2020-Oct-12 Level 1 二人一緒に乗れますか？

Lesson Dialogues

Situation 1

It seems that a meteor shower will be visible tonight, so the sisters Aki and Haru are looking at the night sky.

アキ：見えた？

アキ：見(み)えた？

Aki: Did you see any?

• 見(み)えた past tense of 見(み)える
• 見(み)える to be seen, to be able to be seen, to be in sight; to look, to seem, to appear

ハル：見えない。アキは？

ハル：見(み)えない。アキは？

Haru: No. You?

• 見(み)えない negative form of 見(み)える

アキ：見えない。私、目が悪いのかな？

アキ：見(み)えない。私(わたし)、目(め)が悪(わる)いのかな？

Aki: No. I wonder if there's something wrong with my vision.

• 目(め) eye; ordinal number suffix (-th)
• 悪(わる)い bad
• ～かな indicates uncertainty; softens a sentence; ちょっと寒(さむ)いかな。I think it's a bit cold.

ハル：あ、今、見えたかも。

ハル：あ、今(いま)、見(み)えたかも。

Haru: Oh, I think I might've just seen one.

• 今(いま) now
• ～かも perhaps; maybe; 明日(あした)、雨(あめ)かもしれない。Maybe it will rain tomorrow.

アキ：ほんと？どこ？

アキ：ほんと？どこ？

Aki: Really? Where?

• 本当(ほんとう)、ほんと truth; right; really
• どこ where

ハル：結構、上。高いとこ。

ハル：結構(けっこう)、上(うえ)。高(たか)いとこ。

Haru: Quite high up. Somewhere high up.

• 結構(けっこう) adv. quite, fairly; na-adj. good
• 上(うえ) top; above; up; on
• 高(たか)い high; tall; expensive
• 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.)

アキ：私も見たいよー。

アキ：私(わたし)も見(み)たいよー。

Aki: I want to see one too.

• ～も too; also; 私(わたし)も行(い)く！ I'll go too!; but: 頑張(がんば)っても出来(でき)なかった。I tried my best, but I couldn't do it.
• 見(み)たい たい form of 見(み)る; ～たい expresses desire; I want to __
• ～よ、～よー introduces new information; emphasises a sentence; 朝(あさ)だよ！It's morning!

Situation 2

Sato-san sends Christmas cards to his friends who are living overseas every year.

田中：いつ頃出すんですか？

田中(たなか)：いつ頃(ごろ)出(だ)すんですか？

Tanaka: When will you post them?

• いつ when
• 頃(ころ) time; about; when
• 出(だ)す to take out; to pay; to send (a letter)
• ～のです、～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.
• ～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

佐藤：あ、ちょっと前に出しましたよ。

佐藤(さとう)：あ、ちょっと前(まえ)に出(だ)しましたよ。

Sato: Oh, I posted them a little while ago.

• ちょっと (just) a little; a bit; (conversation filler)
• 前(まえ) forward; front; before
• ～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.
• 出(だ)しました past tense of 出(だ)します
• 出(だ)します ます form of 出(だ)す; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence

田中：え、もう出したんですか？

田中(たなか)：え、もう出(だ)したんですか？

Tanaka: Huh? You already posted them?

• え expresses surprise or disappointment; えー、本当(ほんとう)？ What? Really?
• 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?

佐藤：はい。時間かかりますから。

佐藤(さとう)：はい。時間(じかん)かかりますから。

Sato: Yes. Because it'll take some time.

• はい yes
• 時間(じかん) time
• かかります ます form of かかる; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• かかる to take (time, resource); to cost; to hang
• ～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.

田中：エアメールではないんですか？

田中(たなか)：エアメールではないんですか？

Tanaka: Didn't you post them by air?

• エアメール air mail
• ではない、じゃない it is not the case that …; isn't it?

佐藤：はい。だから時間がかかるんです。

佐藤(さとう)：はい。だから時間(じかん)がかかるんです。

Sato: No. That's why it'll take some time.

