Lesson Dialogues
Situation 1
Yutaka is looking at broaches in a show case.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
ユタカは____を見ている。
A 映画
B プレゼント
C ケーキ
D 本
ユタカ:これ、いいですね。
- これ this, these; この this, these (possessive): この車 this car
- いい good: 映画よかった! The film was great!; you may use this to indicate your preference or choice: 私、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.
- ~ね shares information or experiences; softens a sentence; expects an agreement; isn't it?; don't you?: 雨だね。Oh, it's raining (as you can see).
店員:出してみましょうか?
- 出して te-form of 出す; te-form is often used to connect to other expressions; te-form may indicate a command; 食べて!Please eat!; it's common to end a sentence with a te-form. Japanese people often don't finish a sentence completely: 昨日学校行って、勉強して。。。I went to school yesterday, studied, and...
- 出す to take out; to pay; to send (a letter)
- ~てみましょう ましょう form of ~てみる; ~ましょう is a keigo form of ~よう which expresses desire; let's __
- ~てみる to try and ___; to try something; to attempt to do something: 食べてみる。I'll try eating.
ユタカ:はい、よく見たいです。
- よく good; well; often: 日本によく行きます。 I go to Japan often.
- 見たい たい form of 見る; ~たい expresses desire; I want to __
- 見る to see; to look; to watch; to check; we use 観る for things like sports or TV shows
店員:かわいいですよ。プレゼントですか?
- かわいい cute; nice; lovely
- ~よ introduces new information; emphasises a sentence: 朝だよ!It's morning!
- プレゼント present; gift
ユタカ:はい。そうなんです。
- そう so (as in "I think so"): そう思う。 I think so. ; そうなんだ。 I see.; that is so, that's right
- ~んです actually, as a matter of fact: 明日、映画見たいんですよね/だよね。I actually want to watch a movie tomorrow; often used with けど: すいません、トイレに行きたいんですけど/だけど。。。Excuse me, I'd like to go to the bathroom; used to ask for a reason: なんで明日、会社来ないんですか/こないの? Why are you not coming to work tomorrow?; used to confirm or react to your observation: もう帰るんですか/帰るの? Are you going home already?; emphasizes discontentment or anger: 何言ってんだよ/んですか。 what the heck are you talking about?
Situation 2
Yutaka is looking at a number of items to find a present to buy.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
店員は、「これは、高いです。」と言いましたか?
A はい
B いいえ
ユタカ:他に何かありますか?
- 他 other; another; else; 他の人 other people
- 何か、なんか something; things like ..., or something like that ...; conversation filler: なんか、寒い。Well, it's cold; emphasises noun, often in a deprecating way: 魚なんか嫌い。I don't like something like fish.
- 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
店員:そうですね。例えば、こんなのもありますよ。
- 例えば for example; such as
- こんな so; such; like that; こんなに may indicate a great degree of quality or quantity: こんなに食べたの? Did you eat this much?
- の thing; object; stuff
ユタカ:あー、これもきれいですね。
- きれい beautiful; pretty; clean
店員:はい、これ、そんなに高くないんですよ。
- そんな that; such: そんな事はできない。I can't do such a thing; そんなに so much; so; like that; often そんなに~ない: そんなに食べれない。I can't eat that much.
- 高くない negative form of 高い
- 高い high; tall; expensive
Situation 3
Haru and Yuka are in a fashion building on their way home from work.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
「あの人」は____のとこにいた。
A 学校
B 店
C レストラン
D エスカレーター
ユカ:あ、あの人。
- あの that; those
- 人 person; people; human being
ハル:え、どの人?
- え expresses surprise or disappointment: えー、本当? What? Really?
- どの which; what; どの映画見る?What (which) film are we going to watch?
ユカ:今、エスカレーターのとこにいる人。ハルの友達じゃない?
- 今 now
- エスカレーター escalator
- 所、とこ place: 広い所 a big place; point: わからない所ある?Is there anything you don't understand?; part; aspect: どんなところが好き? What part do you like?; area; explains the current situation: 食べているところ I'm in the middle of eating; 食べたところ I just finished eating (= at the point where I finished eating.)
- いる to be; to exist; to stay; use ある for objects and いる for people and animals
- 友達 friend
- じゃない、じゃん じゃん: common way of ending a sentence mainly in Kanto region, a colloquial form of じゃない; isn't it; 今日寒いじゃん。だから出かけない。It's cold today, right? So I won't go out; You know I don't have money, right?; 鈴木さん、会社来たじゃないですか?何でですか? Suzuki-san came to work, right? Why?; expresses a slight surprise or emphasizes a remark: へえ、歌、うまいじゃん。Wow, you are a good singer.
ハル:え、どこ?わかんない。
- どこ where
- ~んない a colloquial form of ~らない; 分かんない = 分からない I don't understand
- わからない negative form of わかる
- わかる to understand; to see
ユカ:あー、上に行っちゃった。
- 上 top; above; up; on
- 行く to go
- ~ちゃった past form of ~ちゃう
- ~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 form: 食べちゃう to end up eating
Situation 4
Yuka was walking with Haru. She says she just saw one of Haru's friends.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
「あの人」は一人でしたか?
A はい
B いいえ
ユカ:あの人、ハルの友達に見えたけど。
- 見えた past form of 見える
- 見える to be seen, to be able to be seen, to be in sight; to look, to seem, to appear
- けど but; however; although; though; a lot of people finish a sentence with (だ)けど because it makes the sentence less direct.
ハル:ほんと?私、全然わかんなかった。
- ほんと truth; right; really
- 全然 (not) at all; utterly; completely; usually used with a negative form: 全然分からない。I don't understand at all; (a lot of people use it with affirmative forms lately): 全然できるよ。I can easily do it.
- わかんなかった past form of わかんない
ユカ:でも、確かにそうだったよ。
- でも but; however: でも、日本に行きたい。But, I want to go to Japan; even: プロでも出来ない。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: お茶でもどう?How about tea?; ラーメンでも食べる?Do you want to eat (things like) ramen?
- 確か adj. sure, certain, reliable; adv maybe, probably, if I remember rightly, it's my understanding that; 確かに surely, certainly; you're right: 確かに天気が悪いね。The weather is certainly bad.
ハル:一人だった?
- 一人 one person; alone
ユカ:うん、そう見えたけど。
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.
In situation 3, it seems that the Japanese expression is missing for this example in the bullet about じゃんない、じゃん: “You know I don’t have money, right?”
Would this be the way to say it?:
お金を持てじゃん。
お金持ってないじゃん。(I don’t have money)
「ユカ:今いま、エスカレーターのとこにいる人ひと」
so, it is really normal to say 「とこ」 instead of 「ところ」 when refering to a place in natural spoken language?
only in formal spoken/written language i should use 「ところ」?
Some Japanese people say とこ. ところ is not only for written Japanese.
ところ is used in both informal and formal conversations.Many Japanese use ところ.