Mastering Japanese - Harry Guest

MASTERING
--- - -- - - - -
JAPANESE
MACMILLAN MASTER SERIES
Astrono my Ge rma n
Australian History Hairdressing
Background to Business Italian
Bank ing Italian 2
Basic E nglish Law Jap an ese
Basic Ma nage me nt Keyboardin g
Biology Ma rketing
British Politics Mathe mat ics
Business Co mmu nica tio n Mode rn British Histor y
Business Law Mo de rn E uro pea n H istor y
Business Microcomput ing Mod ern World Histo ry
Catering Scien ce Nutrit ion
Che mistry Office Practice
COBOL Pro gramm ing Pascal Programming
Co mme rce Physics
Co mpute r Programm ing Practical Writ ing
Co mp uters Principles of Accounts
D at a Pro cessing Restauran t Servi ce
Eco no mic and Social Histor y Social Welfar e
Eco no mics Socio logy
E lect rical E nginee ring Spani sh
E lectro nics Spa nish 2
E nglish G ra mma r Sta tistics
E nglish Lan guage Statistics with your Microcomputer
E nglish Lite ra ture Study Ski lls
Fina ncia l Accounti ng T ypewriting Skills
Fre nch Wo rd Processing
Frenc h 2
JAPANESE
HARRY GUEST
E DI TORI A L C ONSULT A NT
B ETIY P A RR
M
MACMILLAN
EDUCATION
© Harry Guest 1989
Reprint of the original edition 1989
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this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and
civil claims for damages.
First edition 1989
Published by
MACMILLAN EDUCATION LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS
and London
Companies and representatives
throughout the world
Typeset by TecSet Ltd, Wallington, Surrey
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Guest, Harry
Mastering Japanese.-(Macmillan master
series).
1. Japanese language-Grammar
I. Title
495.6'82421 PL535
ISBN 978-0-333-41997-7 ISBN 978-1-349-19825-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-19825-2
ISBN 978- 0--333-4199S-4 Pbk export

DEDICATION
Thi s book is dedicated to Goshi Makoto for all his help and adv ice
during each stage of its co nstruction.
to the staff of the Tok yo Nih ongo
G akko for th eir assista nce and enco urage me nt when I was a pupil
ther e in the 1960s.
to my co lleag ues at Yok oh am a
Nati on al Uni ver sity, especially Professor Sawasa ki Kuni zo , Professor
G oshi Keigo , Professor Kajim a Shozo .
to the Mu gishim a famil y for their
kindness as landlords.
to all those man y friend s who
mad e our stay in Jap an such a happy one - and to th e land itself
which will always have a special place in our hearts as th e place where
our daughter grew up and our so n was born.
vi
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements x
Series Editor's Preface xi
Author's Preface: how to use this book xiii
Guide to pronunciation xvi
An introduction to the Japanese language xxi
I. TEACHING UNITS
1 Greetings and introductions 3

Topics - How to greet people ; how to be polite ; how
to say where things are , and what size they are
Grammar - The verb desu, 'to be' ; honorific usages;
plural and singular; calling attention to a thing;
husband and wife; the particle wa
2 The family car 11
Topics - Names of cars; Japanese and English name s
Grammar - 'This' and 'that' , 'here' and 'there' ;
naming countries ; questions and conjunctions ;
nationalities
3 Eating at home 18
Topics - Japanese food; Japanese drink
Grammar - The object of a sentence ; weak verbs ;
'there is' , 'there are' ; the particles de and ni showing
where an action is performed ; strong verbs; agreeing
with the speaker's judgement
4 After dinner 28
Topics - The Japanese way of counting years ;
Japanese weather; more on food and drink
Grammar - Conversational expressions; more on
weak and strong verbs; the irregular verb kuru;
counting; the language of a country; giving praise ;
describing the weather
5 The next morning 40
Topics - London's and Tokyo's weather; school and
office; telling the time and the days of the week
vii
Grammar - Foreign words in Japanese; the days of

the week and the months of the year; telling the
time; more on verbs; the verb iku; polite set-phrases ;
kara meaning ' because'
Revision and self-assessment test for Chapters 1-5 52
6 Shopping - 1 Going to the bookshop 55
Topics - Walking to the shops; buying a dictionary
Grammar - Wanting to do something; expressing
position; counting in thousands ; Japanese currency ;
the verb wakaru with the particle 9a
7 Shopping - 2 At the post office 66
Topics - Buying stamps and postcards
Grammar - More about counting; more strong verbs ;
giving instructions
8 At Mr Maeda's office 75
Topics - Waiting in an office; Japanese newspapers ;
making an appointment
Grammar - More polite language; continuous
actions ; counting cylindrical things; more expressions
of position; the day of the month ; before and after
today
9 On the Ginza 86
Topics - The Ginza in Tokyo; Japanese temples
Grammar - Joining sentences together; counting
'unclassifiable' objects; the verb au with the particle
ni
10 By taxi and by train 95
Topics - Travelling by taxi ; giving directions; buying
a ticket and travelling in the train
Grammar - Giving directions; more ' all-purpose '
counters; linked verbs; probability; comparatives;
kara meaning 'after'
11 Feeling ill 110
Topics - Having a headache, a fever and a sore
throat
Grammar - To become; the -te form of adjectives;
more on dates; negative infinitives; 'it seems that'
and 'according to . . .' : the wa . . . 9a . . . pattern;
'must'
12 At the doctor's 120
Topics - Speaking to the doctor; being prescribed
medicine
CONTENTS
Grammar - wa and ga ; 'if. with and without the
negative; simultaneous actions ; future tense ; 'social
noises '
13 Shopping and business trips 132
Topics - Discussing shopping; discussing business
trips to England
Grammar - 'to intend to ' ; negative requests ; more
'all-purpose' counters; referring to years
14 The young people arrive 141
Topics - Likes and dislikes ; Gents and Ladies
Grammar - suru and kuru ; to do something rarely ;
stro ng verbs ending in -bu ; -sugimasu; preference
and need ; koto and the infinitive
15 Planning a trip 153
Topics - Zoo? Museum? Theatre?
Grammar - -so desu; length of time; comparative
and superlative; counting animals; kinds of things;
'to be inclined to' ; to make a mistake
16 The Japanese family 167
Topics - Ages of children , parents, brothers, sisters
and grandparents ; religion and festivals
Grammar - Ages ; relative clauses in the present
tense
17 Eating out 178
Topics - The sushi bar; the tempura restaurant ; the
sukiyaki restaurant
Grammar - The past plain form; coming and going ;
more -te forms; more polite forms
18 Language for men and women 188
Topics - Baseball; flower-arranging
Grammar - Men and women speaking; the past plain
form in relative clauses ; the past plain form of
adjectives; to make a verb into a noun
19 At the bank and at the garage 197
Topics - Going to the bank; at the petrol-station
Grammar - Pairs of transitive/intransitive verbs;
the potential form; expressions with suru
20 A Japanese inn 208
Topics - Booking a room by telephone ; staying at a
ryakan
ix
Grammar - Making an enquiry; aku ; the plain form

of the negative; past nega tive plain forms;
expressions of time ; to afte r the infinitive
II. REFERENCE MATERIAL

A note on written Japanese 227
Translation of dialogues in Chapters 1-20 229
Answers to exercises 252
Answers to revision and self-assessment tests 289
Numerals 297
Time 299
Days, dates , months 301
Counters 304
Verb tables 306
Supplementary vocabulary 308
Grammar summary 310
Hiragana 330
Katakana 332
Common kanji 334
Words frequently seen in kana 336
Useful books and addresses 338
x
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author and publi shers wish to acknowledge, with thanks, the
following photographic sources: Jap an Information Centre (Embassy
of Japan) ; Japan National Touri st Organisation. Th e publi shers ha ve
made ever y effort to trace all the copyright-holde rs, but if any have
been inadvertently overlook ed , the y will be pleased to mak e the
nece ssar y arra nge me nts at the first opportunity .
xi
SERIES EDITOR'S PREFACE

Th e first six foreign language courses in this series were conc erned
with West European languages, with relatively familiar cultural and
linguistic systems from neighbouring countries. Our seventh course
involves a journey to the East , to a country with a long and rich
tradition unfamiliar to most of us and a language of new sounds ,
symbols and concepts to which we have no easy access, even on our
radio network .
Our course in Japanese , which is designed for adult beginners with
or without a teacher, seeks to provide a reali stic approach to the
spoken language in the context of present-day Japan and the life and
thoughts of the people who live there. Our other courses have
introduced all the language skills of understanding, speaking, reading
and writing, but in Japanese the main objective is the spoken
language , and the student wishing to acquire an accurate grasp of the
sounds of the language will need the accompanying cassette , on
which nativ e speakers have recorded all the relevant material
contained in the book .
As in our other books, each chapter begins with a series of
dialogues on everyday topics; all the subsequent teaching-
explanation of words and structures, background information , and
exerci ses - is based on the content of the se dialogues , so that the
language is studied in a real context, and practice always precedes
theory. Exercises are pitched at two levels , A easier than B, to enable
the student to devise a suitable learning strategy. A key to the
exercises and to the self-assessment tests provided after every five
chapters will help the learner to take stock of progress achieved. An
attractive feature of the book is the background information about
Japan and the Japanese , which reveals the author's own knowledge
of the country and his sympathetic understanding of the language and
those who speak it.
Throughout the book, Japanese words are printed in rornaji , the
system of representing sounds in terms of our own alphabet. Some
elements of written Japanese are introduced towards the end of the
book , which wili offer help in identifying certain useful words and
give a basis for further study of the language.
The author's preface contains more information about the course
and guidance in ways of using it effectively. It is to be hoped that the
SERIES EDITOR'S PREFACE
stude nt will capture so me of th e author's own enthusiasm and will
find enjoyme nt and satisfaction in mastering spo ke n Japan ese.
B ETIY P ARR
Editorial Consultant
xiii
AUTHOR'S PREFACE:
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
LEARNING AIMS
Thi s book is intended for complete beginners who are int er ested in
master ing spo ke n Jap ane se. Fo r anyone planning to go to Japan as a
tourist or on a business trip , an ability to communicate in Jap an ese
will not onl y be useful but will add imm easur abl y to the pleasur e of
the visit. Although English is compulsory in all Jap an ese schools from
th e age of eleve n, a visito r to Jap an mu st be pr ep ar ed to find very few
people who have more than the merest smattering of Engli sh .
Thi s course , which ca n be used without a te acher , sets out to
provide visito rs or temporary residents with an eve ryday 'sur vival-kit'
of language , so that they can cope with the normal situa tions of
tr avel , sho pping, goin g to restaurants, ba nks and the po st-office , as
well as the - we hope - unu sual problem s of sickness and visits to the
do ctor. It also introduces the read er to Japane se society - so ver y
different from an y other - and give s a background of information
about day-to-day life in that endlessly fascinating country.
E ach chapter begin s with a 'real-life ' dialogue . Th er e is a cassette
accompa nying this book. Sections of the book included on th e
cassette a re indicate d by the symbol ~ . A ll the dialogues and man y
of the exerci ses ar e recorded by nati ve spe akers to enable students to
hear the language spoke n first-hand so that , right from the start , they
can imitate the correct sounds . In fact, as they will soon discover,
spea king Japanese presents fewer problems for the native English
spea ker than many other languages .
In the second sect ion of ea ch chapter, th e voca bulary used for the
first tim e is listed. In the third section, the grammar that has been
introduced in the dialogues is explaine d , a nd an y relevant
background information given . Th e final section consists of exe rcises
- more straightforward exercises grouped under A; and somewha t
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
more complicated ones under B; these should not be tackled until the
student feels entirely confident. It is recommended that each chapter
should be thoroughly mastered before the next is attempted, as every
one builds on what has gone before. After every five chapters, there
is a self-assessment test, which gives useful revision and helps the
student to gauge progress achieved .
DIALOGUES
These should be studied with the cassette . Each phrase should be

repeated and the pronunciation and intonation checked against the
native speaker's. When the exercises in each chapter have been
completed , the dialogues should be played again and what may have
seemed baffling at first will become surprisingly clear.
VOCABULARY
There is no vocabulary-list at the end of this book . Students should

make their own list, because the act of writing a word down helps to
commit it to memory. What is more, the words may be grouped
under various headings - food, leisure, etc . - bringing together the
necessary words for every situation. The best way to experiment is to
conceal the Japanese column. When a mistake is made, it is impor-
tant to unlearn it by seeing why it happened - was it the 'shape' of the
word? was it confused with a very similar word? did it seem to
resemble a word in English or some other familiar language?
EXPLANATIONS
After the introductory chapters, the third section of most chapters

begins with some information about life in Japan which is intended to
fill out the situation given in the dialogues . Then grammatical
explanations are provided, which should assist the student with the
exercises that follow . Japanese grammar is utterly different from
English - in some ways simpler, in others rather more compli-
cated - and very often reflects the way that the Japanese look at life.
At the end of the book is a complete Grammar Summary con-
taining all the material introduced in the book.
As far as possible, important lists - days of the week, verb-forms,
etc. - are given in the explanations as they crop up in the dialogues,
but there are several sections of reference material at the end of the
book where checking can easily be made .
xv
EXERCISES
Some of these are on the cassette, so that listening and speaking may
be associated with the printed word . Past exercises - even the easy
ones! - should be repeated again and again until the response is
automatic. In one's own language, this tends to be instinctive ; in a
foreign language, the mind must realise that there is a new sound or
set of sounds expressing familiar ideas or objects until, when a
question is asked, 'translation' is unnecessary and the right reply
comes at once .
Instructions about each exercise are usually given in English but,
occasionally, in order the help the reader feel that he or she is
involved in a conversation with a native speaker, the opening
question is given in Japanese .
The translations of each exercise in the Reference Material section
(p. 229) are meant to be equivalents (in so far as that is possible)
rather than exact versions. In the explanations for each chapter,
literal renderings will be given of thorny problems, but the translated
dialogues try to be as believably colloquial as are their Japanese
originals.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
This section contains a Note on Written Japanese (p. 227) , the

translation of all the dialogues (pp . 229-51), a key to all the exercises
(except the very few that deal with facts only the student can know,
such as birthdays!) (pp . 252-88) answers to the four self-assessment
tests (pp . 289-96), the grammatical appendices and the Grammar
Summary and a list of books and addresses that may be useful in
further studies of Japanese .
TYPOGRAPHY
In this book words in Japanese are set in a different type-face so that

they can be easily distinguished from the English text. Thus: Ogenki
desu ka? but, How are you?
xvi
GUIDE TO PRONUNCIATION
VOW EL SOUNDS
T here are five basic vowel-sounds in Jap anese: a , i, u , e , and o .

T hese correspo nd, ro ughly, to :
car key coo l cage coat
tho ugh it must be stressed that th e Japanese sounds are much 'purer'
than Englis h ones.
Pron ounce the following word s which are mad e up entirely of
vowels, and ensure th at each separate vowel is clearly pro -
nou nced - and does not 'ru n in' to its neig hbour:
aoi ie ue
~ (Say: a-o-i ; i- e; u-e).
ONE CONSONANT
T here is one single consonant, final -n or -m . Whe n saying it as n , try

not to let your ton gue tou ch the roof of your mouth:
san hon pan
It is pron ounced as m before b , p and m :
sembei sampo nammai

xvii
CONSONANT AND VOWEL
All other Japanese sounds consist of a consonant and a vowel :
ka ki ku ke ko k as in khaki
sa shi su se so 5 as in sow
shi as in sheet
ta chi tsu te to t as in tea
ch i as in cheese
tsu as in the
middle of catsup
na ni nu ne no n as in nice
ha hi fu he ho h as in high
To say fu get your mouth ready to pronounce fool, but do not let your
lower lip actually touch your top teeth .
ma mi mu me mo m as in meet
ya yu yo y as in yes
ra ri ru re ro
The Japanese r is more 'liquid' than the English . If you put your
tongue halfway between where you place it for the English 'r' and the
English '1', you will make the Japanese r sound . There is no 'I' sound
in Japanese, though , as you can now tell , their r has a bit of an 'I' in it.
wa was in watch
ga gi gu ge go 9 as in give
za ji zu ze zo z as in zoo
ji as in jeans
(sometimes the '3 '-sound is nearer d 3 )
da de do d as in done
ba bi bu be bo b as in big
pa pi pu pe po p as in pot
As you have seen you cannot say see, tea, too, who, ye, yea, wee,
woo, way or whoa. There is no v, I, or f sound (with the exception of
fu above).
PRONUNCIATION
DOUBLE VOWELS
There are a number of double vowel-sounds:
kya kyu kyo

sha shu sho
cha chu cho
nya nyu nyo
hya hyu hyo
mya myu mya
rya ryu ryo
gya gyu gyo
ja ju jo
bya byu byo
pya pyu pyo
These are two sounds said so quickly that they become one: kya is
only ki and ya run together; ju is ji and yu run together, and so on .
When a final -n is involved, a break between the two components of
a word is shown thus :
hon'ya bookshop (from han , a book and va, a shop) as opposed

to gyOniku, beef (from gyO, a cow and niku , meat)
Japanese is therefore made up of f ive vowels , one separate conson-

ant and various combinations of a consonant followed by vowel-
sounds:
Yokohama Yo/ko/ha/ma
Nihongo Ni/ho/n/go
sambyaku sa/m/bya/ku
ikitai i/ki/ta/i
SYLLABLE STRESS
Unlike English, each syllable carries an even stress. Not Yokohama

but Yo-ko-ha-ma.
LONG VOWELS
Sometimes vowels are long. When this happens , they carry a

circumflex accent: 6, a or 0, or are written twice, eeto , iie . All this
x ix
mean s is th at the syllab le tak es exac tly twice as long to pronoun ce:
Tokyo To/o/kvo
yObin yu/u/bi/n
oki i o/o/ki/i
eeto e/e/to
iie i/i/e
DOUBLE CO NSONANTS
Th er e are doubled consonants, to o. It is very imp ort ant to distingu ish

bet ween kite and kitte , for exa mple. When th ese occ ur, mer ely 'ho ld
up ' the succee ding vowe l for a beat , as if you were sayi ng in English:
H e'll bat tenth

Sip Pern od
Ask Keith
Th is shoe
Practise these sounds :
gakko gal /kklo

kippu kif /pu
is s ho i/ /sho
atte a/ /te
sh i and su
The so unds shi and su are exce ptio ns. Es pecia lly in verbs, th e vowe l
so und is hardly pronounced at all:
desu de/s(u)
arimasu a/ri/ma/s( u)
mimashita mi/ma/sh(i)/ta
Thi s is why the fam ou s Japan ese mu sician Yam ashit a Ts uto mu prefe rs
to write his nam e in rornaji , or Western script, as Yamash'ta
S 'tomu or (since he puts his nam e E uropean-style with the surna me
last) S'tomu Yamash'ta.
Whe n the syllables -su and -s hi are structura lly importa nt the y are
fu lly pronounced:
PRONUNCIATION
suru su/ru
sum imasen su/m i/m a/se/n
suzush ii su/zu/shi/i
sh imasen shi/ma/se/n
Some of this may seem a little complicated at the mome nt. Listen to
your cassette and , after the first few exe rcises, ret urn to this sectio n.
A ll should then (idea lly) beco me clear.
PITCH
] apa nese wor ds and phrases are pronoun ced very eve nly, and stress is
used only to emphasise m eaning. However , the spoken language
tends to vary in pitch. A norm al sente nce will begin on a 'high' note
and finish on a 'low' one:
Kore wa /
kanai desu
Qu estion s usually have an interrogative 'lift' towards the end, much

like E nglish:
ka?
Kaban wa /
6k ii desu /
As in any language , the best way to acq uire the correct intonation is
to imitate nat ive speake rs. It is eas ier to theorise after practice than
bef ore!
xxi
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
VERBS
Every Japanese sentence ends with a verb which , most of the time,
has a sound after it to give emphasis or doubt or agreement, because
the Japanese are not very keen on making a definite statement!
Japanese communication is really a series of hints and shades of
meaning - which may well be why Japanese poetry is so beautifully
enigmatic and why it seems so difficult for Western businessmen in
Japan to reach hard and fast agreements!
'POSTPOSITIONS'
Japanese has been called the 'mirror-language' to English and,

certainly, where we have prepositions - 'to' Yokohama - the Ja-
panese have postpositions: Yokohama e .
PRONOUNS
There are pronouns in Japanese, but in practice they are very rarely
used . Once it is established who it is one is talking about, pronouns
are dispensed with . The sentence Tokyo e ikimashita means 'I, you,
he , she , we or they went to Tokyo', and we would know who in fact
went to Tokyo because of the preceding sentence or sentences. In the
exercises after the following chapters, the assumption most of the
time is that it is you who are being questioned , so the pronouns are
mostly omitted. Similarly , in your responses , you can usually leave
out the '1'. In other words , use pronouns only to avoid confusion .
INTRODUCTION
LOOKING AT THE WORLD
E ach lan guage is a differ ent way of looking at th e wo rld . Accept -

and re lish - th e differ en ces th at abo und in Japan ese , and treat th e
lan guage on its own te rms with out compa ring it with English or an y
othe r lan gua ge.
It is hoped th at Mastering Japanese will represent a 'first stage ' , and
th at the read er will wish to go on expe rime nting with th e language -
es pec ially to go on to read and write. On pp . 227-8 ther e is an
introduction to the written language which is int ended to whet the
stude nt's appe tite for further study .
I TEACHING UNITS
CHAPTER 1 3
GREETINGS
AND
INTRODUCTIONS
1.1 DIALOGUES Ej
Dialogue 1
Mr and Mrs Foster arrive at the airport. They meet Mr Ito . He
asks about their luggage.
Mr Foster: Ito-san desu ka?
Mr It6: So desu. Watakushi wa Ito desu.
Mr Foster: Watakushi wa Foster desu.
Mr It6: So desu ka? Foster-san desu ka? Hajimemashite.
Mr Foster: Hajimemashite. Kore wa kanai desu. Mary desu .
Mr It6: Okusama desu ka? Mary-san desu ka?
4
Mrs Foster: 56 desu. Watakushi wa Mary desu. Hajimema-

shite.
Mr It6: Ogenki desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Hai, arigat6 gozaimasu. Genki desu. Anata mo
ogenki desu ka?
Mr It6: Hai, genki desu. Arigat6 gozaimasu. Ano ...
Anatagata no keisu wa doko desu ka?
Mr Foster: Koko desu. Kore wa watakushitachi no keisu desu.
Sore wa watakushi no keisu ja arimasen.
Dialogue 2 iaj
Mr and Mrs Foster describe their luggage .
Mrs Foster: Watakushi no keisu wa akai desu.
Mr It6: Okii desu ka? Chiisai desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Okii desu. Shujin no keisu mo 6kii desu.
Mr Foster: Watakushi no keisu wa 6kii desu. Akaku wa arima-
sen. Kuroi desu.
Mr It6: Kore desu ka?
Mr Foster: 56 desu. Sore wa watakushi no keisu desu.
Mrs Foster: Akai keisu wa watakushi no desu. Arigat6 gozai-
masu.
Mr Foster: Watakushi no kaban wa doko desu ka?
Mrs Foster: lto-sanl Shujin no kaban wa doko desu ka?
Mr It6: Goshujin no kaban wa 6kii desu ka?
Mrs Foster: lie, 6kiku wa arimasen. Chiisai desu.
Mr It6: Akai desu ka? Kuroi desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Kuroi desu.
Mr It6: Kore wa goshujin no kaban desu ka?
Mrs Foster: 56 desu.
Mr Foster: 56 desu. Sore wa watakushi no kaban desu. Arigat6
gozaimasu.
1.2 VOCABULARY
-san Mr , Mrs, Miss

desu am, is, are
ka an audible question mark
so desu that is so
watakushi I, me
wa particle calling attention to the
word preceding it
hajimemashite how do you do ?
kore thi s (pronoun)
5
kanai (my) wife

okusama (your) wife
(o)genki well, hea lthy
hai yes
ariqato gozaimasu tha nk you very much
anata you (singular)
mo as well, too
ana Now! We ll!
anatagata you (p lural)
no a possessive par ticle ;
watakush i no = my;
anata no = your
keisu suitca se
doko where
koko here
sore that (prono un)
ja arimasen negative of desu = is not
akai red
okii large
chiisai small
shuj in (my) husband
akaku wa arimasen is not red
okiku wa arimasen is not large
kaban briefcase
goshujin (yo ur) hu sband
kuro i black .
1.3 EXPLAN AnONS
(a) desu
desu , the verb used in this exercise , is the entire pre sent te nse of the
verb 'to be ' , equa lling 'am' , 'is' , 'are '.
T he negative for m is ja arimasen :
Kore wa keisu desu. Th is is a case .

Sore wa watakushi no Th at is not my briefcase .
kaban ja arimasen
Watakushi wa Ito desu . I' m Ito.
Foster-san desu ka? Are you Mr Foste r?
T he subject of a sentence is frequently omitted if the sense is clear:
Keisu desu . (It/That/T his) is a suitcase .

6
(b) True adjectives

All true adjectives end in -i (remember the remarks concerning the
Japanese syllabary in the Guid e to Pronunciation) . a-ka-i is a true
adjective; ge-n-ki is not , and the negative is formed by substituting
-ku wa arimasen for -i desu :
Kore wa kuroi desu. This is black .

Sore wa kuroku wa That isn't black .
arimasen .
(c) -san
The use of the honorific often 'short-cuts' the need for a pronoun.
-san is the suffix used after a person's name and equals Mr , Mrs, or
Miss. It is never used when referring to oneself:
Ito-san desu ka? Are you Mr. Ito?

Hai, Ito desu. Yes . I'm Ito .
In practice, Western men tend to be referred to by the surname,

Foster-san ; Western women by the Christian name, Mary-san .
(d) 0-
Similarly , the honorific prefix 0- means you are addressing som eone
else:
Ogenki desu ka? Are you well?

Genki desu. I am well.
(e) Plural and singular

There is a plural form for watakushi, I-watakushitachi, we; and for
anata, you (singular)-anatagata, you (plural) . With other nouns or
pronouns no distinction is made between plural and singular: kaban
means briefcase or briefcases.
(0 Kore
kore, the pronoun 'this' , refers to an object or to objects near the
speaker.
sore , the pronoun 'that', refers to an object or to objects near the one
addressed .
(g) Particles
wa is an attention- calling particle:
Kore wa kaban desu. As for this , it is a briefcase.

7
wa usually calls attention to the subject of the sentence:
Keisu wa aka i desu . As fo r th e case , it's red.
rno mea ns 'as well', 'also' , 'too' :
Kore rno kuroi desu . This one 's black, too .
no is best th ou ght of as eq uivalent to's:
Yamada-san no kaban It's Mr Ya mada's briefcase .

desu .
hen ce :
watakush i no ka ba n my briefcase ('I's' bri efcase)

anata no keisu your case ('you's ' suitcase)
ka is a verbal question mark :
Kore wa keisu desu . This is a case .

Kore wa ke isu desu ka? Is th is a case ?
(h) s6 desu
s6 desu , meaning 'that is so' , 't ha t is correct' , is freq uen tly used
instead of hai , yes. When ka is added , the useful social question ' Is
th at so?' is crea ted .
(i) Th e Japanese sentence

T he simplest Jap anese sentence is - - - - wa - - - - desu
(ka) :
Kore wa keisu desu . This is a suitcase .

Watakushi wa It6 desu . I am Ito.
Sore wa anata no kaban Is that your briefcase?
desu ka?
Anata wa Foster-san desu Are you Mr Foster?
ka?
8
(j) Conversational omissions

As in English , there are conversational omissions:
Kore wa Ito-san no keisu This is Mr. Ito's case.

desu .
Kore wa Sate-san no This is Mr Sate's.
desu .
(k) Wife and husband

Referring to one's own spouse, one uses kanai (my wife), shujin (my
husband) . Referring to someone else's, one uses the honorific form:
okusan, or - even more polite - okusama (your or his wife),
goshujin (your or her husband)
1.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Put in the appropriate particles (wa, ka, [a , mo) :
1. Watakushi - - Foster desu.
2. Anata - - Ito-san desu - - ?
3. Keisu - - arimasen .
4. Kaban - - arimasen.
5. Kore --keisu desu. Sore - - keisu desu - - ?
Exercise 2
Put in the appropriate particles (no, wa, ka, ja) .
1. Watakushi - - keisu desu.
2. Kore - - watakushi - - keisu desu.
3. Anata - - kaban - - okii desu - - ?
4. Sore - - anata - - keisu desu - - ?
5. Shujin - - keisu - - akai desu.
6. Anata - - keisu - - chiisai desu - - ?
7. Goshujin - - kaban - - akaku - - arimasen.
8. Kanai - - keisu - - kuroi desu. Chiisaku - -
arimasen .
9. Watakushi - - kaban - - okii desu. Kuroku - -
arimasen.
Exercise 3
Put into the negative:
1. Kore wa kaban desu.
2. Kore wa keisu desu.
9
3. Kore wa chiisai desu.

4. Kore wa akai desu.
5. Kaban wa okil desu.
6. Keisu wa okii desu.
7. Watakushi wa Ito desu.
8. Watakushi wa Yamamoto desu.
Section B
Exercise 4
1. Ask if someone' s suitca se is: (a) large ?

(b) black?
(c) red ?
2. Ask if someone's husband's briefcase is: (a) small?
(b) red?
(c) black ?
3. Ask if this is someone's suitcase .
4. Ask if this is someone's briefcase .
5. Ask if this is someone's husband's suitcase .
6. Ask if this is someone' s wife's briefcase .
7. Ask if that is someone's suitcas e .
8. Ask if that is someone's briefcase.
9. Ask if that is someone's husband's briefcase.
10. Ask if that is someone's wife's suitca se .
Exercise 5
Translate into Japanese.
1. How do you do ?
2. Thank you very much.
3. Are you Mr. Ito? Yes, I am .
4. How are you? I'm fine .
5. Is that your suitcase? Yes , it is.
Exercise 6
Play the part of Mr Jones in the following dialogues:
Dialogue 1 i~j
Jones-san desu ka?
(Yes. I'm Jones.)
Watakushi wa Yamamoto
desu.
(Is that so? Are you Mr
Yamamoto? How do you
do ?)
10
Hajimemashite. Ogenki
desu ka?
(Yes, I'm fine. How are
you?)
Hai, arigat6 gozaimasu.
Genki desu .
Dialogu e 2 i~j
Anata no keisu wa doko
desu ka?
(It 's here , by me.)
Kore wa anata no keisu
desu ka?
lie, ( th at isn' t my case .)
Ah so desu ka. Ano Kore desu ka?
Hai,...................................... ( .. .. th at is my case . Th ank
you.)
Dialogue 3 ~
Okusama no kaban wa
6ki i desu ka?
lie, ( it's not big. It's small.)
Akai desu ka?
Hai, .. .. ... ..... .. .... .... ...... .. .. ( ..... .. it's red . Th ank you .)
CHAPTER 2 11
THE FAMILY CAR
2.1 DIALOGUES [~j
Dialogue 1
Mr Ito and the Fosters discuss their cars .
Mr Foster: Anata no kuruma wa doko desu ka?
Mr Ito: Asoko desu. Ano akai kuruma desu.
Mr Foster: Igirisu no kuruma desu ka?
Mr Ito: lie! Igirisu no kuruma ja arimasen. Nihon no kuruma
desu.
12
Mr Foster: S6 desu ka. Nihon no kuruma desu ka? Honda desu

ka?
Mr Ito: lie . Honda ja arimasen. Mitsubish i desu .
Mr Foster: Watakushi no kuruma wa Honda desu. Igirisu no
kuruma [a arimasenl
Mrs Foster: Shujin no kuruma wa Honda desu ga watakushi no
chiisai kuruma wa Igirisu no kuruma desu.
Mr Foster: S6 desu ne. Kanai no kuruma wa Austin desu.
Dialogue 2 i=i
Mr Ito and the Fosters discuss Jap an ese names.
Mr Ito: Ah! Kore wa Igirisu no kuruma desu ne.
Mr Foster: S6 desu ne. Kono kuruma wa Hillman desu .
Mr Ito: 'Hi-ru-men'! Igirisu no namae wa muzukashii desu nel
Mr Foster: Muzukashii desu ka?
Mr Ito: S6 desu. Taihen muzukashii desu.
Mrs Foster: Nihon no namae mo muzukashii desu . 'Yokoha-
ma'. 'Yamashita'. 'Kaw asaki'. Hatsuon wa
muzukashii desu.
Mr Ito: S6 desu ka? 'It6' wa muzukashiku wa arimasen!
Yasashii desu ne.
Mrs Foster: Yasashii desu keredomo Igirisujin to Amerikajin
niwa muzukashii desu .
Mr Ito: S6 desu ne. Nihon no namae wa Nihonjin niwa
yasashii desu keredomo gaikokujin niwa muzukashii
desu.
Mr Foster: Igirisu no namae wa watakushitachi niwa yasashii
desu.
Mr Ito: S6 desu ne! Anatagata niwa yasashi i desu. Ano . ..
Koko desu. Kore wa watakushi no kuruma desu.
Chiisai desu ne!
Mrs Foster: lie, chiisaku wa arimasen. Okii desu.
Mr Ito: Okiku wa arimasen.
2.2 VOCABULARY
kuruma car
asoko ove r there
ano that (adjective)
Igirisu England
Igirisu no English (not the langu age)
Nihon Jap an (a lso, occas ionally,
Nippon)
13
Nihon no Japanese (not the langu-

age) (also, sometimes,
Nippon no)
ga but
kono this (adjective)
muzukashii difficult
yasashii easy
keredomo however
Igirisujin English person
Amerikajin American person
Nihonjin Japanese person (also,
sometimes, Nipponjin)
to and
ni(wa) for (plus attention-calling
particle wa)
ne final particle implying
agreement: 'Isn't it!'
ne more emphatic than ne
taihen very
hatsuon pronunciation
gaikokujin foreigner
2.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) 'This' and 'that'; 'here' and 'there'
Kono kaban This briefcase near me.

Sono kaban . That briefcase by you .
Ano kaban . That briefcase over there
near neither of us.
Three words of place have the same function:
koko here, by me
soko there, near you
asoko over there
(b) Countries
Igirisu (or, sometimes, Eikoku) is the country - England, Britain,

the UK.
Igirisu no kuruma 'A car of England' , i.e . an
English car.
14
Nihon no kuruma A Japanese car.

Amerika no ku ruma An Ame rican car.
Some ot her countries:
Furansu Fra nce

Furansu no kaban A French briefcase
Doitsu Germany
Doitsu no kuruma a German car
Itar ii or Ita ria Italy
Itar ii or Ita ria no keisu an Italian suitcase
ChOgoku China
ChOgoku no namae a Chinese name
For some people , the word Nippon has unwelcome 'nationalistic'

overtones ; Nihon is perh aps the word generally preferred nowadays.
(c) But/However
keredomo (however) is slightly stronger than ga (but) as a word
separating two sente nces:
Kaban wa akai desu ga /keisu wa kuroi desu.

T he briefcase is red but the suitcase is black.
Watakushi wa Igirisujin desu keredomo/kanai wa Amerika-
jin desu.
I am English but my wife is Am erican .
Note that in each case the 'break' comes after the pivot-word .
(d) Further notes

56 desu ka? A genuine question: 'Is
that so?'
56 desu ne . No quest ion abo ut it:
'T hat' s so, isn't it. '
56 desu ne. Eve n more emphatic!:
'That's so, isn't it!'
to is 'a nd' betwee n noun s or pro nouns:
anata to watakush i you and I

kaban to keisu the briefcase(s) and the
suitcase(s)
15
Remember each Japanese word can be singular or plural!
ni means for or in , and comes after the noun or pronoun :
Nihonjin ni for Japanese people or for

a Japanese
Nihon ni in Japan
Nihongo wa watakushi- Japanese is difficult for us.
tachi ni muzukashii desu.
-jin is a suffix meaning 'a human being' :
Igirisu England
Igirisujin an Englishman or -woman
Amerikajin an American
Furansujin a Frenchman or -wornan
Doitsujin a German
Irariijin or Itariajin an Italian
gai = outside; koku = country, and so gaikokujin = foreign er :

Nihongo wa gaikokujin ni muzukashii desu.
Japanese is difficult for foreigners .
Nihongo wa Nihonjin ni yasashii desu .
Japanese is easy for the Japanese.
2.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Translate into Japanese:
1. This car is a Honda.
2. That car (near you) is a Mitsubishi.
3. That car over there is a Toyota.
4. Where is my case? It's here.
5. Where is my briefcase? It's there! (By you.)
6. Where is your car? It's over there.
7. The German car is red.
8. My American car is black.
9. Japanese names are difficult.
10. English names are easy.
16
Exercise 2
Contrast the following, using ga or keredomo (Example: My car is
red. Your car is black - Watakushi no kuruma wa akai desu ga (or
keredomo) anata no kuruma wa kuroi desu):
1. The Italian car is large . The French car is small.
2. My suitcase is black. Your suitcase is red .
3. My wife's car is small. It is not red .
4. My husband's despatch-case is large . It is not black.
Exercise 3
Answer the following questions:
1. Anata wa Igirisujin desu ka?
.................................. (No, I'm French.)
2. Anata wa Nihonjin desu ka?
....... ........................... (No, I'm Italian .)
3. Okusama wa Amerikajin desu ka?
.................................. (No, my wife is Japanese.)
4. Goshujin wa Doitsujin desu ka?
.................................. (No, my husband is English.)
Section B
Exercise 4
Re-read or listen again to the first two dialogues and then say
whether the following statements are, or are not, correct:
1. Foster-san no okusama wa Nihonjin desu.
2. Foster-san no kaban wa chiisai desu.
3. Foster-san no keisu wa akai desu.
4. Ito-san no kuruma wa kuroi desu.
5. Foster-san no okusan no kuruma wa okiku wa
arimasen.
6. 'Ito' wa Furansu no namae desu.
7. Ito-san no kuruma wa Austin desu.
Exercise 5 itSj
Play the part of Mr Sato in the following dialogue:
Mr Kimura: Sate-san desu ka?
MrSat6: (Yes, I'm Sato.)
Mr Kimura: Hajimemashite.
MrSat6: (How do you do? This is my wife.)
Mr Kimura: So desu ka. Okusama wa gaikokujin desu ka?
MrSat6: (Yes, my wife is French.)
Mr Kimura: Ogenki desu ka?
MrSat6: (Yes, I'm fine. How are you?)
17
Mr Kimura: Genki desu. Arigat6. Ano . . . Anata no keisu wa

doko desu ka?
MrSat6: (They're over there. )
Mr Kimura: Kore desu ka?
MrSat6: (No, my case is not large.)
MrSat6: (No , that isn't black. My case is black .)
Mr Kimura : Kore desu ka?
MrSat6 : (yes! Th at's it! Th ank you.)
Mr Kimura: Okusarna no keisu rno kuroi desu ka?
MrSat6 : (No, my wife's case is red. )
Mr Kimura: Kono keisu wa akai desu. Okusama no keisu
desu ka?
Mr Sat6: .(Yes. That is my wife's case. Thank you. Is th at your car
over there ?)
Mr Kimura: Hai, s6 desu. Ano akai kuruma wa watakushi no
desu.
MrSat6: (Is it a Japanese car?)
Mr Kimura: lie, Igirisu no kuruma desu.
MrSato: (My car is a To yota .)
I'v7r Kimura: Nihon no kuruma desu ka?
MrSat6: (That's right !)
18 CHAPTER 3
EATING AT HOME
3.1 DIALOGUES j8j
Dialogue 1
At Mr and Mrs Ito 's house: Japanese food and drink.
Mrs Foster: Nihonjin wa nani 0 tabemasu ka?
Mrs Ito: Gohan 0 takusan tabemasu. Sakana mo tabemasu .
Igirisujin wa gohan 0 tabemasu ka?
Mr Foster : Hai, tabemasu.
Mrs Foster : Tabemasu yo.
Mr Ito: Gohan 0 tabemasu keredomo sashimi wa tabemasen!
19
Mr Foster: FutsG tabemasen keredomo watakushi wa sashimi

o tabemashita.
Mrs Ito: S6 desu ka? Igirisu de tabemashita ka?
Mr Foster: lie . Nihon de tabemashita.
Mrs Ito: Okusama wa sashimi 0 tabemashita ka?
Mrs Foster: lie, tabemasen deshita.
Mr Ito: Ano ... yGhan ni nani 0 tabemasu ka?
Mrs Ito: Gohan ya sakana ya naganegi 0 tabemasu.
Mr Ito: Nani 0 nomimasu ka?
Mrs Ito: Osake matawa biiru 0 nomimasu.
Mr Foster : Kanai wa biiru 0 nomimasen. Omizu ga arimasu ka?
Mrs Ito : Ocha 0 nomimasu ka?
Mrs Foster : Sore wa nan desu ka?
Mr Foster: Ocha wa Nihon no nomimono desu. Karada ni ii
desu ne!
Mrs Ito: S6 desu ne l
Dialogue 2 ~
Talking about meal s.
Mrs Ito : Sore wa ebi desu .
Mrs Foster: Okii desu ne!
Mr Ito: Nihon no ebi wa 6kii desu ne !
Mr Foster : Oishii desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Mmmmm! Oishii desu yo!
Mrs Ito: Igirisu no ebi wa 6kiku wa arimasen ka?
Mr Foster: HaL Okiku wa arimasen . Chiisai desu.
Mrs Foster: Amerika no ebi mo 6kii desu ne.
Mr Ito: S6 desu ne. Amerika de ebi 0 tabemashita ka?
Mrs Foster: HaL
Dialogue 3 ~
More talking about meals
Mr Ito : Foster-san. Osake 0 nomimasu ka?
Mr Foster : HaL Arigat6.
Mr Ito: Mary-san wa biiru 0 nomimasen ka?
Mrs Foster: HaL Nomimasen.
Mrs Ito: Ocha 0 nomimasu ka?
Mrs Foster: HaL Oishii desu.
Mrs Ito: Kore wa naganegi desu. Igirisu niwa naganegi ga
arimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Arimasu yo.
Mr Ito: Igirisu de naganegi 0 tabemashita.
20
Mr Foster: Nihon no naganegi wa chiisai desu keredomo

Igirisu no naganegi wa 6kii desu ne.
Mr Ito: 56 desu ne. Okii desu ne.
Mrs Ito: Ano ... kudamono ga arimasu. Nani 0 tabemasu ka?
Ringo? Momo?
Mrs Foster: Momo a kudasai.
Mrs Ito: Foster-san. Nani a tabemasu ka?
Mr Foster: Watakushi mo momo 0 tabemasu. Arigat6.
3.2 VOCABULARY
nani? what?
a particle showing
the object of a
transitive verb
tabemasu present tense of
the verb 'to eat'
taberu
gohan cooked rice
takusan a great deal
sakana fish
yo emphatic con-
elusion to a
statement
[olsashirni slices of fish
eaten raw
tabemasen negative of
tabemasu =
do/does not eat
futsO usually
tabemashita ate, past tense
of the verb 'to
eat'
de particle showing
where an action
is done
tabemasen did not eat ,
deshita past negative of
the verb 'to eat'
yOhan supper, dinner ,
evening meal
21
ya and (when
more than a
couple of speci-
fie objects are
implied)
naganegi leeks, literally
'long onions'
nomimasu present tense of
the verb nomu
'to drink'
(olsake rice-wine, the
national drink
of Japan
matawa or
biiru beer
nomimasen negative of
nomimasu =
do/does not
drink
(o)mizu water
ga particle showing
the subject of a
verb
arimasu present tense of
the verb 'to be ',
meaning 'there
is/are' (from
aru)
ocha Japanese tea
nan nani (what) be-
fore t, d, and n
nomimono drink (noun)
karada body (hence
'general
health')
ii good
ebi prawn
oishii delicious
niwa ni (in) plus the
attention-calling
particle wa
kudamono fruit
22
ringo apple
momo peach
kudasai please
3.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) The Japanese house

Most Japanese houses have a genkan, an area on street-level just
inside the front door. Here you leave your outdoor shoes, step up on
to the ground-floor level and put on indoor slippers which are used
inside the house for every room except those floored in tatami or
rush mats: on these, stockinged or bare feet only must tread.
It is not customary to knock or ring . If the family is at home, the door
is unlocked, the visitor opens it and calls out, waiting in the genkan
until a member of the family comes to greet the visitor and offer a
pair of slippers.
(b) Japanese food and drink

In the serving of Japanese food the 'look' of the dish is very
important. Han (cooked rice) has the honorific go because gohan is
the staple diet. The national drink is rice wine - (olsake - usually
given the honorific 0 because it is highly prized. Sake is drunk at just
above blood-heat in china vessels about the size of egg-cups. Small
decanters also of china stand in warm water until they are the correct
temperature to be poured .
Thin, delicate slices of raw fish - (olsashimi - .are often served
with a dash of soya-sauce (shovu) and wasabi a kind of green
horseradish .
Breakfast is asahan, literally 'morning rice' (or, politely, asago-

han) .
Lunch is hiruhan, literally 'noon rice ' . (or, politely, hirugo-
han).
Dinner is yQhan, literally 'evening rice ' (or, politely, yQgohan).
Ocha, the green tea of Japan , is drunk out of handle-less cups. It is

slightly bitter and marvellously refreshing.
(c) The Object

0 is used after the word which is the object of a sentence.
The particle
Sate-san wa gohan 0 tabemasu.

