Lesson Dialogues
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Situation 1
Aki is at a cafe together with her friend. The cake that Aki ordered has been served, but she cannot find a fork.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
1. 今日、このお店は何時までやってますか？
A ５時
B ６時
C ７時
D ８時
2. アキは____とお水がほしい。
A スマホ
B ナイフ
C スプーン
D フォーク
アキ：あのー、すみません。
Aki: Um, excuse me.
- すみません excuse me; I am sorry; thank you; すいません is more colloquial than すみません
店員：はい、何でしょうか？
Cafe Worker: Yes, what can it be?
アキ：フォークがないみたいなんですが。
Aki: It seems we are missing a fork.
- フォーク fork
店員：あ、すみません。すぐ持ってきます。
Cafe Worker: Ah, I'm sorry. I will bring one right away.
アキ：あのー、それと…。
Aki: Um, also...
店員：はい。他に何か？
Cafe Worker: Yes. Is there something else?
アキ：いえ。ちょっと教えてほしいと思って。このお店、何時までやってます？
Aki: No. There is something I'd like to know very quickly. What time is this cafe open until?
- ほしい to want; to desire
店員：それでしたら、土曜日と日曜日は６時まで、他の日は７時までです。
Cafe Worker: About that, we are open until 6 o'clock on Saturdays and Sundays and until 7 o'clock on the other days of the week.
- ～たら if, when, after: 終わったら行く。I'll go when I finish; why don't you...?: 勉強したら？Why don't you study? (We use たら to say, "if something happens, something else will happen".)
アキ：そしたら今日は７時までですね。
Aki: In that case, you are open until 7 o'clock today, right?
- そしたら so; then
店員：はい、そうです。
Cafe Worker: Yes, that is correct.
アキ：じゃあ、まだ時間ありますね。よかった。いっぱいしゃべれます。
Aki: Then, we still have some time. I'm glad. We can talk a lot.
- いっぱい 1) a cup of, a glass of; 2) the end of 3)be full of, a lot of (1 and 2 have the same pitch accents. 3 has a different pitch accent.)
店員：お水、もう少し持ってきましょうか？
Cafe Worker: May I bring you some more water?
アキ：はい、ありがとうございます。お水ほしいなって思ってたとこなんです。いっぱいしゃべるとお水がほしくなるから。
Aki: Yes, thank you. I was just thinking that I wanted some water. I tend to want water when I speak a lot.
- ～って a colloquial form of と; と言う -> って言う (sb/sth says that...), と聞く -> って聞く ( I hear that); ということ -> っていうこと(it means that); used to quote someone: 鈴木さん、休みって言ってた。Suzuki-san was saying he would be absent.～
- ～と if, when: 外に出ると雨だった。 When I went outside, it was raining; 先生に話すといいよ。It'll be good to talk to the teacher.
- 思って(い)た progressive, past form of 思う to eat (思う -> 思っている -> 思っていた)
- ～くなる to become: 赤くなる to become red; 読まなくなる to stop reading
店員：分かりました。すぐフォークとお水、持ってきます。
Cafe Worker: I understand. I will bring a fork and some water right away.
Situation 2
Aki and Nana are speaking, having met for the first time in a long time.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
1. まず先に誰から話しましたか？
A ナナ
B アキ
2. ナナはアメリカに____。
A 行く
B 行かない
アキ：かなり長く会ってなかったね。
Aki: We had not met for a really long time, right?
- 会って(い)なかった negative form of 会っていた
- 会って(い)た progressive, past form of 会う to meet (会う -> 会っている -> 会っていた)
ナナ：そう。だから、話すことたくさんあるっていうことだよね。
Nana: That's right. That's why we have so much to talk about, right?
- ～っていう called; named; スズキという人 a person called Suzuki; ～っていうこと it means that: 好きっていうこと it means I like it.
アキ：うん。私、すっごくしゃべりそう。まず先にナナから話して。
Aki: Yeah. I might talk a lot. Nana, go ahead and talk first.
- ～そう seeming that…; appearing that…: 元気なさそうだね。You don't seem well; 明日までにできそう？Can you do it by tomorrow?; almost: 負けそうだった。I almost lost (the game).
ナナ：あのね、父が仕事でアメリカに行く。
Nana: Um, my father is going to the United States for work.
- 父 father
- アメリカ the United States
アキ：え、行くって、長く行くの？アメリカで生活するっていうこと？
Aki: What, when you say he is going, is he going for a long time? Is he going to live in the United States?
