tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23037705501400233272024-03-08T22:48:07.961+00:00Japan Study AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-18955187395619373742015-02-25T00:30:00.003+00:002015-02-25T00:31:12.680+00:00Adjectives - いAs mentioned in the <a href="http://japan-study.blogspot.com/2015/02/adjectives-overview.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> there are two types of adjectives, and being able to tell them apart is important as they conjugate differently.<br />
<br />
This post will show how to conjugate い-adjectives, which is actually quite easy as it's just changing the ending.<br />
<br />
The simplest is the non-past positive version, which is simply the dictionary form of the adjective, for example:<br />
<br />
このりんごは<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">美味し</span><span style="color: #741b47;">い</span></b>です (This apple is delicious)<br />
<br />
Next, we have the non-past negative version, to form this, we take off the final い and add くない, for example:<br />
<br />
このりんごは<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">美味し</span><span style="color: #741b47;">くない</span></b>です (This apple is not delicious)<br />
<br />
Thirdly we have the past positive version, which we form by removing the final い and adding かった, for example:<br />
<br />
このりんごは<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">美味し</span><span style="color: #741b47;">かった</span></b>です (This apple was delicious)<br />
<br />
And lastly we have the past negative, which is formed by removing the final い and adding くなかった, for example:<br />
<br />
このりんごは<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">美味し</span><span style="color: #741b47;">くなかった</span></b>です (This apple was not delicious)<br />
<br />
And that's about it!, there are other things such as the て-form for adjectives, but that'll be covered separately.<br />
<br />
じゃあ、またね! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378249549721686042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-68896335567775949342015-02-19T22:57:00.006+00:002015-02-19T22:57:48.322+00:00Adjectives - Overview<span style="color: #444444;">Sometimes we need to be able to describe objects, to say things such as "this apple is delicious" or "that book is boring", to do so we need to learn about adjectives.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Adjectives in Japanese come in two groups, い-adjectives and な-adjectives.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">い-adjectives are so called, and can be recognised by the fact that they end in an い symbol. It is important to remember that adjectives ending in an い sound (but not い itself), such as き、し、ち、etc. are NOT い-adjectives.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">な-adjectives are so called because in their dictionary form, they end in a な.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Adjectives can appear directly before a noun, modifying it, or can appear on its own as a standalone word.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">い-adjectives always remain the same, whether they appear before a noun, or on their own, such as in the following two examples.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">これは<span style="color: #b45f06;">美味しい</span>りんごです (This is a delicious apple)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">このりんごは<span style="color: #b45f06;">美味しい</span>です (This apple is delicious)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">な-adjectives however get their な stripped off when appearing on their own, as in the following two sentences.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">それは<span style="color: #b45f06;">きれいな</span>くつです (Those are pretty shoes)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">そのくつは<span style="color: #b45f06;">きれい</span>です (Those shoes are pretty)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Note that although きれい (and きらい) end in the kana い they are actually な-adjectives, there are a few exceptions like this unfortunately :( </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #444444;">That's the basic format of adjectives!, we'll hopefully go through their conjugation in future posts. </span> </span></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378249549721686042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-74526144921797528042015-01-13T23:30:00.000+00:002015-01-13T23:30:07.637+00:00諺コーナー: 朝飯前Welcome to 諺コーナー (proverb corner)<br />
<br />
Hopefully we should be able to get some insight into Japanese culture, and also into casual Japanese by looking at some of their proverbs and sayings<br />
<br />今日の諺は<b>「</b>朝飯前」です<br />
<br />
The three kanji comprising this phrase are as follows:<br />
<br />
朝 (あさ) morning<br />
飯 (めし) meal<br />
前 (まえ) before<br />
<br />
Putting this together we get "morning meal before" as a literal translation, however taking a looser translation we get simply "before breakfast"<br />
<br />
This phrase means "piece of cake" and can be used to describe something that is so easy, it can be taken care of "before breakfast"<br />
<br />
Both useful, and 朝飯前 to remember<br />
<br />
じゃあ、またね<br />
<br />
ロビンAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378249549721686042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-62711721237978170372015-01-13T13:28:00.004+00:002015-01-13T13:28:59.198+00:00Verbs+のI learned something today (Thanks Rob)<br />