Mr Sate eats rice.
23
Ito-san wa osake 0 nomimasu.

Mr Ito drinks sake.
Sometimes wa replaces 0, either for emphasis or to imply contrast:
Gohan 0 tabemasu
They eat rice
Keredomo sashimi wa tabemasen.
However as for raw fish, they don't eat (that) .
(d) Weak verbs (see Grammar Summary l(c»

These verbs end in -eru or -iru (taberu, to eat , miru, to see) , and
form their present tense by changing -ru to -masu:
Watakushi wa I eat apples.

ringo 0 tabemasu.
Anata wa You eat
momo 0 tabemasu. peaches.
Nihonjin wa The Japanese
sashimi 0 tabemasu . eat raw fish.
The negative present ending is -m ase n:
Igirisujin wa sashimi 0 The English don 't eat raw

tabemasen. fish.
The past tense is formed by changing -ru to -mashita:
Foster-san wa Mr Foster ate

ebi 0 tabemashita . prawns.
The past negative ending is -masen deshita:
Mary-san wa ebi 0 Mrs Foster didn't eat prawns.

tabemasen deshita.
(e) 'There is', 'There are'

The verb aru, present tense arimasu, means 'There is' or 'There are'
and deals usually with inanimate objects . It is used in this sense with
ga:
Mizu ga arimasu. There is water.

Ringo ga arimasu . There are apples .
24
(0 De, Ni
Ni is used merely to show a place :
Yokohama wa Nihon ni arimasu.

Yokohama is in Japan .
De shows where an action is performed.
Nihon de sashimi 0 tabemashita.

I ate raw fish in Japan .
(g) Strong verbs

Details of strong verbs will be found in Chapter 4. (Also see
Grammar Summary l(d) .)
Nomu , to drink , is a strong verb.
(h) Agreement with the other person

In English, we tend to say 'no' when we agree with someone who's
said 'It's not raining' , or 'You aren't French' .
In Japanese, you agree with the speaker's judgement:
Anata wa Furansujin You aren't French.

ja arimasen .
HaL That's right! I'm not!
Doitsujin wa osake Don 't Germans drink sake?
o nomimasen ka.
HaL Nomimasen. No, they don't.
(i) Yo
This puts great emphasis on the sentence it concludes:
Nihonjin desu yo. He certainly is Japanese .

Osake 0 nomimasu yo. I drink sake all right!
(j) And
To links specific nouns or pronouns.
Ya is used when other articles are implied as well as the ones you are
mentioning.
Note that neither to nor ya can link two sentences together:
Gohan to ebi 0 tabemashita. I ate (only) rice and prawns.

25
Ocha va bii ru va osake ga There are green tea and beer

arimasu. and sake and other drinks as
well.
3.4 EXE RC ISES
Section A
Exerci se 1
A nswer the following questions Example: Sate -san wa Igirisujin
desu ka? - lie Nihonj in desu (No , he's Japanese):
1. Anata wa Nihonj in desu ka?
(No, I'm Engli sh.)
...........................................................
2. Okusama wa Nihonj in desu ka?
(No, she's French.)
...........................................................
3. Greene -san wa Igirisujin desu ka?
(N o, he's Am erican.)
...........................................................
4. Ito -san no okusan wa gaikokuj in desu ka?
(No , she's Japanese.)
...........................................................
5. Goshujin wa Igi risujin desu ka?
(No, he's It ali an.)
Exercise 2
Put in the appropri ate particles (de, ga , ka, ja , matawa , ni , no , 0 ,

to , wa , va):
1. Watakushi - - ringo - - tabemashita .
2. Nihonjin - - sash im i - - tabemasu.
3. Ebi - - sakana - - arimasu. (There are prawns or
fish.)
4. Biiru - - osake - - arimasu . (There is only beer and
sa ke .)
5. Ringo - - momo - - arimasu. (T here may be other
frui ts.)
6. Nihon - - osake - - nomimashita.
7. Igirisu - - biiru - - nomimashita.
8. Igi risu - - naganegi - - okii desu.
9. Watakushi - - keisu - - kuruma - - arimasu.
10. Watakushi - - kuruma - - akaku - - arimasen.
11. Sore - - kanai - - keisu - - arimasen .
26
Exercise 3
End each sentence with the appropriate sound ka, ne, ne or yo :

1. Anata wa Igirisujin desu - - . (Pure question .)
2. Okusama wa Furansujin desu - - . (She is, isn't she?)
3. Ringo wa okii desu - - . (They are, aren 't they!)
4. Watakushi wa Igirisujin desu - - . (I most certainly
am!)
Exercise 4

1. Kudamono 0 tabemasu.
2. Doitsujin wa osashimi 0 tabemasu.
3. Momo 0 tabemashita.
4. Nihon de osashimi 0 tabemashita.
Exercise 5
1. The Japanese eat fish and rice (and other things) .

2. Germans drink beer.
3. I ate (only) leeks and prawns.
4. I didn't eat raw fish in Japan .
5. My wife doesn't drink sake.
Section B E:J
Exercise 6
Invent replies in the following dialogue:
Anata wa nani 0 tabemasu ka?
Nani 0 nomimasu ka?
Osake 0 nomimasen ka?

..... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. ..... .. .. ... .. .... .. ...... .. (That's right. I don't.)
Exercise 7
Translate the following questions:
1. What is that?
2. Do you eat fruit?
3. Is that green tea?
4. Does Mr Ito drink beer?
27
5. Doesn't Mrs Ito drink sake ?

6. Are English apples red ?
Exercise 8
1. Ask if there is water.
2. Ask if there is green tea.
3. Ask if there is sake .
4. Say you drink sake in Japan .
5. Say it is delicious.
Exercise 9
Translate:
1. American leeks are big but Japanese ones are small.
2. I drink beer but my wife drinks sake .
3. My husband ate rice but Mr. Ito did not.
4. Japanese people drink sake but the English drink beer.
Exercise 10
Read or listen to Dialogues 3.1 again , and say whether or not these
statements are true:
1. Nihonjin wa osake 0 nomimasu.
2. Igirisujin wa gohan 0 tabemasen.
3. Foster-san wa sashimi 0 tabemasen deshita.
4. Foster-san no okusan wa biiru 0 nomimasu.
5. Ocha wa karada ni ii desu.
6. Igirisu no ebi wa chiisai desu.
7. Ebi wa kudamono desu.
8. Osake wa nomimono desu.
28 CHAPTER 4
AFTER DINNER
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23
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29
4.1 DIALOGUES i8 j
Dialogue 1
The Japanese way of counting years .
Mr It6 : Foster-san. Itsu Nihon e kimashita ka?
Mr Foster: Sen kyOhyaku nanajOrokunen deshita.
Mrs Ito: Sen kyOhyaku nanajOrokunen .. . sore wa Sh6wa
gojOichinen deshita ne.
Mr Ito: S6 desu ne. Sh6wa ichinen wa sen kyOhyaku
nijOrokunen deshita. Desu kara Sh6wa jOnen wa
sen kyOhyaku sanjOgonen deshita.
Mrs Ito: Muzukashii desu ne!
Mr Ito: Yasashii desu yo! Sh6wa rujunen wa sen
kyOhyakuyonjOgonen deshita.
Mr Foster: Sh6wa sanjOnen wa . ..
Mrs Foster: Sen kyOhyaku gojOgonen deshita!
Mr Ito: Oj6zu desu ne, Mary-san!
Mrs Foster: lie, heta desu yo!
Dialogue 2 ~
Japanese weather.
Mrs Ito: Mary-san mo Sh6wa gojOichinen ni Nihon e kimashita
ka?
Mrs Foster: lie, watakushi wa Nihon e kimasen deshita. Shujin
wa hitori de koko e kimashita.
Mr Ito: Foster-san wa aki ni kimashita ka?
Mr Foster: lie, natsu ni kimashita.
Mr Ito: T6ky6 no natsu wa atsui desu nel
Mr Foster: S6 desu nel Atsui desu nel
Mrs Ito: Mushiatsui desu ne,
Mrs Foster: "Mushiatsui"? Nan desu ka? Wakarimasen.
Mrs Ito: Atsui desu. Ame ga furimasu. Kaze ja arimasen.
Mr Ito: Warui otenki desu ne,
Dialogue 3 ~
Japanese drink and food.
Mrs Foster: Ima mushiatsuku wa arimasen! Ii otenki desu.
Mrs Ito: Suzushii desu ne.
Mrs Foster: Suzushii desu ne.
Mrs Ito: Ocha 0 m6 ippai nomimasu ka?
Mrs Foster: lie. Kekk6 desu.
Mr Foster: Gochis6sama deshita!
Mrs Ito: Foster-san wa Nihongo 0 yoku hanashimasu ne!
30
Mr Foster: Heta desu yo!

Mrs Ito: Futaritomo yoku hanashimasu yo. Nihongo wa
gaikokujin niwa muzukashii desu ka?
Mr Foster: S6 desu ns! Taihen muzukashii desu.
Mrs Foster: Ito-san. Eigo wa yasashii desu ka, muzukashii desu
ka?
Mr Ito: Taihen muzukashii desu yo!
Mr Foster: Eigo wa Igirisujin niwa yasashii desu keredomo
Nihongo wa muzukashii desu ne.
Mr Ito: S6 desu ne l Nihongo wa Nihonjin niwa muzukashiku
wa arimasen keredomo gaikokujin niwa muzukashii
desu.
4.2 VOCABULARY
itsu? when?
e to , towards
kimashita came, past tense of the verb
'to come', kuru
sen one thousand
kyOhyaku nine hundred
nanajOroku seventy-six
-nen suffix meaning 'year'
deshita past tense of 'desu' , meaning
'was'/'were'
Sh6wa the current
Imperial era
gojOichi fifty-one
Sh6wa ichinen 1926
nijOroku twenty-six
desu kara therefore
Sh6wa jOnen 1935
sanjOgo thi rty-five
Sh6wa nijOnen 1945
yonjOgo forty-five
Sh6wa sanjOnen 1955
gojOgo fifty-five
(0)j6zu skilled, clever, good (at)
heta unskilled ,
clumsy, poor (at)
kimasen deshita did not come, past negative
of the verb 'to come', kuru
hitori one person
31
hitori de by him/ herself

ak i autumn
natsu summer
atsui hot
mush iatsu i hot and hum id , 'sticky'
wakarimasen do not understand , present
negative of the verb 'to
under stand' , wakaru
ame rain
fur imasu present ten se of 'to fall' (of
rain or snow) , fu ru
kaze wind
waru i bad
ima now
(oltenki weathe r
suzush ii coo l
m6 ano ther
ippa i one cup
kekk6 fine , splendid
goch is6sama desh ita that was a marvellous meal
Nihongo Japanese (language) or,
sometimes, Nippongo
yoku well
hanash imasu present ten se of the ver b 'to
speak";
hanasu
hanashimasen do not speak , present
negative of the verb 'to
speak', hanasu
futaritomo both
Eigo English
(language)
4.3 EXPLANATIO NS
(a) Counting years

A ltho ugh 'officially' the year may be 1988 A.D ., the Jap anese have
stuck to thei r tr aditional way of reckoning the year. Ju st as in the
Midd le Ages it was not ' 1405' but 'T he sixth year of King Henr y IV' ,
so 1988 is the sixty-t hird yea r since the current empero r asce nded the
th ron e. He took the name Sh6wa to signify his reign and so 1935, for
exa mple, was Sh6wa 10 .
32
(b) Weather
Th e J apanese like talkin g about the weat her - so much so that it
usually carries an honorific: ii otenki desu ne (isn' t it lovely weat her)
or warui otenki desu ne (isn' t it horri ble weather) . The Japanese
yea r has fairly well-defined seaso ns: spri ng is humid and te nds to be
misty; summer (especia lly on the Pacific coast) is hot and heavy with
a ' rainy seaso n' (ts uyu) in May and June ; in ea rly Sept emb er sto rms,
sometimes reaching typhoon stre ngth, sweep away the muggy clouds
and autumn is a bright , dry, clear seaso n (there is a Japanese
pro verb : ten takaku , uma koeru - the sky is high and hor ses are
getti ng fat). Winter is mainly dry and cold. Snow is rare in the Tok yo
area whe re it may stay dr y and fine for weeks on end, though, on the
west coast , the famou s Yukiguni or Snow Country has heavy
snowfalls as the bitter winds sweep down from Siberia.
(c) Conversational expressions

As in other languages, there are man y 'se t phr ases' to cover various
social eve ntualities ; it is useful if these are m emorised. We have met
SEVEN in the first four chapt ers:
Hajimemashite How do you do?

Ogenki desu ka How are you?
Genki desu I'm fine.
Arigat6 gozaimasu Th ank you very much .
Kekk6 desu liter ally, 'That's fine' , used
politely to refuse a seco nd
helping.
Gochis6sama deshita T hat was
delicious (lite rally, a feas t) .
Wakarimasen 1 don 't understand.
(d) Verbs in Japanese

Th ere are two types of verbs in Japanese - weak verbs like taberu
(Chapte r 3) and strong verbs like nomu also met in Chapt er 3.
1. Strong verbs end in -bu , -gu , -ku , -mu , -nu , -ru , -su , -tsu , or -u .
nomu forms its tenses in th is way:
nomimasu (I) drink

nomimasen do not drink
nomimashita dr ank
nomimasen deshita did not dr ink
33
2. hanasu forms them this way:
hanashimasu (I) speak

hanashimasen do not speak
hanashimashita spoke
hanashimasen deshita did not speak
3. kuru, to come
There are only three irregular verbs in Japanese , and kuru is one
of them (see Grammar Summary l(e».
kimasu (I) come

kimasen do not come
kimashita cam e
kimasen deshita did not come
(e) Counting
1. Here are the numbers from 1 to 10:
ichi 1
ni 2
san 3
shi or yon 4
go 5
roku 6
shichi or nana 7
hachi 8
kyQ 9
jQ 10
2. Numbers higher than 10:
11 jQichi 10 and 1
12 jQni 10 and 2
13 jQsan
14 jQyon (or jQshi)
15 jQgo
16 jQroku
17 jQshichi
(or jQnana)
18 jOhachi
19 jOkyO
34
And 20?
20 nijO 2 and 10
21 nijOichi
22 nijOni ,
and so on
30 sanjO
40 yonjO ,
and so on
50 gojO
60 rokujO
70 shichijO
(or nanajO)
80 hachijO
90 kyOjO
100 hyaku
1000 sen
1985 sen kyOhyaku hachijOgo
A.D . 1985 sen kyOhyaku hachijOgonen (or Sh6wa
rokujOnen)
3. Counting people
Unfortunately not all Japanese counting is as easy as that.
To count people, this system is used :
hitori one person ,

hence also
' alone'
futari two people
sannin three people
yonin four people
Thereafter, the suffix -nin goes on the number. The famous film
Seven Samurai is:
Shichinin no samurai.
10 people jOnin
26 people nijOrokunin
100 people hyakunin, and so on .
35
4. Counting cupfuls or glasses

To count cupfuls or glasses , there is another system:
ippai one cupful, one

glassful
nihai two cupfuls
sambai three cupfuls
yonhai (or shihai) four cupfuls
Therefore ma ippai means 'another cup':
Ma ippai, Mary-san? Would you like

another cup ,
Mrs Foster?
Ma ippai kudasai. Another cup,
please .
Biiru desu ka? Is it beer you're
wanting?
Hail Biiru 0 Yes! Two beers
nihai kudasai. please .
(Please refer to the Reference Material sections pp . 297-8 and 304-5

when necessary .)
(0 Languages
The suffix -go is used after the name of the country to indicate the
language . Thus:
Nihon, Japan ; Nihongo , Japanese

Furansu, France; Furansugo, French
You will remember there was an alternative form for England

-Igirisu or Eikoku. English (the language) is Eigo.
(g) Adverbs (see Grammar Summary 7)

To form the adverb of a true adjective take off the final -i and put
-ku . Thus:
yasashii, easy ; yasashiku , easily

muzukashii, difficult; muzikashiku , with difficulty
36
ii, good, has an exceptional adverbial form: yoku , well. This

form is also used for the negative:
yoku wa arimasen It is not good .
(h) Giving praise

To praise someone you say:
Ojozu desu ne! You really are skilled!
The modest reply is:
lie! Heta desu yo! No , I'm not!
(i) Rainfall and snowfall

The verb used is furu; the present tense is furimasu (negative
furimasen), and the past tense is furimashita (negative furimasen
deshita) . The subject is either ame (rain) or yuki (snow) with ga:
Ame ga takusan furimasu. It rains a lot.

Sen kvuhvaku rokujuhachinen ni yuki ga takusan furimashita.
In 1968 it snowed a great deal.
4.4 Exercises
Section A
Exercise 1
Give the negative, and then the opposite , of the following (Example:
Okii desu ka? -lie, okiku wa arimasen. Chiisai desu.) :
1. Yasashii desu ka?
2. Warui desu ka?
3. Suzushii desu ka?
4. Muzukashii desu ka?
5. Ii desu ka?
Exercise 2
Answer the following questions (Example: Igirisujin wa Eigo 0

hanashimasu . English people speak English) :
1. Nihonjin wa?
2. Doitsujin wa?
3. Itariijin wa?
4. Anata wa?
37
Exercise 3
Write out the following dates:

1920 1985
1937 ShOwa 19
1953 Showa 46
Exercise 4
Count from 50 to 71.
Exercise 5

1. Sate-san wa Eigo 0 hanashimasu.
2. Okusama wa biiru 0 nomimasu.
3. Watakushi wa sashimi 0 tabemasu.
4. Kore wa watakushi no keisu desu.
5. Yamada-san wa Bonn de Doitsugo 0 hanashimashita.
6. Anata wa osake 0 takusan nomimashita.
7. Ano Nihonjin wa naganegi 0 tabemashita.
8. Kuruma wa akai desu.
Exercise 6
Answer the following questions (Example : sen kyOhyaku

sanjOgonen wa Showa jOnen deshita ne, - (1935 was Showa 10,
wasn't it?):
1. Sen kyOhyaku nijOhachinen wa?
2. Sen kyOhyaku yonjOnen wa?
3. Sen kyOhyaku rokujOninen wa?
4. Sen kyOhyaku shichijQkyOnen wa?
Section B i'8j
Exercise 7
Play the part of Mr or Mrs Foster in the following dialogue:
Itsu Nihon e kimashita ka? (I came in the summer of 1983.)
Ii otenki deshita ka? (No . It was hot and sticky.)
Hitori de kimashita ka? (No . M y wife/husband came too .)
38
Anata wa Nihongo 0 yoku (No , I'm notl)

hanashimasu ne. Ojozu
desu ne!
Exercise 8
Translate:
1. I did not come to Japan in the autumn .
2. My husband came to Tokyo alone.
3. English is difficult for the French.
4. Mrs Yamamoto speaks German well.
Exercise 9
Re-read (or listen again to) the Dialogues 4.1 and say whether these
statements are true, or false:
1. Foster-san wa 1960 ni Nihon e kimashita.
2. Shows 41 wa 1966 deshita.
3. 1976 ni Foster-san to okusan wa Nihon e kimashita.
4. Tokyo no natsu wa suzushii desu.
5. Mary-san wa ocha 0 ippai nomimashita.
6. Nihongo wa gaikokujin niwa muzukashii desu.
Exercise 10 i'E~
Play the part of Mr Smith in the following dialogue :

Mr Ito: Ogenki desu ka?
MrSmith: (Yes , thank you . I'm fine . How are you?)
Mr Ito : Genki desu. Arigat6.
MrSmith: (Isn 't it bad weather?)
Mr Ito: S6 desu ne,
MrSmith: (It 's cool, isn't it.)
Mr Ito: Hai, s6 desu.
MrSmith: (It rains a lot doesn 't it!)
Mr Ito: S6 desu ne. Takusan furimasu ne.
MrSmith: (Would you like some beer?)
Mr Ito: lie, biiru 0 nomimasen.
MrSmith: (Would you like some Japanese tea?)
Mr Ito: HaL Arigat6.
MrSmith: (Is it good?)
39
Mr It6 : Oishii desu yo.

MrSmith: (Another cup?)
Mr It6: lie. Kekk6 desu.
40 CHAPTER 5
THE NEXT MORNING
5.1 DIALOGUES i~j
Dialogue 1
London's weather compared with Tokyo 's.
Mrs Ito : Ohay6 gozaimasu!
Mrs Foster: Ohay6 gozaimasu!
Mrs Ito : Yoku nemurimashita ka?
41
Mrs Foster: Hai Arigato gozaimasu. Taihen yoku nemur-

imashita.
Mrs Ito: Ii otenki desu ne.
Mrs Foster: So desu. Mushiatsuku wa arimasen.
Mrs Ito: Ima kugatsu desu kara atsuku wa arimasen . Igirisu no
aki wa ii otenki desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Tokidoki ii otenki desu ga tokidoki ame ga takusan
furimasu.
Mrs Ito: Nihon dewa ame ga rokugatsu to shichigatsu ni
takusan furimasu ga futsu aki niwa furimasen .
Mrs Foster : Fuyu niwa yuki ga furimasu ka?
Mrs Ito: Nihon no kita to nishi niwa yuki ga takusan furimasu
keredomo Tokyo dewa furimasen. Tokyo no fuyu
wa taihen samui desu.
Mrs Foster: So desu ka? FutsQ Rondon no fuyu wa samuku wa
arimasen. Ame ga takusan furimasu ga yuki
wa furimasen.
Mrs Ito : Kugatsu niwa taifQ ga kimasu. Ki a tsukete kudasai!
Mrs Foster: Mainen kimasu ka?
Mrs Ito: lie, mochiron mainen wa kimasen keredomo kyonen
okii taifQ ga kimashita.
Dialogue 2 i=j
School and office; telling the time; da ys of the week.
Mr Ito: Kyo wa dovobi desu kara jimusho e ikimasen. Igirisu
demo dovobi wa yasumi desu ka?
Mr Foster : So desu ne. Ima wa yasumi desu keredomo jQnen
mae niwa mainichi jimusho e ikimashita.
Mochiron nichlvobi wa ikimasen deshita.
Mr Ito: Nihon demo so deshita keredomo ima wa getsuyobi
kara kin'vobi made desu.
Mr Foster: Kodomotachi wa qakko e ikimasu ka?
Mr Ito: Ikimasu yo. Dovobi mo qakko e ikimasu. Igirisu dewa?
Mr Foster: JQnen mae niwa ikimashita ga ima wa ikimasen.
Nihon no kodomotachi wa nanji ni qakko e
ikimasu ka?
Mr Ito: Asa hachiji ni ikimasu.
Mr Foster: So desu ka! Igirisu dewa kuji desu. Gogo yoji ni
uchi e kaerimasu.
Mr Ito: Nihon dewa gogo goji desu.
Mr Foster: Nanji ni asagohan a tabemasu ka?
Mr Ito: Asagohan a gozen shichiji ni tabemasu.
Mr Foster: Hirugohan wa?
Mr Ito : FutsQ jQniji jQgofun desu.
42
Dialogue 3
Plans for Saturday.
Mr Ito: Ky6 nani 0 shimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Ima nanji desu ka?
Mr Ito: Ima jaji desu.
Mr Foster: lie, jajijippun desu ne.
Mr Ito: 56 desu ka? Ano ... kin6 anata wa nanji ni Nihon e
kimashita ka? Rokujihan deshita ne?
Mr Foster: 56 deshita. Rokuji sanjippun deshita yo.
Mrs Ito: Ii otenki desu ne.
Mr Ito: Taihen ii otenki desu ne, Kuruma de inaka e ikimash6.
Mrs Ito: Ichiji ni hirugohan 0 tabemash6. Sono ato sampo 0
shimash6. Ikaga desu ka?
Mr Foster: Ii desu ne! 56 shimash6.
5.2 VOCABULARY
Ohay6 gozaimasu good morning

nemurimashita slept, past tense of
nemuru, to sleep
ima now
kugatsu September
tokidoki sometimes
rokugatsu June
shichigatsu July
futsu usually
fuyu winter
kita north
nishi west
samui cold
Rondon London
taifQ typhoon
ki 0 tsukete kudasai please take care
mainen each year
mochiron of course
kyonen last year
ky6 to-day
doy6bi Saturday
kara because
jimusho office
43
ikimasen do not go , pre sent

negative of iku , to go
yasumi holiday
mae before
mainichi every da y
ikimashita went , past ten se of
iku , to go
nichivobi Sund ay
qetsuvobi Mond ay
kara from
kin'vobi Frid ay
made unt il
kodomotachi children
gakko school
nanji what time
asa morning
hachiji eight o'clock
kuji nine o'clock
gogo p.m .
yoj i 4 o' clock
uchi house
kaerimasu present tense of
kaeru , to return
goji five o' clock
gozen a.m.
shichij i seven o'clo ck
jQniji twelve o'clo ck
jQgofun fifteen minut es
shimasu present ten se of
suru , to do
jQji ten o'clock
jippun ten minutes
kino yesterday
rokujihan half past six
sanjippun thirty minutes
de by, of transport
kuruma de by car
inaka the country
ikirnasho let 's go
ichiji one o'clock
tabernasho let's eat
sono ato afte r that
44
sampo 0 suru go for a walk (the 0

is som etimes
omitted)
ikaga desu ka how's that
shimasho let's do
5.3 EXPLANAnONS
(a) I and r
The transcription of foreign words with 'I' in them presents some
difficulty:
Rondon London
Berurin Berlin
Risuto Liszt
(See Guide to Pronunciation .)
(b) The education system

Work starts earlier both at school and in the office . School is
compulsory from the age of six, though many children go to private
kind ergartens (y6ch ien) before reaching that age . They attend
primary school (shoqakko) from six to twelv e, middle school
(chuqakko) from twelve to fifteen and high school (k6t6gakk6) from
fifteen to eighteen. A high percentage of Japanese go on to attend
university - national universities such as Yokohama Kokuritsu Dai-
gaku (kokuritsu, national ; daigaku, university) ; city universitie s
such as Yokohama Shiritsu Daigaku (shiritsu , municipal) ; or
priv ate universities , Shiritsu Daigaku (rather confusingly shiritsu
also me ans 'private' but the Chinese character for shi is quite
different).
(c) Take care!
Ki 0 tsukete kudasai! is a standard friendly warning.
(d) The days of the week
nichiy6bi Sunday (nichi means

sun)
getsuy6bi Monday (getsu
means moon)
45
kay6bi Tuesday (ka means

fire)
suiy6bi Wednesday (sui
means water)
mokuy6bi Thursday (moku
means tree)
kin'y6bi Friday (kin means
gold)
doy6bi Saturday (do means
earth)
(e) The months of the year

Th ese are set out on pp . 301-3 .
(0 Telling the time
ichiji one o'clock

ichijihan half past one
niji two o'clock
nijihan half past two
sanji three o'clock
yoji four o'clock
goji five o'clock
rokuji six o'clock
shichiji (or nanaji) seven o'clock
hachiji eight /I
kuji nine /I
jGji ten /I
jGichiji eleven /I
jGniji twelve /I
Th e suffix -ji means o'clock) . The suffix -fun means minute(s) but ,
like hai in Chapter 4, it undergoes some changes:
ippun one minute

nifun two minutes
sampun three
yompun four
gofun five
roppun six minutes
shichifun (or nanafun) seven minutes
hachifun (or happun) eight minutes
46
kvufun nine minutes

jippun ten minutes
Thus, going round the clock at five minute intervals, we get :
ichiji gofun
ichiji jippun
ichiji jugofun
ichiji nijippun
ichiji nijugofun
ichiji han (or ichiji sanjippun)
ichiji sanjuqofun
ichiji yonjippun.
Nowadays, especially with digital watches , we can continue:
ichiji vonjuqofun
ichiji gojippun
ichiji gojugofun
niji
niji gofun, etc.
But, traditionally, 1.45 is niji jugofun mae (two o 'clock fifteen

minutes before); 1.50 is niji jippun mae, and 1.55 is niji gofun mae .
Both forms are common .
Gozen and gogo (literally before noon and after noon) go before the
number:
gozen goji 5 a.m.

gogo shichijihan 7.30 p.m.
Sometimes asa, morning , is used:
asa rokuji 6.00 in the morning
(g)Four more verbs

nemuru , to sleep, is a strong verb like aru:
nemurimasu (I) sleep

nemurimasen do not sleep
nemurimashita slept
47
nemurimasen de- did not sleep

shita
kaeru to return, is one of the few verbs ending in -eru which are
strong and it, too, goes like aru :
kaerimasu (I) return

kaerimasen do not return
kaerimashita returned
kaerimasen deshita did not return
iku is a slightly irregular verb, but fortunately not in any of its basic
tenses where it behaves like other strong verbs :
ikimasu (I) go
ikimasen do not go
ikimashita went
ikimasen deshita did not go
suru , to do or to make, however, is very irregular:
shimasu (I) do
shimasen do not do
shimashita did
shimasen deshita did not
(h) mai-
mai means each or every
mainen every year

maigetsu (or maitsuki) every month
mainichi every day
(i) let's!
By changing the present tense of a verb from -masu to -rnasho, you
get the 'Let' s' form:
Tabernasho. Let's eat.

Tokyo e ikimasho. Let 's go to Tokyo.
Mizu 0 nornirnasho Let 's drink some water.
(j) gozaimasu
This verb is a polite version of desu.
48
Arigat6 gozaimasu means literally ' is rarely (to be found)' - i.e.,

What you have just said or done is so nice it's rarely met with . Hence ,
thank you .
Ohay6 gozaimasu means literally 'You are early', hence, good
morning.
It is encountered in many polite set-phrases:
Omedet6 gozaimasu . Congratulations .

Say6 de gozaimasu ka. Very polite form of S6
desu ka?
Nani mo gozaimasen. Literally, 'There isn't any'
this is a polite disclaimer
uttered by a hostess
usually before a groaning
board!
Older people use de gozaimasu instead of desu when wishing to be

very formal :
Watakushi wa Yamada I am Yamada.

de gozaimasu .
(k) Kuru
The verb used with taifC (literally, big wind - our word is of course
derived from the Japanese) is kuru:
Kugatsu niwa taifu ga ki- There are typhoons in

masu September.
Sh6wa yonjCichinen ni There was a big typhoon
6kii taifu ga kimashita. in 1966.
(I) Because
We have already come across the expression desu kara, therefore.
Kara coming after the verb means 'because' :
Doy6bi desu kara jimusho e ikimasen.

As it's Saturday, I don't go to the office .
Desu kara really means 'because it is' . Look at some other examples:
Ichiji desu kara tabemash6.

As it's one o'clock let's eat.
Ii otenki desu kara sampo 0 shimash6.
As the weather is nice let's go for a walk.
49
5.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Ima nanji desu ka (wha t time is it?)
6.15 a .m. 9.30
8.00 in the morn ing 10.55
11.05 5.40
1.20 p.m . a qu art er to four
2.10 4.35
7.25 8.50
Exercise 2
Nani 0 shimash6 ka? (what sha ll we do?)
1. Biiru 0 nomu
2. Sakana 0 taberu
3. Sampo 0 suru
4. Uchi e kaeru
5. Nihongo 0 hanasu
6. Jimusho e iku
Exercise 3
Wh at did you do on eac h day of the wee k?
1. On Sunday I went back to Yo ko hama .
2. O n Monday I went to the office .
3. O n Tu esday I came hom e at 8 o'clock.
4. On Wednesday I ate some sashimi.
5. O n Thursday I spo ke Jap anese.
6. On Frid ay I did not go to the office .
7. On Sat urd ay I went for a walk.
Exercise 4 fSj
Play the part of Mr or Mrs Potts in the following dialogue:
Mr It6: Ohay6 gozai-

masu.
Mr/s Potts : . (Good morning. Did you
Mr It6: Arigat6. Yoku slee p well) ?
nemurimashita. Anata
mol
Mr/s Potts : . (Yes, th ank you. I slept
well . Th e wea the r's bad ,
isn' t it. )
50
Mr It6: So desu ne.

Waru i desu ne.
Mr/s Potts: . (Yesterday the weather
was cool.)
Mr It6: So desu ne.
Mr/s Potts: .. (What is the time?)
Mr It6: Ima hachiji han
desu.
Mr/s Potts: .. (As it's Saturday 1 don 't
go to the office .)
Mr It6: Nani 0
shirnasho ka?
Mr/s Potts: .. (Let's go to Tokyo. How's
that?)
Mr It6: Nanji ni
kaerimasu ka?
Mr/s Potts: . (At seven fifteen .)
Section B
Exercise 5
Answer the following questions about yourself:
1. Anata wa nanji ni asagohan 0 tabemasu ka?
2. Anata wa nanji ni hirugohan 0 tabemasu ka?
3. Anata wa nanji ni yugohan 0 tabemasu ka?
4. Jimusho e mainichi ikimasu ka?
5. Gakko e ikimasu ka?
6. Futsu nanji ni uchi e kaerimasu ka?
7. Nihon e ikimashita ka?
8. Nihongo 0 hanashimasu ka? (Hai ... !)
Exercise 6
Without looking back , see how many of these conversational expres-
sions you can remember:
1. How do you do?
2. Good morning.
3. Take care!
4. Congratulations.
5. Thank you very much .
6. That is delicious .
7. That's fine. (I don't want any more.)
8. 1 don't understand.
51
Exercise 7
Translate:
1. As it's February it's cold.
2. As it's July it's hot.
3. As it's October it's cool.
4. As it's June it's hot and sticky .
5. As it's Saturday let's go to the country.
6. As it's Sund ay Mr Ito does not go the office.
Exercise 8
What do Japanese children do? Use a complete sentence for your
answer.
1. Nihon dewa kodomotachi wa nanji ni asagohan 0
tabemasu ka?
2. Nanji ni gakk6 e ikimasu ka?
3. Nanji ni hirugohan 0 tabemasu ka?
4. Nanji ni uchi e kaerirnasu ka?
5. Doy6bi rno gakk6 e ikimasu ka?
Exercise 9
Translate :
1. It rains from time to time .
2. Of course Mr Ito doesn't go to the office at 6.30 a.m .
3. Mr Sato usually comes home at 5.15.
4. He went to Japan last year.
5. He eats rice every day .
6. From Tuesday to Saturday it was fine.
7. From nine a.m . to four p.m. it is hot.
52
REVISION AND
SELF-ASSESSMENT TESTS
FOR CHAPTERS 1-5
Do the full test and mark it, using the mark scheme suggested. If you
made any mistakes, make sure you go back and revise the relevant
chapter(s) before proceeding with Chapter 6.
Section 1
Put in the appropriate particles:
1. Kore - - watakushi - - kaban - - arimasen.
2. Uchi - - ringo - - momo - - arimasu.
3. Nihon - - kodomotachi - - hachiji - - gakko
--ikimasu.
4. Watakushi - - Yokohama - - ikimashita.
5. Foster-san - - Kyoto - - sashimi - -
tabemashita.
6. Yuki - - takusan furimasu.
7. Getsuvobi - - kin'vobi - - jimusho - - ikimasu.
8. Samuku - - arimasen.
(Score: 20)
Section 2
'Is it easy ?' 'No, it isn't easy. It's difficult.'
1. Yasashii desu ka?
2. Samui desu ka?
3. Chiisai desu ka?
4. Warui desu ka?
5. Ii desu ka?
(Score: 10)
53
Section 3
Write out the following numbers :
11 55
22 78
33 89
46 94
47 100
(Score: 10)
Section 4
Give the year A .D. for :
Sh6wa 40
Sh6wa 55
(Score: 10)
Section 5
Ima nanji desu ka?
7.15 a .m .
8.45 p.m .
ten to four
11.35
9.20
(Score: 10)
Section 6
Translate the following:
leeks your husband
fruit September
car Thursday
rain today
your wife of course
(Score: 10)
Section 7
Answer the following questions with complete sentences:
1. Rondon no haru wa mushiatsui desu ka?
2. Igirisu dewa fuyu wa atsui desu ka?
3. Nihonjin wa nani 0 tabemasu ka?
4. Nihongo wa gaikokujin ni muzukashii desu ka?
5. Nihon dewa kodomotachi wa futsO nanji ni uchi e
kaerimasu ka?
(Score: 10)
54
Section 8 r=j
Read the following conversation or listen to it on your cassette. If you
have the cassette , do not read the text. Then answer the questions
undern eath .
Mr Jones: Watakushi no keisu wa akai desu.
Mr Jones: lie. Sore wa chiisai desu .
Mr Kimura: Kana 6kii keisu wa anata no desu ka?
Mr Jones: Hai, s6 desu. Arigat6 gozaimasu.
Mr Kimura: Ana ... Uchi e ikimash6 ka?
Mr Jones : Ima nanji desu ka?
Mr Kimura : Rokuji han desu.
Mr Jones : Anata no kuruma wa akai desu ka kuroi desu ka?
Mr Kimura: Kuroi desu .
Mr Jones : Nihon no kuruma desu ka?
Mr Kimura: lie, Doitsu no kuruma desu.
Mr Jones : Ano ... Nani 0 tabemash6 ka?
Mr Kimura : Sakana ya gohan a tabemash6 ne.
Mr Jones : Nomimono wa?
Mr Kimura : Osake matawa ocha desu. Osake 0 nomi masu ka?
Mr Jones : lie, nom imasen.
Mr Kimura: Okusama wa Nihongo 0 hanash imasu ka?
Mr Jones : lie, hanashimasen.
Mr Kimura : Okusama wa itsu Nihon e kimash ita ka?
Mr Jones: Rokugatsu ni kimashita.
1. Describe Mr Jo nes's suitcase.
2. What time is it?
3. What colour is Mr Kimura's car?
4. Is it a Japanese car?
5. What are they going to eat for supper?
6. What are they going to drink?
7. Does Mr Jones drin k sake?
8. Does Mrs Jones spea k Japanese?
9. When did she come to Japan?
(Score: Total 10 - score 2 for Qu. 1)
Self-assessment grades: Maximum total score = 80.

