Lesson Dialogues
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* Hover over or tap words to see definitions:
Situation 1
Kaito is talking with his girlfriend Yuri about where to have lunch.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
そのお店は、____。
A あまり高くない
B すごい安い
C あまり普通じゃない
D すごいうまい
カイト：どこでご飯食べる？
ユリ：このお店はどう？
カイト：うまいの？
ユリ：普通。でも、すごい安いよ。
カイト：そうなんだ。入ってみよう。
Situation 2
Rika visited her senior Yuko's house.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
ユウコは、本を読むのが好きですか？
A はい
B いいえ
リカ：本、たくさんありますね。
ユウコ：うん。読むの好きなんだ。
リカ：へー。これ、全部読んだんですか？
ユウコ：ううん。でも、ほとんど読んだかな。
Situation 3
At the office, Yamada-san spoke to her superior Matsui-san.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
松井さんのバッグは、すごく高かったですか？
A はい
B いいえ
山田：可愛いですね。松井さんのバッグ。
松井：ほんと？ありがとう。
山田：それ、結構しました？
松井：ううん。そんなに高くないよ。
Situation 4
At home, Kaori and her dad are talking.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
今、コーヒーが____に無い。
A 学校
B うち
C 会社
D お店
父：なんかコーヒー飲みたいな。
カオリ：今、うちに無いよ。
父：そっか。
カオリ：買ってこようか？
父：いや。自分で行ってくるよ。
Step 2 - Take the Quiz
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Take the quiz here.
Step 3 - Writing Exercises (Optional)
Let's practice what you learned here.
In Situation 3,
山田：それ、結構 (けっこう)しました？
is translated as, Did it cost a lot?
—where did the idea of cost come from? (Also, isn’t it slightly rude to ask about the cost?)
>where did the idea of cost come from?
As you may know, しました is the past tense form of します, which is the polite form of する.
In this context, する means ‘to cost’ or ‘to be worth.’
Our team has added the definition, too.
Example:
この絵は100万円するんです。
– This painting costs one million yen.
> Also, isn’t it slightly rude to ask about the cost?
I think whether it feels rude or not depends on how close you are.
Also, asking 結構しました？ or 高かったでしょう？(It must be expensive, isn’t it?) can imply that the item seems high-quality and valuable, so the person being asked might not take it negatively.
Under Situation 2, the scene description of…”came to the house” is painful. What’s wrong with saying “…visited her senior Yuko’s home.”…?
“Painful” seems a bit of an exaggeration.
Nope…not an exaggeration. I have always been sensitive to translations for English-speaking audiences. That’s why I was always asked to edit Japanese-English translations for local businesses, grad students and the like. They knew that I would make it easier to read…easier to swallow.
Thank you for pointing it out. Our team has edited it.