Lesson Dialogues
Situation 1
Aki and Jun are at a bookstore. It seems that the book that Jun wanted sold out a short while ago.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
ジュンは、今日、本を買いますか?
A はい
B いいえ
アキ:タイミング悪かったね。
- タイミング timing
- 悪かった past form of 悪い
- 悪い bad
- ~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).
ジュン:ほんと。はやいよ、なくなるの。
- ほんと truth; right; really
- 早い early; soon; 速い fast
- ~よ introduces new information; emphasises a sentence: 朝だよ!It's morning!
- なくなる to disappear; to be gone
- ~の の can make other words, such as verbs, function like a noun: 食べるのはやめる。I will stop eating.
アキ:今日は、もう帰る?
- 今日 today
- もう already; soon; again; more; strengthens expression of an emotion; filler word: なんか、もう、帰ろうよ Like, let's go home already?
- 帰る to return; to go home; to go back
ジュン:うん、そうだね。また、来るよ。
- 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
- また adv additionally; moreover; conj. again; too; and: また来ます。I'll come here again.
- 来る to come
Situation 2
It seems that the book that Jun wanted sold out and Jun is disappointed.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
ジュンは、よくしゃべっていますか?
A はい
B いいえ
アキ:そんなにショック?
- 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.
- ショック shock
ジュン:なんで?
- なんで why; how come
アキ:あんまりしゃべらないし。なんか世界が終わったみたい。
- あまり n the rest; あまり、あんまり adv (not) much; often; あまり~ない: 仕事があまりない。I don't have a lot of work.
- しゃべらない negative form of しゃべる
- しゃべる to talk, to chat; more casual and colloquial than はなす
- ~し and; besides; because, since: 雨だし行かない。/行かない、雨だし。 I won't go. Besides, it's raining.
- 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.
- 世界 world
- 終わった past form 終わる
- 終わる to end; to finish
- ~みたい like; it seems that...; as if...: 明日雨みたい。 it seems like it's raining tomorrow.
ジュン:うん、確かに。そんな気持ちかも。
- 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.
- 気持ち feeling; sensation; mood; 気持ちがいい feeling good; 気持ちが悪い feeling bad, feeling sick
- ~かも perhaps; maybe: 明日、雨かもしれない。Maybe it will rain tomorrow.
Situation 3
Sato-san is asking Tanaka-san who he is going to pick for this session's seminar lecturer.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
その先生の話は____。
A 悪い
B はやい
C 新しい
D 面白い
佐藤:呼びたい先生、いますか?
- 呼びたい たい form of 呼ぶ; ~たい expresses desire; I want to __
- 呼ぶ to call; to invite
- 先生 teacher; professor; doctor
- います ます form of いる; ~ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
- いる to be; to exist; to stay; use ある for objects and いる for people and animals
田中:はい、話、聞きたい先生、いるんです。
- 話 story; talk
- 聞きたい たい form of 聞く; ~たい expresses desire; I want to __
- 聞く to hear; to listen; to ask; to obey
- ~のです、~んです、~のだ、~んだ 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/来ないの? 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?; ~なんだ with nouns, na-adjectives, and adverbs: 明日雨なんだ。It will rain tomorrow.
佐藤:話が面白いんですか?
- 面白い interesting; fun; funny
田中:はい。面白くていい話なんですよ。
- 面白くて te-form of 面白い
- 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.
Situation 4
Sato-san is asking Takana-san about this session's seminar lecturer.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
春野先生は、____の先生だ。
A 大学
B 子供
C 英語
D 写真
佐藤:どんな人ですか?
- どんな what kind of: どんな音楽が好き?What kind of music do you like?
- 人 person; people; human being
田中:春野先生です。大学の先生です。
- 大学 university; college
佐藤:私は知らないんですが。
- 知らない negative form of 知る
- 知る to know; use the te-form to say "I know": そのアニメ知ってるよ。I know that anime.
- ~が but: 雨ですが行きます。It's raining but I'll go; used for introductory phrases: イベントがありますが行きますか? There's an event. Do you want to go?; もう八時ですが。。。It's already 8 but (shouldn't we be going?).
田中:本も書いてます。今、その本買う人多いんですよ。
- 本 book
- 書いて te-form of 書く; 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...
- 書く to write
- 今 now
- その that
- 買う to buy
- 多い many; much; a lot of
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.
If I wanted to say I don’t know about him or her. Could I say ( 知しらないんですが。) without saying watashi since I’m already referring to myself anyways?
Also because this translates to “What kind of person is she?” (どんな人ですか?) Could I also use this as a way of saying “What kind of person is he or she?” since the 人 kanji is referring to someone your asking about?
You could. Usually, we omit 私は, but tend to mention “about him or her” part:
その先生のことは知らないんですが or その先生のことは知りません.
※ その先生のこと ー about that lecturer, about the lecturer
You’re right. Unless we hear the person’s full name, we can’t know if it’s she or he.
Thank you very much.
No problem! Those were good questions.
For Situation 1, how could we ask the bookseller to order a book that’s sold out?
Is it, この本を注文してくれる?
And since we are a customer we can use informal speech?
Thanks.
Yes, you can say この本を注文してくれる?
And since we are a customer we can use informal speech?
→It is not necessary to use an informal form. If you are familiar with the shop staff, an informal one is fine. However, we usually use a formal style to show respect.
Shop staff will be happier than being said informally, too.
In this sentence その本買う人多いんですよ, why aren’t we translating その?
The correct translation should be ”there are a lot of people that want to buy that book”, am I wrong?
Yes, it’s a bit confusing.
I think it should be translated as “She has also written a book. There are a lot of people who buy the book now.” (The book is selling well now.)
※”want to buy” means 買いたがる or 買いたいと思う.