Over 65: Excellent
40 - 65: Satisfactory
Under 40: More revision nee ded
CHAPTER 6 55
SHOPPING -1
GOING TO THE BOOKSHOP
6.1 DIALOGUES jBj
Dialogue 1
Making plans.
Mrs Foster: Kaimono 0 shitai desu.
Mrs It6: S6 desu ka? Doko e ikitai desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Hon'va e ikitai desu keredomo. Ii desu ka?
Mrs It6: Ii desu yo . Watakushi rno hon'va de jibiki 0 kaitai desu.
Mrs Foster: Hon'va wa doko desu ka?
Mrs It6: Yubinkvoku no mae ni arimasu.
56
Mrs Foster: So desu ka. Sore wa ii desu ne. Watakushi wa kitte

o kaitai desu kara issho ni vubinkvoku e ikimasho ka?
Mrs It6: Arukirnasho. Jippun dake desu .
Mrs Foster: Ii otenki desu kara watakushi wa sampo shitai
desu.
Mrs It6: Watakushi mo. lkirnasho ka?
Mrs Foster: So desu. Watakushi wa Nihon no hon 'ya 0 mitai
desu yo.
Mrs It6: Omoshiroi desu ne.
Mrs Foster: So desu. Taihen omoshiroi desu. Itsu otaku e
kaerimasu ka?
Mrs It6: .Juichiji han ni.
Dialogue 2 ~
At the bookshop.
Mrs It6: Hon'ya wa kudamonoya no yoko ni arimasu.
Mrs Foster: Kudamono 0 kaitai desu ka?
Mrs It6: lie. Kudamono 0 kaitaku wa arimasen keredomo
kudamono wa totemo utsukushii desu ne.
Mrs Foster: So desu ne. Utsukushii desu ne, Momo ya nashi ya
ringo no iro wa utsukushii desu ne,
Mrs It6: Koko ga hon'ya desu. Hairirnasho.
(T hey go into the shop .)
Gomen kudasai!
Shopkeeper: Irassha imase!
Mrs It6: Watakushi no tomodachi wa Igirisujin desu .
Shopkeeper: Save de gozaimasu ka. Igirisu kara irasshaima-
shita ka?
Mrs Foster: So desu. Watakushitachi wa kino Nihon e kirna-
shita .
Shopkeeper: Ah! Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka? Ojozu desu ne!
Mrs Foster: lie! Totemo heta desu yo!
Dialogue 3 ~
Buying a dictionary.
Mrs It6: Watakushi wa Ei-wa jiten 0 kaitai desu keredomo.
Arimasu ka?
Shopkeeper: Arimasu yo. Kore wa ii jibiki desu.
Mrs It6: Takai desu ka?
Shopkeeper: Sukoshi takai desu keredomo taihen benri na
jibiki desu yo.
Mrs It6: Ikura desu ka?
Shopkeeper: Niman gosen happyaku-en desu.
57
Mrs Ito: So desu ka. Niman gosen happyaku-en desu ka. Takai
desu ne. Shikashi Eigo no hon 0 yomitai desu
kara jibiki wa hitsuvo desu ne, Eigo no kotoba wa
watakushi niwa taihen muzukashii desu kara.
Samman-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka.
Shopkeeper: Dorno ariqato gozaimasu. Yonsen nihyaku-en no
okaeshi desu.
Mrs Ito : Ariqato gozaimasu.
6.2 VOCABULARY
kaimono shopping (literally , 'buy-

things')
kaimono (0) suru to go shopping
kaimono (0) shitai desu I want to go shopping
ikitai desu I want to go
hon'ya bookshop
jibiki dictionary
kaitai desu I want to buy (from kau
to buy)
vubinkvoku post-office
mae in front
kitte postage-stamp
kara because
issho ni together
arukirnasho let's walk , (from aruku , to
walk)
dake only
sampo shitai I want to go for a walk
kudamonoya fruiterer's
mitai desu I want to see (from miru,
to see)
omoshiroi interesting
otaku your home (as opposed to
uchi, my home)
yoko beside
kaitaku wa arimasen I do not want to buy
totemo very
nashi Japanese pear
iro colour
utsukushii beautiful
58
hai rlrnasho let's en te r (fro m ha iru , to

go in)
gomen kudasa i! excuse me !
irassha imase! welco me! come in!
to m oda ch i frie nd
savo de gozaimasu ka so desu ka (very polite)
ira s s hai m a s hita very polite verb equa lling
kimashita , came, have
come
Ei-Wa jite n E nglish-Ja panese diction -
ary
taka i high , expe nsive
su koshi a litt le
benri na useful
iku ra how much
niman twen ty thousand
gosen five thousand
happyaku -e n eight hundred yen
sh ikashi still, however . yet
yom itai desu I wan t to read (fro m
yomu , to read)
hitsuvo necessary
kotoba wo rd
samman-en th irt y tho usa nd yen
otsuri change
itadakemasu ka very po lite exp ressio n,
meani ng may I accep t,
may I take (from
ita d a ke ru)
demo very much
yonsen four thousand
okaeshi change
6.3 EXPL ANATIONS
(a) Shops
Althou gh supe rma rkets are beco ming commo n, and concrete and
plat e-glass are replacing the traditio nal small Japanese wooden shop
ope n o n to the street , the hou sewife still prefers to choose fruit , fish,
vegetables an d rice from the litt le specialist shops. Sho ps selling ocha
(Japanese tea) and tradit ion al cakes and swee ts are frequen t, also
delightfully-smelling cra ftsmen's ate liers where tatami mats are
made , to for m th e floor of th e tr adit ion al Japan ese roo m .
59
Pavements are rare and the average Japanese shopping street is a

cheerful, bustling sight. The customer calls out Gomen kudasai! on
entering in order to attract attention, and the shopkeeper will always
give the cry of welcome, Irasshaimase! Delivery boys on bicycles or
mopeds weave in and out of the passers-by at noon and in the early
evening, taking food to those who have ordered it by telephone . As
in France and Italy, it is possible to buy stamps at a tobacconist's .
(b) Wanting to do something

To say you want to do something, take off the -masu from the
present tense of any verb and substitute -tai desu :
ikimasu ikitai desu I want to go

yomimasu yomitai desu I want to
read
tabemasu tabetai desu I want to eat
mimasu mitai desu I want to see
lkitai, yomitai , tabetai and mitai are now true adjectives . Therefore ,
to say you do not want to do something, take off the -i and substitute
-ku wa arimasen :
shiroi desu it is white

shiroku wa arimasen it is not white
ikitai desu I want togo
ikitaku wa arimasen I do not want to go
(c) keredomo
keredomo (however) frequently ends a sentence, trailing away in a
kind of 'you see' meaninglessness. You will have noticed that
Japanese speakers tend to dislike leaving their remarks baldly alone
with the end-verb, preferring ne or yo or an unquestioning ka - or ,
as here , keredomo.
(d) hon'ya de jibiki 0 kaitai desu

The de is used because it is there that the transaction takes place. It is
not a mere question of geography. (See Grammar Summary 8(0.)
(e) Expressing position

To express position , the construction . . . . no . . . ni arimasu is
used (see Grammar Summary 9) . As explained in Chapter 1.3. (g) no
equals 's in English :
60
Hon'ya wa doko desu ka?

Where is the bookshop?
(Hon'ya wa) yObinkyoku no mae ni arimasu.
At the post-office's front - i.e ., in front of the post-office .
kudamonoya no yoko ni arimasu.
At the fruit-shop's side - i.e ., next to the fruit-shop .
This is a good example of Japanese as a 'mirror-language' to English ,

as mentioned in the Introduction.
1 2 3 4 5
(Hon'ya wa) yObinkyoku no mae ni arimasu.
5 4 3 2 1
(The bookshop) is in front of the post-office.
(0 The suffix -ya

The suffix -va means shop :
hon'ya bookshop
kudamonoya fruit-shop
sakanaya fishmonger's
but note:
sakaya sake shop
(g)
aruku and sampo (0) suru
aruku is to perform the act of walking , as opposed to cycling or some
other means of getting from place A to place B .
sampo (0) suru is to enjoy the act of walking for its own sake, like the
French verb se promener
(h) hairu
ha iru , to enter, is a strong verb, even though it ends in -iru:
hairimasu (I) enter

hairimasen do not enter
hairimashita entered
hairimasen deshita did not enter
61
(i) wakaru
wakaru , to understand, takes the following construction:
Watakushi wa Nihongo ga wakarimasu.

I understand Japanese .
It really means, 'As for me, Japanese is understandable'.
(j) Wajin
Wajin is an old word for a Japanese . The Chinese character is
the wa in Sh6wa . In compounds, wa is often used : wahon, a
Japanese book; wagaku, Japanese literature; or, as here , wa-ei,
Japanese-English; ei-wa, English-Japanese .
(k) Adjectives that are not true adjectives

Adjectives that are not true adjectives - i.e ., that do not end in the
syllable -i (ta-ka-i ; shi-ro-i) (see Chapter 1.3(b» take the particle na
before the noun :
benri na jibiki a useful dictionary

hitsuy6 na hon a necessary book
genki na hito a healthy person.
(I) Counting in thousands

-man is the suffix to count in tens of thousands .
ichiman-en 10 000 yen

niman-en 20000 yen
samman -en 30000 yen
Up to 9000 , the suffix -sen is used :
sen-en 1000 yen (issen-en in

combination with -man)
nisen-en 2000 yen
sanzen-en 3000 yen
yonsen-en 4000 yen
gosen-en 5000 yen
rokusen-en 6000 yen
shichisen-en (or 7000 yen
nanasen-en)
hassen-en 8000 yen
kvusen-en 9000 yen
62
Thereafter, in combination with -m a n:
ic him a n issen-en 11 000 yen

ic hi m a n nisen -en 12000 yen
(m) -hyaku
The complete listing of -hya ku is:
hyaku -en 100 yen

nihyaku-en 200 yen
sambyaku-en 300 yen
yonhyaku-en 400 yen
gohyaku -en 500 yen
roppyaku-en 600 yen
shichihyaku -en 700 yen (or nanahyaku-en )
happyaku -en 800 yen
kyO hyaku-en 900 yen
(n) Change in shops

In shop s, whe n you wan t change you use the following form:
Samman-en de otsu ri 0 Here is 30 000 yen.

itadakemasu ka.
(Being a case of 30 000 yen, may I rece ive change?)
T he repl y, then, is:
Yonsen nihyaku -e n no 4200 yen cha nge.

okaeshi desu .
(0) otaku
otaku is the hon or ific for m of uchi:
otaku e ikimasu ka? Are you going hom e?

uch i e kaerimasu I' m returni ng home
(p) Japanese currency

There are 1 yen ,S yen , 10 yen , 100 yen and 500 yen coins.
There are 1000 yen, 5000 yen and 10 000 yen bank-notes.
63
6.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Put in the appropriate particles (wa, ga, 0, ni, de no, ka, e) :
1. YCJbinkyoku - - kitte - - kaimashita.
2. Hon - - kaitaku - - arimasen.
3. Hon'ya - - qakko - - mae - - arimasu.
4. Issho - - Yokohama - - ikirnasho - - ?
5. Ano hito - - Eigo - - wakarimasu - - ?
6. Gaikokujin - - hon - - omoshiroku - -
arimasen .
7. Watakushi - - tomodachi - - Eigo - - hon--
kaitai desu.
Exercise '1.
Add the most logical verb .
1. Hon 0 - - - -
2. Sakana 0 - - - -
3. Osake 0 - - - -
4. Nihongo ga - - - -
5. Nihongo 0 - - - -
6. Ame ga - - - - ,
7. Kino Tokyo e - - - -
8. Nigatsu ni Nihon e - - - -
9. Nichivobi ni sampo 0 - - - -
10. Kino Igirisujin wa Eikoku e - - - -
Exercise 3
Let 's (Example: Let 's read a Japanese book Nihon no hon 0
(yomu) - vornimasho .) :
1. Let's walk . (Aruku) .
2. Let's go on in. (Hairu) .
3. Let's go back to the post-office . (YCJbinkyoku e kaeru).
4. Let's buy some Japanese pears . (Nashi 0 kau) .
Exercise 4
My friend and I have different tastes (Example : Watakushi wa
sampo shitai desu . I want to go for a walk . Tomodachi wa sampo
shitaku wa arimasen . My friend doe s not want to go for a walk .):
64
I want to 1. go to the post-office .

My friend doesn't want to 2. see Japan.
3. eat sashimi .
4. read that book .
5. buy some peaches.
6. return to Yokohama.
Exercise 5
Where are they?
1. VQbinkyoku wa gakko no mae ni arimasu ka?
.. ... ...... .......... ......... ......... .... ..... .. (No , it's beside it .)
2. Kudamonoya wa hon'ya no yoko ni arimasu ka?
... .... .. .. ....... .... ..... .. ... ... .. .. ... ... (No, it's in front of it.)
3. Anata no kuruma wa jimusho no yoko ni arimasu ka?
.. .. .... .. .. ........ .... ..... .. .. (No , it's beside the post-office .)
4. Ringo wa nashi no mae n i arimasu ka?
... ...... .. .... ... .... .. .. .... (No , they're next to the peaches.)
Exercise 6
Ikura desu ka? Nihyaku-en desu .
Ikura desu ka?
1. It is 300 yen .
2. It is 2800 yen.
3. It is 3400 yen.
4. It is 5600 yen .
5. It is 10 000 yen.
6. It is 24 200 yen .
7. It is 38 000 yen .
8. It is 39 500 yen .
Exercise 7
My friend understands English -
Tomodachi wa Eigo ga wakarimasu.
1. That child understands French .
2. Your wife understands German .
3. My husband understands Japanese.
4. That foreigner understands Italian.
5. Does that Japanese person understand English?
Section B
Exercise 8
Translate into Japanese (Example: The post-office is in front of the
fruiterer's - Yubinkvoku wa kudamanoya no mae ni arimasu.):
65
1. The fruit erer's is next to the bookshop .

2. My car is in front of my house.
3. My suitcase is next to your briefcase .
4. The peaches are next to the apples .
5. The school is in front of my office .
Exercise 9
Work out the change!
1. Sen-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka?
.. .. ... .. ...... ..... ..... .... .......... .... ......... (It costs 850 yen .)
2. Nisen-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka?
... ...... .................... .................. ... (It costs 1500 yen.)
3. Gosen-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka?
.... ...... ............ .. .. .... ..... ... .. .... .... .. (It costs 3200 yen .)
4. Ichiman-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka?
... ......... ... ..... .......... ............. ..... .. (It costs 7000 yen .)
5. Niman-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka?
........ ..... .......... ... ........... .......... .. (It costs 10400 yen.)
Exercise 10 ISj
Play the part of the purchaser in the following dialogue :
You: (Excuse me!)
Shopkeeper: Irasshaimase!
You: (Are there any dictionaries?)
Shopkeeper: Arimasu yo.
You: ..... (I want to buy a Japanese - English one , you see .)
Shopkeeper: 56 desu ka. Ano, kore wa ii jibiki desu .
You: (Is it expensive?)
Shopkeeper: Sukoshi takai desu keredomo benri na jibiki
desu yo.
You: (How much is it?)
Shopkeeper: Ichiman nanahyaku-en desu.
You: ....... (Is that so? It is dear but I want to read Japanese
books. Here's 20 000 yen . May I have the change,
please?)
Shopkeeper: Arigat6 gozaimasu. Sanzen-en no okaeshi
desu.
You: (Thank you very much .)
66 CHAPTER 7
SHOPPING - 2
AT THE POST OFFICE
................. ·· ··· ·· ················· ·····O·~ ~ -.;,. i:···N ip PON· ·
: 0 0
p'.
7.1 DIALOGUE jBj
Bu ying sta mps.

Mrs It6: Nani 0 kaitai desu kat Mary-san?
Mrs Foster: Kitte 0 kaitai desu. Kesa tegami 0 kakimashita kara
Igirisu e okuritai desu.
Mrs It6: Tegami 0 nammai kakimashita ka?
Mrs Foster : Gomai kakimashita.
(They go up to the counter.)
Mrs Foster : Sumimasen. Eigo ga wakar imasu ka?
Employee: lie. Wakarimasen .
67
(Mrs Foster turns in dismay to Mrs It6. )

Mrs Foster: Ito-san! Watakushi no kitte 0 katte kudasaimasen
ka?
Mrs Ito: lie! Anata wa Nihongo ga yoku wakarimasu kara
Nihongo de hanashite kudasai!
Mrs Foster: Ano . . . Igirisu made kono tegami 0 okurita i no
desu ga ikura desu ka?
Employee: Igirisu desu ka? Chotto matte kudasa i.
Mrs Ito: Ikura desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Mada wakarimasen .
Employee: Eeto ... Igirisu nara sambyaku qoju-en desu.
Mrs Foster: Sambyaku qoju -en no kitte 0 gomai kudasai.
Employee: Sen nanahyaku qoju -en desu.
(Mrs Foster sudde nly rememb er s. )
Mrs Foster: Ah! Omoidashimashita! Shujin wa ehagaki 0
nimai kakimashita . Ehagaki nara ikura desu
ka?
Employee: Igirisu made desu ka?
Mrs Foster: So desu. Igirisu desu.
Employee: Chotto matte kudasai.
Mrs Ito: Sono kitte wa takai desu ka?
Mrs Foster: lie, takaku wa arimasen. Yasui desu.
Mrs Ito : Ehagaki mo yasu i desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Mada wakarimasen.
Employee: Ehagaki nara hyaku gojQ-en desu .
Mrs Foster: Nimai kudasa i.
Employee: Sambyaku-en desu. Ano . . . Sen nanahyaku qoju-
en to sambyaku -en de nisen qoju-en desu.
Mrs Foster: Sumimasen. Ichiman-en satsu shika arimasen ga ii
desu ka?
Employee: Kekko desu yo . Nanasen kvuhvaku qoju-en no
otsuri desu . Ariqato gozaimasu. Otsug i no
kata. DOlO.
(Mrs It6 steps up to the counte r.)
Mrs Ito: Hyaku qoju-en no kitte 0 jurnai kudasai .
Employee: Sen gohyaku-en desu .
Mrs Ito : Hai. Nisen -en desu .
Employee : Arigato gozaimasu. Ano ... gohyaku-en no
okaeshi desu.
Mrs Ito: Arigato gozaimasu.
68
7.2 VOCABULARY
kesa this morning

tegami letter
kakimashita past tense of kaku, to
write
okuritai (no) desu I want to send (from
okuru, to send) (see 19.3(j))
nammai how many (referring to
flat objects)
gomai five (flat objects)
sumimasen I'm sorry to bother you
katte kudasaimasen ka would you be so kind as to
buy (from kau, to buy)
hanashite kudasai please speak (from
hanasu, to speak)
made to, up to, as far as
chotto just a moment
matte kudasai please wait (from matsu,
to wait)
mada (with negative) not yet
eeto let's see, well .. .
nara if it's a case of
omoidashimashita remembered (past tense of
omoidasu, to remember
or recollect)
ehagaki picture postcard
nimai two (flat objects)
yasui cheap
satsu bank-note
shika (with negative) only
(oltsuqi next
kata person (marginally politer
than hito)
dozo please
jumai ten (flat objects)
7.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) More about counting

We have already met ways of counting people (hitori, futari, sannin,
etc. in Chapter 4), of counting cupfuls (ippai, nihai, sambai, etc .,
69
also in Chapter 4), of counting in hundreds and thou sands (hyaku,

nihyaku, sambyaku , etc . and sen , nisen , sanzen, etc. in Chapter
6). The system with years and with yen is, as we have seen, simpler
(merely adding the appropriate suffix -nen or -en : ichinen , ninen ,
sannen ; ichi-en, ni-en, san-en) .
Counting in Japanese is a complicated affair - or rather, because
each language has its own way of doing certain things, represents a
different way of looking at life from the English way . In Japan ,
objects that are flat (pieces of paper, stamps, bank-notes, tickets ,
slices of br ead or fish or meat, plates, records, postcards , letters)
require the suffix -m a i: ichimai , nimai , sammai , yommai or
yomai, gomai , rokumai, shichimai (or nanamai) , hachimai,
kvurnai, jurnai , juichimai , etc .
Therefore, when you both know what you are talking about, the
word for the object is unnecessary. In a station , Nimai kudasai
means two tickets. In the post-office , Nimai kudasai means two
stamps .
(b) More strong verbs

kaku to write , goes like aruku :
(present) kakimasu (I) write

(present negative) kakimasen do not write
(pa st) kakimashita wrote , have
written
(past negative) kakimasen did not write
deshita
A new verb, matsu , to wait :
machimasu (I) wait

machimasen don't wait
machimashita waited
machimasen deshita didn 't wait
omoidasu , to recollect or remember , goes like hanasu:
omoidashimasu (I) recollect

omoidashimasen don 't rem ember
omoidashimashita remembered
omoidashimasen deshita didn 't recollect
70
okuru, to send, goes like aru , furu, kaeru , hairu :
okurimasu (I) send

okurimasen don't send
okurimashita sent
okurimasen deshita did not send
(c) The -te form (1): giving instructions

We meet in this chapter a most important part of the Japanese verb ,
and will deal now with one of its uses.
Verbs ending in -u have a -te form -tte:
kau , to buy, katte
Verbs ending in -su have a -te form -shite:
hanasu, to speak , hanashite
Verbs ending in -tsu have a -te form -tte:
matsu , to wait matte
In order to give a polite command or recommendation , you use the -te

form and add kudasai :
kitte 0 katte kudasai please buy some stamps

Nihongo de hanashite please speak Japanese
kudasai
chotto matte kudasai please wait a moment
To be very polite indeed, you add kudasaimasen ka:
katte kudasaimasen ka would you be so kind as to buy
(d) nara
This is a useful word, meaning 'let's take ' , or 'supposing', or 'if it's a
case of':
Igirisu nara sambyaku qoju-en desu. For England it's 350 yen.
(Literally, if we're talking about England then it's 350 yen .)
71
(e) Two adverbs with the negative:
mada wakarimasen I do not yet und erstand

mada ikimasen I haven 't been ther e yet
mada kakimasen I haven 't written yet
Ichiman-en satsu shika I' ve only got a 10 000 yen not e.

arimasen.
Nigatsu wa February has only 28 da ys.
nijOhachinichi shika ar i-
masen .
(0 Otsugi no kata : 'next, please'
Here , th e hon orifi c 0- is used with th e slightly polit er word for
per son - kata , not hito ; dozo , by all means, can be used by itself in
reponse to a requ est :
tegami 0 kakitai desu I want to writ e so me letter s

dozo please do!
hon'ya e ikitai desu I want to go to th e bookshop
dozo fine! off you go!
7.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Ask favours using th e -te form (Example : (Kitte 0 kau)-kitte 0 katte
kudasai):
1. (Chotto matsu)
2. (Eigo de hanasu)
3. (Ehagaki 0 kau)
4. (Omoidasu)
Exercise 2
Nani 0 kaitai desu ka? (Example: Nani 0 kaitai desu ka?
Ehagaki 0 nimai kaitai desu - What do you want to bu y? (I want to
bu y two postcards.)
1. Nani 0 kaitai desu ka? (three sta mps)
2. (five postcards)
3. (eight sta mps)
4. (te n postcard s)
5. (eleve n sta mps)
72
Exercise 3
Igirisu e ikimashita ka? lie, mada ikimasen - H ave you been to
Engl and? No , not yet.
1. Ringo 0 kaimashita ka?
2. Shujin wa kaerimashita ka?
3. Osake 0 nomimashita ka?
4. Yuki ga furimashita ka?
Exercise 4
Put in the appropriate particles (w a, ga, e, made, no, na, ni, de) :
1. Igirisu - - ikitai desu.
2. Furansu - - kono ehagaki - - okuritai desu.
3. Semi --jibiki desu ka?
4. Hyaku-en - - kitte - - kaitai desu.
5. Kanai - - Itariigo - - wakarimasu.
6. Hon'ya - - uchi - - mae - - arimasu.
7. Kudamonoya - - ringo - - kaimashita.
Exercise 5
Add 100 yen each tim e:
1. Kore wa kvuhvaku-en desu. Sore wa?
2. Kore wa nihyaku-en desu. Sore wa?
3. Kore wa kvusen kvuhvaku goju-en desu. Sore wa?
4. Kore wa nisen kvuhvaku nanajuqo-en desu. Sore wa?
5. Kore wa shichihyaku-en desu. Sore wa?
6. Kore wa gohyaku-en desu. Sore wa?
7. Kore wa hachiju-en desu. Sore wa?
Exercise 6
Without looking back , see if you can recognise these word s and say in
Japanese where you can buy the articles mentioned:
1. Doko de kitte 0 kaimasu ka?
2. Doko de ringo 0 kaimasu ka?
3. Doko de jibiki 0 kaimasu ka?
4. Doko de osake 0 kaimasu ka?
5. Doko de nashi 0 kaimasu ka?
6. Doko de sakana 0 kaimasu ka?
7. Doko de mama a kaimasu ka?
8. Daka de jiten 0 kaimasu ka?
73
Section B
Exercise 7
Cha nge the response , using the English informatio n in bracket s to
mod ify your repl y:
1. Ii otenki deshita ka? (No , it rained )
2. Kitte 0 gamai kaimashita ka? (No , 1 bought six)
3. Hach iji ni kaerimashita ka? (No, at nine)
4. Kin'vobi Tokyo e ikimas hita ka? (No , on Saturday)
5. Anata no kaban wa kurai desu ka? (No , it's red)
6. Kino ringa a tabemashita ka? (No, Japan ese pears)
7. Han'ya e ikitai desu ka? (No, to the Post-Office)
8. Gashujin wa tegam i 0 sammai kakimashita ka? (No, he
wro te two postcards)
Exercise 8
Nani a shimashita ka? What did you do?
1. Yeste rday 1 wrot e three letters.
2. Th is morn ing 1 drank two cups of Japanese tea.
3. On Friday 1 saw two Jap anese.
4. At twenty past three 1 bought five postcards.
5. At seven o'clock I wro te four lett ers.
Exerci se 9 itsj
Play the part of Mr Smith in the following dialogues
Dialogue 1
Mr It6: Nani a sh ita i desu ka?
MrSmith: (Go to the post -office)
Mr It6: Kuruma de ikirnash o ka?
MrSmith: (No , let' s walk)
Mr It6 : Yub inkvoku de nani a shitai desu ka?
M rSmith : (I wrote some postca rds this morning and ther efore
1 want to send them to A merica)
Mr It6: Ehagaki a nammai kakimashita ka?
MrSmith: (I wrote thr ee)
Dialogue 2 its!
MrSmith: (Excuse me. Do you spea k E nglish?)
Post office employee : lie. Wakarimasen.
MrSmith: (We ll 1 want to send three postcard s to
Am erica . How much is that ?)
Employee : Amerika nara hyaku qoju -en desu.
MrSmith: ... .. ... .. .. .. .. .... ... ... .. .. (Three 150 yen sta mps please. )
Employee: Yanhyaku gaju-en desu .
74
MrSmith: (I've only got a 5000 yen note . Is that all right?)
Employee: Kekko desu yo. Yonsen gohyaku goja-en no
okaeshi desu.
MrSmith: (Thank you very much.)
Employee: Arigato gozaimasu. Otsugi no kata. DOlO.
CHAPTER 8 75
AT MR MAEDA'S OFFICE
8.1 DIALOGUES jSj
Dialogue 1
Waiting to see Mr Maeda.
Mr It6: Maeda-san to ohanashi shitai no desu ga ima oiso-
gashii desu ka?
Secretary: Ima denwa de hanashite imasu.
76
Mr It6: Ah so desu ka. Foster to iu tomodachi ga Maeda-san to

ohanashi shitai no desu.lgirisu kara kimashita. Ototoi Nihon
e kimashita.
Secretary: Onamae 0 kono kami ni kaite kudasaimasen ka?
Mr Foster: Ah sumimasen. Pen ga arimasen. Kyo mo ippon
kaitai no desu ga mada katte imasen.
Secretary: Foster-san wa Nihongo ga ojozu desu ns!
Mr Foster: Sukoshi hanashimasu keredomo jozu ja arimasen.
Mr It6: Kino ana Nihonjin to yoku hanashite imashita nsf
Mr Foster: Biiru 0 nonde imashita kara Nihongo de hanashi -
mash ita yo!
Mr It6: Biiru 0 nambon nomimashita ka?
Mr Foster: Nihon dake deshita.
Mr It6: Nihon dake deshita ka? Honto desu ka?
Mr Foster: Wasuremashita!
Dialogue 2 ~
Tea while they wait.
Mr It6: Shimbun wa arimasu ka?
Secretary: Arimasu keredomo Yamamoto-san ga yonde ima-
suo
Mr It6: Asahi Shimbun desu ka?
Secretary: So desu.
Mr It6: Ah, kesa yomimashita keredomo. Zasshi wa arimasu
ka?
Mr Foster: Hai. Mite kudasai. Kono isu no ushiro ni zasshi ga
arimasu yo.
Secretary: Ocha 0 onomi ni narimasu ka soretomo kocha desu
ka?
Mr Foster: Kocha 0 nomitai desu. Ariqato.
Mr It6: Watakushi mo kocha ni shimasu. Ah. Supuun wa
arimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Hail Teeburu no ue ni supuun ga gohon arimasu.
Mr It6: Gohon desu ka? Ariqato l Ippon dake de ii desu yo!
Mr Foster: Nampun gurai machimasu ka?
Secretary: Jippun dake desho. Kocha 0 mo ippai? Ikaga desu
ka?
Mr Foster: lie. Kekko desu.
Dialogue 3 i8j
Making an appointment.
Mr Foster: Kyo wa nannichi desu ka?
Mr It6: Jushlchinlchl desu ne.
77
Mr Foster: Desu kara asatte wa jOkunich i desu ne, Asatte m o

ichi do kirnasho ka? Maeda -san wa irna oiso -
gashii desho, Maeda -san wa hata raite imasu
ga watakushi wa hatara ite imasen.
Mr It6 : Kyo gozench Owatakush i wa yasunde imasu keredomo
asatte wa hatarakimasu.
Mr Foster: So desu ka. Ano, raishO no kay6bi ni shirnasho ka?
NijOgon ichi desu ne.
Mr It6 : SO iyobi wa nijOrokunichi desu kara watakushi wa
isogashiku wa arimasen.
Mr Foster: So shirnasho. RaishO no suiy6bi ni mata kimash6.
8.2 VOCABULARY
ohanashi shitai no desu would lik e to speak (poli te
form of hanash itai desu )
(o)isogashii busy
denwa telephone
hanash ite imasu is speaki ng (fro m hanasu ,
to speak)
imasu is (from iru , to be, to
exist)
iu to call
ototoi the day before yesterday
(o)namae name
kam i paper
kaite kudasa imasen ka would you please write
(kaite is the -te form of
kaku)
pen pen
ippon one (cyli ndrical object)
mada katte im asen haven't yet bought
wasuremashita I forgot (past tense of
wasureru )
hanash ite imashita you were speaking (from
hanasu , to speak)
nonde im ashit a was drinking (nonde is
the -te form of nomu , to
drink )
nambon how many (cyli ndrical
objects)
nihon two (cyli ndrical objects)
honto true, the tru th
sh imbun newspaper
78
yonde imasu is reading, (from yomu ,

to read)
zasshi magazine
mite kudasai look! (from miru)
isu chair
ushiro behind
ue on top
onomi ni narimasu polite form of nomimasu
(from nomu , to drink)
soretomo or else
kacha Indian tea (literally, 'red
tea')
ni shimasu I'll decide on (from su ru,
to do)
supuun spoon
teeburu table
gohon five (cylindrical objects)
gurai roughly , about
nampun how many minutes
desha probably is/are
nannichi what day of the week
jushichinichi 17th day of the month
jukunichi 19th day of the month
asatte the day after to-morrow
ma ichido once more , one more time
hataraite imasu is working (from
hataraku, to work)
gozenchU all morning
yasunde imasu am not working (from
yasumu, to rest , to be on
holiday)
raishu next week
nijQgonichi 25th day of the month
nijQrokunichi 26th day of the month
mata again
8.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) Hospitality
In offices , common-rooms and waiting-rooms, ocha , kocha or coffee
are always offered to visitors .
79
(b) Newspapers and magazines

The Japanese are compulsive readers of newspapers and magazines.
The Yomiuri Shimbun has the largest circulation of any newspaper
in the world .
The range of material available is enormous, and you do see adults
devouring comics as well as specialist magazines of all kinds.
(c) Politer language

You will have noticed that more and more polite forms are being
introduced. For a foreigner, especially at the beginning, these are
very important to recognise as you will be hearing them all the time.
But at the moment , you need not worry too much about using them
yourself. Mr Ito starting a conversation in a strange office does not
say hanashitai desu but uses the honorific 0- followed by the
verb-stem hanashi and the appropriate form of the verb suru ending
with no desu, but it would be perfectly acceptable for a foreigner
merely to use the straightforward form. As always with a foreign
language, sympathy is shown towards the non-native - and , of
course, gratitude towards someone who has taken the trouble to
master the basic forms of communication in another language . But it
must be stressed that, though you yourself will probably mostly be
using the straightforward form, what you will be hearing will be, as
here, various socially necessary forms of the verb .
(d) The -te form (2): continuous actions :

Nihonjin wa gohan 0 tabemasu.
Japanese people generally eat rice .
Ano hito wa Eigo 0 hanashimasu.
That person speaks English .
The present tense of the verb deals with general statements. In order to
express actions that are being done at the present time, you use the -te
form of the verb with imasu :
Ima denwa de hanashite imasu.

He is at this moment speaking on the phone.
Maeda-san wa hataraite imasu.
Mr Maeda is working.
The same applies to past continuous actions:
Biiru 0 nonde imashita.

I was drinking beer.
80
and to actions in the negative:
Hataraite imasen. I am not working.

Hataraite imasen I was not working .
deshita.
Verbs ending in -ku have a -te form -ite :
kaku, to write , kaite

hataraku, to work, hataraite
Verbs ending in -mu have a -te form -nde:
nomu, to drink, nonde

yomu, to read, yonde
yasumu, to rest, yasunde
All weak verbs make the -te form by changing the -ru to te:
miru, to see, mite

taberu, to eat, tabete
(e) The verb iu

The verb iu, to call, takes to before it:
Watakushi wa Foster to iimasu . I am called Foster.
Hence the useful expression ' . . . to iu' person or place :
Foster to iu tomodachi. My friend called Foster.
Hanasu, as well, takes to:
Maeda-san to hanashitai desu. I want to speak to Mr Maeda.
(1) Counting cylindrical things

Counting pens, pencils, umbrellas, leeks, spoons, knives, forks,
cigarettes, toothbrushes, bottles, prawns, chrysanthemums - any-
thing shaped in a roughly cylindrical fashion - you use the following
system:
ippon 1
nihon 2
sambon 3
yonhon (or shihon) 4
81
gohon 5
roppon 6
shichihon (or nanahon) 7
happon (or hachihon) 8
kvuhon 9
jippon 10
juippon , etc. 11, and so on
(g) Two more expressions of position (see Grammar Summary 9)

As in Chapter 6.3(e):
teeburu no ue ni ::: on top of the table

isu no ushiro ni ::: behind the chair
(h) ni suru
ni suru is a useful expression, meaning 'to decide on':
kocha ni shimasu I decide on tea (I'll have

tea)
kavobi ni shimasho Let's make it Tuesday
(i) Dates (1)
To express the day of the month, you add the suffix -nichi to the
numbers you learnt in 4.3(e) , but only for the following dates:
11th - 13th [uichinichi, [uninichi, jusannlchi

15th - 19th jugonichi, etc. (but jukunlchi)
21th - 23th nijuichinichi, etc.
25th - 31th nljuqonlchi, etc. (but nijukunichi)
The other dates will be learnt in Chapter 11.
(j) desha
desha modifies the more definite statement desu:
isogashii desu. I am busy.

oisogashii desha. You are probably busy .
82
(k) -chO
-chu is a suffix indicating length of time :
gozenchO throughout all the a.m. , all morning
(I) Before and after today

kino yesterday
kyo today
ashita tomorrow
asatte the day after tomorrow
(m) Once and more than once
ic hido , nido, sando, etc . once , twice, three times , and so on .
8.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
What are you doing? (Example : (Ringo 0 taberu) Ringo 0 tabete
imasu .)
1. (Hon 0 kau)
2. (Tegami 0 kaku)
3. (Shimbun 0 yomu)
4. (Denwa de hanasu)
5. (Matsu)
6. (Ocha 0 nomu)
7. (Jimusho de hataraku)
Exercise 2
Kyo wa kavobi desu (Today is Tuesday)
1. Ashita wa? (Tomorrow is?)
2. Asatte wa?
3. Kino wa?
4. Ototoi wa?
83
Exercise 3
Kyo wa sangatsu nijukunichi desu.
1. Ashita wa?
2. Asatte wa?
3. Kino wa?
4. Otatai wa?
Exercise 4
Kyo wa jugatsu juganichi qetsuvobi desu . Today is Monday
October 15.)
1. Haishu no qetsuvobi wa?
2. Haishu no kavobi wa?
3. Haishu no rnokuvobi wa?
4. Haishu no kin'vobi wa?
Exercise 5
Ask people to do things (Example : (Zasshi a yamu) Zasshi a
vande kudasai.):
1. (Han a miru)
2. (Nihanga de hanasu)
3. (Mama a taberu)
4. (Ehagaki a kau)
5. (Kana kami ni kaku)
6. (Kocha a namu)
Exercise 6
Use ni suru in its appropriate form to express the following:
1. Let's make it Sunday .
2. I'll have beer.
3. Let's make it the thirteenth of June .
4. I'll have ocha .
5. Let 's make it Saturday.
Exercise 7
Nani a kaimashita ka?
1. Two bottle s of beer.
2. Ten prawns.
3. Three leeks.
4. Five spoons .
5. Six pens .
6. One umbrella .
84
Exercise 8
Nampun gura i machimashita ka?
1. Five minutes.
2. Te n min utes .
3. Fifteen minu tes.
4. Twenty min utes .
5. Thi rty minutes.
Exercise 9
Put in the appropriate particles (0 , de , wa , to , ni, rno , no , ka, ga):
1. Eigo - - hanashimasu.
2. Sate -san - - hanash imashita .
3. Teeburu - - ue - - nan i - - arimasu - - ?
4. - - ippai?
5. Kocha - - shimasu.
6. Ito - - iu tomodach i desu.
7. So no hon - - omosh iroku - - arimasen .
8. Hon 'ya - - jibiki - - kaimashita .
Section B
Exerci se 10
Inven t answers to the following que stions:
1. Nani 0 nom itai desu ka?
2. Nani 0 kakitai desu ka?
3. Nani 0 tabeta i desu ka?
4. Nihon de nan i 0 m itai desu ka?
5. Kudamonoya de nan i 0 kaita i desu ka?
6. Nani 0 yom itai desu ka?
Exerci se 11
What is Mr Ya mada doi ng?
1. Kyo yasunde imasu ka? (No , he's working.)
2. Kocha 0 nonde imasu ka? (No, he's drinki ng ocha .)
3. Sakana 0 tabete imasu ka? (No , prawns.)
4. Zasshi 0 yonde imasu ka? (No , a newspaper. )
5. Ehagaki 0 kaite imasu ka? (No, a letter. )
6. Kitte 0 katte imasu ka? (No, a postcard .)
7. Denwa de hanashite imasu ka? (No, he's readin g a
magazine .)
Exercise 12
T rans late the following :
1. Th ere are th ree pens in fro nt of the teleph on e.
85
2. There are two stamps behind the book.