<br />
If you use a verb in dictionary form and add の, you can then use it in a similar way to using a noun.<br />
<br />
For example, with a noun, you can say.<br />
<br />
りんごが好きです。<br />
<br />
I like apples.<br />
<br />
But, if you use this method with a verb, you can say,<br />
<br />
たべるのが好きです。<br />
<br />
I like eating! So now, you can describe activities you like to do.<br />
<br />
These sentences can get more complicated as you go on;<br />
<br />
私はイギリスのりんごをたべるのが好きです。<br />
<br />
I like eating English apples.<br />
<br />
I'll try and remember this one! There may be other ways you can use verb+の, so when we find out we can most more examples of this.<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
<br />
SallyAppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-60782173237424019252014-03-14T20:27:00.001+00:002015-01-13T13:21:01.594+00:00今日の単語: ときどき「時々」「sometimes」<div style= "color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
今日の単語: ときどき「時々」「sometimes」</div>
<div style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 6px;">
e.g<br />
時々は本を読みます。「Sometimes, I read books.」<br />
時々は日本の食べ物を食べます。「Sometimes, I eat Japanese food.」<br />
時々は日本語を勉強します。「Sometimes, I study Japanese.」</div>
AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-50371428784346823382013-01-24T13:16:00.003+00:002013-01-24T13:17:13.398+00:00て form: What are you doing nowて form is also used when you are describing what someone is doing at that moment.<br />
<br />
So normally, you could say something like <span style="color: red;">サリー</span><span style="color: orange;">さん</span><span style="color: lime;">は</span><span style="color: blue;">しんぶん</span><span style="color: lime;">を</span><span style="color: magenta;">よみます</span>。Sally reads a newspaper. So, let's break it down first.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">サリー</span><span style="color: orange;">さん </span><span style="color: lime;">は </span><span style="color: blue;">しんぶん </span><span style="color: lime;">を </span><span style="color: magenta;">よみます</span>。<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;">Miss</span> <span style="color: red;">Sally</span> <span style="color: magenta;">reads</span> <span style="color: lime;">a</span> <span style="color: blue;">newspaper. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
This is the basic sentence we'd use in Japanese, but what happens if someone asks:<br />
<br />
サリーさんはいまなにをしていますか。 What is Sally doing now?<br />
<br />
サリーさん (Miss Sally) は (particle) いま (now) なに (what) を(particle) しています (doing) か (question)<br />
<br />
You might think that the question will actually end in をしますか but it doesn't, the reason being is that をしますか implies future tense, which will contradict your use of the word 'now' いま. So, the question ends in をしていますか.<br />
<br />
You need て form to describe what you are doing now, too.<br />
<br />
The て form of よみます is よんで which we learnt in the <a href="http://sallysjapanese.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/form.html">blog post about the て form in general.</a> Add います to よんで to finish the sentence and make it polite.<br />
<br />
So finally, the sentence would be サリーさんはいましんぶんをよんでいます。Miss Sally is reading a newspaper now.<br />
<br />
You can ask lots of things and give lots of answers with this! All you have to do is replace the object and the verb, and of course the person.<br />
<br />
[Person]は [Time] [Object] を [Te form verb] います。<br />
<br />
カイさんはいまなにをしていますか?What is Kai doing now?<br />
<br />
カイさんはいまおちゃをのんでいます。Kai is drinking Japanese tea now. (おちゃ)<br />
<br />
サリーAppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-12505657831084235342013-01-14T19:52:00.003+00:002013-01-24T13:17:26.723+00:00て form: Connecting sentences <span style="font-family: inherit;">Another use of the て form is that you can connect two related sentences together with it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The problem though, is you can only really connect sentences that are subject and time related, so be careful how you use it. Also, you should only connect together two sentences, or three at the most otherwise you risk sounding quite unnatural. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red;">しちじ</span><span style="color: orange;">に</span><span style="color: lime;">おきて</span><span style="color: blue;">がっこう</span><span style="color: orange;">に</span><span style="color: purple;">いきます</span><span style="color: #333333;">。I get up at 7 and go to school. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: lime; line-height: 18px;">おきて</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"> is the て form of おきる which means to get up. We use the particle <span style="color: orange;">に</span> here because it indicates movement from one place to another. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18px;">When creating a sentence using the て form, you have to remember that the verb at the end shouldn't be theて form. As you can see, in our example sentence, </span><span style="color: purple; line-height: 18px;">いきます </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">is used and not <span style="color: red;">x</span> いって。