Lesson Dialogues
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* Hover over or tap words to see definitions:
Situation 1
Yuri made a phone call to Kaito, her boyfriend.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
1. ユリとカイトは、明日 。
A 出かける
B 出かけない
2. ユリは、今日の午後どこに行きますか？
A 学校
B 会社
C 駅
D 病院
カイト：もしもし。どうしたの？
ユリ：明日の午後、出かけようって言ってたじゃん？
カイト：そうだね。
ユリ：それ、また今度にできる？ごめん。
カイト：いいけど。なんかあった？
ユリ：実は、昨日からちょっと気持ち悪くて。
カイト：え、そうだったの？大丈夫？
ユリ：うん。寝てれば元気になると思う。
カイト：病院は行ったの？
ユリ：ううん。でも、行かなくても大丈夫。そんなひどくないから。
カイト：ひどくなくても、行ったほうがいいでしょ。
ユリ：そうかな？
カイト：絶対行ったほうがいいよ。今日、行ってきて。
ユリ：分かった。今日の午後、病院行ってくる。
カイト：うん、そうして。
ユリ：うん。明日、出かけられなくてごめんね。
カイト：そんなの大丈夫。元気になったら、出かけよう。
Situation 2
During lunch break at the office, Saito-san is talking with Suzuki-san, his subordinate.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
1. 鈴木さんは、うまい店をいろいろ知っていますか？
A はい
B いいえ
2. 鈴木さんは が好きだ。
A 料理
B 仕事
C 音楽
D 自然
斉藤：お疲れ。飯食った？
鈴木：まだです。
斉藤：じゃ、一緒に飯行かない？
鈴木：行きましょう。何食べます？
斉藤：今日は魚食いたいな。
鈴木：魚の美味しいお店、知ってますよ。この前見つけました。
斉藤：へー。この近く？
鈴木：はい、すぐそこです。
斉藤：じゃ、そこ行こう。お前、うまい店いろいろ知ってるよな。
鈴木：美味しいお店見つけるの好きなんです。
斉藤：そうなんだ。
鈴木：自分で料理するのも好きですけど。
斉藤：え、お前料理好きなの？
鈴木：はい。最近好きになって。
斉藤：すごいな。自分で料理すると、健康によさそう。
鈴木：健康かどうか分かりませんけど。いつも食べ過ぎてしまうんで。
斉藤：確かに、食べ過ぎるのはよくないかも。
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.
Hana-Sensei, which of these two sentences sounds more natural to mean “It is difficult if you are not used to using certain sentences.”?
ある文を使うのに慣れていないと難しい
or
一般的な文を言い慣れないと難しい
ありがとうございます。
It depends on what “it” refers to, but you can say 特定の文を使い慣れていないと難しい.
※ 特定(とくてい)の – certain, specific
It would be helpful to provide some context and background when asking questions that are not directly related to the lesson. : )
I was thinking about what’s the closest English equivalent to お前 and I want to say it’s “buddy” because if you use it with anyone you’re not very close to it can be see as fighting words.
Also is Suzuki-san a super casual senpai? Using お前 and 飯食う is giving me that impression.
The meaning of お前 can vary depending on the context – who is using it and who they are addressing.
Among friends, or seniors to juniors, it can be translated as “dude”, “bro”, or “buddy.”
Usually, people who call juniors お前 are either bossy and arrogant, or a big-brother type and friendly. He is probably the latter.
Thank you for the additional clarity. I also think Suzuki is the friendly type especially since he’s so willing to praise his subordinate.
No problem! Yes, he sounds like a good senpai.
I just noticed that his tie and collar are a bit messy. That’s a nice detail in his character portrait that tells you a lot about his personality.
You’re very observant.
I bet he loosened his tie as soon as he took his lunch break.
curious, is it normal to head to a hospital when sick in Japan? Referring to the first situation
It depends on the individual, but most people want to go to a hospital particularly when they don’t know what is wrong. Is that not the case in the U.S.?
No, usually if it’s fever like symptoms we don’t. More so tough it out and if it’s been two weeks then you go as most doctors won’t give you anything unless it’s been longer since it’s probably a cold.
That’s interesting.
I thought you guys would go to see a doctor right away and take some medicine mainly because I often see people taking pills in American movies. lol
I think giving it a couple of weeks is a good idea to see how it goes.
Ah those pills are available over the counter at a drug store usually. It’s rare to go see a doctor however for flu like symptoms.
I see. I wonder if it’s partly because medical care costs are high in the US. In Japan, most people are covered by the national health insurance system, so we usually don’t have to pay a lot at the hospital.
I had been meaning to ask the same question since I joined the course in November, as I noticed that going to the hospital is mentioned frequently in the dialogues for what seems to be minor issues. I am originally from Italy, but have also lived in France, Belgium, Malta and now Canada. In all those countries you usually have a family doctor, a general practitioner who has a clinic, and you go there first for minor ailments (you don’t pay, it’s covered by the insurance). He or she will prescribe any medication that you cannot just get over the counter at any pharmacy, will refer you to a specialist if needed, and make an appointment for you at the hospital if you need special tests, screening, or surgery. You would only go straight to the hospital for something serious and urgent (like after an accident, if you’re bleeding, had a stroke or heart attack, or when you can’t get an appointment at your family doctor’s soon enough). Even so, often you have to wait for hours at the hospital’s emergency, since they give priority to the most serious cases. It seems that in Japan there is no family doctor and everyone just goes to the hospital frequently. Different countries have different systems in place and different customs, it’s interesting.
Small clinics exist in Japan, but few doctors provide comprehensive care, as most are specialists in fields like ophthalmology or otolaryngology. This is why many people visit large general hospitals with various departments in one building—it saves them the trouble of traveling.
Japan once had its own Kampo (traditional herbal) medicine but now largely relies on chemical-based treatments.