3. There are five pieces of paper on the chair.
4. There are six bottles of beer on the table.
5. There are five leeks next to the apples.
Exercise 13 ~
Play the part of Mr Foster in the following dialogue:
Mr Maeda: Oisogashii desha ka?
Mr Foster: ~ (No , I'm not .)
Mr Maeda: Pen 0 kaimashita ka?
Mr Foster: (I forgot.)
Mr Maeda: Shimbun wa arimasu ka?
Mr Foster: (Yes there is, but Mr Ito is reading it.)
Mr Maeda: Zasshi wa arimasu ka?
Mr Foster: (Yes, on the table .)
Mr Maeda: Kocha 0 onomi ni narimasu ka soretomo ocha
desu ka?
Mr Foster: ...................................... (I'd like kocha . Thank you .)
MrMaeda: DOlO.
Mr Foster: ... (Oh, is there a spoon?)
86 CHAPTER 9
ON THE GINZA
9. I DIALOGUES iSj
Dialogue I
Mr Ito and Mr Foster have elevenses.
Mr It6: Okusama wa kyo nani 0 shite imasu ka?
Mr Foster: Kaimono 0 shite imasu. Ima nanji desu ka?
Mr It6: Ima jQichiji jQgofun desu.
Mr Foster: Chodo kanai wa kohil 0 nonde okashi 0 tabete
imasu.
Mr It6: So desu ka? Mainichi kohii 0 nonde okashi 0 tabete
imasu ka?
Mr Foster: Mainichi kohii 0 nomimasu ga okashi wa tokidoki
shika tabemasen.
Mr It6: Anata wa biiru 0 nomitai desu ka?
Mr Foster: Hail Kyo yasunde imasu kara biiru 0 ippon nomitai
desu yo. Anata mol
Mr It6: lie! Ima hataraite imasen ga niji ni jimusho e ikimasu
kara biiru 0 nom imasen. Zannen desu gao
Mr Foster: Jimusho e itte nani 0 shimasu ka?
Mr It6: Hagaki 0 kaite tegami 0 yonde denwa de hanashimasu
yo. Foster-san wa hirugohan 0 tabete nani 0
shimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Ginza e itte kanai ni aimasu.
Mr It6: Okusama ni atte kaimono 0 shimasu ka?
Mr Foster: So desho ne! Kanai wa mainichi kaimono a shitai
desu!
Dialogue 2 iSI
Mr Foster and Mrs Foster and Mrs Ito discuss their morn ing.
Mr Foster: Konnichi wa!
87
88
Mr Ito: Konnichi waf

Mr Foster: Kesa nani a shimashita ka?
Mrs Foster: Tokyo e kite Ito-san no okusama to issho ni iroiro
na omoshiroi mono 0 mimashita.
Mrs Ito: So desu ne. Asakusa e itte otera a mimashita. Suba-
rashii desu ne, Nihon no otera wa honto ni
utsukushii desu ne.
Mr Foster: So desu. Ninen mae ni Kyoto e itte Kiyomizudera to
iu otera e ikimashita.
Mrs Ito: Ah. Sana otera wa kirei desu ne.
Mrs Foster: Watakushi wa Kyoto e ikitai desu yo.
Mr Foster: SaraishG ikirnasho ka?
Mrs Foster: So shirnasho. RaishU anata wa hatarakimasu ga
saraishG yasumimasu ne.
Mr Foster: Ana, Yurakucho e ikirnasho ka? Kasa ga arimasu
ka?
Mrs Foster: Arimasu yo.
Dialogue 3 iSj
Telephoning and smoking.
Mrs Ito: Chotto matte kudasai. Denwa de shujin to hanashitai no
desu ga ... Denwa wa arimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Hai, asoko ni arimasu . Kusuriya no mae ni futatsu
arimasu.
Mrs Foster: Ah! Omoidashimashita. Hamigaki a kaitai desu.
Mr Foster: Kusuriya no yoko ni tabakoya ga arimasu kara
watakushi ni tabako 0 katte kudasai.
Mrs Foster: Hito hako?
Mr Foster: Futa hako katte kudasai.
Mrs Ito: Mainichi nambon suimasu ka?
Mrs Foster: Takusan suimasu.
Mrs Foster: lie! Gohon ka roppon dake suimasu.
Mrs Ito: Shujin wa sanjippon gurai suimasu . Ima jimusho de
sutte imasu yo!
Mrs Foster: Karada ni warui desu ne.
Mrs Ito : So desu ne.
9.2 VOCABULARY
shite imasu is doing (shite is the -te

form of suru, to do)
kaimono (0) suru to go shopping
kaimono a purchase
89
chadD at this mom en t, just ,

precisely
kohii coffee
(o )ka s hi cakes , sweets , sweetmeats
za nne n desu ga it' s a pity but (there it is)
hagaki card , post-card
itte (see Chapter 9.3(e») -te form of iku , to go
aimasu mee t (present tense of au )
atte (see Chap ter 9.3(e» -te form of au , to meet
kite (see Cha pter 9.3(e» -te form of kuru to come
konn ichi wa Good da y!
iroiro na all sorts of
(oltera Buddhist templ e
subarashii sple ndi d
honto ni in tru th, really, trul y
kirei pre tty
kasa umb rella
saraishO th e wee k afte r next
kusuriya che mist's sho p
futatsu two
hamigaki tooth paste (fro m ha , a
too th, migaku , to clean or
polish)
tabakoya tob accon ist' s
tabako a cigarette , cigarettes
hito hako one box , case , packet
fu ta hako two boxes , cases, packets
suu to smoke
sutte -te form of suu
takusan a great deal, a lot
9.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) The Ginza

T he G inza is th e shopping and entertainment centre of Tok yo .
O riginally th e street of the silversmiths, it is now an area of big
dep artment- stor es, cine mas, bars and night-clubs. Th e Kabuki Th ea-
tr e is here . Many of th e stree ts are ped estr ian precincts and, thou gh it
is always crowde d, on Sunday afte rnoons it is packed.
Asak usa is to the north of the Ginza , near the bank of th e Sumida
River. T here is a park by the temple and , lead ing up to th e te mple
itse lf, are many sta lls selling sweets and toys and souve nirs.
90
(b) On and kun

Buddhist missionaries came to Japan from China in the 6th century
A .D . The Japanese had no written language and Chinese characters
were used to transcribe Japanese - not very appropriately, as Chi-
nese is largely monosyllabic and Japanese polysyllabic . Also, the
Chinese ideograph brought its own sound with it, so that for every
character in modern Japanese there are at least two different ways of
pronouncing it. The first character of Tokyo means 'east' (Tokyo is
the eastern capital , as Peking is the northern capital and Nanking the
southern) ; by itself it can be pronounced higashi , and this is the kun
or Japanese reading. In combination with the character for city it is
pronounced to and this is the on or Chinese reading. Another
example:
Fuji-san wa varna desu.

Mt Fuji is a mountain .
The san and the varna are the same Chinese character but san is the
on reading and yama is the kun reading:
(c) Kyoto
Kyoto was the capital of Japan from 794 until 1869. There are many
magnificent Buddhist temples in and around the city, Kiyomizudera
being one of the most spectacular, sited as it is on a high platform
over woods to the south-east of the city.
(d) Telephones
The Japanese love telephoning, and there are public telephones
available everywhere - not only in booths but in the open air , on
shelves outside shops, on railway sweet-stalls and newspaper stands.
(e) The -te form (3): joining two sentences together

Every Japanese sentence ends with a verb (usually with a qualifying
noise after it.) If you wish to link a sentence with another, you end
the first sentence with a verb in the -te form and carryon. The final
verb may be present or past. This does not affect the use of the -te
form , which is constant:
Tokyo e itte kaimono 0 shimasu.

I'm going to Tokyo to do some shopping.
91
Tokyo e itte kaimono 0 shimashita.

I went to Tokyo and did some shopping.
One can think of the -te form in this construction as a kind of

participle:
Going to Tokyo I'll do some shopping.

Having gone to Tokyo I did some shopping.
Suru , kuru and iku have irregular -te forms:
suru shite
kuru kite
iku itte
Nani 0 shite imasu ka? What are you doing?
Koko e kite kudasai. Please come here .
In the dialogues at the beginning of this chapter there are a number of

examples of this use of the -te form :
Kohli 0 nonde okashi 0 tabete imasu.

She is drinking coffee and eating cakes .
Jimusho e itte nani 0 shimasu ka?
When you get to the office what will you do ?
Hagaki 0 kaite tegami 0 yonde denwa de hanashimasu.
I'll write cards, read letters and speak on the phone .
Okusama ni atte kaimono 0 shimasu ka?
When you 've met your wife will you go shopping?
(0 Meeting someone
The verb au, to meet , takes ni :
Tomodachi ni aimashita. I met a friend .
(g) Counting 'unclassifiable' objects

Here and in the next Chapter we meet an 'all-purpose' method of
counting - what in fact are the old Japanese numerals (because ichi,
ni , san, shi, go, etc . derive from the Chinese) . Hitotsu, futatsu, etc .
are used to count 'unclassifiable' objects, like telephones. chairs.
stations, tables or doors and windows in a room . You can sometimes
'get away with ' using these numerals if you cannot remember the
correct form - but there are strict disciplinarians among Japanese
92
shopkeepers who will refuse to understand you even if you point to a

pair of objects and say, hopefully, futatsu kudasai!
(h) hako
hako means a box or packet or case:
hito hako one box

futa hako two boxes
mi hako three
yo hako four
go hako five
roppako six
(i) suu
The verb suu is used with tabako (nomu is also som etimes
used) :
shujin wa tabako 0 suimasu/nomimasu

my husband smokes
9.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Link these sentences using the -te form (Example: Okashi 0 tabema-
shita . Shimbun 0 yomimashita-Okashi 0 tabete shimbun 0
yomimashita.):
1. Tokyo e ikimashita . Kaimono 0 shimashita .
2. Kaimono 0 shimashita. Kohli 0 nomimashita.
3. Kohli 0 nomimashita. Okashi 0 tabemashita.
4. Yokohama e kimashita. Tomodachi ni aimashita.
5. Tomodachi ni aimashita. Uchi e kaerimashita.
6. Tegami 0 kakimashita. YObinkyoku e ikimashita.
7. Otera 0 mimashita. Ginza e kimashita.
Exercise 2
Which Japanese expression is appropriate in sentences (a)-(f) below?
DOlO.
Zannen desu gao
Sumimasen.
Irasshaimase.
93
Gomen kudasai.
Chotto matte kudasai.
(a) You reject an invitation with regret.
(b) You want to attract attention on entering a shop.
(c) You tell a friend you want to help yourself to a cup of tea .
He says?
(d) You ask someone to wait for a moment.
(e) You hear this welcome from a shopkeeper.
(f) You apologise for not having brought a pen .
Exercise 3
Put the appropriate word in the blanks:
sukoshi; shikashi; matawa; soretomo; tokidoki; futsu: mochi-

ron; ikaga; ikura; mada; mata; shika .
1. Takai desu ne l benri na hon desho.

2. takai desu keredomo taihen ii desu .
3. tabako 0 nomimasu ga mainichi wa nomi-
masen.
4. Shimbun zasshi 0 yomitai desu ka?
5. Shimbun 0 yomitai desu ka zasshi desu ka?
6. - - - - natsu wa atsui desu.
7.. Kyo wa rnokuvobi desu kara - - - - ashita wa
kin'vobi desu.
8. - - - - wakarimasen.
9. Haishu no qetsuvobi ni - - - - kirnasho .
10. Sen-en satsu arimasen.
11. Yokohoma e iklrnasho ka? ----desu ka?
12. Sono naganegi 0 kaitai desu. desu ka?
Exercise 4
Revising adjectives. Translate the following:
1. That red temple is beautiful.
2. That black book is interesting.
3. Japanese is easy but English is difficult.
4. That small dictionary is cheap .
5. Today it's hot and sticky. Yesterday it was cool.
94
Section B
Exercise 5
Tell us abo ut yourse lf:
1. Anata wa mainichi nani 0 shimasu ka?
2. Ima nani 0 shite imasu ka?
3. Tabako 0 nomimasu ka?
4. Ima kohii 0 nonde imasu ka?
5. Doko de hatarakimasu ka?
6. Tokyo e ikitai desu ka?
7. Kyoto e ikimashita ka?
8. Mainichi shimbun 0 yomimasu ka?
9. Kino kaimono 0 shimashita ka?
10. Nanji ni asagohan 0 tabemashita ka?
Exercise 6
Tr anslate the following:
1. He's free all morning.
2. He's speaking on the phone .
3. What day of the week shall we make it?
4. Let's come again the day after tomorrow.
5. I met Mr Kimura the day befo re yeste rday .
Exercise 7 ~
Play the part of Mr or Mrs Smith in the followin g dialogue :
Mr Maeda : Ima nanji desu ka?
Mr/sSmith: ................... ....................... ........ ... (It 's half past ten)
Mr Maeda : Ima Ito-san wa nani 0 shite imasu ka?
Mr/sSmith: ............. (He 's working at the office at this moment)
Mr Maeda : Anata wa nani 0 shitai desu ka?
Mr/sSmith : ...... .......... (Go to the Gin za and do some shopping)
Mr Maeda: Nani 0 kaitai desu ka?
Mr/sSmith : ..... ....... .... .. (Some tooth paste. Is ther e a chemist' s?)
Mr Maeda: Hai, tabakoya no yoko ni arimasu.
Mr/sSmith : ............ . (A h! I' ve rem emb er ed ! I want to buy some
cigarettes)
Mr Maeda: Watakushi ni tabako 0 katte kudasaimasen ka?
Mr/sSmith: .......................... ............. ....... ..... ........ (One pack et ?)
Mr Maeda: So desu. Ariqato.
Mr/sSmith: ................... ...... .. (How many do you smoke a day?)
Mr Maeda: Nijippon gurai suimasu . Anata wa?
Mr/sSmith: ....... (Abo ut fifteen. It 's bad for the health , isn't it!)
Mr Maeda : So desu ns!
CHAPTER 10 95
BY TAXI AND BY TRAIN
10.1 DIALOGUES ISj
Dialogue 1
On the pavement.
Mrs Ito: Ame ga futte imasu kara takushii de ikimash6 ka?
Mrs Foster : Densha wa nanji ni demasu ka?
Mrs Ito : Jippun oki ni demasu. Mite kudasai. Ano depaato no
mae ni takushii ga imasu.
96
Getting into the taxi .

Mrs It6: Yurakucho e itte kudasai. Massugu itte ana 6kina
tatemono no tokoro 0 migi e magatte kudasai.
Sore kara mittsume no kado 0 hidari e magatte
kudasai.
Taxidriver: Hai. Wakarimashita.
Mr Foster: Mary, nimotsu ga arimasu ka?
Mrs Foster:Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu, yottsu, itsutsu, muttsu
. . . arimasu vo]
Mr Foster: Mo hitotsu arimasu!
Mrs Foster: Ah, sora mo motte kite kudasai . Arigat6!
Mr Foster: Sayonara. Ki 0 tsukete kudasai.
In the taxi .
Mrs It6: Mochiron chikatetsu wa motto hayai desu keredomo
anata wa nimotsu ga takusan arimasu kara
takushii wa benri desu ne,
Mrs Foster: Yurakucho wa t6i desu ka?
Mrs It6 : lie, amari t6ku wa arimasen. Chikai desu.
Mrs Foster: Nampun gurai kakarimasu ka?
Mrs It6: Untenshu-san? Nampun gurai?
Taxidriver: Kuruma ga konde imasu kara nijippun gurai kakaru
desh6.
At the end of the taxi-ride .
Mrs It6: Ikura desu ka?
Taxidriver: Nanahyaku-en desu .
Mrs It6: Sen-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka.
Taxidriver: Sambyaku-en no okaeshi desu. Arigat6.
Mrs Foster: Chikatetsu nara ikura desh6 ka?
Mrs It6: Hyaku nijG-en desu.
Mrs Foster: S6 desu ka. Amari takaku wa arimasen .
Mrs It6: S6 desu ne. Vasui desu ne. Takushii wa chikatetsu yori
takai desu ga ima chikatetsu wa konde imasu kara
takushii no ho ga ii desu .
Dialogue 2 j'=j
At the station ticket-office .
Mrs It6: Nagahara made nimai kudasai.
Clerk : Gohyaku yonjO-en itadakimasu.
Mrs It6 : Roppyaku-en de otsuri 0 kudasai.
Clerk: Arigat6 gozaimasu. RokujG-en no okaeshi desu.
Mrs It6: Arigat6.
97
In the train .
Mrs Ito: Gotanda de norikaemasu.
Mrs Foster : Yurakucho kara Gotanda made eki wa ikutsu
arimasu ka?
Mrs Ito: Eeto . .. Shimbashi, Hamamatsuch6, Tamachi,
Shinagawa, Osaki, Gotanda. Muttsu arimasu .
Mrs Foster: Gotanda kara Nagahara made wa?
Mrs Ito: Itsutsu arimasu .
Mrs Foster: Eki no namae 0 mimashita. Eigo deshita!
Mrs Ito: 56 desu ne. Eki no namae 0 yomu koto ga dekimasu
ne. Kiite kudasai! Eki e tsuku mae ni shasho-san
ga eki no namae 0 iimasu. Desu kara gaikokujin
nimo wakarimasu.
Mrs Foster: Semi desu ne.
Mrs Ito: Ah! Hidari 0 mite kudasai. Fune ga imasu . T6ky6-
wan desu. Migi ni chiisana jinja ga arimasu. Akai
torii 0 miru koto ga dekimasu ka? Sono 6kina ki
wa sugi to iimasu.
Mrs Foster: Kirei desu ne. Jinja e ikitai desu .
Mrs Ito: Ano, uchi e kaette tonari no jinja e ikimash6 ka?
Omoshiroi desh6. Ima ame ga yande imasu kara
uchi e kaette kara sampo shimash6 ka?
10.2 VOCABULARY
takushii taxi
futte (-te form of fu ru , to rain)
densha tr ain
demasu leave (present tense of deru)
oki every
depaato department store
massugu straight ahead
6kina colloquial form of okii, large
tatemono building
tokoro place
migi right-hand
magatte (-te form of magaru, to turn)
mittsume third
kado corner
hidari left -hand
nimotsu packages
hitotsu one
m ittsu three
98
yottsu four
itsutsu five
muttsu six
motte (-te form of motsu, to hold)
motte kitte kudasai please bring
sayonara good-bye
chikatetsu underground railway
motto more
hayai quick
t6i far
amari (with negative) (not) very
chikai close, near
kakarimasu (present tense of kakaru, to
take (time))
untenshu driver (unten suru, to drive)
konde (-te form of komu, to crowd,
be crowded)
yori than
. . . no h6 ga ii is preferable
itadaku take, accept (a polite verb)
norikaemasu (present tense of
norikaeru (a weak verb)) to
change (station)
ikutsu how many
... koto ga dekimasu are able to (from dekiru, a
weak verb)
kiite (-te form of kiku , to hear)
tsuku arrive
shash6 conductor
fune ship
wan bay
chiisana colloquial form of chiisai
jinja Shinto shrine
torii shrine gate
ki tree
sugi Japanese cedar, cryptomeria
kaette (-te form of kaeru, to return)
tonari no neighbouring, nearby
vande (-te form of yamu, to stop)
kara (after -te form) after
99
10.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) Transport
Taxis are plentiful and relatively inexpensive . What is sur prising,
though, is that few drivers know their way around! It is essential for
the passenger to know where he or she is headed and to be able to
express simple directions . You never tip the driver (tipping is very
uncommon in Japan) and at the end of the journey he will open the
door for you automatically .
The underground railway system is highly efficient, though at
peak-hours it becomes tremendously crowded. Th e names of all
stations are written up in rornaj i (Roman script) and you can get a
map of the subway system in roma]i as well .
There is an overhead 'ring-railway' round Tokyo called the
Yamanote-sen . This links all the main termini and all the stations
that send out lines into the suburbs and surrounding dormitory-
towns . Mrs. Ito and Mrs Foster are circling round the eastern side of
the city to take a suburban line out to the south . This happens to be
another privately-owned railway though in different hands from JR
(Japan Railways), but you can buy one ticket at any station whether
you are 'mixing your lines' or not. All stations now have automatic
ticket-dispensers and you must consult the map above them to see
what price you have to pay .
Public tr ansport of all kinds is swift , regular and reliable . Japanese
trains never leave a second after the scheduled time and if they are
held up (which rarely ever happens) an apology is handsomely made .
The conductor announces the name of each station as the tra in
pulls in.
The word for a long-di stance train is kisha (literally, steam-train) .
The word used in this exercise , densha (literally, electric
train - compare denwa , electric speech, i.e . telephone), refers to
local or suburban trains.
(b) Shrines
Shinto (the Way of the Gods) is the age-old religion of Japan .
Technically , the entire land is sacred , but the innumerable shrines
celebrate particularly holy places . Each shrine has an open gate ,
usually painted red, called a torii (a place for birds to perch - tori , a
bird , i, to be or exist - you have met this in the word imasu) and a
courtyard usually planted with trees - the sugi, a tall evergreen of
characteristic shape, especially being regarded as a sacred tree .
100
(c) -o ki
T he suffix -oki mean s eve ry (ot her) :
jippun oki eve ry ten minut es
(d) Directions
massugu iku to go straig ht ahead

m igi e magaru to turn right
hidari e magaru to turn left
Yo u use the particle 0 with magaru , referring to street-corners:
Ano kado 0 hidari e magatte kudasai

Please turn right at th at corner.
Ano tatemono no tokoro 0 m ig i e magatte kudasa i.
T urn right at th at bu ilding over th er e (literally, at the place of
th at buildi ng please turn right ).
(e) More ' all-pur pose' counters

As promised in Chapter 9, he re are some mor e 'a ll-purpose '
co unters:
h itotsu 1
futatsu 2
m ittsu 3
yottsu 4
itsutsu 5
muttsu 6
ikutsu how man y
(1) The -te form (4): linked ver bs

This usage is really the sa me as (iii)(9.3(e» exce pt tha t two verbs are
joi ned ra ther th an who le se nte nces. In orde r to say 'b ring' in
J apanese , you say 'ho ld and come', or, 'ho lding, come ' :
Ano nimotsu 0 motte kite kudasai.

Please bring th at package (literally, holding the package , please
bring it).
In order to say 'take away' , you use motte with iku (ho ld and go) , so
'Take away th at ba ub le!' would be :
Ano (or sono!) mono 0 motte itte kudasai.

101
(g) amari with the negati ve
Amari t6ku wa arimasen. It is not very far.
(h) desh6 after the infinitive

Like the construction given in Chapter 8.3(j) this gives the feeling of
probability rather than certain ty:
Nijippun gurai kakaru desh6.

It will probably take abo ut twenty minut es.
(i) Comparatives (see Grammar Summary 6(d))

Yori means 'than', but that is all you need to do to make the
compa rative:
takushi i wa taka i desu taxis are expensive

takushii wa chikatetsu yori takai desu.
Taxis are more expe nsive than the tu be .
Ky6to wa t6i desu. Kyoto is a long way away .
Ky6to wa Yoko hama yori t6 i desu.
Kyoto is furt her than Yokohama.
motto is used whe n there is no 'tha n' :
motto hayai desu it's quicker
(j ) . . . no h6 ga ii
T his is another useful comparative construct ion. h6 means 'side' or
'direction', hen ce :
takush ii no h6 ga ii desu Taxis are preferable (i.e .,

the taxi's side is good
(= better))
(k) 6kii and chiisa i

Although 6kii and chi isai are true adjectives, in spoke n Japanese
they are more ofte n treated like benri or genki which are not (see
chapter 6.3(k»):
6kina tatemono a large building

ch iisana jinja a small shrine
(A ltho ugh, of course, 6kii tatemono and ch iisai jinja are per fectly
correc t. )
102
(I) To be able to do something

Use the infinitive followed by koto qa dekimasu . koto means 'a n
abstract thing' (unlike mono which means 'a concre te thing'), so by
adding koto to a verb you get a verb-no un: m iru koto = th e act of
see ing. dekiru means to be possible , to be cap able , hen ce:
miru koto qa dekimasu you can see
(m) mae ni after the infinitive
ek i e tsuku mae ni before arriving at the station
(n) Strong ver bs ending in -ru

Stro ng verbs ending in -ru have a -te form -tte:
aru atte
kaeru kaette
hairu haitte
(0) The -te form (5) : aft er

Th e wor d kara used with th e -te for m means 'after doi ng something':
uchi e kaette kara afte r we get hom e

ame qa futte kara after it stops ra ining
Be caref ul not to confuse this constructio n with kara after the present
or past tense of the verb :
ame qa fu tte imasu kara because it is ra ining

ame qa vande im a s u as it' s sto pping raining
kara
tegam i a kakimash ita as I wro te a letter
kara
(p) imasu
Wit h people, an imals and means of transport th is verb is used instead
of arimasu :
kodomo ga im a s u there's a child
tori ga im as u there's a bird
takush ii qa im a s u there's a taxi
103
10.5 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Mak e comparative se nte nces (Example: Takushii wa takai desu.
(Chikatetsu) - Takushii wa chikatetsu yori takai desu.):
1. Depaato wa toi desu. (Yubinkvcku)
2. Nihongo wa omoshiroi desu . (Eigo)
3. Furansugo wa yasashii desu. (Doitsugo)
4. Natsu wa atsui desu . (Aki)
5. Shimbun wa yasu i desu. (Zasshil
Exercise 2
Use kara with the -te form (Example: Uchi e (kaeru) sampo 0
shirnasho - Uchi e kaette kara sampo 0 shimasho.):
1. Gohan 0 (taberu) nani 0 shirnasho ka?
2. Tegami 0 (kaku) vubinkvoku e ikimasu.
3. Tomodachi ni (au) Tokyo e ikimashita.
4. Migi e (magaru) jinja 0 mite kudasai.
5. Hon 0 (yomu) ocha 0 nomitai desu.
Exercise 3
Nani 0 suru koto ga dekimasu ka? Wh at can you do ?
(Example: (see Mt Fuji) - Fuji-san 0 miru koto ga dekimasu.)
1. (Read Jap ane se)
2. (Speak German )
3. (D rink sa ke)
4. (Go to Tok yo to-morrow)
5. (Buy an expe nsive diction ar y)
Exercise 4
How many are ther e? (Example: Kippu ga (1) arimasu - Kippu ga
ichimai arimasu.)
1. Kami ga (2) arimasu.
2. Naganegi ga (6) arimasu .
3. Eki ga (5) arimasu.
4. Ebi ga (5) arimasu .
5. Gaikokujin 0 (7) m imashita.
6. Kitte 0 (3) kaimashita.
104
7. Tabako ga (3) arimasu .

8. Denwa ga (3) arimasu.
9. Teeburu ga (4) ar imasu .
10. Pen ga (1) arimasu.
Exercise 5
Prob abil it y not certainty. (Example: Ano hito wa koko e kimasu ,
T hat fellow will be coming here - Ano hito wa koko e kuru desha ,
H e will probably come.)
1. Ma inichi sampo shimasu .
2. J ippun kakarim asu.
3. Massugu ikim asu.
4. Tomodachi wa ehagaki 0 kakimasu.
5. Ano Nihonjin wa Eigo de hanashimasu.
Exercise 6
Give the opposite. (Example: (To i) - Amari toku wa arimasen.
Chikai desu .)
1. (Chii sai)
2. (Yasash ii)
3. (Takai)
4. (M uzukashii )
5. (Ii)
Exer cise 7
H ow long will it take? (Example: About ten minut es - Jippun gurai
kakarimasu. )
1. A bout five minutes.
2. About fifteen minutes.
3. About twenty minutes.
4. About thirty minutes.
5. About forty minutes.
6. About fifty minu tes.
Section B
Exercise 8
Densha wa nanj i ni demasu ka? Wh at tim e does the tr ain leave?
(Example: A t ten o'clock - Juji ni demasu.)
1. At half past two .
2. At five to three.
3. A t seven fiftee n.
4. Every five minutes.
5. Every thirty-five min utes.
105
Exercise 9
Translate:
1. Osake 0 nonde kara sakana 0 tabemashita.
2. Osake wa oishii desu kara nornirnasho.
3. Tokyo e itte kara kaimono 0 shimashita.
4. Tokyo e ikimasu kara Sate-san ni au koto ga dekimasu.
5. Yuki ga futte imasu kara kaerirnasho,
6. Yuki ga yande imasu kara sampo 0 shitai desu.
7. Denwa de hanashite kara hatarakimashita.
8. Kuruma ga konde imasu kara chikatetsu de ikimasho.
Exercise 10
Give directions:
1. Go straight ahead.
2. Turn left.
3. Take the second turning on the right.
4. Turn left at that big post-office.
5. Turn right at the tobacconist's .
Exercise 11
Translate into Japanese:
1. I went to the station by taxi.
2. I came to Japan by boat.
3. I returned to Yurakucho by underground .
4. I want to go to Kyoto by train .
5. I went to the department-store by car.
106
REVISION AND
FOR CHAPTERS 6-10
Do the full test and mark it, using the mark-scheme suggested. [[you
made any mistakes, make sure you go back and revise the relevant
chapter(s) before proce eding with Chapter 11.
Section 1
Put in the appropriate counters:
1. Kitte 0 (10) kaimashita.
2. Teeburu ga (2) arirnasu.
3. Naganegi 0 (10) kaimashita.
40 Ocha 0 (3) nomimashita.
5. Nimotsu 0 (5) motte kimashita.
(Score: 5)
Section 2
What are you doing at this moment?
1. Tegami 0 kaku.
2. Kaimono 0 suru .
3. Ebi 0 kau.
4. Nihongo de hanasu.
50 Tokyo e kuru.
(Score: 5)
Section 3
Link the two sentences together:
1. Jimusho de hatarakimashita. Tegami 0 kakimashita.
2. Tokyo e ikimashita. Kaimono 0 shimashita.
30 Uchi e kaerimashita. Gohan 0 tabemashita.
4. Gohan 0 tabemashita. Shim bun 0 yomimashita.
5. Shimbun 0 yomimashita. Osake 0 nomimashita.
(Score: 5)
107
Section 4
Put in the appropria te particles:
1. Otera wa Kiyamizudera - - iimasu.
2. Teeburu - - ue - - nani - - arimasu - - ?
3. Watakushi - - Nihanj in - - aimash ita.
4. K6cha - - shimash6.
5. Otera - - mimashita.
6. Yurakucho - - Gatanda - - eki - - muttsu
arimasu.
7. Senr i - - han desh6 .
8. Ana hito - - Nihanga - - yaku wakarimasu.
(Score: 15)
Section 5.
Translate into Jap anese :
1. Go stra ight ahea d . (2)
2. Turn left. (2)
3. Turn right at the th ird corner. (4)
4. T urn left at that big building. (2)
(Score: Total 10)
Section 6 IEj
Read th e following conversation or listen to it on your casse tte . If you
have th e cassette, do not read the text. Then answer th e qu estions
und ern eath.
Mr Ito: Nihyaku qoju-en no kitte a sammai kudasai.

Clerk : Nanahyaku gaja-en desu .
Mr Ito: Ah amaidash imashita! Kesa tegam i a nima i kakima-
shita. Daitsu made kana tegami a akurita i no desu
ga ikura desu ka?
Clerk : Daitsu desu ka? Chotto matte kudasa i. Eeta . .. Daitsu
nara sambyaku qoju-en desu .
Mr Ito: Gama i kudasai. Ash ita rno tegami a kakimasu kara.
Clerk: S6 desu ka? Ana .. . nanahyaku gaja-en to sen nana-
hyaku qoju-en de nisen gahyaku-en desu .
Mr Ito: Sum imasen. Ichiman-en satsu shika arimasen ga ii
desu ka?
Clerk: Kekk6 desu ya . Nanasen gahyaku -en no otsuri desu .
Mr Ito : Arigat6 gazaimasu. Ah sumimasen . Pen wa arimasu
ka?
Clerk : Hai. Ana teeburu no ue ni pen ga nihan arimasu.
Mr Ito: Ar igat6. Ky6 wa nannich i desu ka?
108
Clerk: JQgatsu jQsannichi desu.

Mr Ito: Ima nanji desu ka?
Clerk: Ima niji nijQgofun desu.
Mr Ito: S6 desu ka. Arigat6.
1. How many stamps does Mr Ito first ask for?
2. How much does the first purchase come to?
3. Which foreign country does he enquire about?
4. How much do the two purchases come to ?
5. What amount of money does he apologise for handing
over?
6. What is the change?
7. Where are the pens and how many are there?
8. What is the date ?
9. What is the time?
(Score: Total 20-score 4 for Qu.7)
Section 7
Translate into Japanese :
1. There is a chemist's next to the post office . (5)
2. There is a telephone in front of the fruit shop . (5)
(Score: Total 10)
Section 8
Write out in full:
25000 yen
36000 yen
360 yen
645 yen
3700 yen
(Score: 10)
Section 9
Give the opposite :
1. Hatarakimashita.
2. Yasui desu.
3. Chikai desu.
4. Karada ni warui desu.
5. Nihongo wa rnuzukashii desu.
(Score 5)
109
Section 10
Translate into English :
1. Ame ga yande imasu kara sampo 0 shirnasho ka?
2. Ikura desu ka? Mada wakarimasen.
3. Raishu no kin'vobi ni mata kirnasho.
4. Sukoshi muzukashii desu ga omoshiroi desu.
5. Tokyo e kite kara jinja 0 mimashita.
(Score: 10)
Self assessment grades: Maximum total score = 95.

Over 80: Excellent
45 - 80: Satisfactory
Under 45: More revision needed
110 CHAPTER 11
FEELING ILL
11.1 DIALOGUES ('=j
Dialogue 1
Mr Foster tells Mrs Ito about his wife's health .
Mrs Ito: Ohavo gozaimasu, Foster-san. Ame ga yande otenki
ga yoku narimashita ne.
111
Mr Foster: So desu ne,

Mrs It6: Kino anata wa onaka ga sukosh i itaku narimashita ne.
Kyo wa ikaga desu ka? Mo genki ni narimashita
ka?
Mr Foster: Watakushi wa yoku narimashita ga kanai wa atama
ga itai desu.
Mrs It6 : So desu ka. Sore wa ikemasen ne. Netsu ga demashita
ka?
Mr Foster: Sukoshi demashita. Nodo mo itaku narimashita.
Mrs It6: Tabun kaze 0 hik imashita ne.
Mr Foster : So desu ne. Yokka ni ame ga takusan furimashita
keredomo kanai wa kaimono 0 shitakute mise
e aruite ikimashita.
Mrs It6: Futsuka mae ni samuku narimashita ne. Ki 0 tsukena -
kereba narimasen. Samukute otenki ga warui
desu kara.
Mr Foster: Kokonoka ni watakushitachi wa Kyoto e ikitai node
kanai wa genki ni naranakereba narimasen ne,
Mrs It6 : So desu ne.
Dialogue 2 r:Sj
A little later.
Mr Foster: Sumimasen. Kanai wa nodo ga itai node mizu 0
ippai nomitai yo desu .
Mrs It6 : So desu ka. Sore dewa watakushi ga mizu 0 motte
ikirnasho.
Mr Foster : lie, watakushi ga motte ikimasu yo. Daidokoro e itte
mizu 0 motte kimasu.
Mrs It6: Anata wa soko ni kakete itte kudasai. Watakushi ga
okusama 0 mi ni ikimasu yo.
Mr Foster: Ito-san wa shinsetsu desu ne. Arigato gozaimasu .
Dialogue 3 EJ
In Mrs Foster's bedroom .
Mrs It6 : Ohavo gozaimasu . Goshujin no ohanashi dewa anata
wa guai ga warui so desu ne. Honto desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Honto desu yo . Nodo ga itai node amari hanasu
koto ga dekimasen.
Mrs It6: Atama mo itai desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Sakuban yori ii desu keredomo mada itai desu.
Mrs It6: Oishasan e ikanakereba narimasen ne. Foster-san wa
aruku koto ga dekimasu ka?
Mrs Foster: Dekimasu yo . Oishasan no ie wa toi desu ka?
112
Mrs It6: li e. aru ite tatta no gofun desu. Asagohan 0 tabete kara
ikim ash6. Ano . . . nani 0 tabetai desu ka?
Tamago? Pan?
Mrs Foster: Nan i mo tabetaku wa arimasen. Nanika nomita i
desu .
Mrs It6: Nani 0 nom itai desu ka? K6h ii? K6cha ?
Mrs Foster: Ocha no h6 ga ii desh6. Arimasu ka?
Mrs It6: Mochiron arimasu . Chotto matte kudasai. Daidokoro e
itt e, gofun go ni ocha 0 motte kimasu.
Mrs Foster : Ar igat6 goza imasu.
11.2 VOCA BULARY
nar imashita became, has become (from naru )

onaka stomach
itai painful
atama head
m6 already
sore wa ikem asen that's too bad, that's a shame
netsu fever
demashita started, has broken out (from
deru )
nodo throat
kaze a cold
hiku catch (of colds)
yokka the four th day, four days
mise shop(s)
futsuka the second day, two days
samui cold
ki 0 tsukenakereba you must take care
narimasen
kokonoka the nint h day, nine days
node on account of , since, as
genki ni naranakereba she must get better
narimasen
y6 desu seems to
da idokoro kitc hen
mitsukeru look for, fetch, fi nd
kaker u sit down (on a chair) (weak verb)
mi ni iku go and see
shinsetsu kind, considerate
113
no (o)hanashi dewa according to what someone has

said
guai condition , state, health
sakuban yesterday evening
mada (without negative) still
(o)isha(san) doctor
ie house
tatta only, just
tamago egg
pan bread
nanika anything
go ni after (as in gogo , p.m .)
11.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) Doctors and medicine

A doctor is so important that he merits two honorifics. Isha is the
word for 'doctor' but one says oishasan . Ha is 'a tooth' or 'teeth',
and so haisha is 'tooth-doctor' or 'dentist'.
The basic phrases relevant to illness are kaze 0 hiku , 'to catch a
cold', and netsu ga deru, 'to start a fever', 'break out in a fever'.
By6ki is the opposite of genki and means 'ill', but this is, as it were,
an impersonal word and is not used when talking to a person. Guai,
'a state' or 'condition', is used:
guai ga warui/ii desu.
itai, 'painful' , is used to express aches and pains :
nodo ga itai desu I have a sore throat

atama ga itai desu I have a headache
onaka ga itai desu I have a stomach-ache
ha ga itai desu I have toothache
Japanese doctors tend not to make house -calls. They very often issue
their own medicines there and then . There is a National Insurance
system in Japan but this is on a repayment basis , so the patient must
be prepared to pay the doctor or dentist after treatment. Doctors
tend to specialise rather - for children, for women , for certain
complaints - and so it is as well to check before making an appoint-
ment or visiting a surgery .
There is a good deal of 'alternative medicine' - acupuncture and its
somewhat more alarming counterpart 'moxa cautery', when the
114
specialist sets fire to little cones of herbs on the patient's bare skin!
Advertisements for doctors of all varieties are clearly visible in the
street, and so it is advisable yet again to master the written language.
(b) naru
After the adverbial form of a true adjective - remember, you sub-
stitute -ku for the final -i (warui, waruku) except with ii which has
the irregular form yoku - or after ni after any other word, naru
means to become:
otenki ga yoku narima- it has become fine

shita
samuku narimashita it has got cold
genki ni narimashita 1 feel better (literally, 1
have become well)
(c) The -te form of adjectives

Adjectives, too, have their -te form: take off the final -i and put
-kute :
Samukute otenki ga warui desu.

