lot of people finish a sentence with (だ)けど because it makes the sentence less direct.

佐藤：本当にありませんよね。

佐藤(さとう)：本当(ほんとう)にありませんよね。

Sato: There really aren't any, are there?

• 本当(ほんとう) truth; right; really
• ありません negative form of あります
• あります ます form of ある; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence

田中：どうしましょうね。

田中(たなか)：どうしましょうね。

Tanaka: What should we do?

• しましょう ましょう form of する; ～ましょう is a keigo form of ～よう which expresses desire; let's __
• どうしましょう What should I do?

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