(The te form of いく </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">which is irregular.) Also, this verb decides the tense of the sentence. So if you wanted to make it past tense, you'd say:</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; line-height: 18px;">しちじ</span><span style="color: orange; line-height: 18px;">に</span><span style="color: lime; line-height: 18px;">おきて</span><span style="color: blue; line-height: 18px;">がっこう</span><span style="color: orange; line-height: 18px;">に</span><span style="color: purple; line-height: 18px;">いきました。</span><span style="line-height: 18px;">I got up at 7 and went to school. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; line-height: 18px;">いきました </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">being the past tense form of いく (It's also the polite form.)</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">サリー</span></span>AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-10587883719996536692013-01-13T13:48:00.003+00:002013-01-13T13:49:52.966+00:00て form: Making a requestOne of the ways the て form is useful, is that it can be used for making a request: that is, politely asking someone to do something.<br />
<br />
This is really easy!<br />
<br />
ほん means 'book.' よむ is the dictionary form of 'to read.' (When I say dictionary form, I mean literally the simplest form which is always found in the dictionary.) を is the particle that usually comes before verbs (I don't yet understand it to it's fullest extent.) Finally, the word we need is 'please,' to make it polite. This is ください。<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">ほん</span><span style="color: orange;">を</span><span style="color: lime;">よんで</span><span style="color: purple;">ください。</span><br />
<br />
Please read the book.<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">You need to change the verb into the て form for this. ほんをよむください。<span style="color: red;">X</span> Is not correct. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Now, as long as you know the object and the verb, you can ask politely for a person to do anything!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;">ビデオ</span><span style="color: orange;">を</span><span style="color: lime;">みて</span><span style="color: purple;">ください。</span>Please watch the video. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;">うち</span><span style="color: orange;">に</span><span style="color: lime;">きて</span><span style="color: purple;">ください。</span> Please come home. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Did you notice that in the second setence, the particle is に instead of を? When you are suggesting a movement from A to B, you usually would use に instead of を.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">That's all for now! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">サリー</span></span>AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-81800350319996199212013-01-13T13:29:00.004+00:002013-01-13T13:29:49.964+00:00て formて form in Japanese is a form of verb that allows you to do various things. <br />
<br />
The first thing you need to know is how to turn the dictionary form of a verb into the て form. How to do this depends on how the verb ends.<br />
<br />
There are two types of verb. RU verbs, and U verbs. RU verbs usually end in る while U verbs usually end in other things, though there are exceptions. <br />
<br />
たべる, to eat, is a RU verb. To turn RU verbs into the て form, it's very easy. All you do is take off the る and add て.<br />
<br />
This means that たべ<span style="color: red;">る</span> becomes たべ<span style="color: red;">て</span>. Easy!<br />
<br />
U verbs are not as simple, but with practice it'll become easy to remember.<br />
<br />
If the verb ends in <span style="color: orange;">う、つ、る</span> (remember, sometimes there are verbs that end in る that just happen to be U verbs and not RU verbs,) then to make it the て form you need to add <span style="color: orange;">って.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;">あう becomes あって。</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: black;">If the U verb ends in <span style="color: lime;">む、ぶ、め</span> then you need <span style="color: lime;">んで。</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: lime;">よむ becomes よんで</span><br />
<br />
If the U verb ends in <span style="color: cyan;">く, </span>then you need to make it <span style="color: cyan;">いて。</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">かく becomes かいて。</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="color: black;">If the U verb ends in <span style="color: blue;">ぐ</span>, then you need to add <span style="color: blue;">いで。 </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">およぐ becomes およいで。</span><br />
<br />
If the U verb ends in <span style="color: purple;">す</span> then it becomes <span style="color: purple;">して。</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">はなす becomes はなして。</span><br />
<br />
Great! It might take a while to remember all these, but don't worry. When you hear the verbs enough you will start to learn naturally which verb needs which ending.<br />
<br />
Also, you need to remember three important exceptions, to go, to come and to do.<br />
<br />
いく - いって<br />
する - して<br />
くる - きて<br />
<br />
You'll just have to remember these on their own.<br />
<br />
I'll be having some more sections with the て form, because now we know how to make it, we need to know what to do with it!<br />
<br />
サリー<br />
<br />