The weather is cold and unpleasant (literally , being cold the
weather is unpleasant).
As verbs in the -ta i form have become true adjectives, they have their
-te form also in -kute:
Kaimono 0 shitakute mise e aruite ikimashita. She wanted to go

shopping and she walked to the shops . (see Grammar summary 15)
(d) the •.. wa ... ga pattern

This is a near equivalent of the English 'I have ' .. . ; 'you have ' .. .
The wa tells us who we are thinking about and the ga is the subject of
the verb.
watakushi wa node ga 1 have a sore throat

itai desu (literally, as for me the
throat is sore)
Compare the following examples:
Goshujin wa atama ga Your husband has a head-

itai desu. ache .
115
Ito-san wa me ga Mrs Ito has beautiful eyes .

utsukushii desu.
Watakushi wa okane ga I've got some money.
arimasu
Ito-san wa kippu ga Mr Ito has the tickets.
arimasu.
(e) Dates (2)
You have learnt the days of the month from the l lth to the 31st,
omitting the 14th, 20th, 24th. Here are the other ones:
tsuitachi 1st
futsuka 2nd
mikka 3rd
yokka 4th
itsuka 5th
muika 6th
nanoka 7th
voka 8th
kokonoka 9th
toka 10th
juvokka 14th
hatsuka 20th
nijuvokka 24th
(0 Negative infinitives
To form the negative infinitive of a weak verb, you substitute -nai for
the final -ru - e.g., taberu, to eat; tabenai, not to eat.
To form the negative infinitive of a strong verb, you alter the final
vowel to -a and add -nai - e .g.
iku, to go; ikanai, not to go

naru, to become, naranai, not to become
Do not worry too much about this at the moment , but it is very
important because we use this negative to form 'must' ideas.
tabenai not to eat

tabenakereba if you do not eat
tabenakereba narimasen you or I or he must eat
(literally, if you do not
eat , it will not do)
iku to go
ikanai not to go
116
ikanakereba narimasen you or I or he must go

ki 0 tsukenakereba na ri- you must tak e care
masen
genki ni naranakereba she must get better
narimasen
(g) node
node meaning 'because', 'on accou nt of' , 'since', 'as' , is practically
interchangeable with kara , but with node there te nds to be an
intenser connectio n between the two clause s:
Kyoto e ikitai node kanai wa genki ni naranakereba narima-

sen.
As we want to go to Kyoto my wife simply must get well.
Kanai wa nodo ga itai node mizu 0 nomitai desu
As she has a sore throat my wife wants a drink of water.
(h) . .. yo desu . . . so desu

If you want to distance your self somewhat from a direct
sta temen t (something on the whole the Japanese prefe r doi ng
whenever possible !) you conclude the sentence with ... yo desu , to
imply ' it seems that' , and with .. . so desu to im pl y you ha ve been
to ld something:
m izu 0 ippai nomitai yo desu

it wou ld seem she wants a dr ink of water
anata wa gua i ga warui so desu
I've been tol d yo u're not feeling too good
(i) According to ... :
Ito-san no hanash i dewa . According to what Mr Ito

said.
Goshujin no ohanash i According to your hus-
dewa . band .
Th e hon orific is used whe n referring to somebody connec ted to the

perso n you are speaking to .
117
11.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Give the date in Japanese:
1. July 1
2. October 6
3. January 14
4. May 9
5. June 3
6. February 2
7. March 7
8. April 10
9. August 5
10. September 20
Exercise 2
Translate linking the adjectives and using their -te form :
1. The car is big and red .
2. The book is small and black .
3. Japanese is easy and interesting.
4. My throat is painful and inflamed (red) .
Exercise 3
Convert the following statements (Example: Samui desu - Samuku
narimashita.):
1. Taihen atsui desu.
2. Nihongo wa muzukashii desu.
3. Kodomo wa 6kii desu.
4. Onaka ga itai desu.
5. Warui desu.
Exercise 4
1. Mr Ito has a car.
2. I've got some stamps.
3. Mr Yamada's throat hurts .
4. Mrs Sato has a headache.
5. He 's got a large house .
118
Exercise 5
What must you do? (Example: Kyoto e iku - Kyoto e ikanakereba
narimasen.)
1. Osake 0 nomu.
2. Fuji-san 0 miru .
3. Uchi e kaeru .
4. Denwa de hanasu.
5. Ki 0 tsukeru .
6. Yasumu.
7. Genki ni naru .
8. Asahan 0 taberu.
9. Gotanda de norikaeru.
10. Biiru 0 mitsukeru.
Exercise 6
What is wrong with Mr Kawakami ? (Example: Kawakami-san wa te
ga itai desu . - Mr Kawakami 's hand hurts .)
1. Kawakami-san wa onaka ga itai desu.
2. Kawakami-san wa atama mo itai desu.
3. Kawakami-san wa kaze 0 hikimashita.
4. Kawakami-san wa netsu 9a demashita.
5. Kawakami-san wa node ga itai desu.
Section B
Exercise 7
Itsu Nihon e kimashita ka?
1. Yesterday.
2. Four days ago .
3. In 1977.
4. On November 8.
5. Ten days ago .
6. On December 24.
7. At 9.30 a.m .
8. The day before yesterday .
9. Yesterday evening.
10. Thi s morning.
Exercise 8 ~
Play the part of Mr Smith in the following dialogue:
Mr Yamada: Ame ga futte imasu ka?
MrSmith: (No , it's stopped.)
Mr Yamada: Atsui desu ka?
MrSmith: (No, it's turned cold .)
119
Mr Yamada: Ito-san no hanashi dewa okusama wa nodo ga

itai so desu. Kyo wa ikaga desu ka?
MrSmith : (She has caught a cold .)
Mr Yamada: So desu ka. Sore wa ikemasen ne.
MrSmith: (She has a fever.)
Mr Yamada: So desu ka? Oishasan e ikimashita ka?
MrSmith: (Not yet.)
Mr Yamada: Oishasan e ikanakereba narimasen ne. Oishasan
no ie wa toi desu ka?
MrSmith: (No, not far. It is close .)
Mr Yamada : Anata wa ikaga desu ka? Ogenki desu ka?
MrSmith: (I have a headache.)
Mr Yamada: Honto desu ka?
MrSmith: (Yes , really .)
Mr Yamada: Otaku e kaeritai desu ka?
MrSmith: (I'm sorry . Yes. I must go home.)
Mr Yamada : Ki 0 tsukete kudasai.
MrSmith: (Thank you ver y much .)
Exercise 9
Tr anslate into Japanese :
1. I want to eat an egg and drink some Indian tea.
2. I want to go to Yokohama and buy a despatch-case .
3. Mrs Ito went into the kitch en and fetched some cakes.
4. My wife wants to go for a walk and do some shopping.
5. We met a Japanese and spoke Japanese .
120 CHAPTER 12
AT THE DOCTOR'S
12.1 DIALOGUES j5j
Dialogue 1
Mrs Ito introduces her friend.
Mrs Ito : Kono kata wa Foster-san to iu tomodachi desu. Toka
mae ni Nihon e kite ima uchi ni irasshaim asu.
Doctor: So desu ka? Igirisu no kata desu ka? Anata wa
Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka?
Mrs Foster: Sukoshi wakarimasu keredomo anata no hanashi
ga wakaranakereba Ito-san ga yakushite kuda-
saimasu.
Mrs Ito: Watakushi wa Eigo 0 yoku hanasu koto wa dekimasen
ga tonikaku setsumei shimasho.
Mrs Foster: Arigato gozaimasu. Ano . .. yukkuri hanashite
kudasai!
Doctor: Do shimashita ka?
Mrs Foster: Atama ga itai desu. Netsu ga sukoshi dete nodo
mo itaku narimashita.
Doctor: Taion ga sanjQ hachido sambu arimasu. Hidoku wa
arimasen keredomo otaku e kaette yasumanake-
reba narimasen.
Mrs Foster: Asatte shujin to issho ni Kyoto e ikimasu. Daijobu
desu ka?
Doctor: Heinetsu ni naranakereba Kyoto e iku koto wa dekima-
sen keredomo kono aoi kusuri 0 nomeba hayaku
genki ni narimasu yo.
121
Dialogue 2 r:Sj
They discuss the medicine.
Mrs Foster: Itsu sono aoi kusuri 0 nomanakereba narimasen
ka?
Doctor: Shokuzen ni nonde kudasai . Mainichi sando desu.
Asagohan no mae, hirugohan no mae, yQgohan
no mae desu. Wakarimashita ka?
Mrs Foster : Yoku wakarimashita. Nani 0 taberu koto ga
dekimasu ka?
Doctor: Nan demo kekko desu keredomo nodo ga itai yo desu
kara takusan nonde kudasai.
Mrs Ito: Nani ga hoshii desu ka, Foster-san?
Mrs Foster: Mizu ga hoshii desu.
Doctor: Kono kusuri wa oishii desu ka?
Mrs Foster: lie! Dai kirai desu! Totemo mazui desu.
Doctor: Taihen ii kusuri desu ga aji wa honto ni warui desu.
Okinodoku desu ne.
Mrs Foster: Demo , daijobu desu yo.
Dialogue 3 e:i
Afterwards.
Mrs Ito : Sa, hayaku kaeranakereba narimasen.
Anata wa hirugohan 0 tabete kara beddo e ikana-
kereba narimasen yo. Beddo de hirugohan 0
tabetai desu ka?
Mrs Foster : lie, Ito-san. Hirugohan 0 tabete kara yasumimasu
keredomo ima wa beddo e ikitaku wa
arimasen.
Mrs Ito: Terebi 0 mitai desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Hai. Terebi ga suki desu.
Mrs Ito : Koshikakete ocha 0 nominagara terebi 0 mite kudasai.
Nihongo desu kara anata no tame ni narimasu yo.
Mrs Foster: Ma Ito-san! Watakushi wa bvoki desu yo. Benkvo
shitaku wa arimasen!
Mrs Ito : Mainichi benkvo shite kudasai! Benkvo sureba ojozu
ni narimasu!
12.2 VOCABULARY
irasshaimasu here, the polite form of

imasu , is
yakushite (-te form of yakusu ,
to translate)
122
kudasairnasu will be so kind as to

tonikaku anyway
setsumei suru exp lain
yukkuri slowly
do how, in what way
do sh imashita ka what' s wro ng
taion temperature
-d o degree
-bu deci mal tent h
h idoku wa arirnasen is no t serio us (fro m hidoi ,
serious, severe)
daijobu all right
he inetsu no rmal temp er atu re
aoi pa le green
kusuri medicine
shokuzen before meals
-do times
sando th ree times
takusan a lot , a great deal
hoshii wan t
kirai dislike
dai kira i very much dislike
totemo ext remely, thorou ghly
rnazui unpleasan t, unsavoury
(olkinodoku too bad, I' m sorry to hear th at
taihen very
aji taste
beddo Western- style bed
terebi television
suki like
kosh ikakeru sit down
sa come on !
-na g a ra while
tame ni naru be ben eficial to , be useful to
benkvo suru study
rna hey! hold on a minute !
12.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) More polite phrases

The verb irassharu is used as a polite substitute for iku, to go , kuru ,
to come and iru , to be .
123
We have met kudasai, which means 'please' , after the -te form of a
verb: kono kusuri 0 nonde kudasai, please drink this medicine , or
pleas e take this medicine (because you always use the verb nomu,
even if the medicine is in tablet form) . Kudasaimasu is used when
you are asking someone to do you a favour:
Ito-san ga yakushite kudasaimasu ka?

Would Mrs Ito be so kind as to translate ?
(b) More on the Japanese house

In a traditional Japanese hou se, one sleeps on a padded mattress
called a futon spread out on the tatami floor. As the tatami mats
(three feet by six feet and bordered with black or dark brown ribbon)
are suspended over the floor proper so that they 'give' slightly, this is
a deliciously comfortable way to sleep . In the morning, the bed-
clothes and the futon are hung out of the window on dry sunny days
and , when they are aired , they are rolled up and stowed in a
wall-cupboard with sliding panel doors called fusuma . Thus, the
'bedroo m' becomes another room, and all the waste space that a
Western bed represents in the daytime does not exist.
There is always a raised alcove in a room floored with tatami called
the tokonoma . Here , a prized scroll - a landscape or an example of
calligraphy - will hang and there will probably be a beautiful vase
with a flower arrangement. Such is the Japanese concept of politeness
that an honoured guest will always be seated with his or her back to
the tokonoma lest it be thought that the host or hostess is 'showing
off' a precious painting or an ability to arrange flowers .
It must sadly be confessed that nowadays one sees a television set
in the tokonoma of some houses!
(c) The media

Television is very popular in Japan and there ar e many channels to
choose from.
NHK (Nihon Hoso Kyokai, Japan Broadcasting Company) is the
government-run organisation . Its two channels are nationwide - one
for general viewing and one educational. This latter channel often
transmits operas and concerts given by visiting arti sts.
The other channels are all commercially run, and have programmes
interrupted by advertisements. These are regionally organised so that
each district in Japan has different commercial stations.
Serials are extremely popular - often tales of the Middle Ages
more or less true to recorded history. Some are drawn from novels
concerning nineteenth-century Japan. Many serials last a whole year.
124
The situation with radio is similar. NHK is the one station that has
nationwide coverage. Western music of all kinds is well known and
well liked but traditional Japanese singing is hugely popular and the
singers, male and female , have star status.
(d) wa and ga
In each chapter so far you have seen many examples of the use of
these rather tricky particles. It must be confessed that foreigners find
their correct use extremely difficult - so often when one says wa , a
Japanese friend will courteously suggest that ga is better, and vice
versa.
However .. . basically, wa is an attention-calling particle (and as
such is frequently tacked on to ni or de as in Nihon dewa or uchi
niwa) whereas ga seems to be slightly stronger and controls the verb
as its subject:
Kore wa isu desu. This is a chair.

Kore ga isu desu. This is a chair.
Negative sentences usually take wa, as the emphasis tends to fall on

what a thing is not:
Zasshi wa omoshiroku The magazine is uninte-

wa arimasen resting
Ame wa furimasen It doesn't rain
Certain verbs and constructions (almost always) take ga :
Nihongo ga wakarimasu Do you understand

ka? Japanese?
Atama ga itai desu. I've a headache.
Uchi no mae ni gakk6 ga There's a school in front
arimasu. of my house .
But if you look back over the preceding chapters, you will find
exceptions to these rules . So the best course to follow is to learn how
to use wa and ga in context as they happen - and not to worry too
much!
125
(e) If
In Chapter 11 we met the -nakereba form:
Anata no hanashi ga If I do not understand

wakaranakereba . what you say .
Heinetsu ni narana- If your temperature does
kereba not become normal.
To say 'if' without the negative, you merely take off the last -u of any
verb and put -eba instead :
kono kusuri 0 nomeba if you take this medicine

Tokyo e ikeba if you go to Tokyo
gohan 0 tabereba if you eat rice
benkvo sureba if you study (see Grammar
summary 13(j»
There is a close connection between true adjectives and verbs . In

fact, akai means 'is or are red', and the desu is actually unnecessary.
The negative infinitive is also an adjective , as is the -tai form .
Adjectives. too , have their 'if' form . If you take off the final -i and
put -kereba , there it is:
akakereba kaimasu if it's red I'll buy it

omoshirokereba yomi- if it's interesting I'll read it
masu
Yokohama e ikitakereba If you want to go to
asoko de kippu 0 kau Yokohama you can get a
koto ga dekimasu. ticket over there .
(f) aoi
aoi is a curious word . It means the green of foliage , the blue of the
sky , the colour GO at traffic-lights, the colour of unripe fruit , a sickly
complexion - and is also used to mean 'raw' or inexperienced.
(g) hoshii, (dai) suki, (dai) kirai

In Chapter 11, we looked in some detail at the ... wa ... ga pattern
of sentences. Here we meet three new words that are used in the
same way: hoshii, (dai) suki and (dai) kirai :
Watakushi wa mizu ga hoshii desu.

I want water (I'd like some water) .
126
Watakushi wa kana han ga (dai) suki desu.

I like this book (a lot) .
Watakushi wa kana kusuri ga (dai) kirai desu.
I (thoroughly) dislike this medicine .
(h) -nagara
This is a useful verb-ending which is really an emphatic way of linking
two sentences together to describe simultaneous actions :
Ocha a nominagara terebi a mite kudasai.

Do watch television while drinking some ocha .
You take off the -masu ending of the present tense, and replace it
with -nagara.
(i) -mash6
The ending -mash6 can often be used where the English would
require a future tense :
watakushi ga setsumei shimash6

I'll explain
Yokohama e ikimashO
I'll be going to Yokohama
The implication is that something will probably take place . If you use
the -masu form, you are being much more definite . Hence, as in the
first example, if you are doing something for another person, you use
a less certain verb-form to imply deference.
U) To be useful/beneficial
... no tame ni means 'for the sake of' . With the verb naru, to
become, we get the construction 'to be useful ' or 'beneficial' to
someone:
Nihongo desu kara anata no tame ni narimasu.

As it's in Japanese it'll be useful for you.
(k) Reactions
As in any other language there are many 'noises' which people make
to signify their reactions. These are not really 'words' but mutually
agreed sounds - in English, 'Oh?', 'A ha !' , 'H mmm!' for example. As
Japanese is more rigorously organised than English, these sounds can
127
perhaps be more easily put into categories. You will have noticed that
'set phrases' are far more common in Japanese than in English :
Ii otenki desu ne. 50 desu ne.
A simple exchange like that can be rendered in a number of ways:

Nice day.
Fine weather we're having .
Ii otenki desu ne. All right today isn't it?
Lovely weather, don't you think?
It is, isn't it.

VVe certainly are .
50 desu ne. Sure is.
It's lovely, all right.
Similarly the 'social noises' referred to above are used in defined

circumstances:
Ano a prefatory noise,

equalling ' VVell ... '
Ano ne slightly more emphatic,
'Look here!'
Eeto summing things up , 'Let's
see. . . .
5a introductory noise, 'Come
on!'
Ma mild protest, 'Hey! Hold
on a minute! '
12.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Put in the appropriate particles , wa or ga :
1. Watakushi - biiru - suki desu.
2. Anata - mizu - hoshii desu ka?
3. 5hujin - ocha - dai kirai desu.
4. Kodomo - atama - itai desu.
5. Ito-san - okane - arimasu yo.
128
Exercise 2
Link the following sentences together using the -nagara form :
1. Biiru 0 nomimashita. Terebi 0 mimashita.
2. Terebi 0 mimashita. Okashi 0 tabemashita.
3. Okashi 0 tabemashita. Hon 0 yomimashita.
4. Tokyo e ikimashita. Tomodachi to hanashimashita.
5. Sampo shimashita. Nihongo de hanashimashita.
Exercise 3
Put the verb in brackets into the 'if' form, and translate the sentence
(Example: Tokyo e (iku) kaimono suru koto ga dekimasu - Tokyo
e ikeba kaimono suru koto ga dekimasu , If you go to Tokyo you
can go shopping.) :
1. Kusuri 0 (nomu) genki ni narimasu.
2. Kyoto e (iku) subarashiii otera 0 miru koto ga
dekimasu.
3. Nihongo 0 (hanasu) [ozu ni narimasu.
4. Gohan 0 (taberu) okiku narimasu.
5. Koko e (kuru) Fuji-san 0 miru koto ga dekimasu.
Exercise 4
Put in the appropriate 'noises', ano , ana ne, eeto , sa, rna:
1. - oisha-san e ikitaku wa arimasen.
2. - ... Hon'ya wa doko desu ka?
3. - anata wa Kyoto e ikitai desu ka?
4. - okusama wa bvoki desu kara Kyoto e iku koto
wa dekimasen.
5. - hayaku kaerirnasho.
Exercise 5
Say the opposite (Example: Shiroi desu ka? - Kuroi desu.):
1. Yukkuri hanashimashita ka?
2. Oishii desu ka?
3. Suki desu ka?
4. Igirisu e ikitai desu ka?
5. Muzukashii desu ka?
Exercise 6
Mr Ito: Kyoto e ikimashita ka?
MrSmith: (No, I haven't)
Mr Ito: Ototoi Nihon e kimashita ka?
MrSmith : (No , yesterday)
129
Mr It6: Amerika e itsu ikimasu ka?

MrSmith: (On the third)
Mr It6: Mokuy6bi desu ka?
MrSmith: (No, Friday)
Mr It6: Okusama to issho ni ikimasu ka?
MrSmith : (No, alone)
Mr It6: Itsu kaerimasu ka?
MrSmith : (On the twentieth)
Mr It6: Sa, nomimash6 ka? Nani ga hoshii desu ka?
MrSmith: (Anything)
Mr It6: Ocha? K6cha?
MrSmith: ; (Ocha would be preferable)
Section B
Exercise 7
Translate the following sentences:
1. If you get better you can go to Nikko .
2. If you do not get better you cannot go to Kyoto.
3. If you go to Yokohama you can buy a German dictionary.
4. If you do not go to Japan you cannot see Mt Fuji
(Fuji-san) .
5. If you take this medicine you will get better.
6. If you do not study you will not improve (oj6zu ni naru) .
7. If you go to the department store you can buy some chairs.
Exercise 8
Answer the following questions about yourself:
1. Nani 0 tabetai desu ka?
2. Nani ga hoshii desu ka?
3. Nani 0 nomitai desu ka?
4. Nani ga suki desu ka?
5. Nani ga kirai desu ka?
Exercise 9
Ask someone to help you: (Example: Yakusu - Yakush ite
kudasaimasu.)
1. Setsumei suru.
2. Depaato e iku.
3. Ehagaki 0 kaku .
4. Koko e kuru .
5. Jibiki 0 kau.
130
Exercise 10 rSj
Play the part of Mr Smith in the following dialogue :
Doctor: 06 shimashita ka?
MrSmith: (I have a headache and a sore throat)
Doctor: Netsu ga demashita ka?
MrSmith: (Slightly. My temperature is 37.9)
Doctor: S6 desu ka. Onaka ga itai desu ka?
MrSmith: ........ (No. It began to hurt yesterday but it is all right
to-day)
Doctor: Kin6 nani 0 tabemashita ka?
MrSmith: (Some prawns, some rice)
Doctor: Takusan nomitai desu ka?
MrSmith .... (Yes. As I have a sore throat I drink a lot of water)
Doctor: Nodo ga taihen itai desu ka?
MrSmith: (It's better than last night but it still hurts)
Doctor: Kaze desu. Ki 0 tsukete kudasai.
MrSmith: (Is it serious?)
Doctor: Hidoku wa arimasen keredomo otaku e kaette yasu-
manakereba narimasen.
MrSmith: (I'm going to Matsushima on the tenth . Is that
all right?)
Doctor: Heinetsu ni naranakereba Matsushima e iku koto ga
dekimasen keredomo kono kusuri 0 nomeba genki ni
narimasu yo.
MrSmith: (When should I take that medicine?)
Doctor: Shokuzen ni nonde kudasai.
MrSmith: (Thank you very much . Goodbye)
Exercise 11
Without looking back , see if you can remember what these words
mean:
1. Tonikaku
2. Shinsetsu
3. Tamago
4. Daidokoro
5. Okinodoku
6. Kokonoka
7. Mitsukeru
8. Aji
9. Totemo
10. Setsumei
131
Exercise 12
Translate the following phrases:
1. Sore wa ikemasen ne.
2. Nan demo kekko desu.
3. Aruite tatta no jippun desu.
4. Gomen kudasai.
5. Oisogashii desha.
6. Hidari e magatte kudasai.
7. Benkvo shinakereba narimasen.
8. Kakete kudasai.
9. Ohavo gozaimasu.
10. oe shimashita ka?
132 CHAPTER 13
SHOPPING
AND
BUSINESS TRIPS
13.1 DIALOGUES ISj
Dialogue 1
Mrs Ito and Mrs Foster discuss some shopping.
Mrs It6: Sono kusuri 0 nomeba genki ni narimasu yo.
Mrs Foster: Me naorimashita yo! Ima totemo genki desu .
133
Mrs It6: Kyo dekakenakereba ashita Kyoto e iku koto ga

dekimasu.
Mrs Foster: Ito-san wa kaimono 0 suru tsumori desu ka?
Mrs It6: Ee. JGichiji ni dekakemasu.
Mrs Foster: Watakushi ni ume 0 katte kite kudasaimasen ka?
Moshi kudamonoya e iku nara ume 0 to katte
kudasaimasen ka?
Mrs It6: Mochiron katte kimasu yo. JGnijihan ni kaereba yoi
desu ka?
Mrs Foster: Ii desu tomo. Isoganaide kudasai. Moshi kudamo-
noya ni ume ga nakereba ii desu yo. Sore
hodo jGyo ja arimasen kara.
Mrs It6: Ume ga nakereba nashi 0 kau tsumori desu.
Mrs Foster: Ariqato. Watakushi wa nashi ga dai suki desu.
Mrs It6: Moshi kohii 0 nomu nara daidokoro ni okashi ga
yattsu arimasu.
Mrs Foster: Yattsu desu ka! Moshi okashi 0 yattsu mo tabe-
reba futorimasu ne!
Dialogue 2 ~
Mr Ito and Mr Foster discuss business trips .
Mr It6: Rainen hikoki de Igirisu e ikeba Foster-san no kaisha 0
tazuneru koto ga dekimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Itsu demo dekimasu yo. Sore wa tanoshimi desu
ne. Igirisu e kureba watakushi to issho ni iroiro
na omoshiroi mono 0 miru koto ga dekimasu
ne. Itsu kuru tsumori desu ka? Natsu desu ka,
aki desu ka?
Mr It6: Rainen no haru niwa taihen isogashiku narimasu kara
natsu no ho ga ii desho. Shichigatsu wa ikaga desu
ka?
Mr Foster: Ii desu yo. Rokugatsu ni Furansu e ikanakereba
narimasen ga watakushitachi no seihin 0
uru koto ga dekinakereba hayaku Eikoku e
kaerimasu yo. Shikashi takusan uru koto ga
dekireba mo ichido Furansu e ikanakereba
narimasen.
Mr It6: So desho ne. FutsG ikutsu uru koto ga dekimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Arutoki niwa nanatsu, tokiniwa jGshichi, mata toki-
niwa nanahyaku. Zenzen wakarimasen. Moshi
Furansujin ga atarashii mono 0 kaitakereba
takusan uru koto ga dekimasu. Kyonen taku-
san urimashita ga ninen mae niwa hitotsu mo
uru koto ga dekimasen deshita.
134
Mr It6: Ima dekakemasu ka?

Mr Foster: Dekakemasu yo. Ginko e ikitai desu. Anata wa?
Mr It6: HaL Ginko de jippun mateba ii desu ka?
Mr Foster: Ii desu yo. Go yukkuri!
13.2 VOCABULARY
mo already
naorimashita (from naoru, to get well,
recover)
dekakenakereba if you do not go out (from
dekakeru, to go out)
tsumori desu intend to
ee oh yes
ume plum
moshi if
to ten
yoi rather formal for ii
tome certainly
isoganaide kudasai please do not hurry (from
isogu)
nakereba if there is not/are not
sore hodo that much, to that extent
jOyo importance, matter of con-
sequence
yattsu eight
futorimasu I'll get fat (from futoru, to
get fat)
rainen next year
hikoki aeroplane
kaisha firm, company
tazuneru visit (weak verb)
itsu demo any time
tanoshimi pleasure, enjoyment , delight
haru spring (the season)
seihin product(s)
uru sell
ikutsu how many
arutoki sometimes
tokiniwa at times
nanatsu seven
zenzen never (with negative)
atarashii new
135
kyonen last year

subarashii splendid
ginke bank
mateba if we wait (from matsu, to
wait)
go yukkuri take your time
13.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) M6 naorimashita
Me naorimashita means 'By now I have completely recovered' ,
and is the normal response to an enquiry after one has suffered from
an illness
(b) To intend to
If you put tsumori desu after the infinitive of a verb (what we can
call the 'dictionary form'), it means 'to intend to':
kaimono 0 suru tsumori desu.

I intend to go shopping.
Itsu kuru tsumori desu ka?
When do you intend to come? (see Grammar summary (130).
(c) Would you be a dear ...

Watakushi ni ume 0 katte kite kudasaimasen ka?
(Literally, having bought some plums for me, would you be so kind as
to come?) i.e . Would you be a dear and buy me some plums?
(d) Moshi
Moshi emphasises the if-clause :
Moshi kudamonoya e iku nara

If you 're going to the fruiterer's (literally, if it's a case of . . .).
Moshi okashi 0 tabereba.
If I eat some cakes.
(e) -tomo
-tomo is used at the end of a sentence to express polite
willingness :
Ii desu tomo. That'd be fine, really.

136
(I) Negative requests

To give a negative request , you add -de to the negative form you
learnt in 11.3(1):
isogu to hurry
isoganai not to hurry
isoganaide kudasai please don't hurry
taberu to eat
tabenai not to eat
tabenaide kudasai please don't eat
Please now look back at the 'availa ble Japanese syllables' given in the
Guide to Pronunciation. This pattern will help you to see the logic in
the way strong verbs form their 'if' forms and their negatives.
As you learnt in Chapter 12.3 (e), to form the 'if' form you alter the
final -u to -eba:
hanasu hanaseba
yomu yomeba
au aeba
kaku kakeba
If you consult the list of syllables in the Guide to Pronunciation you

will see that the 't ' sounds go :
ta chi tsu te to
so a verb like motsu or matsu is not at all irregular. Just as -su

becomes -seba, and -rnu becomes -meba, -tsu becomes -teba:
motsu moteba
matsu mateba
Similarly, as you learnt in Chapter 11.3(1), to form the negative

infinitive you alter the -u to -anai :
hanasu, to speak hanasanai

yomu, to read yomanai
kaku, to write kakanai
137
Verbs ending in -au are slightly irregular in that they take a w for the
sound:
au, to meet awanai

kau , to buy kawanai
But motsu and matsu are perfectly regular if once again you consult
the syllabic scheme - -tsu becomes -ta:
rnotsu , to hold motanai

matsu , to wait matanai
With weak verbs, no such complications arise, as they form their

negatives by changing theiir -ru to -nai:
miru,to see minai

taberu , to eat tabenai
(g) nai
nai is the negative infinitive of aru :
moshi momo ga areba

if there are peaches
moshi ume ga nakereba
if there aren't any plums
(h) As it's not that important ...
Sore hodo jGyo ja arimasen kara (literally, as it is not a matter

of importance to that extent) .
(i) More 'all-purpose' counters

The other 'all-purpose' counters up to 10 (following on from Chapter
IO.3(e» are :
nanatsu 7
yattsu 8
kokonotsu 9
to 10
Thereafter, use jGichi , juni, jGsan, etc.

138
U> Referring to years

When referring to years past, present and future, the system is:
ototoshi the year before last

kyonen last year
kotoshi this year
rainen next year
sarainen the year after next
13.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Ask someone to get you things (Example : Watakushi ni (plums) 0
katte kite kudasaimasen ka? - Watakushi ni ume 0 katte kuda-
saimasen ka?):
1. Watakushi ni (leeks) 0 katte kite kudasaimasen ka?
2. (a dictionary)
3. (apples)
4. (eggs)
5. (stamps)
Exercise 2
What do you intend to do? (Example: (go out) Dekakeru tsumori
desu .)
1. (study)
2. (go to the station)
3. (go shopping)
4. (read a magazine)
5. (visit Mr Ito 's firm)
Exercise 3
Tell someone not to do something . (Example : Terebi 0 mite
kudasai - Terebi 0 minaide kudasai.)
1. Gohan 0 tabete kudasai.
2. Tegami 0 kaite kudasai.
3. Osake 0 nonde kudasai.
4. Eigo de hanashite kudasai.
5. Momo 0 katte kudasai.
6. Matte kudasai.
7. Yokohama e itte kudasai.
8. Tomodachi 0 tazunete kudasai.
139
Exercise 4
T his year is Sh6wa 50. Next year?
1. Kotosh i wa Sh6wa goj Q-nen desu . Rainen wa?
2. Kotoshi wa Sh6wa gojQ-nen desu. Sarainen wa?
3. Ototoshi wa Sh6wa roku jQsan-nen deshita. Kyonen
wa?
4. Kyonen wa sen kyQhyaku hach ijQroku -nen deshita.
Ototoshi wa ?
Exercise 5
Nan i 0 kaimashita ka? What have you bought? (Example: 2
chai rs - Isu 0 futatsu kaimashita. )
1. 10 apples.
2. 7 cakes .
3. 5 eggs.
4. 9 peac hes .
5. 8 tab les.
6. 11 tele pho nes .
Exercise 6
Put into the negati ve (Example: Ume 0 kaeba motte kaer i-
masu. - Ume 0 kawanakereba motte kaerimasen. ):
1. Yokohama e ikeba tomodachi ni aimasu.
2. Kusuri 0 nomeba genki ni nar imasu.
3. Okashi 0 tabereba futorimasu.
4. Shimbun 0 yomeba yoku wakarimasu.
5. Ehagak i 0 kakeba yQbinkyoku e ikim asu.
6. Isogeba jQniji ni tsukimasu .
Exercise 7
Nani 0 shitai desu ka? What do you want to do? (Example: Ea t
some fish - Sakana 0 tabetai desu .)
1. Go to the bank.
2. Go out.
3. Go for a walk.
4. Return home .
5. Write a letter.
6. Mee t a friend .
140
Section B
Exercise 8
What can you buy where ? (Example: Moshi kudamonoya e iku
nara ume 0 kau koto ga dekimasu.)
1. Hon'ya?
2. Eki?
3. Sakanaya?
4. VObinkyoku?
5. Sakaya?
Exercise 9 i'iSj
Mr It6: Sono kusuri 0 nomeba genki ni narimasu yo.
MrSmith: ......... (I'm fine now, honestly. I'm completely cured.)
Mr It6: Ky6 dekakemasu ka?
MrSmith: (Yes, I'm going out at half past ten .)
Mr It6: Doko e iku tsumori desu ka?
MrSmith: (I intend going to the bank.)
Mr It6: So no ato wa?
MrSmith: (After going to the bank 1 shall go to the post-
office .)
Mr It6: Watakushi ni kitte 0 katte kite kudasaimasen ka?
MrSmith: (Of course . How many stamps will it be ?)
Mr It6: Hyaku gojO-en no kitte 0 jOmai katte kudasai.
MrSmith: (Do you intend going to Tokyo to-day")
Mr It6: S6 desu .
Mr Smith : (As 1 am rather busy would you be so kind as to visit
my firm ?)
Mr It6: Mochiron tazunemasu yo.
MrSmith: (If you go to my firm could you possibly bring my
letters back with you ?)
Mr It6: Hai.
MrSmith: (If there aren't any letters that's all right - as it's not
all that important.)
Exercise 10
Translate the following .
1. That will be a pleasure .
2. You never know .
3. July would probably be preferable.
4. If 1 go out at two will that be all right ?
5. I'll have to go to Germany again .
6. Take your time!
CHAPTER 14 141
THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARRIVE
14.1 DIALOGUES lSj
Dialogue I Ej
Simon and Nobuo discuss likes and dislikes.
Nobuo : Ongaku ga suki desu ka?
Simon: 56 desu ne. Rek6do a kiku koto ga suki desu yo.
Nobuo: Rek6do ga takusan arimasu ka?
Simon: Hyakuma i gura i arimasu keredomo konogoro wa
teepu dake a kaimasu .
Nobuo: Rek6do yori yasui desu ka?
Simon : lie, onaji desu .
Nobuo: Eiga ga suki desu ka?
Simon: Ane wa eiga ga suki desu keredomo baku wa eigakan
e tama ni shika ikimasen. Kimi wa?
Nobuo: 5uki desu yo . Moshi samurai no eiga ga areba tonde
ikimasu yo!
Simon: Kimi wa terebi ga suki desu ka?
Nobuo : Boku wa terebi ga kirai desu. Chiisasug imasu ne. Baku
wa 6kina sukuri in no h6 ga suki desu .
Simon: Hon a yomu koto ga suki desu ka?
Nobuo: Amari suki ja arimasen . Gakk6 de takusan yomanake-
reba narimasen kara uchi dewa tama ni shika
yomimasen.
Dialogue 2 ~
Jenny and Yoshiko have eleve nses .
Yoshiko: K6hii to jusu to dochira ga ii desu ka?
Jenny: K6hii no h6 ga ii desu. Arigat6.
Yoshiko: Osato ya miruku ga irimasu ka?
Jenny: Osat6 mo miruku mo irimasu. Anata wa?
142
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143
Yoshiko: Watashi wa k6hii ga suki desu keredomo osat6 wa

irimasen.
Jenny: Miruku wa?
Yoshiko: Miruku wa irimasu . Burakku k6hii ga dai kirai desu .
Eeto .. . Miruku wa ... Ah! Omoidash imashita!
Daidokoro ni arimasu. Chotto matte kudasai.
Jenny: Watashi mo ikimasu yo.
Yoshiko: lie, konaide kudasai. Daij6bu desu . Miruku 0 motte
kimasu.
Yoshiko: Okashi mo doze .
Jenny: Arigat6, itadakimasu. Nihon no okashi ga dai suki
desu.
Yoshiko: Igirisu no okashi mo suki desu ka?
Jenny: Suki desu keredomo sukoshi chigaimasu ne.
Yoshiko : Ky6 nani 0 shita i desu ka? Eiga 0 mi ni ikimash6 ka?
Jenny: Hai, watashi wa eiga ga dai suki desu keredomo
Nihongo ga yoku wakarimasen kara Nihon no eiga
wa sukoshi muzukashii desh6.
Dialogue 3 fBi
G ents and Ladi es.
Jenny: Sumimasen. Otearai e ikitai no desu ga doko desh6 ka?
Yoshiko : Asoko desu. Kanji 0 yomu koto ga dekimasu ka?
Jenny: lie, yomu koto ga dekimasen.
Yoshiko: Mite kudasai. Sono kanji no yomikata wa danshi
'f-~ =r- desu. Otoko to iu imi desu . Ano kanji wa
joshi tc -f- to yomimasu . Onna no
hito no koto desu. Wasurenaide
kudasai!
Jenny: Ima naraimashita kara oboemasu yo .
Yoshiko: Kanji 0 naraeba Nihongo wa dandan yasashiku nari -
masu ne. Mainichi atarashii kanji 0 oboereba
Nihongo ga yoku wakaru desh6.
Jenny: S6 desu ne. Kanji 0 wasurenakereba ashita mo otearai
o mitsukeru koto ga dekimasu. Bemi desu ne.
Yoshiko: Benky6 shinakereba narimasen!
14.2 VOCABULARY
ongaku mu sic
rek6do a record
kiku listen
144
koto thing, matter, affair (but

abstract as opposed to
mono, a concrete thing)
kiku koto the verb-noun 'listening'
konogoro these days
teepu tape
onaji the same
eiga film (in cinema)
ane elder sister
boku 1 (used by men)
eigakan cinema
tama ni shika rarely (with negative)
kimi you (used by men)
tonde ikimasu rush (from tobu, to fly)
-sugimasu suffix meaning 'too much'
chiisasugimasu it's too small
sukuriin screen
jusu juice
dochira which one
(olsato sugar
miruku milk
irimasu need, be needed (from
iru, a strong verb)
watashi I , alternative to wata-
kushi
burakku black (used with
chocolate, coffee , etc.)
konaide kudasai please don't come
itadakimasu always said when begin-
ning to eat, literally 'I
accept', a polite verb
chigaimasu are different (from
chigau, to differ)
otearai toilet
kanji Chinese character(s)
yomikata (literally) way to read
danshi gentlemen
otoko (no hito) man, male person
imi meaning
joshi ladies
onna (no hito) woman , female person
naraimashita learnt (from narau, to
learn)
145
dandan gradually
oboeru remember (a weak verb),
the opposite of wasureru
benky6 shinakereba you must study (from
narimasen suru)
14.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) Names
Japanese names consist of a surname or family name like Ito or
Yamada or Kawaguchi, which comes first, and then a given name. Mr
and Mrs Ito's son is Ito Nobuo and their daughter is Ito Yoshiko.
Common male names are Ichiro (first son) , Jiro (second son),
Hideo , Takashi . Common female names often end in -ko like
Sachiko, Yukiko, Keiko or Hideko.
The surnames often derive from place : yama, a mountain ; kawa, a
river ; ta, a rice-field; hayashi , a wood ; mori, a forest ; shima, an
island . So Yamashita is Underhill; Kobayashi is Littlewood ; Yamada
is Hillfield.
Great care is taken over the choosing of a given name . Priests are
consulted and the 'look' of the name (i.e., which kanji are chosen to
represent the sound) is of prime importance . You often see a
Japanese being introduced to a stranger and writing his name on his
palm because the kanji his parents chose are so unusual. When
simplified kanji were introduced after the war many Japanese
objected because their names were 'rnisspelt' in the telephone
directory .
(b) The cinema

The Japanese cinema has produced so many masterpieces it is hard to
choose representative names but directors like Ozu Yasujiro who
made poignant studies of Japanese family life, Mizoguchi Kenji
(Ugetsu Monogatari) and Kurosawa Akira (Rashomon, Ran) are
perhaps the most famous .
(c) Language for men or women

The question of male and female language will be dealt with in
greater detail in Chapter 18, but it is important to realise that this is a
characteristic of Japanese . Things are changing and the distinction
between the two languages is less clear than it was. Nevertheless, it
exists. A man referring to himself uses boku or ore, a woman,
watashi or atashi. 'You' for a man is kimi and for a woman anata or
146
anta. There are different endings for sentences depending on the sex
of the speaker, different verb-forms, different 'social noises' . In this
book up till now the 'neutral' form has been used, a polite impersonal
form of language suitable for either sex and especially for foreigners
who are 'outside' the nuances of class and age and gender.
(d) Foreign words in Japanese

The influence of English and American English has been immense.
The language of advertising is sprinkled with more or less accurate
borrowings that gradually filter down into everyday speech . Kuroi is
'black' just as gyOnyO is 'milk' but burakku and miruku are as
common as basu, takushii, teepu, depaato , sando (from 'sand-
wich'), teeburu, sukuriin, suto (from sutoraiki, a strike), terebi ,
rajio (radio), nekutai (from 'necktie') or keisu .
(e) Gents and Ladies

The politest word for 'lavatory' is otearai, literally 'the place where
one washes (arau, to wash) one's hands (te)' . In descending order of
politeness there are also otoire , toire (both from 'toilet', see above!) ,
obenjo, gofuj6, habakari ('the place one hesitates to mention') and
benjo .
(0 Before eating or drinking

Just before you take your first mouthful, you always say itadaki-
masu . Itadaku is a polite verb meaning 'take' , or 'accept' .
(g) suru and kuru

There are two irregular verbs, suru and kuru, which form their
negative infinitives like this:
suru to do
shinai not to do
shinaide kudasai please don't
shinakereba narimasen you must do
kuru to come
konai not to come
konaide kudasai please don't come
konakereba narimasen you must come
(h) To do something rarely
tama ni shika ikimasen I rarely go

147
osake 0 tama ni shika I rarely drink sake

nomimasen
(i) Strong verbs ending in -bu

Strong verbs ending in -bu have their -te form in -nde:
tobu to fly
tonde imasu is flying
tonde ikimasu rush (literally, go flying)
W -sugimasu (from sugiru, a weak verb)

-sugimasu is an emphatic ending for verbs or adjectives used to
express excess. With verbs, it replaces the -masu or -rnashita :
tabesugimashita I've eaten too much

nomisugimashita I've drunk too much
gofun hayaku I've come 5 minutes too
kisugimashita early
With adjectives, it replaces the final -i:
chiisasugimasu it's too small

muzukashisugimashita it was too difficult
(k) Preference and need
. ... ka ka ~ dochira ga ii desu ka? Which do you prefer?

.... to to
K6hii to (or ka) [usu to (or ka) dochira ga ii desu ka? Which do
you prefer, coffee or juice?
Miruku wa irimasu ka? Do you need milk? (literally, is milk
needed?)
irimasu, from iru, to need, want, require. Not to be confused with

iru, to be, exist (different kanji) . Also iru, to be, is a weak verb.
(I) The way to do something

yomikata is 'the way to read' (kakikata is 'the way to write'):
sono kanji no yomikata the way to read those

kanji
148
. . . to yomimasu you read them like . . .

ana kanji wa joshi to you read those kanji as
yomimasu joshi (ladies)
(m) To recall/bring to mind

omoidasu means 'to bring to mind'
Omoidashimashita! I've suddenly recalled. (As

in Chapter 7)
oboeru, to remember, is the opposite of wasureru, to forget :
wasurenaide kudasai = oboete kudasai

do not forget please remember
(n) Probability
desha can be used after the dictionary form to imply probability :
Nihongo ga yoku wakaru desho.

