Lesson Dialogues
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* Hover over or tap words to see definitions:
Situation 1
On a holiday morning, Ami and her father are talking at home.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
アミは、２時に____を出る。
A 映画
B 友達の家
C うち
D 学校
アミ：今日、映画行くんだ。
父：へー、いいね。誰と行くの？
アミ：友達と！
父：そっか。何時に行くの？
アミ：２時にうち出るよ。
Situation 2
Matsui-san is having lunch with a subordinate, Yamada-san.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
松井さんは、全部食べれますか？
A はい
B いいえ
山田：美味しいですね。
松井：うん。でも、全部は食べれないな…。
山田：確かに、多いですね。
松井：持って帰れるかな？
山田：聞いてみましょうか。
Situation 3
At home, Ami is talking with her mother.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
アミは、その本を全部読みましたか？
A はい
B いいえ
母：これ、アミの本？
アミ：そう。全然読んでないけど。
母：え、なんで？
アミ：思ったより面白くなかった。
母：そうなんだ。
Situation 4
Matsui-san is talking with a neighbor, Ohnishi-san.
Comprehension Quiz (Skip if you don't understand the conversation yet)
その車は、___１０人くらい乗れる。
A たぶん
B 全部
C すごい
D 全然
松井：この車、小さいですね。
大西：ほんとですね。あの車は大きいですよ。
松井：すごい大きいですね。
大西：１０人ぐらい乗れますよ。たぶん。
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.
For example 4, why does くらい change to ぐらい?
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it’s a matter of preference/regional dialect. Both are pretty much the same and interchangeable. I’ve seen and heard both used, not sure which one is more common or standard though.
Cool, thank you
There used to be a clear distinction between くらい and ぐらい, but now it’s not as strict as it used to be.
Basically,
Nouns are followed by ぐらい.
Example: 遅くなる時は電話ぐらいしてください。- When you’re late, you should at least call me.
Demonstrative pronouns such as この(this), その・あの(that) are followed by くらい.
Example: 絵が上手ですね。私もそのくらい描けるようになりたいです。
- You’re really good at drawing. I want to be able to draw like that too.
Other parts of speech, such as adjectives and auxiliary verbs, are usually followed by ぐらい, but sometimes くらい is used instead. This is determined by ease of pronunciation.
There are still a considerable number of Japanese people who use both according to this rule, but it’s fewer than before. That’s why I think both are used in this lesson.