<br />AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-1698061844125542802012-12-06T12:54:00.002+00:002012-12-06T12:55:47.841+00:00___がすきです。In a normal conversation, you might decide you want to say you like something. Well this is very easy in Japanese!<br />
<br />
すき is 'like' and だいすき is 'love.' だいすき is pretty strong, so I don't use it that often. Some people will say that 'love' in Japanese is あいしてる however I've never heard anyone say that, ever. It seems like it's really OTT, like something from a film?<br />
<br />
Anyway, to make a sentence, you just need to put the thing you like followed by がすきです。<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">ビデオゲーム</span><span style="color: orange;">が</span><span style="color: #38761d;">すき</span><span style="color: blue;">です。</span>I like video games.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">ビデオゲーム 'Video games.'</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">が This is the particle 'ga.' The usage of this is still pretty lost on me, so I use <a href="usehttp://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa051301a.htm">about.com</a> to explain it to me. Maybe this description of 'ga' will help you too. </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: ; font-family: verdana, geneva, helvetica; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">["Ga" is used when a situation or happening is just noticed or newly introduced.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, helvetica; font-size: x-small;">The object of the sentence is usually marked by the particle "o," but</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">some verbs and adjectives (expressing like/dislike, desire, potential, necessity, fear, envy etc.) take "ga" instead of "o."]</span></blockquote>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">
<center>
</center>
</div>
<span style="color: orange;"> So, in this case, 'ga' is just irregular when expressing likes and dislikes. If you know more about 'ga' and can explain it better, feel free to share!</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">すき As explained, this means 'to like.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">です as explained in previous blogs, this is just 'to be' that finishes a sentence politely.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
To say you love video games would be, ビデオゲームがだいすきです。But you might sound like an おたく、haha.<br />
<br />
To add a variation, you can also add いちばん which means 'favourite.' If someone asked you what your favourite hobby is, maybe you could say ビデオゲームがいちばんすきです, which means 'I like video games the best.'<br />
<br />
If you want to be mean and say you don't like something, you can use きらい instead. In Japanese this might be considered rude though. I've never had to say it, so I always forget what it is! ビデオゲームがきらいです。I think maybe instead of being that blunt, you could say ちょと。。。instead. It's just a kind of polite 'uhmmm not really' sound.<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
<br />
サリー<br />
<br />AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-82112730124334788942012-11-29T13:46:00.002+00:002012-11-29T13:46:36.502+00:00どこですか?Today I'm learning some useful phrases for my trip to Japan. One of the first useful things I learnt was how to say where is ___?<br />
<br />
This is an easy phrase to learn!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">どこ</span><span style="color: orange;">です</span><span style="color: #38761d;">か</span>?Simply means 'where is?' or 'where is it?'<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">どこ this means 'where.'</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">です 'to be.'</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">か question marker.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
You will probably want to ask where something is, though, so let's run through that.<br />
<br />
トイレはどこですか?Where is the toilet?<br />
<br />
All you need to do is add Place + は to the start of どこですか。<br />
<br />
Also, another thing to note; written Japanese doesn't need an actual question mark. Usually, you wouldn't see どこですか? you would see どこですか。<br />
<br />
Also, in Japan, people often asked me どこですか to ask me where I was from. As an English speaker it's hard to figure out what they mean because you expect a place name or maybe something else in the sentence, but Japanese seems to be shortened a lot and relies on context a lot more.<br />
<br />
I guess what we really need to know now, is places. It's all very well asking the question, but you need to know the answer too!<br />
<br />
Simply, people may say あそこ、そこ、or ここ while pointing. (Over there, right near you, right here.)<br />
<br />
But, things can get more complicated.<br />
<br />
So, let's go through this.<br />
<br />
First we need to know all the location words, so:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">ひだり: Left</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">みぎ: Right</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">まえ: Front</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">うしろ: Back</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">なか: Inside</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">うえ: On</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">した: Under</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">ちかく: Near; Nearby</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">となり: Next to</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">あいだ: Between</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