You 'll probably understand Japanese well.
Ashita Kyoto e ikimasu.
1 shall definitely go to Kyoto tomorrow.
Ashita Kyoto e iku desha.
1 shall probably go to Kyoto tomorrow.
(0) Koto and the infinitive

By putting koto after the infinitive form of a verb you make a
verb-noun, the equivalent of our '-ing' in the sentence 'I like listening
to music':
Ongaku 0 kiku koto ga 1 like listening to music.

suki desu.
Benkvo suru koto ga dai I loathe studying.
kirai desu.
Kaimono 0 suru koto ga Do you like shopping?
suki desu ka?
14.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Revision of verbs: nani 0 shite imasu ka? (Example: Benkvo
suru - Benkvo shite imasu .)
149
1. Yasumu .
2. Terebi 0 miru.
3. Matsu.
4. Tomodachi 0 tazuneru.
5. Naoru .
6. Ongaku 0 kiku.
7. Nihongo 0 narau .
8. Eigo 0 hanasu.
9. Eki e iku.
10. Yokohama kara kuru .
Exercise 2
Nani 0 shinakereba narimasen ka? (Example: Benkvo
suru - Benkvo shinakereba narimasen.)
1. Oboeru.
2. Matsu.
3. Yokohama e iku.
4. Gakko kara kuru.
5. Te 0 arau.
6. Hidari e magaru .
7. Mizu 0 nomu.
8. Denwa de hanasu.
Exercise 3
Nan i 0 shitai desu ka? (Example: Benkvo suru. Benkvo shitai
desu - Benkvo shitaku wa arimasen! )
1. Aruku .
2. Gohan 0 taberu.
3. Hon 0 yomu .
4. Takushii de kuru.
Exercise 4
Use tama ni shika to convert th e following sentences (Example:
Tegami 0 kaku - Tegami 0 tama ni shika kakimasen. ):
1. Tokyo e iku .
2. Koko e kuru .
4. Kocha 0 nomu.
5. Ebi 0 taberu.
6. Eiga 0 miru.
150
Exercise 5
'Probably rather than definitely' (Example: Yoku hanashimasu!
- Yoku hanasu desh6 .):
1. Ocha 0 nomimasu.
2. Kanji 0 oboemasu .
3. Ongaku 0 kikimasu .
4. Benky6 shimasu.
5. Uchi e kaerimasu.
6. Furansugo ga wakarimasu .
7. Kaisha kara kimasu.
8. Kuruma ga konde imasu.
Section B
Exercise 6
An swer the questions as instructed
1. Nani 0 suru koto ga suki desu ka? (I like walking.)
2. By6ki ni nareba nani 0 shimasu ka? (I go the doctor's.)
3. Eki made aruku koto ga dekimasu ka? (No , you must
take a taxi .)
4. Biiru to osake to dochira 9a ii desu ka? (I'd prefer beer.)
Now invent questions for the following answers :

5. Terebi 0 miru koto ga kirai desu.
6. Haisha e ikimasu.
7. lie, hik6ki de ikanakereba narimasen.
8. K6hii no ho ga ii desu. Arigat6.
Exercise 7
Translate the following :
1. Those leeks are too expensive .
2. Those kanji are too difficult .
3. 1 ate too many cake s.
4. 1 arrived fifteen minutes too early .
Exercise 8
1. Ano kanji 0 yomu koto ga dekimasu ka?
2. Ano kanji no yomikata wa hon'ya desu.
3. Ano kanji 0 oboemasu.
4. Ano kanji wa isha to yomimasu.
151
Exercise 9
Put the appropriate word into the blank: (dandan ; zenzen ; rainen;
kyonen ; otoko; onna)
1. Eiga e ikimasen .
2. Otenki wa yoku natte imasu ne.
3. Yoshiko wa no namae desu .
4. Igirisu e iku desha.
5. no fuyu wa samusugimashita ne,
6. wa boku to iimasu .
Exercise 10
Give directions :
1. Otearai e ikitai desu ga doko desha ka? (Behind the
station)
2. Kusuriya e ikitai desu ga doko desu ka? (In front of the
department store)
3. Denwa de hanashitai desu ga denwa ga arimasu ka?
(Over there , beside the bank)
4. Okane mo arimasen kara ginka e ikitai desu ga doko
desha ka? (Go straight ahead, take the first turning on the right. It's
a big building. It is beside the station)
Exercise 11
1. I learned some new kanji today.
2. I went to the cinema and saw a Japanese film .
3. This small red book is too easy .
4. My friend called Mr Sat6 had to rush to the station .
Exercise 12 ~
Play the part of the guest in the following dialogue :
Host: Ocha to kocha to dochira ga ii desu ka?
Guest: (I'd prefer Indian tea)
Host: Osato ya miruku ga irimasu ka?
Guest: (I take milk but I don't take sugar.)
Host: Okashi 0 doze.
Guest : (No! If I eat too many cakes I'll be ill!)
Host: Hitotsu dake?
Guest: (I'll take one. Thank you.)
Host: Kya nani 0 shitai desu ka?
Guest: (I have a headache so I won 't go out)
152
Host: Guai ga warui desu ka?

Guest: (I've caught a cold)
Host: Ki 0 tsukete kudasai! Kocha 0 rno ippai?
Guest: (No, that's fine thank you)
CHAPTER 15 153
PLANNING ATRIP
154
15.1 DIALOGUES l'Sj
Dialogue 1
Planning the trip .
Mr It6: Kodomotachi wa eiga 0 mi ni ikitaso desu.
Mrs It6: Nobuo wa ureshiso desu ne. Igirisu no tomodachi to
hanashitai yo desu ne. Gakko ni tomodachi ga
hitori ka futari iru desho ga tokidoki sabishiso
desu ne.
Mr It6 : Kanai no hanashi dewa Nobuo wa sabishii yo desu ga
boku niwa Nobuo wa itsumo ureshiso desu.
Mochiran gakko de benkvo shinakereba narimasen
ga maishu nichivobi ni tomodachi to issho ni
Tokyo e eiga 0 mi ni ikimasu.
Dialogue 2 i'Sj
Zoo? Museum? Theatre?
Mr It6: Simon 0 tsurete itte kudasai. Futari tome Tokyo e itte
kudasai. Eigakan e iku mae ni jikan ga arimasu kara
Simon wa iroiro na omoshiroi mono 0 mitai desho.
Simon : So desu ne.
Nobuo: Dobutsuen ka hakubutsukan ka gekijo ka doko ga ii
desu ka?
Simon: Dobutsuen ga ichiban ornoshiroso desu ne. Baku wa
dobutsu ga dai suki desu. Igirisu no uchi niwa
shiroi neko ga ippiki, inu ga nihiki imasu.
Nobuo: So desu ka. Demo inu wa neko ga kirai desho.
Simon : lie, sonna koto wa arimasen yo. Sambiki tome naka ga
ii desu yo.
Dialogue 3 i'Sj
Learning to speak Japanese .
Simon: Nihonga de hanashitai desu keredamo hazukashii
desu.
Nobuo: Hazukashigaranaide Nihongo de hanaseba baku ga
kimi no Nihongo 0 naoshimasu. Ii desu ka?
Simon: Ii desu yo . Shikashi motto yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
Tokidoki boku wa kimi no Nihongo ga yoku waka-
rimasu ga mata toki niwa chittomo wakarima-
sen.
Nobuo: Mado 0 akete kudasai!
Simon: Mo ichido itte kudasai! Wakarimasen deshita!
Nobuo: Jodan deshol Boku wa hakkiri iimashita yo!
155
Simon: Boku ni oshiete kudasai. Nihongo de hanashitai desu

yo . Moshi machigaeba naoshite kudasai.
Nobuo : Ano . . . nani 0 shinakereba narimasen ka?
Simon: Mado 0 shimenakereba narimasen!
15.2 VOCABULARY
ureshii happy, chee rful

sabish ii lon ely
itsumo always
rnaishu eve ry wee k
tsurete (-t e for m of tsureru , to
tak e , bring (a per son ))
tsurete itte kudasai plea se take
tomo both , alike
futari tomo both (people)
j ikan tim e
d6butsuen zoo
ka or
hakubutsukan museum
gekij6 th eatre
d6butsu animal
shiroi whit e
neko cat
ippiki one (a nimal)
inu dog
nihiki two (an imal s)
sonna th at sor t of
sambiki three (a nima ls)
sambiki tomo all three (anima ls)
naka relati on ship . terms
hazukashii shy , e mba rrassed
hazukashigaranaide witho ut bein g emba rr assed
naoshimasu I'll corr ect (fro m naosu ,
to correct )
chittomo (not) at all, (not) in the
least
mado window
akete kudasai please ope n (-te form of
akeru , to open )
itte kudasai please spea k (-te form of
iu, to speak)
j6dan jok e
156
hakkiri clearly
oshiete kudasai please teach (-te form of
oshieru, to teach)
machigaeba 'if' form of machigau , to
make a mistake
shimenakereba negative 'if'-form of shi-
meru, to close , shut
shimenakereba I must close
narimasen
15.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) Entertainment
Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world and the entertainments
offered are immensely varied . There are countless cinemas, some
very small, and as well as the latest films from around the world ,
classic films are constantly shown to crammed houses . The National
Theatre shows major Japanese plays, there are music-halls , theatres
specialising in avant-garde performances, theatre-groups that put on
foreign plays in translation as well as the Kabuki and Noh theatres .
Several times a year the wonderful Bunraku or Puppet Theatre from
Osaka comes - the puppets are half life-size , their handlers are in full
view on the stage but such is their art that in minutes you are
completely involved in their dramatic problems. The narration is
sung to an accompaniment of samisen or Japanese guitar and is
marvellously exciting.
Tokyo Museum has a fine collection of Oriental art. It is situated in
Ueno Park to the north of the big business district. Literally tens of
thousands of people visit this park in spring to see the brief season of
cherry-blossom . From this park on a hill Tokyoites used to be able to
see Mt Fuji but now, alas, since twentieth-century pollution has come
to thicken the air , you can see Mt Fuji (about seventy miles to the
south-west) for only three days at the New Year when the factories
close down, or sometimes in the late autumn when fierce winds sweep
away the smog. It is worth seeing - an almost perfect cone reddish in
colour, capped in winter with snow.
Baseball is immensely popular and so is sumo, or ritual Japanese
wrestling when oversized athletes try to shove each other out of a
ring . Sumo wrestlers eat vast quantities of rice and chicken - but no
four-legged animal as they have to stay on two legs. All major
sporting events are televised. Golf is popular but enormously expen-
sive - Japan is short of courses - so there are many rooftop or indoor
157
golf-tees where you can practise driving or letting your inhibitions go

by whacking a ball against a high mesh . Indoor bowling rinks are also
common. Many thousands of people go skiing in the Japanese Alps
during the winter.
Coffee-shops and bars abound . There are no licensing hours. A
foreigner will occasionally find a bar is for Japanese only and will be,
very politely, shown the door. But the vast majority of places are
openly welcoming. When you take your place you are given a hot
towel in winter and a cold one in summer to wipe your face and hands
before ordering. This is called an oshibori.
(b) Wild life

Deer are not uncommon, though most of the ones you will see are in
temple precincts. There are wild boar in the deeper forests. Monkeys
are frequent in certain parts. Brightly coloured, loudly screeching
jays or onagadori (long-tails) haunt the Tokyo suburbs. The uguisu
or Japanese warbler is found in high heathland and has a most
ravishing song . In Kochi on the southern coast of Shikoku there are
extraordinary chickens with tails over six feet long .
(c) -so desu

-so desu, replacing the final -i of the true adjective, means 'to look',
or 'to seem' :
Kodomotachi wa Toky6 e ikitas6 desu

It seems the young people want to go to Tokyo.
Nobuo wa ureshiso desu .
Nobuo looks happy .
Do not confuse this construction with s6 desu as used in Chapter

11.3 (h).
(d) mai-
mai- means 'every' :
mainichi every day

maishO every week
maigetsu or maitsuki every month
mainen or maitoshi every year
158
(e) tsureru
Tsureru is to 'take' or 'bring' a person : used with kuru it means to
bring', with iku to take:
Simon 0 tsurete itte kudasai.

Please take Simon,
Okusama 0 tsurete kite kudasai.
Please come with your wife,
(I) jikan
jikan means 'length of time':
Jikan ga arimasu ka? Is there time ? Have we enough time?

Used as a suffix, it means 'number of hours':
Nanjikan kakarimasu ka?

How many hours will it take?
Ichijikan-han kakarimasu.
It takes an hour and a half.
Gojikan gojippun kakarimasu .
It takes five hours and fifty minutes .
(g) Comparative and superlative

We met the comparative in Chapter 10.3 (i) :
Tokyo wa Rondon yori okii desu.

Tokyo is bigger than London.
The superlative is formed by putting ichiban (number one) before the

word :
Dobutsuen ga ichiban omoshiroi desu.

The zoo is the most interesting (see Grammar Summary 6 (e)).
(h) Counting animals

To count animals , you use this form:
ipp iki 1
nihiki 2
sambiki 3
yonhiki 4
gohiki 5
roppiki 6
159
shichihiki (o r nanahiki ) 7
happiki 8
kyGhik i 9
jippiki 10
Igi ris u no uchi n iwa neko ga ippiki im a s u. In our house in England
there is one cat.
(i m a s u , not arimasu , because an animate creature is refe rred to).
(i) Kinds of things

donna , konna, sonna : Wha t kind , this kin d , tha t kin d
Donna iro desu ka? What (so rt of) colou r is it?

Konna hon ga suki desu I like this kind of book.
Sonna koto wa T ha t is not the case
arimasen. (lite ra lly, It is not such a
th ing).
(j) -garu
T he suffix -g a ru rep lacing the final -i of the true adjective mea ns 'to
feel' , or ' be inclined to ' :
ureshigaru to fee l joyful

hazukash igaru to feel e mbarrassed
He nce (remembering Chapter 13.3 (I) :
hazukashigarana ide kudasai.

Please do n't feel embarrassed .
(k) naoru
naoru (re me mbe r Cha pte r 13.2) is to be cur ed, to get better. naosu
is to cure , to correct:
Me naorimashita yo! I'm complete ly cured.

Boku no Nihongo 0 Please correc t my Ja-
naoshite kudasai. pan ese .
Oishasan no kusuri T he doctor 's med icin e
wa watakushi 0 cured me.
naosh imash it a.
160
(I) ashieru
ashieru, ta teach, a weak verb
watakushi ni Eiga a ashiete kudasai.

Please teach English to me.
(m) machigau
We met chigau in Chapter 14.2. Machigau is to make a
mistake:
Igirisu no akashi wa English cakes are dif-

chigaimasu. ferent.
Machigaimashita! I've made a mistake!
Mashi machigaeba If I make a mistake
Chigaimasu on its own frequently means 'No, that's wrong':
Anata wa Nihanjin Are you Japanese?

desu ka?
Chigaimasu. No.
15.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Change 'is' to 'seems' Example: Ito-san wa ureshii desu - Ito-san
wa ureshiso desu:
1. Ana han wa ornoshiroi desu.
2. Nobuo wa Eiga a hanashitai desu.
3. Yoshiko wa mizu ga hashii desu.
4. Ane wa sabishii desu.
5. Tamadachi wa hazukashii desu.
Exercise 2
Put in the missing particles (a, ni, to, ka, ga, de, wa, no):
1. Ane - - issho - - eiga - - mi - - ikirnasho.
2. Mama - - ringa - - dachira - - suki desu ka?
3. Gakko - - tamadachi - - futari imasu .
4. Kusuri - - nande kara kanai - - naarimashita.
5. Gakko - - Eiga - - naraimasu.
6. Kusuri - - watakushi - - tamadachi - -
naashimashita.
7. Kanai - - genki - - narimashita.
161
Exercise 3
Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka? Do you understand Japanese?
1. I don 't understand it at all.
2. I'm not very good at it.
3. I understand a little .
4. I understand it well.
5. I can speak it but I cannot write it.
Exercise 4
You have learnt quite a number of words by now. See how many
appropriate word s you can remember in filling in the following
blanks. For example , you could have eaten prawn s, fish, apples,
peaches ; you could have gone to the bank , the statio n, the post
office , etc .
1. - - - - 0 tabemashita.
2. 0 nomimashita.
3. 0 kikimashita.
4. 0 kakimashita.
5. 0 yomimashita.
6. e ikimashita.
7. de hatarakimashita.
Exercise 5
1. Please bring your wife.
2. Please speak more slowly.
3. Please shut the window.
4. Please drink this medicine .
5. Please don't forget.
6. Please don 't open that letter.
7. Please say that again .
Exercise 6
1. Itsu Nihon e kimashita ka? (Last month)
2. Nannichi deshita ka? (June 24th)
3. Doko kara kimashita ka? (From England)
4. Fune de kimashita ka? (No , by plane)
5. Itsu kaeru tsumori desu ka? (October 10th)
Section B
Exercise 7
1. Ito-san wa rnaishu Tokyo e ikanakereba narimasen.
162
2. Momo wa nashi yori takai desu ga ringo wa ichiban

takai desu.
3. Tomodachi wa watakushi ni Nihongo 0 oshiemashita.
4. Jikan ga arimasu ka?
5. Inu ka neko ka dochira ga suki desu ka?
Exercise 8 t'GaJ
Play the part of Mr Jones in the following dialogue:
Mr Sat6: Okusama wa ureshis6 desu ne.
MrJones : (My wife likes Japan very much)
Mr Sat6: Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka?
MrJones: (She doesn't speak it yet but she wants to learn)
Mr Sat6: Anata wa oj6zu desu ne.
MrJones: (No, I'm not good at it but I do want to speak it)
Mr Sat6: Watakushi ga anata no Nihongo 0 naoshimasu. Ii
desu ka?
Mr Jones: (Indeed it would . I am rather embarrassed, howev er)
Mr Sat6: Hazukashigaranaide Nihongo 0 mainichi hanashite
kudasai.
MrJones: (It's difficult but it is gradually getting easier)
Mr Sat6: Kanji 0 yomu koto ga dekimasu ka?
Mr Jones : (Not yet but I have learned those Chinese characters)
Mr Sat6: Ano kanji 0 yonde kudasai .
MrJones: (Those characters are read as 'Nihon')
Mr Sat6: 56 desu ne! Ojozu desu ne l Kono kanji no yomikata
wa nan desh6 ka?
MrJones: (I do not understand those characters)
Exercise 9
D6butsuen e itte iroiro na omoshiroi d6butsu 0 mimashita.

Boku wa d6butsu ga dai suki desu. Ky6to no uchi niwa neko
ga sambiki imasu. Ichiban 6kina neko wa kurokute chiisai
desu. Inu mo suki desu ga watakushitachi no neko wa inu ga
kirai desu kara uchi niwa inu wa imasen.
Exercise 10
1. If you open that window the room will get cold .
2. If you do not open that window the house will get warm.
3. If you make a mistake I will correct your Japanese.
4. If I do not study I will not become skilled .
5. If you study hard you will be able to read Japanese .
163
REVISION AND
FOR CHAPTERS 11-15
Do the full test and mark it, using the mark scheme suggested . If you
made any mistakes , make sure you go back and revise the relevant
chapter(s) before proceeding with Chapter 16.
Section 1
1. My friend fell ill.
2. The weather got cold.
3. I have a headache.
4. My wife has a fever .
5. I have caught a cold .
(Score: 15)
Section 2
What are these dates?
January 9
March 15
May 6
September 14
July 20
(Score: 10)
Section 3
1. I loathe sake.
2. I want some water.
3. I like Tokyo .
4. I have a French car.
5. I like watching television.
(Score: 10)
164
Section 4
Nani 0 shinakereba narimasen ka?
1. Hataraku.
2. Mado 0 akeru.
3. Uchi e kuru.
4. Tomodachi ni au.
5. Matsu.
(Score: 10)
Section 5
1. Please don 't eat that apple .
2. Please don't drink that water.
3. Please don't wait.
4. Please don't speak English .
5. Please don't come to-morrow.
(Score: 10)
Section 6
What do you say in the following circumstances?
1. When you are taking your first mouthful.
2. When you greet someone first thing in the morning.
3. When you have just finished a meal prepared for you.
4. When you want to know what is wrong with someone .
5. When someone has told you he is ill.
(Score : 5)
Section 7
Put in the numbers:
1. Neko ga (2) imasu.
2. Nihonjin ga (2) imasu.
3. Tegami 0 (2) kakimashita.
4. Tabako 0 (2) nomimash ita.
5. Isu ga (2) arimasu.
(Score: 5)
Section 8
1. If you study you will get skilled .
2. If you go to Japan you will be able to see Mt Fuji.
3. If you take this medicine you will get better.
4. If you wait ten minutes that will be all right.
165
5. If you meet Mr It6 please go to the bank with him.

(Score : 15)
Section 9
1. Terebi 0 minagara okashi 0 mittsu tabemashita.
2. Nodo ga itai node tabetaku wa arimasen.
3. Ebi 0 tama ni shika tabemasen.
4. Atarashii hon wa takasugimasu kara kaimasen.
5. Oishasan no hanashi dewa kanai wa sampo suru koto
ga dekimasu.
(Score: 15)
Section 10 ~
Read the following conversation or listen to it on your cassette . If you
have the cassette, do not read the text. Then answer the questions
underneath .
Mr Sat6: Nani 0 suru tsumori desu ka?

Mr Jones: Yurakucho e itte eiga 0 mimasu .
Mr Sat6: So desu ka. Nani 0 mitai desu ka?
Mr Jones: Nihon no eiga 0 mitai desu yo. Anata mo ikitai desu
ka?
Mr Sat6 : Ikitai desu yo. Futari de ikirnasho.
Mr Jones: Moshi watakushi ga Nihongo ga wakaranakereba
setsumei shite kudasai.
Mr Sat6: Mochiron.
Mr Jones: Ariqato.
Mr Sat6: Densha de ikirnasho ka?
Mr Jones: lie, jikan ga arimasen kara takushii de ikimasho.
Mr Sat6: Takai desho.
Mr Jones: So desu ne. Sen-en desho .
Mr Sat6: Kino anata wa onaka ga sukoshi itaku narimashita ne.
Kyo wa ikaga desu ka?
Mr Jones: Kusuri 0 nomimashita kara rno naorimashita.
Ariqato.
Mr Sat6: Oisha-san e ikimashita ka?
Mr Jones: lie, netsu ga demasen deshita kara dekakemasen
deshita.
Mr Sat6: Itsu Eikoku e kaerimasu ka?
Mr Jones: RaishG no kin'vobi desu.
Mr Sat6: Toka desu ka?
166
Mr Jones: Chigaimasu. Kokonoka desu.

Mr Sat6: Igirisu e iku nara nanjikan kakarimasu ka?
Mr Jones: JOrokujikan kakarimasu.
Mr Sat6: Watakushi wa rainen Eikoku e ikanakereba
narimasen kara anata no kaisha 0 tazunetai
desu.
Mr Jones: Itsu demo kekk6 desu yo. Sore wa tanoshimi desu.
1. What is Mr Jones planning to do at Yur akucho?
2. If Mr Jones doesn 't understand , what will Mr Sato do ?
3. Are they going by train?
4. How much will the journey cost ?
5. What was the matter with Mr Jones yesterday?
6. Why didn't he go to the doctor?
7. When is he going back to England?
8. Is it the tenth ?
9. How long will the flight take?
10. What will Mr Sato do next year?
(Score: 10)
Self-assessment grades:
Maximum total score = 105.
Over 85: Excellent
50-85: Satisfactory
CHAPTER 16 167
THE JAPANESE FAMILY

168
16.1 DIALOGUES I=j

Dialogue 1
Howald are the children ?
Mr Ito: Botchan wa ima nansai desu ka?
Mr Foster: Ima jOrokusai desu.
Mr Ito: Ojosan no tanjobi wa itsu desu ka?
Mr Foster: Musuko wa shichigatsu toka ni umaremashita ga
musume wa jOnigatsu nijOgonuchi desu.
Mr Ito: Kurisumasu desu nel
Mr Foster : So desu nel Musume dake de naku minna okuri-
mono 0 moraimasu.
Mr Ito: Kawaiso desu ne!
Dialogue 2 i=j
The photographs of Mr Ito 's parents.
Mr Ito: Kono shashin 0 mite kudasai. Chichi desu.
Mr Foster: Otosan desu ka? Tokyo ni sunde imasu ka?
Mr Ito: Mo imasen keredomo. JOnen mae ni nakunarimashita.
Mr Foster: Osabishii desho .
Mr Ito: Haha wa itsumo Matsumoto ni sunde imasu. Ima
hachijOnisai desu. Kore wa haha no shashin desu.
Kyonen no Shoqatsu ni torimashita .
Mr Foster : Okaasama no kimono wa subarashii desu ne. Hige
no aru kata wa donata desu ka?
Mr Ito: Ani desu.
Mr Foster : Oniisan mo Matsumoto ni sunde imasu ka?
Mr Ito: So desu. Furusato desu. Boku wa soko de
umaremashita.
Mr Foster : Okusan mo Matsumoto desu ka?
Mr Ito: lie, chigaimasu. Kanai wa Edokko desu!
Dialogue 3 i=j
Mr Ito 's brothers and sisters .
Mr Foster: Ito-san wa oniisan ga hitori imasu ka?
Mr Ito: So desu. lchiro to iu ani wa sOgaku no sensei desu.
Ototo ga futari imasu . Mite kudasai. Kore wa
kvodai no shashin desu. Megane a kakete iru ototo
wa ima Amerika ni sunde imasu ga rainen kikoku
suru desho.
Mr Foster: Sana anna no kata wa ototosan no okusama desu
ka?
Mr Ito: lie, irnoto desu.
169
Mr Foster: Kyodai ga oi desu nel

Mr Ito: So desu ne! Ani wa gojussai desu, ane wa yonjQhassai
desu, mo hitori no ane wa yonjQgosai desu, boku
wa yonjQissai desu, ototo wa sanjQkyQsai desu,
irnoto wa sanjQrokusai desu, mo hitori no ototo wa
sanjQyonsai desu.
Dialogue 4 i~j
Visiting grandparents.
Mr Foster: Mainen Matsumoto e kaerimasu ka?
Mr Ito : FutsQ O-Bon no toki ni kaerimasu . Kodomotachi wa
obaasan 0 tazuneru koto ga dai suki desu yo.
Mr Foster: Ryoshin wa Rondon ni sunde imasu kara Simon to
Jenny wa ojiisan to obaasan ni shibashiba
aimasu. Mite kudasai. Kore wa ane no shashin
desu.
Mr Ito: Oneesan mo Rondon ni sunde imasu ka?
Mr Foster: So desu. Boku wa ane ga hitori imasu.
Mr Ito: Oneesan wa goshujin ga imasu ka?
Mr Foster: Hai. Gonen mae ni kekkon shimashita.
Mr Ito: Kodomosantachi ga imasu ka?
Mr Foster: Ee, imasu yo . Boku to kanai wa oji to oba ni
narimashita!
Mr Ito: Ornedeto gozaimasu!
16.2 VOCABULARY
botchan your son

nansai what age
-sai suffix to express age
jQrokusai sixteen years old
ojosan your daughter
tanjobi birthday
umaremashita was born (from umareru)
musuko my son
musume my daughter
dake de naku not only
kurisumasu Christmas
okurimono present
moraimasu receive (from morau)
kawaiso what a pity! poor thing!
shashin photograph
chichi my father
170
ot6san your father

sunde imasu is living (from sumu) (in
the sense of 'dwelling')
m6 imasen is dead (literally 'is no
more')
nakunarimashita died (from nakunaru)
(o)sabishii (desh6) (now you must be) lonely
haha my mother
Sh6gatsu New Year
torimashita took (a photograph) (from toru)
okaasama your mother
hige beard
ani my elder brother
oniisan your elder brother
furusato native place, birthplace,
home-town
Edokko native of Tokyo (Edo is
the old name for the city)
sQgaku maths
sensei teacher
ot6to my younger brother
ky6dai brothers and sisters
megane spectacles
kakete iru is wearing (glasses) (from
kakeru)
kikoku suru return to one 's native land
ot6tosan your younger brother
im6to my younger sister
6i many, numerous, plenty of
O-Bon Buddhist Festival of the
Dead (August 15th)
ry6shin both parents
ojiisan respectful term for
grandfather
obaasan respectful term for grand-
mother
shibashiba frequently
oneesan your elder sister
kekkon shimashita got married
kodomosantachi kodomo, child plus honorific
and plural ending
oji uncle
oba aunt
171
16.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) More about honorifics

The difference between shujin, my husband, kanai , my wife , and
goshujin, your husband, okusan, your wife, occurs with all
members of the family . In the following list, the honorific form is on
the right:
chichi otosan father

haha okaasan mother
ani oniisan elder brother
ane oneesan elder sister
ototo ototosan younger brother
irnoto irnotosan younger sister
sofu ojiisan grandfather
sobo obaasan grandmother
oji ojisan uncle
oba obasan aunt
musuko botchan, son
musukosan
musume ojosan daughter
In all cases -sarna can be substituted for -san to show extra

politeness.
In practice , as grandparents are automatically revered, the honori-
fic form is generally used for one 's own grandmother and grand-
father. Also, in some families , the terms otosan and okaasan are
used to show respect . In addressing one's own parent directly , the
honorific form is used . -chan is a charming suffix, used particularly
after young girl's names and within the family otochan and
okaachan are equivalents for daddy and mummy .
(b) Religion and festivals

In Japanese life, rituals attending birth and death tend to be
Buddhist whereas the wedding ceremony would be Shinto. Individual
prayers before a shrine are preceded by the ringing of a bell or the
double clapping of hands to , as it were , call the god 's attention. In
some places written replies are given by priests and, if these are
unfavourable, the recipient ties them to the fence or a tree - you
often see what appear to be white flowers around a shrine but which
are in fact rejected oracles.
Each local shrine has an annual festival when young men carry
172
round the parish a palanquin containing sacred symbols . These are

colourful and jolly occasions and everyone turns out to watch .
At New Year the sacred emblems of bamboo and pine-branches are
placed before every home . Shoqatsu is very much a family affair and
visits are exchanged with presents offered, time-honoured games
played and special food eaten . At O-Bon , a kind of All Souls' Day,
lanterns are lit in the gardens to guide friendly souls of the departed
back home .
There are twelve national holidays each year when banks and
offices - though not shops! - are closed:
January 1 shoqatsu
January 15 Coming of Age Day
February 11 National Foundation Day
March 20 Spring Equinox
April 29 Birthday of the Emperor
May 3 Constitution Day
May 5 Boys' Day
September 15 Respect for the Aged Day
September 23 Autumn Equinox
October 10 Sports Day
November 3 Culture Day
November 23 Thanksgiving for Labour
Day
The three early summer holidays coming close together are called
Golden Week .
There ar e three yearly festivals associated with children. On March
3 Hina matsuri (the Dolls' Festival) , girls arrange court-effigies in
splendid costumes . On May 5, households with boy-children fly flags
with carp on them to signify energy and long life . On November 15
those families with children of three, five and seven years old go to
the shrines - the so-called shichi-go-san festival. Women wear a
bright kimono and men one of a sombre blue . You still see people
going out for the evening in traditional costume and most people
change from Western clothes at home into a comfortable flowing
yukata.
(c) How old are you?
Kodama wa gosai desu. The child is 5 year s old .
The suffix -sai is added to all numbers except 1, 8 and 20:

173
issai 1
nisai 2
sansai 3
yonsai 4
gosai 5
rokusai 6
shichisai or nanasai 7
hassai 8
kyusai 9
lOs are slightly different:
jissai or jussai 10
hatachi 20
sanjissai or sanjussai 30
(d) Verb and noun

Certain verbs go automatically with certain nouns:
Shashin 0 torimashita. I took a photograph.

Megane 0 kakemashita. I wore (or put on) spectacles .
(e) Relative clauses in the present tense

To make relative clauses in the present tense, you use the infinitive
form of the verb and put the clause before the relevant word:
Ototo wa megane 0 kakete imasu.

My younger brother is wearing spectacles.
Megane 0 kakete iru hito wa ot6to desu.
The man who is wearing spectacles is my younger brother.
Ani wa hige ga arimasu.

My elder brother has a beard .
Hige ga (or no) aru hito wa ani desu.
The chap wearing a beard is my elder brother.
Compare: Ano hitotachi wa Matsumoto e itte imasu.

Those people are going to Matsumoto .
Matsumoto e itte iru hito wa okurimono 0
motte imasu
People going to Matsumoto are holding presents.
Sakana 0 taberu hito wa itsumo genki desu.
Those who eat fish are always healthy .
174
Amerika ni sunde iru tomodach i wa kikoku

shimasu.
My frie nd who is living in America is coming back
to Japan .
(0 nakuna ru
nakunaru mea ns to die when referring to a loved one. Ot herwise,
used impersonally, the verb is shinu :
Shakespeare wa 1616 ni sh inimash ita . Shakespeare died in

1616.
16.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
An swer the following questions, converting the honorific titles to
members of your own imaginary family:
1. Otosan wa nansa i desu ka? He's 61.
2. Okaasan wa? She's 58.
3. Botchan wa? He's 13.
4. Ojosan wa? She's 11.
5. Okusan wa/Goshu jin wa? She's/He 's 38.
6. On iisan ga imasu ka? I have two .
7. lmotosan ga imasu ka? I have one .
Exercise 2
Te ll us abo ut yourse lf:
1. Anata no tanjobi wa its u desu ka?
2. Doko de umaremashita ka?
3. Ima doko ni sunde imasu ka?
4. Anata no furusato wa doko desu ka?
5. Ima nansai desu ka?
6. Showa jGnen ni umaremashita ka?
7. Honto desu ka?
8. Kekkon shimashita ka? (Itsu?)
9. Goshujin wa/Okusama wa nansai desu ka?
Exercise 3
Ma ke re lative clauses : (Example: Ano hito wa megane 0 ka kete
imasu . Ani desu . - Megane 0 kakete iru h ito wa ani desu .):
1. Ano hito wa hon 0 yonde imasu. Ototo desu.
175
2. Ano otoko no kata wa mainichi eki e kimasu. Otomo-

dachi desu ka?
3. Ano hito wa osake 0 takusan nomimasu. Itsumo by6ki
desu.
4. Ano onna no hito wa utsukushii kimono ga arimasu.
Ane desu.
Exercise 4
Answer changing to the honorific form (Example: Kore wa chichi no
shashin desu. - Ot6san desu ka?):
1. Kore wa haha no shashin desu.
2. Kore wa musume no shashin desu.
3. Kore wa oba no shashin desu.
4. Kore wa kanai no shashin desu.
5. Kore wa ani no shashin desu.
6. Kore wa kodomotachi no shashin desu.
7. Kore wa im6to no shashin desu.
8. Kore wa musuko no shashin desu.
Exercise 5
Put in the correct counters (Example: Amerikajin ga (2)
imasu - Futari) :
1. Neko ga (2) imasu.
2. Ot6to ga (1) imasu.
3. Nihonjin ga (3) imasu.
4. Inu ga (3) imasu.
5. Shashin ga (5) arimasu.
6. Okurimono 0 (2) moraimashita.
7. Naganegi 0 (6) kaimashita.
8. Kasa 0 (1) kaimashita.
Section B
Exercise 6
Translate :
I. My son is five years old.
2. Does your mother live in Yokohama?
3. My grandfather died in 1973.
4. My elder brother has a black beard .
5. Did your son get many presents on his birthday?
6. When did your daughter get married?
7. When is your father coming back to this country?
176
8. My younger sister wears glasses.

9. I took this photograph on New Year's Day .
10. My friend's mother is a French teacher.
Exercise 7
Translate:
1. Nihongo 0 hanashite iru hito wa Eigo no sensei desu.
2. Kanji 0 kaku koto ga dekiru gaikokujin wa oj6zu desu
ne.
3. Tabako 0 takusan nomu hito wa oishasan e ikanake-
reba narimasen.
4. Mainichi kaisha de hataraku hito wa doy6bi ni inaka e
ikitai desu.
Exercise 8
1. Eigakan de nani 0 suru koto ga dekimasu ka?
2. D6butsuen de nani 0 miru koto ga dekimasu ka?
3. VQbinkyoku de nani 0 kau koto ga dekimasu ka?
4. Jinja no mae de nani 0 miru koto ga dekimasu ka?
Exercise 9
Translate:
1. People who live in Hakone can see Mt Fuji every day .
2. The man who teaches maths in this university is my
younger brother.
3. Those who take a walk every day are healthy .
4. The man who is driving that red Japanese car is my father.
Exercise 10 ,'gj
Play the part of the foreign visitor in the following dialogue :
Mr Jones: Anata no tanj6bi wa itsu desu ka?
Mr Seto : (March 9th.)
Mr Jones: Okurimono 0 takusan moraimashita ka?
Mr Seto: ... (Yes, I got a Japanese dictionary, a beautiful kimono
and a new pen.)
Mr Jones: Subarashii desu nel
Mr Seti): (Yes but now I must write lots of letters!)
Mr Jones: Ot6san wa Amerika kara kaerimashita ka?
Mr Set»: (Not yet. He'll be returning home next month
probably .)
Mr Jones: Amerika de nani 0 shite imasu ka?
Mr Seto: (He's working in an office.)
177
Mr Jones: Okaasan wa ogenki desu ka?

Mr Sata: (No, she's caught a cold .)
Mr Jones: Oishasan e ikimashita ka?
Mr Seto: (No, but she's taken som e medicine .)
Mr Jones : Ki 0 tsukete kudasai. 5amuku narimashita ne.
Mr Seto: .. ... (Yes, and it rai ned yeste rday . My younger brother
visited us but he'd forgotten his umbrell a!)
Mr Jones: Otosan wa ima nansai desu ka?
Mr Seto: (28.)
Mr Jones: So desu ka. lrnotosan wa?
Mr Ssto: (21 .)
Mr Jones: Nani 0 shite imasu ka?
Mr Seto: (Sh e' s working in the muscum .)
Mr Jones : Goshujin ga imasu ka?
Mr Sett): ......... (Yes, she got married last month . Look. Thi s is a
photograph of her husband .)
Mr Jones: Ureshiso desu ne!
MrSata: ............ .. .... .............. (The y see m both very happy.)
Mr Jones: Hige no aru hito wa donata desu ka?
Mr Seto: .... .... .. .. .. .. .. (It's my siste r's husband 's cider brothcr.)
Mr Jones: Tokyo ni sunde imasu ka?
Mr Seu): ....... .. .. .... .... ...... ....... (No. he works in Matsumoto .)
178 CHAPTER 17
EATING OUT
17.1 DIALOGUES iSj
Dialogue 1
The Sushi Bar. -t L- h~
Mr It6: Komban wal

Mr Foster: Komban waf
Mr It6: Osushi 0 tabe ni ikimash6 ka?
Mr Foster : So shimash6. Sore wa tanoshimi desu ne.
179
Mr It6: Kauntaa ni suwarirnasho, Osushiya-san ga osushi 0

tsukuru tokoro ga yoku wakarimasu yo. Mite kuda-
sai. Kabe ni sakana no namae ga kaite arimasu.
Mr Foster: Yominikui desu ne!
Mr It6: (addressing the owner) Kyo wa nani ga oishii desu ka?
Owner: Iki no ii ebi ga arimasu yo.
Mr It6: Foster-san. Nani ga ii desu ka?
Mr Foster: Ebi 0 kudasai.
Mr It6: Watakushi mo ebi ni shimasu.
Owner: Tsugi wa nani ni shimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Watakushi wa tako 0 tabeta koto ga arimasen kara
tsugi wa tako ni shimasu.
Mr It6: Zehi tabete mite kudasai. Watakushi niwa maguro 0
kudasai.
Owner: Onomimono wa nani ni shimasu ka?
Mr 1t6: Biiru 0 kudasai.
Dialogue 2 i~i
The Tempura Restaurant. l: Iv ~~ G If.
Mr It6: Kore wa yOmei na tempuraya desu. HairimashO ka?
Mr Foster: Ee, demo takaso desu kara sukoshi hairinikui desu
ne.
Mr It6: Watakushi wa koko e kita koto ga arimasu. Sonna ni
takaku wa arimasen yo.
Mr Foster: Sore dewa hairirnasho, Okane wa tappuri arimasu!
Mr ItO: Mado no soba no teeburu e ikirnasho ka?
Mr Foster: Menyu wa rornaji de kaite arimasu kara kondo wa
yomiyasui desu ne! Demo, matsu, take, ume to
wa nan desu ka?
Mr It6: Teishoku desu. Matsu ga ichiban takai desu. Matsu
niwa ebi to ika to nasu to shiitake ga haitte imasu.
Dialogue 3 ~
The Sukiyaki Restaurant. -t ~ ~ ~ f.t~
Mr It6: Anata wa gaikoku no kata desu kara mochiron niku ga
suki desho.
Mr Foster: Watakushi wa Nippon no tabemono ga dai suki
desu keredomo kyo wa hisashiburi ni gyOniku
o tabetai desu ne.
Mr It6: Sukiyaki 0 tabeta koto ga arimasu ka?
Mr Foster: Arimasu yo . Ah . . . Saifu 0 wasurete shimaima-
shita! Uchi e kaeranakereba narimasen.
180
Mr Ito: lie Foster-san. Watakushi ga gochiso shimasu!

