Uki Uki mini 4

April 27, 2016
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Q1 from MyLifeA Jie: How to place words in Japanese?

Between English and Japanese sentences, the word order often feels like the opposite. The number 1 rule is that the verb comes at the end of the sentence in Japanese. Remember also that we need particles, which indicate the grammatical function of words. For example, the direct object is followed by the particle を.

私はコーヒーを飲みます。(Watashi wa ko-hi- o nomimasu.)
I drink coffee.

ナオミさんはフランス語を話します。(Naomi-san wa furansugo o hanashimasu.)
Naomi speaks French.

先生は今日宿題を出しませんでした。(Sensei wa kyou shukudai o dashimasendeshita.)
My teacher didn’t give homework today.

You can also include information such as time, place, with whom, etc., with the corresponding particles. Please check out Uki Uki Lesson 17 video on the basic sentence structure.

Q2 from Dylan Carroll: how to say “It depends” (on weather/time/money)

A coworker asks you “Are you thinking of going away this summer?” You want to respond “Hm, it depends on (something).” In Japanese, that’s …によります。

家族の予定によります。(Kazoku no yotei ni yorimasu.) It depends on my family’s achedules.
時期によります。(Jiki ni yorimasu.) It depends on the timing.
費用によります。(Hiyou ni yorimasu.) It depends on the cost.
場所によります。(Basho ni yorimasu.) It depends on the place.
You can also say 場合によります。(Baai ni yorimasu.) It depends on the case.

Q3 from Kyle Blythe: What does small つ or ツ do?

When we have double consonants such as tt, kk, ss, pp, etc., we use the small つ. It creates a small pause between sounds. Here are some examples.

おっと (otto) husband vs おと (oto) sound
きって (kitte) postal stamp vs きて (kite) Come here.
さっか (sakka) writer vs さか (saka) slope

The pronunciation is similar, but remember they are different words.

Q4 from Edith Cortes: common classroom expressions

Below are some of the expressions often used in the classroom.

・・・は日本語で何ですか。(…wa nihongo de nan desuka?) What is (blank) in Japanese?
もう一度言ってください。(Mou ichido itte kudasai.) Please say it again.
もっとゆっくり、お願いします。(Motto yukkuri, onegai shimasu.) Slower, please.
・・・が分かりません。(…ga wakarimasen.) I don’t understand …
・・・を教えて下さい。(…o oshiete kudasai.) Please teach me …

  • April 27, 2016 – April 27, 2016