Situation 3

A rickshaw man called out to Aki, who is walking around Kyoto with a friend.

お兄さん：乗ってみませんか？

お兄(にい)さん：乗(の)ってみませんか？

Man: Would you like to try riding on this rickshaw?

• 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.)
• ～てみません negative form of ～てみます
• ～てみます ます form of ～てみる; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• ～てみる to try and _; to try something; to attempt to do something; 食(た)べてみる。I'll try eating.

アキ：二人一緒に乗れますか？

アキ：二人(ふたり)一緒(いっしょ)に乗(の)れますか？

Aki: Can we both ride on it?

• 二人(ふたり) two people
• 一緒(いっしょ) together; with
• 乗(の)れます ます form of 乗(の)れる; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• 乗(の)れる potential form of 乗(の)る; ～れる expresses possibility; can; can be

お兄さん：はい、乗れますよ。

お兄(にい)さん：はい、乗(の)れますよ。

Man: Yes, you can.

アキ：お金、すごくかかりますか？

アキ：お金(かね)、すごくかかりますか？

Aki: Is it very expensive?

• お金(かね) money
• すごい i-adj. fantastic, wonderful, terrible; adv. awfully, very, immensely

お兄さん：乗る時間で変わります。そんなに高くないですよ。

お兄(にい)さん：乗(の)る時間(じかん)で変(か)わります。そんなに高(たか)くないですよ。

Man: It varies depending on the time of the ride. It isn't that expensive.

• ～で in; at; from; by: indicates means (methods) or places; 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; may make a noun adverbial: 短(みじか)い時間(じかん)で食(た)べる eating fast; indicates a choice: じゃあビールで。Then, I choose beer.
• 変(か)わります ます form of 変(か)わる; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
• 変(か)わる to change
• そんな that; such; そんな事(こと)はできない。I can't do such a thing; 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.
• 高(たか)くない negative form of 高(たか)い
• 高(たか)い high; tall; expensive
• ～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.

Situation 4

Aki is telling Haru that she rode on a rickshaw in Kyoto.

ハル：ほんとに乗ったの？

ハル：ほんとに乗(の)ったの？

Haru: Did you really ride on it?

• ～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.

アキ：乗ったよ。

アキ：乗(の)ったよ。

Aki: I did.

ハル：感じ、どう？

ハル：感(かん)じ、どう？

Haru: How was it?

• 感(かん)じ feeling; impression; atmosphere; often used to express your impression: この部屋(へや)いい感(かん)じ This room looks good.
• 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?

アキ：みんなが見るんだよね。

アキ：みんなが見(み)るんだよね。

Aki: Everyone looked at us.

• みんな everyone; everything; often みなさん
• ～んだ often used in spoken Japanese as a colloquial ending; 食(た)べるんだ (I'll eat) is more colloquial than 食(た)べる (I'll eat); also can be used to express realisation: えっ、それ食(た)べるんだ！What? You eat that?
• ～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

ハル：私も見ちゃう。

ハル：私(わたし)も見(み)ちゃう。

Haru: I would have looked too.

• ちゃう to end up doing; to do accidentally; to do without meaning to; to happen to do, to connect a verb to ちゃう, simply remove た from the paste tense: 食(た)べちゃう to end up eating.

アキ：だから、ちょっといい気持ち。

アキ：だから、ちょっといい気持(きも)ち。

Aki: That's why it felt a little nice.

• ちょっと (just) a little; a bit; (conversation filler)
• いい good; 映画(えいが)よかった！ The film was great!; you may use this to indicate your preference or choice; 私(わたし)、ラーメンがいい。I'd like to choose ramen; いいね is the Japanese version of "like" on social media.
• 気持(きも)ち feeling; sensation; mood

ハル：分かる。

ハル：分(わ)かる。

Haru: I get it.

• 分(わ)かる to understand; to see

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.