Mr Foster: Ariqato. Dewa tsugi wa watakushi ga Ito-san to
okusama a oyobi shimasu yo.
Mr Foster: Kono tofu wa oishii desu ne.

Mr Ito: Takenoko wa suki desu ka?
Mr Foster: Ammari suki ja arimasen.
Mr Ito: GyQniku 0 rno sukoshi ikaga desu ka?
Mr Foster: Mo onaka ga ippai ni natte shimaimashita!
Mr Ito: Okanjo 0 onegai shimasu.
17.2 VOCABULARY
komban wa good evening! (said after

sunset)
(o)sushi slices of raw fish, cooked
egg or caviare on cold
rice-cakes
kauntaa counter, bar
suwarirnasho let's take a seat (from suwaru)
tsukuru prepare
kabe wall
yominikui difficult to read
tokoro place
iki no ii fresh
tabeta ate, eaten (past plain form
of taberu)
zehi by all means
maguro tuna fish
yQmei famous
tempuraya restaurant for deep-fried
food
hairimasho ka shall we go in (from
hairu, to enter) (strong verb)
ee well, yes
hairinikui 'we'd best not go in'
(literally, troublesome to
enter)
kita came (past plain form of
kuru)
tappuri ample, ' loaded' , 'flush'
menyu menu
kondo this time
181
yomiyasui easy to read

matsu pine-tree (the most
expensive table-d'hotey
take bamboo (the next most ex-
pensive table-d'hotey
ume plum (the cheapest table-
d'hOte)
teishoku the set menu, prix fixe,
table-d'hote
ika cuttlefish
nasu egg-plant, aubergine
shiitake mushroom
niku meat
tabemono food
hisashiburi ni after a long abstinence
sukiyaki beef and vegetables sim-
mered in soya sauce and
sake
saifu purse, wallet, pocket-book
shimaimashita I've ended up by (from
shimau , a terminal verb)
gochiso suru treat
yobu take out, invite
oyobi suru polite form of yobu
oyobi shimasu polite form of yobimasu
tofu bean-curd
takenoko bamboo shoot
ammari (with negative) not too much
gyuniku beef
ippai full
(o)kanjo bill
onegai shimasu polite form of negaimasu
(see yobu above) :
I'm asking for
17.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) Restaurants
In the large cities in Japan there are French , Italian, American,
Chinese , German and Korean restaurants - but, when in
Rome . . . The visitor should experiment with the variety of Ja-
182
panese ways of eating. Noodle-stalls are to be found everywhere with

customers standing, devouring delicious cheap bowls of soba (nood-
les made from buckwheat) with hashi or chopsticks (shorter than the
Chinese variety) . But for more elaborate meals there are sushi bars
where experts slice raw tunafish , octopus, cuttlefish, or place prawns,
red caviare or cooked egg on carefully moulded cake s of rice , binding
them with strips of seaweed (nori) . Th ere are tables , but it is better
(and more expensive) to sit at the bar and watch the expert at
work - also, at a table you get a 'set-tray' in which the food may not
be quite so fresh as that which you see prepared before your very
eyes! Tempura is said to have been introduced to Japan by Portu-
guese mission aries and consists of deep-fried slices of white fish and
vegetables. Sukiyaki means 'cooked on the blade of a plough' , and is
traditional hunter's or farmer's fare , though now prepared in rather
more sophisticated ways .
Japanese restaurants are specialist places and you go to a certain
one for a certain kind of food. Great care is taken over the 'look' of
the food and, in the more expensive restaurants, the china will be
very beautiful and be changed in order to match its colour with the
season .
(b) Street-sellers
In the winter sweet-potato sellers ply their hot wares in the street
calling out yaki-imo (baked potatoes) as the fragrant smoke rises
from their stalls . And all the year round, men on bicycles blowing
plaintive horns tow trailers filled with water in which cubes of fresh
bean-curd are kept.
(e) The past plain form

To form this you merely alter the last letter of the -te form to -ta:
kuru to come kite kita

taberu to eat tabete tabeta
The past plain form is really a simpler form of the past tense - and,
indeed (as we shall see in Chapter 18) especially men use it instead of
the -mashita form . Its main use, however, is in the construction -ta
koto ga arimasu , meaning 'have already done such a thing':
Watakushi wa koko e kita koto ga arimasu .

I have been here before .
Tako 0 tabeta koto ga arimasen.
I've never eaten octopus before.
183
Compare:
Kyoto e itta koto ga arimasu ka?

Have you ever been to Kyoto?
Its other use, as we shall see later, is in relative clauses (see Grammar
summary 13(b.) .
(d) Coming and going

With ni iku, kuru or kaeru you can use the stem of any verb to give
the idea of going, coming or returning somewhere to do something.
Merely cut the -masu of the present tense :
Osushi a tabe (masu) ni ikirnasho ka?

Shall we go and eat some sushi?
Furansu no eiga a mi (masu) ni ikimashita.
I went and saw a French film.
Koko e shimbun a yami (masu) ni kimasu.
He comes here to read the paper.
(e) -te form with arimasu
sakana no namae ga kaite arimasu

the names of the fish are writt en
(0 -te form with mite kudasai
Tabete mite kudasai Try it - i.e. , Eat and see

Yande mite kudasai Read it and see
(g) Easy, hard and troublesome

-yasui and -nikui , tacked on to the sterm of the verb as in (d) above
mean , respectively, 'easy to' and 'hard to' or 'troublesome to' :
ana kanji wa yaminikui desu those kanji are hard to read

kondo wa yamiyasui desu this time they're easy to read
(h) -te form with shimau

This means something has been thoroughly and completely done:
Saifu a wasurete shimaimashita.

I've gone and forgotten my wallet!
184
Neko wa sakana 0 tabete shimaimashita.

The eat's eaten up all the fish.
(i) More polite forms

As touched on in Chapter 8, there are other politer ways of using
verbs: instead of yobimasu (watakushi gal oyobi shimasu
I call
(anata gal oyobi ni narimasu
you call
instead of dekekemasu (watakushi gal odekake shimasu
I go out
(anata gal odekake ni narimasu
you go out
One hears these forms all the time , and there are certainly occasions
when it would strike the Japanese ear as odd to hear anything else ;
but basically for a foreigner the straightforward verb-form is always
acceptable.
The set-phrase onegai shimasu, however, should be learnt by
heart, as this is the standard way of attracting attention.
(j) -mono
The suffix -mono makes a noun (mono means thing):
nomimono drink(s)
tabemono food
kaimono purchase(s)
(k) -niku
The suffix -niku means 'meat':
gyuniku beef
butaniku pork
17.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Show definitely complete actions (Example: Saifu 0 wasurema-
shita. - Saifu 0 wasurete shimaimashita.):
1. Anata no hon 0 yomimashita.
2. Tomodachi wa ikimashita.
3. Amerika kara kaerimashita.
185
4. Tempuraya e hairimashita.
5. Benkvo shimashita.
Exercise 2
Have you ever ... ? Alter the question (Example: Rondon e
ikimashita ka? - Rondon e itta koto ga arimasu ka?):
1. Kono hon 0 yomimashita ka?
2. Kanji 0 kakimashita ka?
3. Kimono 0 kaimashita ka?
4. Shashin 0 torimashita ka?
5. Yamada-san 0 tazunemashita ka?
6. Unten shimashita ka?
Exercise 3
Just for practice, change the verb-form to a politer style (Example:
Shimbun 0 yomimasu. - (Watakushi gal shimbun 0 oyomi shi-
rnasu.):
1. Ito-san ni aimashita.
2. Ito-san to hanashimashita.
(Example: shimbun 0 yomimasu ka? - (Anata gal shimbun 0
oyomi ni narimasu ka?):
3. Eigo de hanashimasu ka?
4. Atarashii pen de kakimasu ka?
Exercise 4
Suggest a friend should have a go (Example: Tako 0 tabete mite
kudasai.) :
1. Try and write this kanji.
2. Try this sake .
3. Try going in to this tempura restaurant.
4. Have a go at speaking Japanese .
5. Try opening this window .
Exercise 5
Vocabulary-test. What do words in italics mean?
1. Ototo wa osake 0 nonde imasu.
2. Subarashii desu nel
3. Ongaku ga suki desu.
4. Nasu 0 tabemashita.
5. Otosen wa Yokohama ni sunde imasu.
6. Tokidoki sabishii desu.
7. Daigaku e ikimashita.
8. Natsu wa mushiatsui desu.
186
SECTION B
Exercise 6
Use the -ni iku/kuru/kaeru form:
1. Let's go and see a film.
2. He came back to hear the music.
3. I'll come and learn some Japanese .
4. He went to write a postcard.
Exercise 7
Translate:
1. Anata wa Nihonjin desu kara mochiron sakana ga suki
desh6.
2. Doitsu no shimbun 0 katta koto ga arimasu ka?
3. Tsugi wa maguro ni shimasu.
4. Ame ga futte shimaimashita.
5. Ane wa Sh6wa yonjOgonen ni umaremashita.
Exercise 8
Translate :
1. This letter is hard to read.
2. Japanese is hard to write!
3. That music is easy to hear (listen to) .
4. Those kanji are easy to forget!
5. That t6fu is easy to eat.
6. Those words are hard to remember.
Exercise 9
Revision of adjectives: Takai desu.
Takaku wa arimasen.
Takas6 desu.
Takakute mezurashii desu.
Now conceal the above example, and do the following sentences:

1. It's cheap.
2. It 's not cheap.
3. It looks cheap.
4. It's cheap and tasty .
5. It 's new.
6. It's not new.
7. It looks new .
8. It's new and beautiful.
187
Exercise 10 i~j
Play the part of the foreigner in the following dialogue :
Mr Seto: Kyo wa tempura 0 tabe ni ikirnasho ka?
MrJones: (That'd be delightful. I've never eaten tempura
before .)
Mr Seto : Oishii desu yo. Kore wa vurnei na tempuraya desu.
Hairimash6 ka?
MrJones: ... ..... ..... ... ..... ... ... ... .... ...... .... (It looks exp ensive .)
Mr Seto : Sonna ni takaku wa arimasen yo .
MrJones: .............. ............... ...... .......... ...... ...... .. (Is it crowded?)
Mr Seto: So desu keredomo mado no soba ni teeburu ga
arimasu .
MrJones: .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. . (Shall we sit over there then?)
Mr Seto: Menyu 0 yomu koto ga dekimasu ka?
MrJones: .. .... .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . (No! It 's written in Japanese!)
Mr Seto: Kono menyu wa rornaji de kaite arimasu kara yom-
iyasui desho.
MrJones: .... (It's ea sy to read but please teach me some kanji.)
Mr Seti) : Ano . . kono kanji no yomikata wa matsu desu.
MrJones: ................................................. (I do not understand .)
Mr SaM: Matsu wa pine-tree desu ga koko dewa ichiban takai
teishoku to iu imi desu.
MrJones: (What is included?)
Mr Sata: Ebi to ika to nasu to shiitake ga haitte imasu .
MrJones: (How many prawns are put in? )
Mr SaM: Futsu sambon.
MrJones : (It sounds delicious.)
Mr Seto: Ikaga desu ka?
Mr Jones : (Th ese mushrooms ar e delicious.)
Mr Seti): Nasu wa suki desu ka?
MrJones: (Not a lot.)
Mr Sett) : Ebi 0 rno sukoshi ikaga desu ka?
MrJones: (I'm full to bursting!)
Mr SaM : Ah saifu 0 wasurete shimaimashita .
MrJones: (I am treating you. Bill , ple ase!)
188 CHAPTER 18
LANGUAGE FOR MEN

AND WOMEN
189
18.1 DIALOGUES i':Sj
Dialogue 1
Mr Ito and his brother arrange a visit to a baseball match .
Mr It6: Kondo no nichivo vakvu 0 mi ni iko ka?
Toshio: Chotto matte kure. Techo 0 miru kara. Dame da yo.
Dovo nara ii yo. Goji ni kyuj6 no mae de a6.
Mr It6: Wakatta.
Toshio: Dotchi ga katsu ka na?
Mr It6: Mochiron Kyojin da ze.
Toshio: Baka yar6! Hanshin ni kimattera.
Mr It6: Chikatetsu de kuru kai?
Toshio: Ore wa kuruma da kara tochu de hirotte yaru yo.
Mr It6: Kondo no nichiy6bi ni yakyu 0 mi ni ikimash6 ka?

Toshio: Chotto matte kudasai. Techo 0 mimasu kara. Dame
desu yo. Doy6bi nara ii desu keredomo. Goii ni
kyujo no mae de airnasho.
Mr It6: Wakarimashita.
Toshio: Dochira ga katsu to omoimasu ka?
Mr It6: Mochiron Kyojin desu yo.
Toshio: Chigaimasu! Hanshin ga katsu ni kimatte imasu.
Mr It6: Chikatetsu de kimasu ka?
Toshio: Watakushi wa kuruma 9a arimasu kara tochu de anata
o hiroimash6.
Dialogue 2 i':Sj
Mrs Ito and Mrs Yamada discuss flower arranging.
Mrs It6: Haishu no nichiy6 ni tomodachi no kekkonshiki ga aru
no. Atashi wa hana 0 ikenakereba naranai kara
hana 0 erabu no 0 tetsudatte kurenai?
Mrs Yamada: Mochiron ii wa. Donna hana 9a ii kashira?
Mrs It6: S6 ne. Akarui hana ga ii wa ne.
Mrs Yamada: Sore ja bara wa do?
Mrs It6: Ii wa ne. Sore ni kiku to yuri mo iremasho yo. S6
sureba aka, kiiro, momoiro de totemo utsuku-
shiku naru wa.
Mrs Yamada: So ne, Utsukushii wa ne.
Mrs It6: Demo umaku dekiru kashira.
Mrs Yamada: lrnotosan no kekkon no toki ni anata ga iketa
hana wa subarashikatta ja nai?
Mrs It6: Ah ... kino katta osaifu 0 mo miseta kashira?
Mrs Yamada: Totemo kirei da wa.
190
Mrs Ito: RaishG no nichivobi ni tomodachi no kekkonshiki qa

arimasu. Watakushi wa hana 0 ikenakereba nari-
masen kara hana 0 erabu koto 0 tetsudatte kuda-
saimasen ka?
Mrs Yamada : Mochiron ii desu yo. Donna hana qa ii desho ka?
Mrs Ito: So desu ne. Akarui hana 9a ii desho ne.
Mrs Yamada: Sore dewa bara wa do desho ka?
Mrs Ito : Sore wa ii desu ne. Sore ni kiku to yuri mo iremashO
yo. So sureba aka, kiiro, momoiro de totemo
utsukushiku narimasu ne.
Mrs Yamada: So desu ne, Utsukushii desu ne,
Mrs Ito: Demo jozu ni dekiru desho ka?
Mrs Yamada: lrnotosan no kekkon no toki ni anata qa iketa
hana wa subarashikatta desu.
Mrs Ito: Ah . . . kino katta osaifu 0 rno misemashita ka?
Mrs Yamada: Totemo kirei desu ne.
18.2 VOCABULARY
yakyG baseb all

iko 'male' language for
ikirnasho
kure 'male' langu age for kuda-
sai
techo notebook , memor andum-
book
dame no good
da plain form of desu
kyGjo baseb all-park
ao 'male' language for
airnasho
wakatta past plain form of wakaru
dotchi which (same as dochira)
katsu W in
na d'you think
Kyojin Giants
ze emphatic particle (like yo)
baka varol idiot!
Hanshin ~Ji ,~* the Osaka-Kobe baseb all
team
kimattera are sure to = kimatte
imasu (from kimaru , to
be cert ain , to be bound
to)
191
kuru kai = kimasu ka

ore 'male' language for'!'
tochu de on the way
hirotte yaru I'll make sure I pick you up
hirotte from hirou , to pick up (by car)
yaru familiar verb equalling suru
to omoimasu ka do you think
shiki ceremony
no 'female' particle used for
emphasis or query
atashi 'female ' language for'!'
hana flower
ikeru arrange (hence ikebana,
flower-arranging)
(a weak verb)
erabu choose
tetsudau give a hand, help
kurenai = kudasai
wa 'female ' language for yo
kashira I wonder
akarui light-coloured
ja = dewa
bara rose
kiku chrysanthemum
yuri lily
irernasho let's put in (from ireru)
(a weak verb)
aka red (the noun)
kiiro yellow
momoiro pink (literally , peach-coloured)
umaku skilfully (from umai)
dekiru do , be able to do, be capable of
doing (a weak verb)
iketa past plain form of ikeru
subarashikatta was splendid, past form of
subarashii
katta past plain form of kau
ma already
miseta past plain form of miseru, to
show
192
18.3 EXPLANAnONS
(a) Men and Women speaking

In this chapter, we see the striking differences in the way men and
women talk Japanese. It is not recommended that foreigners adopt
these forms of speaking - and as modern life is gradually altering the
relationship between the sexes , these differences are becoming less
marked - but, as they are a very important feature of spoken
Japanese, they are included here .
Basically 'male' speech is gruffer, more brusque; 'female' speech
gentler, more gracious. The plain form of the verb is preferred by
men - aru for arimasu, wakatta for wakarimashita, ao for ai-
rnasho . And , as you have seen, the final particles differ considerably .
(b) Ikebana
Flower-arranging is very much an art in Japan . There must never be
an even number of flowers in any ikebana composition , and
especially not 4 as the sound shi (4) is the same as shi (death) . This is
why you never give four of anything to a Japanese . In stores,
sake-cups or tea-cups are always sold in sets of five .
(c) The past plain form in relative clauses

Whereas as in Chapter 16.3(e), the infinitive replaces the present tense
in sentences like :
Megane 0 kakete iru hito wa ototo desu.

The man who is wearing spectacles is my younger brother.
the past tense is replaced by the past plain form:
anata ga iketa (ikemashita) hana

the flowers you arranged
kino katta (kaimashita) osaifu 0 misemashita ka?
Have I shown you the purse I bought yesterday?
Almost always in the relative clause, the subject is signalled by ga:
Watakushi ga eranda kuruma wa akai desu.

The car I chose is red.
Sate-san ga kaita hon 0 yomimashita ka?
Have you read the book Mr Sato wrote?
193
(d) The past plain form of adjectives

Adjectives, too, have a past plain form. You cut off the final -i of any
true adjective and add -katta :
ana Nihon no eiga wa that Japanese film was

muzukashikatta difficult
For ii the old form yoi is used :
yokatta it was good
In conversation, no desu is sometimes added:
warukatta no desu it was bad
(e) To think that . •.

· .. to omoimasu after the plain form means 'think that . .. ':
Dochira ga katsu to omoimasu ka?

Who do you think will win?
Kobe e itta to omoimasu.
I think he has gone to Kobe .
(0 To be certain to, to be bound to

· .. ni kimaru means 'to be certain to ', 'to be bound to' :
Kyojin qa katsu ni kimatte imasu.

The Giants are bound to win.
Ito-san 9a ikeru hana wa utsukushii ni kimatte imasu.
The flowers which Mr Ito arranges are bound to be splendid .
(g) To make a verb into a noun

To make a verb into a noun you can either add koto as in 14.3 (0) or
no to the infinitive:
hana 0 erabu koto 0 tetsudatte kudasai

hana 0 erabu no 0 tetsudatte kudasai
please help me to choose some flowers
(h) How do you find ... ?

· .. do desu ka? How do you find . . . ?
atarashii kaisha wa do desu ka? how is your new firm?

194
18.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
You prefer something else (Example: Shirai hana? (Red ones) - lie,
akai hana no h6 ga ii desu.) :
1. Takushii? (Underground)
2. Kiku? (Lilies)
3. Naganegi? (Aubergine)
4. Futsuka? (The third)
5. Ashita? (The day after to-morrow)
6. Pan? (Rice)
7. JQsu? (Water)
8. Morna? (Japanese pear)
9. Gogo? (a.m .)
10. Ocha? (Indian tea)
11. Keisu? (Despatch-case)
12. Shimbun? (Magazine)
Exercise 2
Doka de aimashO ka? Where shall we meet?
1. In front of the museum .
2. Behind the bank.
3. Next to Mr Sate's house .
4. At the station .
5. In front of the baseball-park .
Exercise 3
Nani a erabimashita ka? What did you choose ?
1. 5 red roses.
2. 7 big chrysanthemums.
3. 3 white lilies.
4. 6 small eggs.
5. 20 cigarettes.
6. 3 100 yen stamps .
Exercise 4
Change the plain form (Example: Wakatta . - Wakarimashital:
1. Han a yanda.
2. Ringo a katta.
3. Ongaku a kiita.
4. Gaikakujin ni atta.
195
5. Ehagaki 0 kaita.
6. Sushi 0 tabeta.
Exercise 5
Change the verb in brackets to the past plain form (Example: Kino
(kau) osaifu 0 mimashita ka? - Kino katta osaifu 0 mimashita
ka?):
1. Kino (yomu) hon wa omoshirokatta no desu.
2. Tokyo e (kuru) sensei ni aimashita ka?
3. Motte (iku) tamago 0 tabernash ita ka?
4. Kyonen (torul shashin 0 rna misemashita ka?
5. (Wasureru) tegami 0 motte kimashita ka?
6. (Narau) kanji 0 oboete imasu ka?
7. (Morau) ehagaki 0 mitsukemasu.
8. (Ikeru) hana wa kirei desu ne.
Section B
Exercise 6
Make verb-nouns (Example: I hate reading books. - Hon 0 yomu
koto ga kirai desu.):
1. I like eating sushi .
2. I hate studying.
3. I like walking .
4. I hate drinking sake .
5. I like going to the cinema .
6. I hate listening to music.
Exercise 7
Translate:
I. I think I shall go to Yokohama tomorrow.
2. I think he went to Kobe yesterday .
3. Do you think he will come to the office today?
4. Do you think he bought a dictionary at the bookshop?
Exercise 8
Translate:
1. Momoiro no kiku 0 nambon kau tsumori desu ka?
2. Mainichi Nihongo 0 kiku no wa benri desu.
3. Tomodachi no kuru no 0 matsu koto wa omoshiroku
wa arimasen.
4. Takai yama no soba ni matsu ga takusan arimasu.
196
5. Eigo 0 oboetai desu kara yoku benkvo suru tsumori

desu.
6. Eiga 0 mite kara osushi 0 tabe ni lkimasho ka?
Exercise 9
Translate :
1. The dictionary 1 bought yesterday is not good .
2. The medicine 1 took last Friday was not very nice.
3. The flowers your mother arranged are lovely .
4. Where are the photographs you took in America?
5. The book 1 chose this morning is uninteresting.
Exercise 10 r~j
Play the part of Mr SaW in the following dialogue:
Mr Ito: Kondo no suivobi ni Yokohama e ikimasho ka?
Mr Seto: (Hold on a minute . I'll look in my diary . Sorry, that's
no good. Thursday would be all right. How about
you?)
Mr Ito: Kekko desu. Doko de airnasho ka?
MrSato: (Shall we meet in front of your house?)
Mr Ito: 56 shimash6. Nanji nil
MrSato: (At eight-thirty.)
Mr Ito: Densha de iklrnasho ka?
MrSato: ... (No , I'll have the car so I'll pick you up on the way.)
Mr Ito: Arigat6.
MrSato: ... (Oh . .. have you seen the flowers my sister brought
from the country?)
Mr Ito: Totemo kirei desu ne.
MrSato: (I love chrysanthemums.)
Mr Ito: Sara no h6 ga utsukushii to omoimasu.
MrSato: (I like red roses but 1 don 't like white ones.)
Mr Ito: Oneesan no kekkonshiki wa itsu desu ka?
MrSato: (On the 24th. Here's a photo of her new house .
Look.)
Mr Ito: Subarashii desu ne,
MrSato: (Now she 's living in Matsumoto but she intends
coming to Tokyo on the 15th.)
Mr Ito: So desu ka. Tokyo de hatarakitai desu ka?
MrSato: ........ (Yes. As she 's an English teacher she'll teach in a
middle school.)
Mr Ito: Oneesan wa Igirisu e itta koto ga arimasu ka?
MrSato: (Yes , she went to London last July and two years ago
she went to America .)
CHAPTER 19 197
AT THE BANK
AND AT THE GARAGE
198
19.1 DIALOGUES j'aij
Dialogue 1
Mr Foster asks where the bank is.
Mr Foster: Nanji ni ginko wa akimasu ka?
Mr Ito: Kuji han desu.
Mr Foster: Nanji ni shimarimasu ka?
Mr ItO: Yoji han desu.
Mr Foster: Ichiban chikai ginko wa doko ni arimasu ka?
Mr Ito: Koban wa shitte imasu ka?
Mr Foster: Shitte imasu yo .
Mr Ito: Koban no soba ni supaa ga arimasu ne.
Mr Foster: Ee. Kino supaa e itte sekken 0 kaimashita.
Mr Ito: Ano . .. Sono supaa no ushiro ni okina tatemono ga
arimasu.
Mr Foster: Sore ga ginko desho,
Mr Ito: Chigaimasu . Sore wa apaato desu ga sono tatemono
no yoko ni ginko ga arimasu.
Dialogue 2 (8j
Mr Foster opens an account.
Mr Foster: Sumimasen ga ... Ano ... koza 0 hirakitai no
desu ga do sureba ii no desho ka?
Clerk: Kantan desu yo . Kochira ni onamae 0 kaite itadakereba
sugu ni koza 0 hiraku koto ga dekimasu.
Mr Foster: Pondo 0 en ni kaete kudasaimasu ka?
Clerk: Hai.
Mr Foster: Kyo wa ichipondo wa nan-en desu ka?
Clerk: Chotto matte kudasai. Ima shirabete kimasu kara ....
Kyo wa nihyakuhachijOnana-en desu .
Mr Foster: Kino yori yasui desu ne.
Clerk: So desu ne. Mainichi kawarimasu kara.
Mr Foster: En wa kawariyasui desu ne!
Clerk: lie! Pondo desu yo!
Mr Foster: Hyakupondo 0 en ni kaete itadakemasen ka?
Clerk: Kashikomarimashita. Tesurvo 0 itadakimasu ga yoroshii
desu ka?
Mr Foster: Sore wa shirimasen deshita. Nampaasento desho
ka?
Clerk: Gopaasento desu. Sumimasen.
Mr Foster: lie, kamaimasen.
199
Dialogue 3 ~
At a filling-station.
Mr Foster: Gasorin 0 irenakereba narimasen. Asoko ni gaso-
rinsutando ga arimasu kara tornarirnasho.
Mantan ni shite kudasai.
Attendant: Hai.
Okyakusan! Enjinoiru wa daijobu desu ka?
Mr Foster: Chotto shirabete kudasai.
Attendant: Ah . . . kore wa daibu furui desu ne. Makkuro desu
yo . Hora!
Mr Foster: Kore wa rentakaa desu ga ...
Attendant: Hidoi kaisha da nfl! Oiru 0 sukoshi irernasho ka?
Mr Foster: Irete kudasai.
Attendant: Ichirittoru irernasho.
Mr Foster: Taiya mo chiekku shite kudasai.
Attendant: Wakarimashita . Sore dewa kuruma 0 chotto achira
e ugokashite kudasai . Furonto garasu 0
arairnasho ka?
Mr Foster: lie, arawanakute mo ii desu. Kirei desu kara. Mada
ate hyakkiro mo unten shinakereba nar imasen.
Attendant: Kosokudoro wa konde imasu kara ki 0 tsukete
kudasai. Mata dozo l
19.2 VOCABULARY
akimasu from aku , to ope n up , be

ope ned
shimarimasu from shimaru , to shut up ,
close up , be closed
koban police-box
shitte -te form of shiru , to know
(a strong verb)
supaa supe rma rket
sekken soa p
ushiro behind
apaato block of flat s
koza acco unt
hiraku ope n, sta rt, esta blish
kantan simple
sugu ni straighta way
pondo pound ste rling
200
kaete -te form of kaeru, to

change, convert (a weak
verb)
shirabete -te form of shiraberu , to
check, look into , examine
(a weak verb)
kawarimasu from kawa ru, to change,
alter
kawariyasui changeable , fickle
kashikomarimashita certainly, sir
tesurvo commission, charge, fee
yoroshii all right, fine, OK
paasento per cent
kamaimasen that doesn't matter, never
mind (from kamau, to
care about)
gasorin petrol
gasorinsutando filling-station
tornarirnasho from tomaru, to stop
mantan ni suru fill up
(o)kyaku(san)! sir! (literally, honoured
guest)
enjinoiru oil
daibu considerably
furui old
makkuro black as pitch
hora! just look!
rentakaa hired car
hidoi awful, dreadful
na! I'd say!
-rittoru litre
taiya tyre
chiekku suru check
achira over there
ugokasu move
furonto garasu windscreen
arairnasho from arau, to wash
-nakute mo ii desu there is no need to
kirei clean
ato after
-kiro kilometre
kosokudoro motorway
mata dozo l until the next time! hope
to see you again!
201
19.3 EXPLANATIONS
(a) The police

The main police-station in each area is the keisatsusho . Keisatsu
means the police-force as a whole . An individual poiceman is
technically junsa, though the term generally used is omawarisan
(adapted from mawaru, to make one's rounds, to patrol).
Supplementary to the keisatsusho are many small police-boxes or
koban . These are especially useful as Japanese streets are not named
and so, very often, the only way of finding one's way is to 'ask a
policeman'. There will usually be a map of the area by the koban to
enable one to thread the impenetrable maze of Japanese streets.
(b) Buildings
Because of the frequent earthquakes, Japanese buildings used to be
low and chiefly made of wood . Modern techniques have encouraged
the construction of many high concrete buildings which are all
supposed to be earthquake-proof.
(c) Pairs of transitive/intransitive verbs

There are several pairs of verbs in Japanese (aku/akeru; shimaru/
shimeru ; tomaru/tomeru). The weak verbs are transitive - that is,
they take an object . The strong verbs are intransitive - that is, they
can stand on their own:
mado 0 akemashita I opened the window

mado 0 shimemashita I closed the window
kuruma 0 tomemashita I stopped the car
Compare:
Nanji ni ginko wa What time do the banks

akimasu ka? open?
Nanji ni shimarimasu What time do they close?
ka?
tornarirnasho let's stop
(d) shiru
shiru, to know, is usually used in the continuous form because it is
assumed if you knew it once, you still do! :
Koban wa shitte imasu Do you know the police-

ka? box?
202
The past negative is straightforward :
Sore wa shirimasen I didn 't know that.

deshita.
(e) The potential form

The potential form is another way of expressing 'to be able to ' . We
actually came across this in Chapter 6, with the verb itadakeru .
Basically , you can take any strong verb and replace the final -u by
-eru, thus making it into a weak verb :
hanas-u hanas-e hanaseru hanasemasu

yom-u yom-e yomeru yomemasu
itadak-u itadak-e itadakeru itadakemasu
This form means exactly the same as the construction koto ga

dekimasu but, as it can be done only with strong verbs, it is not as
'universal' as the koto ga dekimasu form:
Samman-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka?

Samman-en de otsuri a itadaku kata ga dekimasu ka?
May I please have the change from 30 000 yen?
(Literally, can I ask you for the change from 30, 000 yen?)
Hyakupanda a en ni kaete itadakemasen ka?
itadaku kat a ga
dekimasen ka?
Would you be so kind as to change 100 pounds into yen?
(Literally, can't I ask you to change 100 pounds into yen?)
A slight complication with the potential form is that usually it

requires ga rather than o .
Nihongo 0 hanasu kate ga dekimasu ka?

Can you speak
Nihongo ga hanasemasu ka?
Japanese?
Sona han 0 yamu kate ga dekimasu ka?
Can you read
Sona hon ga yomemasu ka?
that book ?
Especially as you can only use the koto ga dekimasu form with weak
verbs , it is probably safer to stick with the form we have learnt - but
the potential form is a very useful 'short cut' , and is very common in
colloquial Japanese . It is as well to be able to recogni se it, at least.
203
(0 I'll just go and see

Shirabete kimasu (literally , 'having checked , I'll return ' - i.e., I'll
just go and see).
(g) Japanese roads

Kosokudoro : ko = high, soku = speed , dora = roadway
Japanese roads tend to use one kanji from each of the cities they are
linking , thus altering the reading . For instance, the roads linking
Tokyo ("* Ji() and Yokohama (~Y! i!~ ) are called the dai-ichi or
dai-ni Kei-hin (Jir i~ ) (no . 1 or no . 2 with the on or Chinese
reading of kyo (J;f) and hama ( iJ~ )). In Chapter 18 we met
Han-shin (~N ,pI!) - han is the on reading of saka ( ~N) and shin
the on reading of K6 (-PIt), hence Osaka (A ~N) and Kobe
(fJll r-i) . Once more, you can see how important it is to start reading
place-n ames!
Note that when driving on the motorway, you must not exceed the
105 kph speed limit - each car must have a bell or 'bleeper' that tells
you when you have touched 106 kph .
(h) -nakute mo ii desu

The opposite of -nakereba narimasen is -nakute mo ii desu. This
really means 'even not doing something is all right' . You take the
negative infinitive form (see Chapter 11.3 (0 if you need to refresh
your memory) , cut off the final -i and add -nakute mo ii desu:
Nihongo de hanasanai.
hanasanakute mo ii desu. You don't need to
speak Japanese .
Osashimi 0 tabenakute rna ii desu.
You don 't have to eat that raw fish.
(i) Expressions with suru

In current Japanese there are several expressions borrowed from the
English and used with suru :
chiekku shite kudasai please check

purinta shite kudasai please print it
koppii shimash6 ka shall I make a copy?
204
(j) no desu/n desu

As we saw in Chapter 18.3(d), no desu (or sometimes n desu) is
used to complete an idea:
Koza 0 hirakitai no desu. I wish to open an account.

Kobe e ikitai n desu. I want to go to Kobe .
It has no special meaning, but seems to soften the 'rawness' of the

expression .
19.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Which verb should we use? aku/akeru ; shimaru/shimeru; tomaru/
tomeru?
1. Kuruma 0 (tomarimashita? tomemashita?)
2. Kuruma wa (tomarimashita? tomemashita?)
3. Hako 0 (akimashita? akemashita?)
4. Hon'ya wa rokuji ni (shimarimasu? shimemasu?)
Exercise 2
Change the reply (Example :
Nihongo de hanasanakereba narimasen ka? - lie, Nihongo de
hanasanakute mo ii desu.):
1. Tabako 0 nomanakereba narimasen ka?
2. Mado 0 akenakereba narimasen ka?
3. Shashin 0 toranakereba narimasen ka?
4. Tegami 0 kakanakereba narimasen ka?
5. Momo 0 kawanakereba narimasen ka?
6. Ashita konakereba narimasen ka?
Exercise 3
Give instructions - and be as polite as you like!
1. Mado 0 arau.
2. En 0 pondo ni kaeru.
3. Onamae 0 kaku.
4. Kuruma 0 ugokasu.
5. Shiraberu .
6. Mantan ni suru.
205
Exercise 4
Link the following sentences putting the first verb in brackets into the
-te form and the second verb into the past tense:
1. Ginko ni (hairu) koza 0 (hiraku).
2. Koza 0 (hiraku) pondo 0 en ni (kaeru).
3. Pondo 0 (kaerul ginko kara (kaeru).
4. Ginko kara (kaeru) denwa 0 (kakeru) .
5. Denwa 0 (kakeru) tomodachi 0 kuruma de (hirou).
6. Tomodachi 0 kuruma de (hirou) tempura 0 (taberu) .
7. Tempura 0 (taberu) yObinkyoku e (lku).
8. YObinkyoku e (iku) kitte 0 (kau).
9. Kitte 0 (kaul ehagaki 0 (kaku).
10. Ehagaki 0 (kaku) shimbun 0 (vomul.
Exercise 5
1. Gasorin wa irimasu.
2. Gasorin 0 irete kudasai.
3. Osato wa irimasu ka?
4. Osato 0 iremashita.
Section B
Exercise 6
Translate:
1. Do you know Mr. Sat6?
2. I didn't know that.
3. Do you know the police-box by the sake shop?
4. You must know that word!
Exercise 7
What do the following expressions mean?
1. Okyakusan!
2. Kashikomarimashita.
3. Kamaimasen.
4. Sumimasen.
5. Ki 0 tsukete kudasai.
6. Onegai shimasu .
7. Gomen kudasai.
8. Gochiso shimasu.
206
Exercise 8
T ranslate :
1. Sh all I move the car ove r there a bit ?
2. T he re's a lot of traffic on the mo torway.
3. Please check the tyres.
4. I've got another eig hty kilom etres to do .
Exercise 9
Transpose the following into th e -koto ga dekimasu fo rm (Exa mple:
Asahi Shim bun ga yomemasu - Asah i Shimbun 0 yomu koto ga
dekimasu.):
1. Furansugo ga hanasemasen.
2. Nemuremashita.
3. Hatarakemasen.
4. Itadakemasu ka?
Exerci se 10 ~
Play th e part of Mr Smith in th e followi ng dialogues:
Dialogue 1
Mr Sata: Nanj i ni j imusho wa akimasu ka?
M rSmith: ... .. .. ... ...... .. .. .... ......... ... ....... ... .. ................ (8:15)
Mr Seti):Nanj i ni otaku e kaerimasu ka?
MrSmith: ... ....... ....... .... ....... ... .......... ... ................ (About 7 p .m .)
Mr Sata: Ichiban chikai tabakoya wa doko ni arimasu ka?
MrSmith: ... ....... .. (How man y cigarettes do you smoke a day ?)
M r Seto:Nij ippon gu rai.
MrSmith : ........ ....... . (Really! Anyway . . . you know th e bank?)
Mr Sata :Hai.
MrSmith : .... ........ (T he re 's a filling-sta tion next to the ba nk isn't
the re .)
Mr SaM: S6 desu .
MrSmith: (We ll, beh ind th e filling-sta tion the re 's a
tobacconi st's)
Dialogue 2
MrSmith: ... (E xcuse me . I' d like to ope n an acco unt. How do I
do it?)
Clerk: Kantan desu yo . Kochira ni onamae 0 kaite kudasai.
MrSmith: (I under stand. )
Clerk: Amerika no kata de gozaimasu ka?
MrSmith: (No, I' m E nglish .)
Clerk: Nihongo ga ojozu desu nel
207
MrSmith: (How many yen to the pound to-day?)

Clerk: Kyo wa sambyaku-en desu.
MrSmith: (Really? It's higher than yesterday. Could you
change £50 please?)
208 CHAPTER 20
AJAPANESE INN
20.1 DIALOGUES
Dialogue 1 ~
Mr Fost er books a room by telephone .
Mr Foster: Moshi moshi.
Clerk: Hakutsuru ryokan de gozaimasu.
Mr Foster: Chotto okiki shitai no desu ga jOgatsu muika no ban
heya wa aite imasu ka?
Clerk: Shosho 0 machi kudasai ... Nanninsama de irasshai-
masu ka?
Mr Foster: Futari desu.
Clerk: Nannichi otomari desu ka?
Mr Foster: Mikkakan desu.
Clerk: Chodo keshiki no yoi heya ga aite imasu ga ikaga desu
ka?
Mr Foster: Oikura desha ka?
Clerk : Hitoban de nishoku tsuki ichiman-en ni narimasu.
Mr Foster: Igirisu yori yasui desu ne! Ima yoyaku dekimasu
ka?
Clerk : Mochiron kekko de gozaimasu. Nanji ni otsuki desha ka?
Mr Foster: Tokyo kara kisha de ikimasu kara tabun rokuji gurai
ni tsuku to omoimasu .
Clerk: Hai. Wakarimashita. Okoshi 0 omachi shite orimasu .
Mr Foster: Gomen kudasai.
Dialogue 2 rgj
Mr Foster writes to Mr Ito from Kyoto .
209
'l "
Sakuban rokujihan ni buji ni tsukimashita . Watakushitachi no

heya wa totemo subarashii desu . Mado kara Higashiyama 0
miru koto ga dekimasu. Yuhan no mae ni ofuro e ikimashita ga
hajimete deshita no de sukoshi hazukashikatta n desu. Tonikaku
daijobu deshita! Ofuro kara kaette yukata 0 kite mimashita.
Yuhan 0 motte kita jochusan wa watakushitachi 0 mite bikkuri
shimashita! Ryokan niwa hoka ni gaikokujin wa imasen kara.
Osake 0 nomanai kanai wa ocha 0 nomimashita.
Tokyo de awanakatta irnotosan wa Matsumoto e kaerimashita
ka?
210
Kisha de atta Doitsujin wa anata no kaisha 0 shitte imashita.