Now, we just need to form a sentence with the particle の。<br />
<br />
ぎんこうはとしょかんのとなりです。The library is next to the bank.<br />
<br />
かさはテーブルのしたです。The umbrella is under the table.<br />
<br />
So this is how you can understand an answer you may get :)<br />
<br />
Sally<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-31014064396847926022012-11-28T14:58:00.002+00:002012-11-29T13:09:17.012+00:00です<br />
です can be used in a lot of different ways. We can also make it into a negative, past tense, and past negative.<br />
<br />
From there, we can make many different sentences!<br />
<br />
So let's start with a sentence we know.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">これ</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">は</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">りんご</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">です。This is an apple.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">If we want to say 'This was an apple,' all we have to do is change です to<span style="color: orange;"> でした。</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">これはりんご<span style="color: orange;">でした</span>。This was an apple. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Now how about the negative? What happens if it's not an apple? Then we use <span style="color: orange;">ではありません。</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">これはりんご</span><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">で</span><span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 12.683333396911621px;">は</span></span></span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">ありません</span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">。</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This is not an apple. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Finally, if we want to say 'This wasn't an apple.' (Don't know why you'd need it but...) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">これはりんご</span><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">で</span><span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12.716666221618652px;">は</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">ありませんでした。</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Awesome. :)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">If you are ever looking at a strange object, red or green, and apple shaped, but you are still questioning they authenticity of it, then you can say <span style="color: orange;">これはりんごでしょう。</span>This would probably be an apple. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">So this is what I know about </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">です. There is a lot you can do with this knowledge :) If you add か to these then you can turn them into questions. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">これはりんご</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">でしたか?Was this an apple?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Sally</span></span>AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-67024560749053539032012-11-28T11:20:00.002+00:002012-11-29T13:09:09.754+00:00イギリスじんです。Now that we know how to introduce ourselves, and we know about です、we can talk about ourselves a little more. Let's have a simple conversation with someone new.<br />
<br />
サリー:はじめまして。わたしはサリーです。よろしくおねがいします。<br />
カイ:はじめまして、サリーさん。わたしはカイです。よろしくおねがいします。<br />
サリー:イギリスじんですか?<br />
カイ:はい、イギリスじんです。<br />
<br />
So let's break this down.<br />
<br />
<br />
サリー:<span style="color: red;">はじめまして。</span><span style="color: orange;">わたしは</span><span style="color: #38761d;">サリー</span><span style="color: blue;">です。</span><span style="color: magenta;">よろしくおねがいします。</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">はじめまして</span><span style="color: red;">。The polite greeting, nice to meet you.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">わたしは 'I am.'</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">サリー Sally</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">です。polite sentence ending. </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">よろしくおねがいします。Let's be kind to each other. </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
And then the same again for Kai, カイ:はじめまして、サリー<span style="color: red;">さん。</span>わたしはカイです。よろしくおねがいします。<br />
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<span style="color: red;">さん</span> is a polite way to say Miss/Mr/Mrs/Ms. You must use it when meeting strangers, but you'd never use it on yourself!<br />
<br />
サリー<span style="color: red;">:イギリス</span><span style="color: #38761d;">じん</span><span style="color: blue;">です</span><span style="color: magenta;">か?</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">イギリス means English. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">じん is something you add to a place, to make it 'English person.' So 'じん’ means person.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">です polite sentence ending. </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">か is basically the japanese version of a question mark. Add it to the end of a sentence to make it a question. </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
カイ then agrees, by saying 'yes, I am english.'<br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
