2021-Mar-22 Level 1 会いたかったよー。

Lesson Dialogues

Situation 1

Aki met her friend Nana for the first time in a while.

Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)

ナナはいろんなことがありましたか？

A はい
B いいえ)

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アキ：会(あ)いたかったよー。

Aki: I missed you.

• 会あいたかった past form of 会あいたい want to meet
• 会あいたい たい form of 会あう; ～たい expresses desire; I want to __
• 会あう to meet; to see
• ～よ、～よー introduces new information; emphasises a sentence: 朝あさだよ！It's morning!

ナナ：私(わたし)も。かなり長(なが)く会(あ)わなかったね。

Nana: Me too. We haven't seen each other for a very long time.

• かなり very; considerably; rather: 今日(きょう)はかなり寒(さむ)い。It's very cold today.
• 長ながく adverbial form of 長ながい
• 長ながい long
• 会あわなかった negative form of 会あった
• 会あった past form of 会あう
• ～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).

アキ：ほんと。どうしてる？

Aki: Seriously. How are you doing?

• ほんと truth; right; really
• 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?
• して te-form of する; 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: 昨日学校行(きのうがっこうい)って、勉強(べんきょう)して。。。I went to school yesterday, studied, and...
• する to do; to make; to decide on; to choose
• ～ている、～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?

ナナ：いろんなことあったよ。

Nana: So many things have happened.

• 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
• こと thing: 大事だいじなこと an important thing; こと converts a sentence into a massive noun: 明日あした、日本にほんに行いくことは難むずかしい。 It's difficult to go to Japan tomorrow. ("明日あした、日本にほんに行いくこと" works like a big chunk of noun)
• あった past form of ある
• ある to be (existence); to have (possession); to happen; use ある for objects and いる for people and animals

アキ：えー、どんなこと？聞(き)きたい。

Aki: Wait, what kinds of things? I want to hear.

• えー expresses surprise or disappointment: えー、本当ほんとう？ What? Really?
• どんな what kind of: どんな音楽おんがくが好すき？What kind of music do you like?
• 聞ききたい たい form of 聞きく; ～たい expresses desire; I want to __
• 聞きく to hear; to listen; to ask; to obey

Situation 2

Aki and Nana are chatting in a cafe.

Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)

ナナとアキは____が大(おお)きかった。

A 声(こえ)
B お店(みせ)
C 親(おや)
D 感(かん)じ)

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アキ：ねー、なんか、みんな、私(わたし)たちの方(ほう)、見(み)てない？

Aki: Hey, doesn't it seem like everybody is looking at us?

• 何なにか、なんか something; things like ..., or something like that ...; conversation filler: なんか、寒さむい。Well, it's cold; emphasises noun, often in a deprecating way: 魚さかななんか嫌きらい。I don't like something like fish.
• みんな everyone (often みなさん); everything
• たち makes a noun (mostly people, animals) plural: 私わたしたち we, 子こどもたち children, クマたち bears
• 方ほう way, towards: あっちの方ほうへいこう。Let's go over there.
• 見みてない negative form of 見みてる
• 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: 昨日学校行きのうがっこういって、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

ナナ：うん、見(み)てると思(おも)う。

Nana: Yeah, I think they are.

• うん (casual, non-keigo) yes; yeah
• 思おもう to think; to believe; to feel; to expect; ～と思おもう to think that: 明日あした、行いくと思おもう。I think I will go tomorrow.

アキ：なんで？

Aki: Why?

• なんで why; how come

ナナ：わかんない。

Nana: I don't know.

• ～んない a colloquial form of ～らない; わかんない = わからない I don't understand
• わからない negative form of わかる
• わかる to understand; to see

アキ：私(わたし)たち、ちょっと声(こえ)大(おお)きかったかな？

Aki: Were our voices a bit too loud?

• ちょっと (just) a little; a bit; (conversation filler)
• 声こえ voice
• 大おおきかった past form of 大おおきい
• 大おおきい big; large; great
• ～かな indicates uncertainty; softens a sentence: ちょっと寒さむいかな。I think it's a bit cold.

ナナ：あー、そうかも。

Nana: Oh, that might be the case.

• そう so (as in "I think so"): そう思おもう。 I think so. ; そうなんだ。 I see.; that is so, that's right
• かも(しれない) perhaps; maybe: 明日あした、雨あめかもしれない。Maybe it will rain tomorrow.

Situation 3

They are hearing two female high school students speaking in loud voices in the cafe.

Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)

佐藤(さとう)さんと田中(たなか)さんは、その二人(ふたり)の声(こえ)が大(おお)きいと____。

A 思(おも)う
B 思(おも)わない)

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佐藤(さとう)：何(なに)か楽(たの)しい話はなししてるのかな、あの二人(ふたり)。

Sato: I wonder if those two are talking about something fun.

• 楽たのしい pleasant; happy; enjoyable; fun
• 話はなし story; talk
• ～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.
• あの that; those
• 二人ふたり two people

田中(たなか)：そうですね。でも、ちょっと声(こえ)大(おお)きいですよね。

Tanaka: That seems to be the case. However, their voices are a bit loud, aren't they?

• でも but; however: でも、日本にほんに行いきたい。But, I want to go to Japan; even: プロでも出来できない。Even professionals can't do it.; or something; things like; how about; often used to soften a word and doesn't have a lot of meanings: お茶ちゃでもどう？How about tea?; ラーメンでも食たべる？Do you want to eat (things like) ramen?
• ～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 fairly certain about the statement and expect the other person to agree.

佐藤(さとう)：はい。もう少(すこ)し小(ちい)さい声(こえ)で話(はな)せないかな。

Sato: That's right. I wish they could speak with slightly softer voices.

• 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?
• 少すこし a little; a few
• 小ちいさい small; little; tiny
• 話はなせない negative form of 話はなせる
• 話はなせる potential form of 話はなす; ～せる expresses possibility; can; can be; some people consider
• 話はなす to talk; to tell; to speak

田中(たなか)：そう思(おも)いますね。

Tanaka: I agree.

• 思おもいます ます form of 思おもう; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence

Situation 4

Two work colleagues are talking in the cafe.

Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)

小(ちい)さい時(とき)、田中(たなか)さんは、誰(だれ)の言(い)うことをあんまり聞(き)きませんでしたか？

A 声(こえ)
B 親(おや)
C 友達(ともだち)
D 彼女(かのじょ)

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佐藤(さとう)：田中(たなか)さん、小(ちい)さい時(とき)、どんな子供(こども)でしたか？

Sato: Tanaka-san, what kind of child were you when you were small?

• 時とき time, when: 子供こどもの時とき when I was a child; 時(じ) o'clock
• 子供こども child

田中(たなか)：そうですね、親(おや)の言(い)うこと、あんまり聞(き)きませんでした。

Tanaka: Let's see, I didn't really listen to what my parents told me.

• 親おや parent
• 言いう to say; to speak; to talk; to mean: どういう意味いみ？What does it mean? 暑あついっていう意味いみ。It means "hot".
• あまり n the rest; あまり、あんまり adv (not) much; often; あまり～ない: 仕事しごとがあまりない。I don't have a lot of work.
• 聞ききませんでした past form of 聞ききません
• 聞ききません negative form of 聞ききます
• 聞ききます ます form of 聞きく; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence

佐藤(さとう)：えー、そんな感(かん)じに見(み)えないですね。

Sato: Oh, you don't seem like that.

• 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.
• 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.
• 見みえない negative form 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

Step 2 - Take the Quiz

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Step 3 - Writing Exercises (Optional)

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