- 生活 life; 生活する to live
ナナ：うん、２年くらい。
Nana: Yeah, for about 2 years.
- 年 year, age; 年 year
アキ：２年も？じゃあ、ナナも一緒に行くの？
Aki: 2 whole years? Then are you also going together, Nana?
ナナ：ううん、行かない。日本に残る。
Nana: No, I won't go. I'm staying in Japan.
- 残る to remain; to be left
アキ：えー、残るの？アメリカの生活、いい経験になるかもしれないのに。
Aki: What, you're staying? But living in the United States might be a good experience.
- 経験 experience; 経験する to experience
- ～のに although; even though: 頑張ったのに出来なかった。I couldn't do it even though I did my best.
ナナ：うん、家族でいろいろ考えたんだけどね。その結果、父が一人で行く。
Nana: Yeah, we thought about this a lot in my family. As a result, my father is going alone.
- 結果 result
アキ：そっか。みんなで考えた結果なんだね。面白い経験できそうなのに。
Aki: I see. This was the result of all of you thinking together. But it might be an interesting experience.
ナナ：うん、行きたい気持ちもちょっとあったんだけどね。
Nana: Yeah, I did also feel that I wanted to go a bit.
Step 2 - Take the Quiz
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Take the quiz here.
Step 3 - Writing Exercises (Optional)
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There is a typo in the listed explanation for 思って(い)た says 思う means “to eat” when it means “to think”
Thanks a lot for pointing that out. I’ll convey your message to the staff in charge.
Hi, in the sentences “家族でいろいろ考えたんだけどね。” and “行きたい気持ちもちょっとあったんだけどね。” what ど means? Is it something like です?
Thanks.
It’s 考えた + ん(の) + だけど + ね, and あった + ん(の) + だけど + ね.
だけど usually means “though”, “but” or “nevertheless.”
家族でいろいろ考えたんだけどね
We were thinking a lot about it in our family but as a result…
行きたい気持ちもちょっとあったんだけどね
I kind of wanted to go there a bit, though.
For this line ,”いえ。ちょっと教えてほしいと思って”, I wasn’t sure which part translated “to know quickly”. I see where the I want to know is
Could you explain したら/それでしたら? I’m having a hard time understanding this. Also, in the 1st line in the first story, what is the point of なん?
For すぐ持ってきます, 持って translates ” to hold” but the line says I’ll bring/get you one right away. Does it also mean to get?
What is the difference between アメリカで生活するっていうこと and アメリカで生活する?
I read the first one as “Live in the place called America vs Live in America”.
Again, thank you for all your help!
>ちょっと教えてほしいと思って
it literally means “I want you to tell me something quickly,”
but it actually means “I want to ask you a quick question.”
ちょっと means “a bit”, “a little” or “quick”
The speaker implies answering her question won’t take time.
>したら/それでしたら?
It’s a polite way of saying それなら.
It usually means “in that case,” but here it means “regarding that question,”.
>Also, in the 1st line in the first story, what is the point of なん?
Do you mean 何でしょうか？
It’s more polite way of saying 何ですか “What is it?”.
何 means “what”.
Next time, please write the whole sentence to avoid misunderstanding.
>For すぐ持ってきます, 持って translates ” to hold” but the line says I’ll bring/get you one right away. Does it also mean to get?
持つ it self means “hold”
The speaker says 持ってきます, which is a polite form of 持ってくる. (持つ + 来る)
持ってくる means “bring something.” (hold something and come)
>What is the difference between アメリカで生活するっていうこと and アメリカで生活する?
っていうこと here works as “do you mean”
“Do you mean he’s gonna live in the U.S.?”
It’s used to make sure if the speaker understand what the other said correctly.
アメリカで生活する means “live in the U.S.”
アメリカの生活 means “A life (Living) in the U.S.”
生活する is a verb, and 生活 is a noun.
Thank you for your very thorough explanation Hana Sensei!
Apologies for “>Also, in the 1st line in the first story, what is the point of なん?”.
When I punched this into Jisho.org, it only gave me the definition for でしょうか so then I thought 何 was something else.
No problem.
Yes, a dictionary sometimes confuses you.
「。。。思ってたとこなんです。」
この分をよく分かりません。。。どうやって分けるですか？
「思ってたとこ」「なんです」？
「思ってたと」「こなんです」？
「思ってた」「とこ」「なんです」？
「とこ」は何ですか？
区切り方は「思ってた」「とこ」「なんです」です。
「とこ 」は「ところ」のことで、「直後」か「ちょうどその時」という意味です。