Lesson Dialogues
Situation 1
Lisa and Hiromi are talking.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
ケーキは____が作った。
A リサの友達
B ヒロミの家族
C ヒロミ
D リサ
ヒロミ:このケーキ、リサが作ったの?
- これ this, these; この this, these (possessive): この車 this car
- ケーキ cake
- 作った past form of 作る
- 作る to make; to create; to cook
- ~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.
リサ:うん!食べて。
- うん (casual, non-keigo) yes; yeah
- 食べて te-form of 食べる; 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...
- 食べる to eat
ヒロミ:おいしい!これ、どうやって作るの?
- おいしい delicious; tasty
- どう how; what: どう思う?What do you think?; how about: ラーメンどう?How about (eating) ramen?
- やって te-form of やる; 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...
- やる to do; to give; often more casual than する
- どうやって how
リサ:簡単だから、教えるよ。
- 簡単 easy
- ~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.
- 教える to teach; to tell
- ~よ introduces new information; emphasises a sentence: 朝だよ!It's morning!
Situation 2
The couple Makoto and Yuka are talking in a town.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
マコトとユカはこの街で、____を買いたい。
A 家族
B 本
C 家
D 写真
マコト:この街、子供の時、よく来たなー。
- 町、街 town; city
- 子供 child
- 時 time, when: 子供の時 when I was a child; 時 o'clock
- よく good; well; often: 日本によく行きます。 I go to Japan often.
- 来た past form of 来る
- 来る to come
- ~な 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.
ユカ:へぇ。きれいだし、いい所だね。
- へぇ、へー oh, yes?; really?
- きれい beautiful; pretty; clean
- ~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.
- 良い、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.
- 所 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.)
- ~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).
マコト:この街に、家を買って住みたいね。
- 家 house; home
- 買って te-form of 買う; 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...
- 買う to buy
- 住みたい たい form of 住む; ~たい expresses desire; I want to __
- 住む to live
ユカ:うん。私もそう思う。
- 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
- 思う to think; to believe; to feel; to expect; ~と思う to think that: 明日、行くと思う。I think I will go tomorrow.
Situation 3
Tanaka-san and Takahashi-san are talking at the company.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
佐藤さんは、もう帰っちゃいましたか?
A はい
B いいえ
田中:佐藤さん、もう帰っちゃいました?
- 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
- ~ちゃいました ます form of ~ちゃった; ~ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
- ~ちゃった past form of ~ちゃう
- ~てしまう、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 past form: 食べちゃう to end up eating
高橋:ちょうど今、帰りましたよ。
- ちょうど just; exactly: ちょうど鈴木さん来たよ!Suzuki-san just came; 気温ちょうどいいよ。The temperature is just right.
- 今 now
- 帰りました past form of 帰ります
- 帰ります ます form of 帰る; ~ます makes a keigo (polite) sentence
田中:佐藤さんのスマホ、ここにあるんですけど。
- スマホ = スマートフォン smartphone
- ここ here
- ある to be (existence); to have (possession); to happen; use ある for objects and いる for people and animals
- ~のです、んです、のだ、んだ、の 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.
- けれど、けど but; however; although; though; a lot of people finish a sentence with (だ)けど because it makes the sentence less direct.
高橋:それは大変だ!
- それ that; those
- 大変 serious; terrible; hard; difficult
Situation 4
Yuka and Takashi are talking.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
鈴木くんは、彼女ができましたか?
A はい
B いいえ
ユウカ:あの人、鈴木くんの彼女だ。
- あの that; those
- 人 person; people; human being
- 彼女 she; girlfriend
タカシ:鈴木、彼女できたの?
- できた past form of できる
- できる to be able to do, to be good at; to be ready; to be made: 彼女ができる=to find a girlfriend; 友達ができる=to make a friend
ユウカ:鈴木くん、前からあの人好きだったみたい。
- 前 forward; front; before
- ~から from; after: 日本から来ました。I'm from Japan.
- 好き favorite; to like; to love
- ~だった past form of nouns and na-adjectives: 雨だった。 It was raining.
- ~みたい like; it seems that...; as if...: 明日雨みたい。 it seems like it's raining tomorrow.
タカシ:へー!全然知らなかった。
- 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.
- 知らなかった past form of 知らない
- 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.
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, could you also say これは問題よ!
For “That’s a problem?”
Yes, you can, except これ means “this.”
これは問題だ ー This is a problem.
それは問題だ ー That is a problem.