Japanese Lesson #11

Nihon no koto, dō omoimasu ka. (What do you think of Japan?)

Jiko shōkai = Introducing yourself

[your name] to mōshimasu. (I'm called [name].)

[company or university name] no [your name] desu. (I'm [name] from [company or university].)

[country or city name] kara kimashita. (I'm from [country or city].)

Ima [place-name] ni sunde imasu. (I now live in [placename].)

[name] daigaku de [subject] o benkyō shite imasu. (I'm studying [subject] at [name] university.)

[company name] ni tsutomete imasu. (I work at [company name].)

...ga jōzu desu = is good at...

heta = poor at

person use wa; thing you are good at or bad at use ga

eg.

Ogawa san wa Eigo ga jōzu desu ne. (Ms. Ogawa is good at English, isn't she?)

Watashi wa ryōri ga amari jōzu desu ne. (I'm not very good at cooking.)

Joining -i adjectives with -kute

eg.

Omoshiroi eiga deshita. + Ii eiga deshita = Omoshirokute, ii eiga deshita. (It was a good, interesting movie.)

Sūgaku wa muzukashikute, suki ja arimasen. (Mathematics is difficult, and I don't like it.)

Atama ga itakute, ku-ji han ni nemashita. (I had a headache, and I went to bed at 9.30.)

Hazukashikute, dame deshita. (I was embarrassed, and it was no good.)

Tenki ga warukute, zannen deshita. (The weather was bad, and it was a pity.)

The plain forms of verbs

eg.

Piano ga dekiru kedo, amari jōzu ja arimasen. (I can play the piano, but I'm not very good.)

Takahashi san wa Eigo ga wakaru deshō ka. (I wonder if Ms. Takahashi understands English.)

-negative of plain form ends in -nai

-ru > -nai

taberu > tabemasen > tabenai (don't eat)

kangaeru > kangaemasen > kangaenai (doesn't think of)

miru > mimasen > minai (doesn't see)

tsukareru > tsukaremasen > tsukarenai (doesn't tire)

wasureru > wasuremasen > wasurenai ( doesn't forget)

oshieru > oshiemasen > oshienai (doesn't teach)

iru > imasen > inai (isn't in)

eg.

Saitō san wa sakana o tabenai deshō. (Ms. Saito doesn't eat fish, am I right?)

Terebi wa amari minai deshō. (You don't usually watch TV, do you?)

-u > -anai/-wanai

nomu > nomimasen > nomanai (doesn't drink)

hanasu > hanashimasen > hanasanai (doesn't speak)

omou > omoimasen > omowanai (doesn't think)

hashiru > hashirimasen > hashiranai (doesn't run)

kau > kaimasen > kawanai (doesn't buy)

matsu > machimasen > matanai (doesn't wait)

iku > ikimasen > ikanai (doesn't go)

kaku > kakimasen > kakanai (doesn't write)

wakaru > wakarimasen > wakaranai (doesn't understand)

kuru > kimasen > konai (doesn't come)

suru > shimasen > shinai (doesn't do)

aru > arimasen > nai (there isn't)

eg.

Ani wa ikanai kedo, watashi wa ikimasu. (My elder brother isn't going, but I am.)

Itō san wa kōhii o nomanai deshō. (Mr. Itō doesn't drink coffee, does he?)

Kotae wa bau deshō. (There isn't an answer, is there?)

plain form of desu = da(positive) and dewa nai or ja nai (negative)

eg.

Sō ja nai deshō.(That's probably not so.)

Mada atte inai = not yet

(when something hasn't yet happened, use -te imasen/ -te inai form)

eg.

Hiru-gohan wa mada tabete imasen. (I haven't eaten lunch yet.)

Rekishi no shukudai wa mada kaite inai deshō. (You haven't written your history homework yet, right?)

To omoimasu = I think

eg.

Sore wa zannen desu. (That's a pity.)

Sore wa zannen da to omoimasu. (I think that's a pity)

Takahashi san wa kimasen. (Ms. Takahashi isn't coming.)

Takahashi san wa konai to omoimasu. (I don't think Ms. Takahashi is coming.)

Are wa uso da to omoimasu. (I think that's untrue.)

Nihon de no seikatsu wa muzukashii to omoimasu ka. (Do you think living in Japan is difficult?)

Someone is thinking, use omotte imasu

eg.

Maiku san wa Nihon no terebi wa amari omoshiroku nai to omotte imasu. (Mike thinks that Japanease television isn't very interesting.)

Takahashi san mo sō omotte imasu. (Ms. Takahashi thinks so too.)

kangaeru = to consider/think about

eg.

Nani o kangaete imasu ka. (What are you thinking about?)

Chiimu no koto o kangaete imashita. (I was thinking about the team.)

Sashimi ya sushi ya = sashimi and sushi, etc

eg.

Sono gakkō de Eigo ya Furansugo ya Doitsugo (nado) o oshiete imasu. (At that school they teach English, French, German and the like.)

Kyōto ya Nara (nado) e ikimashita. (I went to Kyoto, Nara, etc.)

...koto ga dekimasu = can/be able to

(to the plain form of word)

eg.

Maiku san wa kanji o kaku koto ga dekimasu ka. (Mike, can you write kanji characters?)

Soko e wa, basu de iku koto ga dekimasen. (You can't get there by bus.)

Kore o zenbu taberu koto ga dekinai to omoimasu. (I think I can't eat all this.)

Nihongo ga dekimasu ka. (Can you (speak) Japanese?)

Tenisu ga dekimasu ka. (Can you (play) tennis)

Invitations using a negative verb = -imasen ka

eg.

Raishū no doyōbi wa tanjōbi no pātii o shimasu ga, Maiku san mo kimasen ka. (I'm having a birthday party next Saturday, would you like to come, Mike?)

Mō hiru-gohan o jikan desu ne. Issho ni tabemasen ka. (It's already lunch time, isn't it? Would you like to eat with us?)

Vocabulary

aru : there is/are

atama ga yokute : is clever

atte inai : haven't met

basu : bus

basukettobōru : basketball

bōifurendo : boyfriend

chiimu : team

da : is/are

dekimashita : were able to

dō omoimasu ka : what do you think?

Doitsugo : German Language

ganbarimasu : I'll do my best

gēmu : game

hashiru : run

hayaku : quickly

hazukashikute : embarrassed and...

jiko shōkai : self-introduction

jūgyō : lesson, class

kagaku : science

kangaete imasu : think about

kao : face

kotae : answer, response

koto ga dekimasu : can, be possible

koto : thing, event, fact

kuni: country

mada mada dame desu : I'm still no good (at...)

made ni : by, by the time

mae ni : before, previously

manejā : manager

nado : and so on, et cetera

nagai : long

nai : there isn't/aren't

Nihon no koto : about Japan

Ohaio-shu : the state of Ohio

omoshirokute : interesting and

owaru : finish, end

piano : piano

rekishi : history

ryōri : cooking, cuisine

soba : noodles

san-shūkan : three weeks

seikatsu : life, living

shōkai shimashō : let me introduce you

-shūkan : -weeks

shumi : interest, hobby

sūgaku : mathematics

supōtsu : sport

sushi : raw fish with rice

tabemono : food

taiiku : physical education, training

to mōshimasu : am called

to omoimasu : I think

tsutomete imasu : be employed

uso : untruth, story, lie

ya : and

yoku dekimashita : you did well

yoku : well

zenbu : all

Quoted from Berlitz Essential Japanese