Nouns:
hon = "book" (also means "basis."
so in the word "nihon," [where "ni"
= "sun," not "two"] it means the
sun base, or "land of the sun") (in addition,
it's written in kanji, which has multiple meanings
that aren't represented in romaji)
sakana = "fish"
tonkatsu = "pork cutlet" ("katsu"
is the part that meants "cutlet")
asagohan = "breakfast"
hirugohan = "lunch"
bangohan = "dinner"
menyuu = "menu"
pen = "pen" (easy enough?)
tokei = "watch" or "clock"
saifu = "wallet"
denwa = "phone"
jitensha = "bike"
en ("ehn") = "yen" (used for prices,
there is no y for some reason.)
keizai = "economics"
rekishi = "history"
Adjectives:
takai = "expensive"
oishii = "delicious"
(Adjectives will be detailed at a another time. Simplified
grammatical order: Noun + Adjective + Verb)
Pointing
at stuff:
So, what do we do if we want something, don't know
what something is, or are just pointing at something?
We use the following:
kore = "this" (near the person speaking)
sore = "that [near you]" (near the person
being spoken to)
are = "that [over there]" (not near either
person)
Typically, these are at the beginning of sentences.
EX:
kore wa nan desu ka. = "What is this?"
In
addition we have:
dore = "which[?]"
One thing to keep in mind is that "dore"
is a question word like "nani," thus it
cannot have the particle "wa" after it.
Instead, "ga" is used.
EX:
dore ga anata no jitensha desu ka = "Which bike
is yours?" (or: "Which is your bike?")
Now,
if the pointing word is _immediately_ followed by
a noun, then the "-re" is dropped and replaced
with "-no" (yes, "are" changes
to "ano." The difference between this usage
and the "ano" given in lesson 1 is context.)
EX:
sono hon wa takai desu. = "That book [near you]
is expensive."
Also,
similar to "-no," we can add "-ko."
These are designations for places.
koko = "here" (near speaker)
soko = "there [near you]"
asoko = "[over] there" (note the change)
doko = "Where[?]"
Practice:
Translate the following:
j-e
1: are wa nan desu ka.
2: kono pen desu.
3: sono tokei wa hyaku nijuu go [y]en desu.
e-j
4: What is that [over there]?
5: This is [a] phone.
Verbs:
The verb "Desu" (cont.):
All
righty, you all know how to say something is/are/am
(or at least, you should . . .)
desu = "is/are/am"
deshita = "was/were"
Deshita is used exactly the same way as desu.
EX:
watashi wa koukou no gakusei deshita. = "I was
a high school student"
Now,
traditionally, negative forms of desu used to be in
the following format:
dewa
arimasen = "isn't/aren't"
dewa arimasen deshita = "wasn't, weren't"
In
fact, in formal writing, it is still done this way.
However, modern Japanese (oral) has contracted the
"dewa" to simply "ja" so:
ja
arimasen = "isn't/aren't"
ja arimasen deshita = "wasn't/weren't"
This
follows a "X wa Y ja arimasen" format. Just
make sure "Y" is a noun (you cannot use
"ja arimasen" if it follows an adjective).
EX:
Shinji-san wa sensei ja arimasen. = "[Mr.] Shinji
is not a teacher."
Ending
particles, part 2:
"ne" = "right?"/"hmmmm?"
We've already discussed using "ka" as an
ending particle to make a statement a question. "Ne"
also serves a slight questioning role. It is usually
used when you're not sure of something. You are usually
seeking the listener's confimration.
Expression
note:
sou desu ne = "That's right." or "Let's
see . . . [pondering]" (which doesn't really
follow the above definition, so it's somewhat of an
exception)
"yo"
= "I assure you" [more or less]
The exact opposite of "ne" is "yo."
You would use "yo" when you would want to
re-affirm your statement, insisting its validity.
practice:
j-e
6: senkou wa rekishi deshita
7: watashi no saifu ja arimasen.
8: anata no hirugohan wa oishii desu ne.
e-j
9: That [near you] is my bike.
10: [I assure you] That [over there] is not fish.
>>Go
to Lesson 5 - Miscellaneous Vocabulary, Adverbs, and
Verbs
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