Lesson Dialogues
Situation 1
Sato-san and Tanaka-san are talking in the office.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
田中さんは、今日の夜、時間ありますか?
A はい
B いいえ
佐藤:おつかれさまです。今日、夜、時間ありますか?
- おつかれさまです good job; expression used to thank someone for hard work; also used as a greeting
- 今日 today
- 夜 night; evening
- 時間 time; hour: 一時間 one hour, 二時間 two hours
- 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
田中:ごめん、今日は帰る。
- 帰る to return; to go home; to go back
佐藤:今度、いろいろ、仕事の話してもいいですか?
- 今度 next time; sometime; this time
- いろいろ various, different kinds: いろいろ食べた。 I ate many different kinds of food.
- 仕事 work, job; 仕事する to work
- 話 story; talk
- して te-form of する; 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...
- する to do; to make; to decide on; to choose
- ~ていい、~てもいい expression to give or ask for permission: 食べていい? Can I eat?; 食べていいよ。You can eat (it's OK to eat); 食べなくていいよ。You don't have to eat (It's OK not to eat); てもいい is softer: (I) don't mind if: 夕食作ってもいいよ。I don't mind cooking dinner; can I...?: ペン借りてもいい? Can I borrow your pen?
田中:いいよ。
- よい、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.
- ~よ introduces new information; emphasises a sentence: 朝だよ!It's morning!
Situation 2
Takada-san, who is looking for a store, and Suzuki-san, who happened to pass by, are talking.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
お店は____だ。
A すぐそこ
B この上
C 会社の前
D 家のとこ
高田:このお店はどこですか?
- これ this, these; この this, these (possessive): この車 this car
- (お)店 store; shop; restaurant
- どこ where
鈴木:すぐ、そこです。
- すぐ immediately; right away; soon
- そこ there
高田 : よくわからないのですが。
- よく good; well; often: 日本によく行きます。 I go to Japan often.
- わからない negative form of わかる
- わかる to understand; to see
- ~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.
- ~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?).
鈴木 : じゃあ、お店に、一緒に行きましょう。
- 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.
- 一緒 together; with
- 行きましょう ましょう form of 行く; ~ましょう is a keigo form of ~こう which expresses desire; let's __
- 行く to go
Situation 3
Lisa and Manabu, who are a couple, are on a date.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
最近、マナブの仕事は、ちょっと____。
A きれい
B おいしい
C 大変
D 新しい
リサ:最近、仕事はどう?
- 最近 recently; lately
- どう how; what: どう思う?What do you think?; how about: ラーメンどう?How about (eating) ramen?
マナブ:うん、ちょっと大変。
- うん (casual, non-keigo) yes; yeah
- ちょっと (just) a little; a bit; (conversation filler)
- 大変 serious; terrible; hard; difficult
リサ:そっか。じゃあ、今日はおいしいもの食べよう!
- そうか、そっか is that so?; I see; you're right; そっか is colloquial
- おいしい delicious; tasty
- もの thing; object; stuff
- 食べよう ou form of 食べる; ~ou expresses suggestion; let's __;食べよう。 let's eat; 行こう。 let's go; 遊ぼう。 let's play; 作ろう。let's make.
- 食べる to eat
マナブ:そうだね!ありがとう。
- 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
Situation 4
Lisa and Kaori, who are friends, are talking.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
カオリもスマホを買いたいですか?
A はい
B いいえ
リサ:見て。スマホ、最近新しいの買ったの。
- 見て te-form of 見る; 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...
- 見る to see; to look; to watch; to check; we use 観る for things like sports or TV shows
- スマホ スマートフォン smartphone
- 新しい new; fresh
- ~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.
- 買った past form of 買う
- 買う to buy
- ~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.
カオリ:えー、一番新しいのじゃん。
- えー expresses surprise or disappointment: えー、本当? What? Really?
- 一番 number one; first; most
- ~じゃん、じゃない、じゃないですか 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.
リサ:そうなんだ。
カオリ:いいなー。私も買う!
- ~なー expresses emotions; emphasises the emotion; softens the sentence; often なー: 日本へ行きたいな。I want to go to Japan; かわいいなー。It's so cute.
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.
I am impressed by the content and lessons offered here, they are very practical. I find them extremely useful. i really like the one ” 何言ってんだよ”, as ” what the heck are you talking about? ” i think it is useful haha.
Thank you for helping us learn Japanese much easier and fun!
I am glad that you found it useful and fun. Additionally, you got the phrase you like from this lesson. Fantastic!
Why not practise何言ってんだよ until you familiarize it? Fun!
Enjoy learning!