Lesson Dialogues
Situation 1
Haru is talking to her younger sister, who went to see a horror movie.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
____は面白かった。
A 友達
B 学校
C 仕事
D 映画
ハル：映画、どうだった？
- 映画 movie
- どう how; what: どう思う？What do you think?; how about: ラーメンどう？How about (eating) ramen?
- だった past form of nouns and na-adjectives: 雨だった。 It was raining.
アキ：うん、まあ面白かったよ。
- うん (casual, non-keigo) yes; yeah
- まあ well; I think: まあ、そうだよね。Well, that's right.
- 面白かった past form of 面白い
- 面白い interesting; fun; funny
- ～よ introduces new information; emphasises a sentence: 朝だよ！It's morning!
ハル：ホラー映画って、私は見れないけど。
- ホラー horror
- ～って about; as for: 名前って何ですか？What's your name?; in spoken Japanese, people use って very often instead of は: ラーメンって好きですか？Do you like ramen? (instead of ラーメンは好きですか？)
- 見(ら)れない negative form of 見(ら)れる
- 見(ら)れる potential form of 見る; ～(ら)れる expresses possibility; can; can be; some people consider ～られる is a correct from, however, many people use ～れる in spoken Japanese
- 見る to see; to look; to watch; to check; we use 観る for things like sports or TV shows
- けど but; however; although; though; a lot of people finish a sentence with (だ)けど because it makes the sentence less direct.
アキ：なんで？
- なんで why; how come
ハル：夜、寝れないから。
- 夜 night; evening
- 寝(ら)れない negative form of 寝(ら)れる
- 寝(ら)れる potential form of 寝る; ～(ら)れる expresses possibility; can; can be; some people consider ～られる is a correct from, however, many people use ～れる in spoken Japanese
- 寝る to sleep; to lie down; to go to bed
- ～から because; since: 雨だから行きません。I won't go because it's raining.; use だから with nouns and na-adjectives.
Situation 2
Haru is asking her younger sister Aki, who went to a movie, how crowded the movie theater was.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
アキの映画は、人が多かったですか？
A はい
B いいえ
ハル：人、多かった？
- 人 person; people; human being
- 多かった past form of 多い
- 多い many; much; a lot of
アキ：ううん、全然。他の映画は多かったんだけど。
- ううん nuh-uh; no (non keigo)
- 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.
- 他 other; another; else; 他の人 other people
- ～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.
ハル：アキのだけ少なかったの？
- ～だけ only; alone; merely
- 少なかった past form of 少ない
- 少ない a little; a few
- ～の emphasises a sentence or question: 本当にできるの？Can you really do it?; できるの！I can do it!; may sound feminine in some cases; 私、できるの。 sounds feminine.
アキ：そう。人、あんまりいなかった。
- 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
- 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.
- いなかった negative form of いた
- いた past form of いる
- いる to be; to exist; to stay; use ある for objects and いる for people and animals
Situation 3
Aki wants to buy something at the movie theater kiosk.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
アキは、何か飲みますか？
A はい
B いいえ
アキ：ポップコーン、一つ。
- ポップコーン popcorn
- 一つ one (a way of counting): ラーメン一つください. One ramen please.
店員：はい。何か飲みますか？
- 何か 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.
- 飲みます ます form of 飲む; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
- 飲む to drink
アキ：そうですねぇ…。
- ～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：一緒に買いませんか？ 少し安いですよ。
- 一緒 together; with
- 買いません negative form of 買います
- 買います ます form of 買う; ～ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
- 買う to buy
- 少し a little; a few
- 安い cheap; low (price); inexpensive
アキ：あー、それはいいですね。
- それ that; those
- 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
Aki wants to buy a drink at the movie theater kiosk.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
アキは____を買う。
A 大きい水
B 小さい水
C 大きいコーラ
D 小さいコーラ
アキ：何がありますか？
- 何 what
- 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：いろいろありますよ。水とかコーラとか。
- いろいろ various, different kinds: いろいろ食べた。 I ate many different kinds of food.
- 水 water
- ～とか such as; or something; and so on; something like; 家とか車とか買いたい。I want to buy things like cars or houses; people often add to soften a word: 車とか買いたい。I want to buy a car (とか doesn't have a lot of meaning.)
- コーラ coke
アキ：じゃあ、コーラで。
- じゃあ well, so, then; if: 雨じゃ外で遊べないね。If it's raining, we can't play outside.
店員：大きいのと小さいのがありますが。
- 大きい big; large; great
- ～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.
- 小さい small; little; tiny
- ～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?).
アキ：大きいのを。
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.
コーラで is there any explanation or example of で?
大おおきいのを also を?
Both omit a phrase that follows.
コーラで can mean either:
a: コーラで (お願いします)
※ xxxでお願いします ー “I’ll have xxx, please.”
or
b: コーラで(いいです)。
※ xxxでいいです ー “xxx will do” or “I’m fine with xxx.”
大きいのを(ください)
※ xxxをください ー “Please give me xxx.”
Are 少しand 少ない interchangeable? Are there any differences between them?
すくない means few or low and is an adjective.
すこし means a little or slightly and is an adverb.
すくない is used when the quantity (of work, water, food, rain etc.) is below average or smaller than you expected.
すこし is used when the quantity isn’t large but there is no basis for comparison.
Hope it helps!
In this sentence (えいが) 映画 、どうだった is the つ silent. I have seen this several time, It has been bugging for awhile.
Yes, I understand that it annoys you. There are more similar ones, such as だった、きった、まった. Practice helps. You will get used to listen and pronounce it.
For me, some German sound is hard.
Enjoy learning together!
i think there are lots of implicit words in these conversations… is this really how japanese speak?
i guess if i dont follow the conversation from the begining, it would be hard to get it in the middle…
if i get it right, in this sentence ハル：アキのだけ少すくなかったの？, the missing words should be ハル：アキの（映画）だけ（人が）少なかったの？?
and in this sentence 店員：大きいのと小さいのがありますが。, should be 店員：大きいの（コーラ）と小さいの（コーラ）がありますが。?
You got the first one right. Strictly speaking, it means:
アキの(観た映画）だけ（人 or 観客が）少なかったの？
※アキの観た映画 (the movie that Aki watched)
※観客 (audience)
As for the second one, they both know it’s about coke, and they are talking about size.
大きい(サイズ or コップ)と小さい (サイズ or コップ)がありますが。
※ サイズ – size
※ コップ – (paper) cup
の here works like “one” in English.
This usage itself is common, but I don’t think it’s natural to say like the way they used in this conversation.
For example, a clerk usually makes it clearer by asking サイズは大と小がありますが, which literally means
“We have large and small sizes,” and it implies “Which would you prefer large or small size?)
But I guess the staff who wrote this conversation wanted the learners to get used to the の usage.