So now, you can say that you are English! Yay!~<br />
<br />
Sally<br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-63874955716590350832012-11-27T15:10:00.003+00:002012-11-29T13:44:15.137+00:00これは___です。The next step after basic introductions is basic sentence structure. We need to know how to say what something<i> is. </i>This is a pretty simple sentence.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: red;">これ</span><span style="color: blue;">は</span><span style="color: magenta;">りんご</span><span style="color: orange;">です。</span>This is an apple. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">それ</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">は</span><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">りんご</span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">です。</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">That is an apple. </span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">あれ</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">は</span><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">りんご</span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">です。</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">That over there is an apple.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">これ means 'this.' You use これ if the item you are referring to is near you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">それ means 'that.' You use it when the item is near the person you are speaking to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">あれ also means 'that.' But more specifically, 'that over there.' It is used when the item is a distance from you and the person you are speaking to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: blue;">は is the topic particle, again.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: magenta;">りんご means 'apple.' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: orange;">で す makes the sentence polite (to be.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">これ</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">は</span><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">りんご</span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">です。</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">____</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">___</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> ___</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This apple is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Now, you can say what things are in Japanese.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">これはほんです。This is a book.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">それはかさです。That is an umbrella.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">あれはぎんこうです。That (over there) is a bank.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">サリー</span></span>AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-25657196846084606812012-11-27T14:41:00.004+00:002012-11-29T13:08:35.034+00:00わたしは___です。This blog assumes you already know katakana and hiragana. Romaji is often unhelpful for learning so I suggest kana is one of the first things you learn in Japanese. Since we are studying together, feel free to correct me; I'm learning too! Check my resources page for learning katakana and hiragana.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The first thing you probably want to do in Japanese is to introduce yourself, so let's start with that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;">はじめまして。</span>This means, pleased to meet you. It is a typical Japanese greeting you will use when meeting someone for the first time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The next thing you will want to do is tell someone your name. So this is the first basic sentence we will learn. <span style="color: red;">わたし</span><span style="color: blue;">は</span><span style="color: magenta;">サリー</span><span style="color: orange;">です。</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: red;">わたし means 'I' or 'me.' </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;">は is a 'particle.' This shows the audience what the topic of the sentence is. It is called the 'topic marker.' </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: magenta;">サリー this is my name in Japanese! All foreign names will be spelt with katakana. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;">です。This means 'to be.' It makes the sentence polite. You will hear it often in Japanese sentences. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">わたしはサリーです。</span>I am Sally.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And finally, we will add.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;">よろしくおねがいします</span><span style="color: lime;">。</span>This doesn't have a literal english meaning, but it's a polite phrase that means 'let's be kind to one another from now on.'</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So now, you can introduce yourself in Japanese. Great!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
サリー</div>
AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303770550140023327.post-91369116568996796952012-11-27T14:27:00.001+00:002012-11-27T14:27:25.840+00:00始めまして始めまして。私はサリーです。日本語を勉強しましょう!AppleJuiceBoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432355406244646564noreply@blogger.com0