Yononaka semai mono desu ne!
Watakushitachi wa qetsuvobi niwa Tokyo e kaerimasu kara
kyo denkigaisha e tegami 0 kakanakute mo ii desu. Watakushi
ga kaette kara kakimasu .
Sora ga kuraku natte kimashita kara ame ga furu kamo
shiremasen. Sampo shitakatta no desu ga zannen desu!
Kesa anata ga kaita ehagaki 0 moraimashita. Kono tegami ga
watakushitachi ga Tokyo ni kaeru mae ni todoku to ii no desu
ga . . .
Okusama ni yoroshiku
Jim Foster
Jtr l it" in; *- IIIIR Tokyo-to Ota-ku

1~IJ]!2T EJ 39-4 Nagahara 2 Cherne 39-4
fJt jit~ .: U1s Hi Mr Ito n-o
20.2 VOCABULARY
moshi moshi! Halla ! (on the telephone)

hakutsuru white crane
ryokan traditional Japanese inn
ban evening (see p . 000)
aite imasu (from aku) free, unoc-
cupied, vacant
shosho a little while (like chotto)
(o)tomari staying, stopping
chodo just, exactly, precisely
keshiki scenery
keshiki no ii/yoi with a beautiful view
hitoban one evening
shoku meal
tsuki including
yoyaku reservation , booking
(o)tsuki arrival (from tsuku , to
arrive)
(olkosh i coming
orimasu (here) a politer form of
imasu
sakuban yesterday evening
buji ni safely
211
higash i eas t
yama mountain
(o)furo bath
tonikaku anyway
yukata Japan ese dressi ng-gow n
kite -te form of kiru , pu t on
(kimono , a thing you pu t
on) , (a wea k ve rb)
kite mimashita tried on
j6chO(san) maid
bikkuri suru be surprise d
hoka ni apa rt from , othe rwise
nomanai negat ive of nomu
awanakatta past negative of au
yononaka the world
semai nar row
mon(o) th ing
denki electricity
denkigaisha electric compan y
sora sky
kurai dark
kamo shiremasen may, might
zannen pity, sha me
todoku reach , get to
to if (after infinitive)
to ii it wo uld be nice if - i.e ., I
hop e that
ni yoroshiku bes t wishes to
20.3 EXPL ANATIONS
(a) The ryokan

Accommo da tion in a tr ad ition al Japanese inn consists of a room
floor ed in tatami with a kotatsu , a kind of sunke n heat ed area
ben eath a table so you can sit snugly in winte r (eve n though your
back ca n still be chilly!). All meals are serve d in th e room.
There will be two hu ge bathroo ms, one for men and one for
wome n . Fa milies can book smaller ba thro oms. If the hot el is at a hot
spring or spa th e bath will be a great fea ture of th e place .
Was hing in Jap an tak es place outside the bath. Yo u sluice yourself
with hot wate r (a nd the unwar y foreig ner should be warne d th at
Jap an ese ba ths are very hot! ) , soa p yourself, get yourse lf nice and
212
clean , sluice all the soap off and when you are spick and span fro m
top to toe you ente r the big bath and wallow luxuriously.
Yukata , cotton gown s are provided by the hotel and people wea r
them inside the hot el.
(b) The ' Bullet' train

The first high-speed tr ain in the world running on welde d rails was
co nstruc ted in Jap an in the 1960s and ran from Tok yo to Osak a via
Kyoto. It is called the shinkansen , the new main line .
(c) Addresses
Japan is divided administratively into prefectures, ken - Aomori-
ken , Chiba-ken . Citi es carry the suffix -shi - Yokohama-shi, Kobe-
shi. Tokyo , the metropolis, alon e carries the suffix -to and is
subdivide d into -ku - Ota-ku Shinjuku-ku , Chiyoda-ku, etc. Small
towns or subur bs ar e divided into chorne. Mr Ito (who, being the
second son, is called Jiro) lives in the second house built in the
th irt y-ninth plot of no . 2 chorne. It is by no means likely that his
neighbours on ea ch side are numbered consecutive ly, as num bering
depends on when the hou se was bu ilt, not where . He could live in
39-2 and be flank ed by 39-11 on o ne side and 39--4 on the othe r.
(d) Another proverb
Yononaka semai mono desu ne .

It's a sma ll world.
Japanese proverbs, as you will recall fro m Chapte r 4.3 , dispense with
particles.
(e) Making an enquiry

kiku , to hear , means also to enquire :
Chotto kikitai desu or, more politely, chotto 0 kiki shitai no

desu ) I'd like to enquire
(0 aku
Th e verb aku is used to express the idea of somethi ng being free ,
vacant or unoccup ied :
213
heya wa aite imasu ka? Have you a room avail-

able?
asoko ni teeburu qa aite there's a table free over
imasu. there.
(g) The plain form in the negative

You use the plain form in the negative to make relative clauses :
Kanai wa osake 0 norni- My wife does not drink

masen sake.
Osake 0 nomanai kanai My wife who does not
wa mizu 0 nomimashita drink sake drank water.
Yokohama e ikanai hito Those not going to
wa koko e kite kudasai. Yokohama come over
here please (see Grammar
Summary 13(b) and (cl).
(h) The past negative plain forms

The past negative plain forms are made as in Chapter 18.3(d)because
the negative infinitives are in fact adjectives . Take off the -i and put
-katta in its place :
au, to meet awanai awanakatta

taberu , to eat tabenai tabenakatta
This form is used in relative clauses:
Awanakatta im6tosan wa kaerimashita ka?

Has your sister whom I didn't meet gone back?
neko wa watakushi qa tabenakatta sakana 0 tabete
shimaimashita.
The cat ate up the fish 1 didn 't eat.
So the four tenses of each verb have alternative plain forms :
mimasu (I) see miru

mimasen don't see minai
mimashita saw mita
mimasen deshita didn 't see minakatta
hanashimasu (I) speak hanasu
hanashimasen don 't speak hanasanai
hanashimashita spoke hanashita
214
hanashimasen deshita didn't speak hanasanakatta

shimasu (I) do suru
shimasen don't shinai
shimashita did shita
shimasen deshita didn't shinakatta
(i) Expressions of time

In Chapter 15.3(0, we met jikan:
Sanjikan kakarimasu. It takes three hours.
The suffix -kan can also be used after other expressions of time:
mikkakan desu it'll be three days

sanshOkan desu it'll be for three weeks
but note:
isshOkan 1 week
hasshOkan 8 weeks
jisshOkan 10 weeks
rokunenkan for six years
For numbers of months, the suffix -kagetsu is used:
nikagetsu 2 months
but note:
ikkagetsu 1 month
rokkagetsu 6 months
jikkagetsu 10 months
(j) kamo shiremasen

After the plain form, this means 'may', or 'may possibly ':
ame ga furu kamo it may rain

shiremasen
im6to ga konai kamo my sister may not come
shiremasen
(k) sora ga kuraku natte kimashita.
The sky has clouded over, has come over dark.
215
(I) to after the infinitive

to after the infinitive means 'if' :
Yokohama e iku to ototo ni au koto ga dekimasu.
If you should go to Yokohama you can meet my brother.
This construction is often used with ii desu , and this is the best way of
expressing the ideas of 'hoping to' :
Kono tegami ga ash ita todoku to ii desu .

I hope this letter will arriv e to-morrow .
(literally, if this letter arrives to-morrow good !)
kono tegami ga watakushi ga Tokyo ni kaeru mae ni todoku
to ii desu.
I hope this letter will arrive before I return to Tokyo.
20.4 EXERCISES
Section A
Exercise 1
Put in the appropriate particles (ga, ka, ni, 0, to, wa) :
1. Ashita kuru - - kimatte imasu .
2. Sensei - - kaita hon - - yomimashita - - 7
3. Sukiyaki - - tabe - - ikimasho - - 7
4. Maguro - - shimasu.
5. Sore - - shirimasen deshita.
6. Biiru - - nihon kudasai.
7. Mado - - akemashita .
8. Dochira - - katsu - - omoimasu - - 7
9. Nanji - - jimusho - - akimasu - - 7
10. En - - pondo - - kaemashita.
Exercise 2
Say it may occur (Example: Ame ga furimasu . - Ame ga furu
kamo shiremasen.) :
1. Tokyo ikimasu .
2. Bikkuri shimasu .
3. Kanji 0 naraimasu.
4. Hairimasu.
216
Exercise 3
Convert to the past negative plain form (Example: aimasen de-
shita - awanakatta) :
1. Yomimasen deshita.
2. Todokimasen deshita.
3. Akemasen deshita.
4. Koko e kimasen deshita .
5. Yukata 0 kimasen deshita.
6. Shirimasen deshita.
7. Purinto shimasen deshita.
8. Tomarimasen deshita.
9. Kuruma 0 ugokashimasen deshita.
10. Ikimasen deshita.
Exercise 4
Say what you want and wanted to do (Example: Sampo
suru. - Sampo shitai no desu . Sampo shitakatta no desu.) :
1. Shimbun 0 yomu.
2. Eiga 0 miru .
3. YQbinkyoku e iku.
4. Asoko ni tomaru.
Exercise 5
You are telephoning a ryokan. Ask if there is a room free on :
1. January 25.
2. March 4.
3. July 8.
4. August 13.
5. September 2.
6. Next Wednesday.
7. Next Saturday.
8. On Friday the week after next.
Exercise 6
The clerk asks you how many people are involved :
Nanninsama de irasshaimasu ka?
You reply:
1. One.
2. Two.
3. Three .
4. Four.
217
5. Myself and my son.

6. My wife and my daughter.
Exercise 7
The clerk asks you how long you are intending to stay : Nannichi
otomari desu ka? you reply:
1. One night.
2. Two nights.
3. Four nights .
4. Five nights.
5. Six nights.
6. One week.
7. Two weeks.
8. One month .
9. Six months.
10. Seven months.
Exercise 8
The clerk tells you how much . You turn to your friend and say how
much it comes to per night with two meals included:
1. 9500 yen .
2. 11 000 yen.
3. 14 000 yen .
4. 20 000 yen.
Section B
Exercise 9
Translate:
1. The book I didn't read.
2. The man who didn't write that letter.
3. The man who didn't come to the office yesterday .
4. The purse you didn't buy.
Exercise 10
What sort of a person is it? (Example: A woman who doesn't drink
sake. - Osake 0 nomanai onna no kata desu.)
1. A man who does not speak Japanese.
2. A child who does not study.
3. A man who does not smoke .
4. A Japanese who does not eat raw fish .
5. A friend who does not return to his home-town.
218
Exercise 11
Translate:
1. When we got back to Tokyo we used the phone.
2. When we reached Kyoto we met your friend.
3. If we stop the car over there we'll be able to see Mt Fuji.
4. I hope we arrive at the inn before 6.
5. I hope he'll come before dinner.
219
REVISION AND
FOR CHAPTERS 15-20
Do this test and mark it, using the mark-scheme suggested . If you
made any mistakes make sure you go back and revise the relevant
chapter(s) .
Section 1
1. Ask where the toilet is.
2. Ask where the police -station is.
3. Ask where the doctor's house is.
4. Ask where the Japanese inn is.
5. Ask where the nearest police -box is.
(Score: 5)
Section 2
Put in the appropriate particles (de, ga, na, ni, no, 0, to, wa)
1. Eigo - - wakarirnasu,
2. VOmei - - tokoro' desu.
3. Tokyo - - umaremashita.
4. Oji - - kaita tegami - - yomimashita.
5. Jiro - - iu tomodachi - - shitte imasu ka?
6. Biiru - - shimasu.
7. Itsu tsuku - - omoimasu ka?
8. Supaa - - soba - - ginko - - arimasu.
9. Takushii - - kimashita.
10. RaishO kaeru - - kimatte imasu.
11. Kauntaa - - suwarimasho.
(Score: 15)
220
Section 3
Reply converting the name (Example: Okusan wa itsu Nihon e
kimashita ka? (Yesterday) - Kanai wa kino Nihon e kimashita.):
1. Ojosan no tanjobi wa itsu desu ka? (April 1st)
2. Botchan wa nansai desu ka? (8)
3. Okaasan wa itsu kaerimasu ka? (July 10th)
4. Oniisan wa nani 0 shite imasu ka? (He's working in an
office)
5. lrnotosan wa nannen ni umaremashita ka? (1956)
(Score: 10).
Section 4
What is the Japanese for these words ?
1. To open (something).
2. To close (something).
3. Light-coloured .
4. Dark .
5. Last year.
6. This year.
7. The day before yesterday.
8. The day after tomorrow.
9. Happy.
10. Lonely.
(Score: 10)
Section 5
What do the following set-phrases mean?
2. Zannen desu gao
3. Go yukkuri.
5. Okanjo 0 onegai shimasu .
6. Dame desu.
7. Ornedeto gozaimasu.
8. Kashikomarimashita.
(Score: 8)
Section 6
1. I like eating.
2. I dislike going to the cinema.
221
3. I like driving.
4. I dislike arranging flowers .
(Score: 4)
Section 7
1. By6ki ni naru to nani 0 shinakereba narimasen ka?
2. Kitte 0 kaitai hito wa doko e ikimasu ka?
3. Tempuraya e iku to nani 0 taberu koto ga dekimasu ka?
4. Hamigaki 0 kaitakereba doko e ikanakereba narimasen
ka?
(Score: 12)
Section 8

1. Those kanji are easy to read.
2. That book is hard to read.
3. The weather is changeable .
4. Your name is easy to write .
(Score: 4)
Section 9
Who are these people and what are they doing ?
1. Shashin 0 totte iru hito wa asoko ni sunde imasu.
2. Megane 0 kakete iru kata wa suqaku no sensei desu.
3. Aruite kaette iru hito wa ane desu.
4. Tabako 0 sutte iru otoko wa gaikokujin desu .
(Score: 8)
Section 10
Translate :
1. Ongaku 0 kikinagara zasshi 0 yomimashita.
2. Kono jibiki wa ii desu kara otomodachi no tame ni
narimasu.
3. Gekij6 e itta koto ga arimasu ka?
4. Hazukashigaranaide yugohan 0 taberu mae ni ofuro e
itte kudasai.
5. Kanai ga kawanakatta saifu wa chiisakute akakatta n
desu.
(Score: 15)
222
Section 11
Express the following in Japanese:
1. It may snow.
2. He may arrive before lunch .
3. You don't have to wash my car.
4. You don't have to change your pounds into yen .
(Score: 8)
Section 12
Translate :
1. Sate-san no okusan ga tsukutta nasu to shiitake wa
oishii desu.
2. Senshu hairanakatta hon'ya e itte kimi ga kaita hon 0
kaimashita.
3. Otomodachi ga eranda heya wa totemo subarashikatta
n desu.
4. Watakushi ga shiranakatta kanji 0 oshiete kudasaima-
sen ka?
(Score: 12)
Section 13
What shall we do?
1. Let's take a seat.
2. Let's open an account.
3. Let's pick up Nobuo on the way.
4. Let's go in.
(Score: 4)
Section 14 ~
Read the following conversation or listen to it on your cassette . If you
have the cassette, do not read the text. Then answer the questions
underneath.
A. Eiga 0 mi ni ikirnasho ka?
B. So shirnasho. Sore wa tanoshimi desu ne. Itsu desho
ka?
A. Kondo no kin'vobi wa ikaga desu ka?
B. Chotto matte kudasai. Techo 0 mimasu kara.
Ah ... dame desu yo. lrnoto ga Yokohama kara kuru
so desu kara. Haishu no qetsuvobi nara ii desu
keredomo.
A. Haishu no getsuyobi desu ka? Doko de aimasho ka?
B. Watakushi wa kuruma ga arimasu kara tochu de
anata 0 hirolrnasho.
223
A. Arigato gozaimasu. Demo futsu kuruma ga konde

imasu kara chikatetsu de iku h6 ga ii to omoimasu.
Desu kara eki no mae de aimasho ne.
B. Nan no eiga 0 mimasho ka?
A. Atarashii Igirisu no eiga 0 mitai desu keredomo.
B. Eigakan wa nanji ni akimasu ka?
A. Shimbun ga arimasu ka?
B. Arimasu yo ... Eeto ... Doko ni arimasu ka? Omoi-
dashimashita! Daidokoro ni arimasu. Chotto matte
kudasai. Shimbun 0 mitsukete kimasu ... Ano, sono
eigakan wa niji ni akimasu.
A. Yoru wa?
B. Shichijihan desu.
A. Watakushi wa qetsuvobi hirugohan no ato ni
Yamada to iu tomodachi ni awanakereba narimasen
kara yoru ni shimasho ka?
B. Kekko desu. Eiga 0 mite kara doko de yagohan 0
tabernasho ka?
A. Tempuraya wa do desho ka?
B. Ii desu yo .
1. What does the first speaker suggest they do ?
2. When does he suggest?
3. Why cannot the second speaker make it?
4. When does the second speaker prefer?
5. How does the second speaker suggest they get there?
6. Why is this a bad idea?
7. What does the first speaker propose?
8. Where will they meet?
9. What would he like to see ?
10. Where is the newspaper?
11. What time does the place open?
12. Why cannot the first speaker make it in the afternoon?
13. When will they in fact go?
14. When will they have dinner?
15. Where will they have it?
(Score: 15)
Self-assessment grades: Maximum total = 130.

Over 100: Excellent
75-100: Satisfactory
225
II REFERENCE MATERIAL
227
ANOTE ON
WRITTEN JAPANESE
The aim of everyone who wishes to master Japanese should be to

read and write the language as well as sp eak it. Thi s is difficult , of
course, because English and Japanese have no common alphabet or
conv ention of writing it down . It must be stressed that this book is a
fir st stage. Japanese transcribed into Western script (rornaji , or
Roman letters) is an entirely artificial invention , created so as to make
the initial approach to th e langu age for the average enthusiast an easy
one . But , in fact , many of the difficulties encountered in the language
as written in rornaji melt awa y when you have master ed th e written
Japanese language . And it do es not take long to make a sta rt !
Hiragana con sists of 45 symbols (a, i, u, e, 0, ka, ki, etc.) with
accents to alter the sound from k to g, S to Z, t to d, and h to b or p.
Th ese are used to writ e the so und of Japanese down .
Katakana consists of 45 different symbols for the same sounds and
is used to transcribed foreign words that have entered the language
(basu , terebi , takushii : bu s, television, taxi); to give em phasis much
in the same way as we use italic s: I said so! ; and for writing telegram s.
The written Japanese language itself derived from Chinese , and
one has to learn man y Chinese characters or kanji. The minimum laid
down by the Japanese government is 1850 plus 92 which are
authorised for names , but in practice one's own interests dictate,
after a certain point, which kanji one knows ... or doe s not know .
The sentence Watakushi wa Tokyo e basu de ikimashita would
be written like this: Watakushi (one Chinese character) ; wa (hira-
gana); Tokyo (two Chinese characters); e (hiragana); basu (two
katakana); de (hiragana); i (Chinese character) ; kimashita (four
hiragana) . Thus:
228
No -one is saying it is easy . . . but it is fascina ting and the pro per way
to 'see' the written lan guage. Th ere is very little rornaji around in
Japan , and th e foreigner need s to be ab le to recognise th e Jap anese
way of indicating Gents, Ladies , Entrance , Exit, etc. Some exam ples
of th e writte n language have been intro duced in the late r chapters of
this book -- which, we hope, will have whe tted the reader's appetite
for mor e . Hiragana and katakana are listed on pp. 330- 7, togeth er
with those kanj i one is most likely to need at first.
Gambatte kudasa i! (Keep at it!)
229
TRANSLATION OF DIALOGUES
IN
CHAPTERS 1-20
Chapter 1: Greetings and introductions
Dialogue 1
Mr Foster: Mr It6?
Mr It6: Yes, I'm It6.
Mr Foster: I'm Foster.
Mr It6: Is that right ? Are you Mr Foster ? How do you do?
Mr Foster: How do you do . Thi s is my wife , Mary.
Mr It6: Th is is your wife? 'Mary' ? Is th at right?
Mrs Foster: Th at's right. I'm Mar y. How do you do?
Mr It6: How are you? Well?
Mrs Foster: Yes, th ank you. Very well. And you too I hop e?
Mr It6: Yes, thank you. I' m fine. Now .. . Wh er e are your case s?
Mr Foster: Her e . Th ese are our cases. Those by you are no t our
cases .
Dialogue 2
Mrs Foster: My case is a red one .
Mr It6: Is it big or small?
Mrs Foster: It 's a big one . My husband 's case also.
Mr Foster: Mine's a big case but it isn't red. It 's black .
Mr It6: Is this it?
Mr Foster: That's it. Th at's my case .
Mrs Foster : The red case is mine . Thank you .
Mr Foster: Wher e's my bri efcase?
Mrs Foster : Mr It6 ! Wher e's my husband's briefcase?
Mr It6: Is your husband's briefcase big?
Mrs Foster: No , not big. It's small.
Mr It6: Is it red? Black ?
Mrs Foster: Black.
230
Mr It6: Is this your husband's briefcase?

Mrs Foster: That's it.
Mr Foster: That's it. That's my briefcase . Thank you .
Chapter 2: The family car

Dialogue 1
Mr Foster: Where is your car?
Mr It6: Over there. It's that red one over there .
Mr Foster: An English car?
Mr It6: No! It's not an English car. It's a Japanese one .
Mr Foster: Is it! A Japanese car? A Honda?
Mr It6: No, not a Honda . It's a Mitsubishi .
Mr Foster: My car's a Honda - not an English car!
Mrs Foster: My husband's car is a Honda but my little car is an
English car.
Mr Foster. Yes, indeed . My wife's car is an Austin.
Dialogue 2
Mr It6: Ah! This is an English car, isn't it.
Mr Foster: It is indeed. This car is a Hillman .
Mr It6: 'Hi-ru-man'! English names are difficult aren't they!
Mr Foster: Difficult?
Mr It6: Yes . Very difficult.
Mrs Foster: Japanese names are difficult too . 'Yokohama.' 'Yama-
shita.' 'Kawasaki .' The pronunciation is hard.
Mr It6: Really? 'Ito' isn't hard! It's easy!
Mrs Foster: It's easy but difficult for English people and
Americans.
Mr It6: That's true . Japanese names are easy for Japanese but they
are difficult for foreigners .
Mr Foster: English names are easy for us.
Mr It6: That's right! They are easy for you.
Well . .. Here it is. This is my car. Small isn't it!
Mrs Foster: No, it's not small. It's a big one .
Mr It6: It isn't big.
Chapter 3: Eating at home

Dialogue 1
Mrs Foster: What do Japanese people eat?
Mrs It6: A lot of rice. Fish too . Do the English eat rice?
Mr Foster: Yes.
Mrs Foster: Yes, they do.
Mr It6: They eat rice but they don't eat raw fish!
231
Mr Foster: Usually they don't but I've eaten raw fish .

Mrs Ito: Have you? In England?
Mr Foster: No . In Japan .
Mrs Ito : And your wife. Has she ever eaten raw fish?
Mrs Foster: No, I haven't.
Mr Ito: Well .. . what are we having for dinner?
Mrs Ito: Rice and fish and leeks .
Mr Ito: What are we drinking?
Mrs Ito: Sake or beer.
Mr Foster: My wife doesn't drink beer. Is there water?
Mrs Ito: Do you drink 'ocha'?
Mrs Foster: What is that?
Mr Foster: Ocha is a Japanese drink. It is good for you!
Mrs Ito: It certainly is!
Dialogue 2:
Mrs Ito: Those are shrimps.
Mrs Foster: Aren't they huge!
Mr Ito: Japanese shrimps are big .
Mr Foster: How do you like them?
Mrs Foster: Mmmm! They're delicious.
Mrs Ito: Aren't English shrimps large?
Mr Foster: No . They aren't big. They're small.
Mrs Foster: American shrimps are big too.
Mr Ito: Yes, they are , aren't they? Did you eat shrimps in
America?
Mrs Foster: Yes .
Dialogue 3
Mr Ito: Mr Foster, will you have some sake?
Mr Foster: Thank you.
Mr Ito: Mrs Foster doesn't drink beer?
Mrs Foster: No. I don't.
Mrs Ito: Will you have some ocha?
Mrs Foster: Thank you . It 's delicious.
Mrs Ito: These are leeks. Do you have leeks in England?
Mr Foster: Yes indeed.
Mr Ito: I've eaten leeks in England .
Mr Foster: Japanese leeks are small but English ones are large.
Mr Ito: That's right. They're large, aren 't they.
Mrs Ito: Now . . . there's some fruit. What will you have? An
apple? A peach?
Mrs Foster: A peach, please.
232
Mrs It6: Mr Foster. What will you have?

Mr Foster: I'll have a peach too. Thank you .
Chapter 4: After dinner

Dialogue 1
Mr It6: Mr Foster. When did you come to Japan before?
Mr Foster: 1976.
Mrs It6: 1976 ... That was Showa 51, wasn't it.
Mr It6: That's right. Showa 1 was 1926. Therefore Showa 10 was
1935.
Mrs It6: It's difficult, isn't it!
Mr It6: It's easy! Showa 20 was 1945.
Mr Foster: Showa 30 . . .
Mrs Foster: Was 1955!
Mr It6: You're clever, Mrs Foster!
Mrs Foster: No, I'm not!
Dialogue 2
Mrs It6: Did you come to Japan too in Showa 51, Mary-san?
Mrs Foster: No. I didn't come . My husband came here alone .
Mr It6: Did you come in the autumn?
Mr Foster: No . In the summer.
Mr It6: Tokyo summers are hot aren 't they!
Mr Foster: They certainly are! They're hot.
Mrs It6 : They're hot and humid.
Mrs Foster: That word mushiatsui? What is it? I don 't
understand.
Mrs It6: It is hot. It rains . There is no wind .
Mr It6: It's bad weather.
Dialogue 3
Mrs Foster: Now it isn't mushiatsui! It's lovely weather.
Mrs It6: Cool, isn't it?
Mrs Foster: It certainly is.
Mrs It6: Another cup of tea?
Mrs Foster: No . Thank you very much . That's fine .
Mr Foster: That was an excellent meal!
Mrs It6: Mr Foster speaks Japanese very well, doesn't he?
Mr Foster: No , I don't.
Mrs It6: You both speak well. Is Japanese difficult for foreigners?
Mr Foster: Yes! Very difficult!
Mrs Foster: Mr Ito . Is English easy or difficult?
Mr It6: Very difficult!
233
Mr Foster: English is easy for the Englis h but Japanese is difficult

for the m.
Mr Ito: Tha t's true! Japanese is not difficult for Japanese but it is
for foreig ne rs.
Chapter 5: The next morning

Dialogue 1
Mrs Ito : Good morning!

Mrs Foster: Good morning!
Mrs Ito: Did you slee p well?
Mrs Foster : Yes, th an k you. Ve ry well.
Mrs Ito: A lovely day, isn't it?
Mrs Foster : Oh yes. It' s not 'ho t and hum id' !
Mrs Ito : Now it's Septemb er so it's not ho t. Is th e weath er goo d in
En gland in the aut umn?
Mrs Foster: Som etimes but sometimes it rains a lot.
Mrs Ito: In Jap an it rains a lot in June and Jul y but usually in
autumn it doe sn't.
Mrs Foster : Does it snow in winter?
Mrs Ito: In the north and west of Japan but not in Tok yo . To kyo
wint ers are very cold.
Mrs Foster: A re they? Us ually Londo n winters aren 't cold . It rains
a lot but it does n' t snow .
Mrs Ito : In Sep tember ther e are typhoons. Take care!
Mrs Foster : Eve ry year?
Mrs Ito: No, of course not eve ry year but last year ther e was a big
o ne .
Dialogue 2:
Mr Ito : Tod ay is Saturday so I'm no t going to th e office . In En gland
as well is Saturda y a holid ay?
Mr Foster: Yes. Now it is but ten yea rs ago I went to th e office
eve ry day - of course not on Sund ay!
Mr Ito: The same in Japan but now it' s fro m Monday to Fr iday.
Mr Foster : Do the childre n go to schoo l?
Mr Ito : Yes . Th ey go on Saturdays as well. How abo ut En gland ?
Mr Foster: Ten yea rs ago they did but not now. Wh at time do
Japan ese childre n go to schoo l?
Mr Ito : 8 in the morning.
Mr Foster : Really! In England it's 9. Th ey come back hom e at 4.
Mr Ito : In Jap an it's 5.
234
Mr Foster: When do they have breakfast?

Mr Ito: 7.
Mr Foster: And lunch?
Mr Ito: Usually at 12.15.
Dialogue 3
Mr Ito: What shall we do today?
Mr Foster: What's the time?
Mr Ito: 10.
Mr Foster: No! ten past!
Mr Ito: Is it? Well . .. when did you come yesterday? Half past six,
wasn't it?
Mr Foster: That's right. At 6.30.
Mrs Ito: It's a lovely day .
Mr Ito: Beautiful. Shall we drive out into the country?
Mrs Ito: Let's lunch at 1. Then go for a walk . How about that?
Mr Foster: A lovely idea! Let's do that!
Chapter 6: Shopping - 1 Going to the bookshop

Dialogue 1
Mrs Foster: I'd like to go shopping .
Mrs Ito: Would you? Where would you like to go?
Mrs Foster: I'd like to go to the bookshop if that's all right.
Mrs Ito: Fine . I want to buy a dictionary at the bookshop .
Mrs Foster: Where is the bookshop?
Mrs Ito: In front of the Post-Office.
Mrs Foster: Really? Well , that's good. As I want to get some
stamps shall we go together to the Post-Office?
Mrs Ito: Let's walk. It's only ten minutes.
Mrs Foster: As it's fine I'd like a walk .
Mrs Ito: So would I. Shall we be off?
Mrs Foster: Right. I'd like to see a Japanese bookshop .
Mrs Ito: It'll be interesting.
Mrs Foster: Yes, very interesting. What time will you get back to
your house?
Mrs Ito: At half past eleven .
Dialogue 2
Mrs Ito The bookshop is next to the fruit shop.
Mrs Foster: Do you want to buy some fruit?
Mrs Ito: No . I don't want to get any fruit but the fruit do look
beautiful don't they?
235
Mrs Foster: Indeed they do . They are beautiful. The colours of the
peaches and the Japanese pears and the apples
are really beautiful.
Mrs Ito: Here's the bookshop. Let's go on in.
Anyone there?
Shopkeeper: Come on in!
Mrs Ito: My friend is English.
Shopkeeper: Is she really? Has she come over from England?
Mrs Foster: Yes. I arrived in Japan yesterday.
Shopkeeper: Ah! You understand Japanese? You speak it well!
Mrs Foster: No, I'm not at all good at it.
Dialogue 3
Mrs Ito: I want to buy an English-Japanese dictionary. Have you
got one?
Shopkeeper: I have indeed . This is a good dictionary
Mrs Ito: Is it expensive?
Shopkeeper: It's a little expensive but it is a very useful dictionary.
Mrs Ito: How much is it?
Shopkeeper: 25 800 yen.
Mrs Ito: Is it? 25 800 yen! It is dear. However as I want to read
English books a dictionary is necessary. English
words are very hard for me . Here's 30 000 yen.
Shopkeeper: Many thanks. And here's 4200 yen change .
Mrs Ito: Thank you .
Chapter 7: Shopping - 2 At the post office

Dialogue
Mrs Ito: What do you want to get , Mary?
Mrs Foster: Some stamps. As I wrote some letters this morning I
want to send them to England .
Mrs Ito: How many did you write?
Mrs Foster: Five.
Mrs Foster: Excuse me. Do you understand English?
Employee: No .
Mrs Foster: Mrs Ito! Would you be so kind as to buy my stamps for
me?
Mrs Ito: No! Since you speak Japanese so well, speak it now!
Mrs Foster: Well . . . I'd like to send these letters to England .
How much would that be?
Employee: To England? Just a moment.
Mrs Ito: How much are they?
236
Mrs Foster: I don't know yet.

Employee : Let 's see . . . If they' re for E ngland it' s 350 yen.
Mrs Foster: Five 350 yen sta mps please.
Employee : Tha t comes to 1750 yen.
Mrs Foster: Oh I' ve rem ember ed . My husban d wro te two post-
cards. How much are they?
Employee: To En gland ?
Mrs Foster: Yes. E ngland .
Employee: Ju st a momen t.
Mrs Ito: Are the stamps expe nsive?
Mrs Foster: No , not expe nsive . They're cheap.
Mrs Ito : A re the postcards cheap too?
Mrs Foster: I don 't know yet.
Employee : For postcards it' s 150 yen.
Mrs Foster: Two, please .
Employee : 300 yen then. So . .. 1750 and 300 makes 2050 yen.
Mrs Foster: I'm sorry . I've only got a 10 000 yen not e. Is that all
right?
Employee: No problem. The re's 7950 yen change . Tha nk you.
Nex t please .
Mrs Ito: Te n 150 yen stamps, please .
Employee : 1500 yen .
Mrs Ito: Yes . Here's 2000 yen .
Employee: Thank you. So . . . 500 yen change .
Mrs Ito: Man y thank s.
Chapter 8: At Mr Maeda' s office

Dialogue 1
Mr Ito: I' d like to speak to Mr Maeda . Is he busy now?
Secretary: He's on the 'p hone .
Mr Ito: Is he? My friend who's called Foster would like to speak to
him. He 's come fro m England . He arrived in Japan the
day before yesterday.
Secretary: Woul d you please write your name on this piece of
paper?
Mr Foster: I'm sorry. I haven 't got a pen . I mean to buy one today
but I haven't yet.
Secretary: Mr. Foster speaks exce llent Japanese , does n' t he?
Mr Foster: I can speak a little but not very well.
Mr Ito: Yeste rday you were speaking it very well with that Japanese
fellow!
Mr Foster: As I was drinking bee r I could speak Japanese !
Mr Ito : How many bottles did you dr ink?
237
Mr Foster: Only two .

Mr It6: Only two? Is that true?
Mr Foster: I've forgotten!
Dialogue 2
Mr It6: Have you got a newspaper?
Secretary: We have, yes, but Mr Yamamoto is reading it at the
moment.
Mr It6: Is it the Asahi Shimbun?
Secretary: Yes.
Mr It6: Ah well, I read that this morning. Have you got a
magazine?
Mr Foster: Yes! Look here! There are some magazines behind this
chair.
Secretary: Would you like some ocha or would you prefer some
Indian tea?
Mr Foster: I'd like a cup of Indian . Thank you .
Mr It6: Me too. Ah . Have you got a spoon?
Mr Foster: Yes! There are five spoons on the table.
Mr It6: Five? Thanks! One will do!
Mr Foster: About how long will we have to wait?
Secretary: Probably only about ten minutes . Another cup of tea?
How about that?
Mr Foster: No , that's fine, thank you.
Dialogue 3
Mr Foster: What's the date to-day?
Mr It6: The 17th .
Mr Foster: So the day after to-morrow will be the 19th . Shall we
come back then? Mr Maeda is probably busy now .
He is working whereas I'm not.
Mr It6: I'm free today all morning but the day after tomorrow I'll
be working.
Mr Foster: I see . Well, how about next Tuesday? That'll be the
25th.
Mr It6: Wednesday's the 26th so I won 't be busy.
Mr Foster: Let's do that then . Let's come back next Wednesday.
238
Chapter 9: On the Ginza

Dialogue 1
Mr Ito: What is your wife doing now?
Mr Foster: She 's shopping. What's the time?
Mr Ito: It's half past eleven.
Mr Foster: At this moment she is drinking coffee and eating cakes.
Mr Ito: Really? Does she drink coffee and eat cakes every day?
Mr Foster: She drinks coffee every day but sometimes doesn't eat
cakes.
Mr Ito: Would you like a beer?
Mr Foster: Yes! As I'm not working today I'd like to have a bottle
of beer. How about you?
Mr Ito: No! I'm not working now but as I'm going to the office at
two I won't have a beer. A pity but there it is.
Mr Foster: When you get to the office what will you do?
Mr Ito: I'll write cards and read letters and speak on the phone .
What will you do after you've had lunch?
Mr Foster: I'll go to the Ginza and meet my wife.
Mr Ito: After meeting your wife will you go shopping?
Mr Foster: Probably! My wife likes shopping every day.
Dialogue 2
Mr Foster: Good day!
Mr Ito: Good day!
Mr Foster: What did you do this morning?
Mrs Foster: After coming into town Mrs Ito and I sawall sorts of
interesting things.
Mrs Ito: We really did. We went to Asakusa and saw the temple.
It's splendid. Japanese temples are truly beautiful.
Mr Foster: They certainly are. Two years ago I went to Kyoto and
saw a temple called Kiyomizu Temple .
Mrs Ito: Ah that's a beautiful one, isn't it.?
Mrs Foster: I'd like to go to Kyoto.
Mr Foster: Let's go there the week after next.
Mrs Foster: Yes, let's. You will be working next week but the
week after you're free, aren't you ?
Mr Foster: Well, are you off to Yurakucho now? Have you an
umbrella?
Mrs Foster: Yes, I have.
239
Dialogue 3
Mrs It6: Just a minute . I want to phone my husband. Is there a
phone?
Mr Foster: Yes, over there. There are two in front of the chem ist's .
Mrs Foster: Oh I've remembered. I want to get some toothpaste.
Mr Foster: There's a tobacconist's next to the chemist's so could
you buy me some cigarettes?
Mrs Foster: One packet?
Mr Foster: Two , please.
Mrs It6: How many do you smoke a day?
Mrs Foster: He smokes a lot.
Mr Foster: No , I don 't ! Only five or six.
Mrs It6: My husband smokes about thirty. He's certainly smoking
now at the office.
Mrs Foster: It 's bad for the health, isn't it?
Mrs Ito: Indeed it is.
Chapter 10: By taxi and by train

Dialogue 1
Mrs It6: As it's raining shall we take a taxi?
Mrs Foster: What time does the tr ain leave?
Mrs It6: Every ten minutes. Look ! There's a taxi in front of that
store .
Mrs It6: Yurakucho please . You go straight ahead and turn right at
that big building. Then take the third turning on the
left.
Taxi driver: Got it!
Mr Foster : Mary, have you got all your parcels?
Mrs Foster: One, two, three, four , five, six, yes. I've got them all.
Mr Foster: Here's one more .
Mrs Foster: Ah, bring that one too please. Thank you.
Mr Foster: 'Bye then. Take care .
Mrs It6: Of course the underground is quicker but as you've got so
many packages a taxi is useful.
Mrs Foster: Is Yurakucho far?
Mrs It6: No, not very . It's close .
Mrs Foster: About how long will it take?
Mrs It6: Driver? About how long?
Taxi driver: As there's a lot of traffic it'll probably take about
twenty minutes.
Mrs It6: How much was that?
Taxi driver: 700 yen.
Mrs. It6: Here's 1000 yen .
240
Taxi driver: 300 change. Thanks.

Mrs Foster: About how much would the tube have been?
Mrs Ito: 120.
Mrs Foster: Really? Not very expensive .
Mrs Ito: No , it's cheap isn't it. A taxi's more expensive than the
underground but as it's very crowded now a taxi's
preferable.
Dialogue 2
Mrs Ito: Two to Nagahara please .
Clerk: 540 yen .
Mrs Ito: Here's 600.
Clerk: Thank you . Here's sixty change .
Mrs Ito: Thank you .
Mrs Ito: We change at Gotanda .
Mrs Foster: How many stops between Yurakucho and Gotanda?
Mrs Ito : Let 's see . . . Shimbashi , Hamamatsucho, Tamachi, Shi-
nagawa, Osaki, Gotanda. Six.
Mrs Foster: And from Gotanda to Nagahara?
Mrs Ito: Five.
Mrs Foster: I saw the name of the station! It was in English!
Mrs Ito: That's right. You can read the names of the stations. And
listen! Before we arrive at a station the conductor
calls out the name. So even foreigners can under-
stand.
Mrs Foster: That's useful, isn't it?
Mrs Ito: Ah , look to your left. There are boats . That's Tokyo Bay.
And on the right there's a small shrine . Can you see
the red gateway? And those huge trees are called
cryptomeria.
Mrs Foster: It is pretty. I'd like to go to a shrine .
Mrs Ito: Well, when we get home shall we go to our neighbouring
shrine? It'll be interesting for you. Now the rain is
stopping so after we get home let's go for a stroll ,
shall we?
Chapter 11: Feeling ill

Dialogue I
Mrs Ito: Good morning, Mr. Foster. The rain's stopped and the
weather has become fine, hasn't it?
Mr Foster: Yes, it has , hasn't it?
Mrs Ito: Yesterday you had a stomach-ache, didn't you? How are
you today? Is it better?
241
Mr Foster: I'm better but my wife has a headache .

Mrs Ito: Really? I'm sorry to hear that. Has she a fever?
Mr Foster: A slight one . Her throat is sore too .
Mrs Ito: Perhaps she has caught a cold.
Mr Foster: Probably. On the 4th it rained a good deal but my wife
wanted to go shopping and she walked to the
shops.
Mrs Ito: Two days ago it got cold , didn't it? You must take care.
The weather's got cold and nasty.
Mr Foster: On the 9th we want to go to Kyoto so my wife must get
better.
Mrs Ito: Yes , she must, mustn't she?
Dialogue 2
Mr Foster: I'm sorry. My wife's throat hurts and she wants to drink
a glass of water.
Mrs Ito : Does she ? Well , I'll take it to her.
Mr Foster: No, I'll do it. I'll go to the kitchen and fetch some
water.
Mrs Ito: You go and sit over there . I'll go and see your wife.
Mr Foster: You are kind. Thank you very much .
Dialogue 3
Mrs Ito: Good morning . According to your husband you don't feel
too good . Is th at the case ?
Mrs Foster: Yes it really is. My throat hurts and I can't speak very
easily.
Mrs Ito: Have you got a headache?
Mrs Foster: It's better than last night but still hurts.
Mrs Ito: You must go and see the doctor. Can you walk ?
Mrs Foster: Oh yes. Is it far to the doctor's?
Mrs Ito: No, only five minutes walk . After you 've had breakfast
we'll go . Now . . . what do you want to eat? An egg?
Bread?
Mrs Foster: Nothing thank you . Just something to drink.
Mrs Ito: What would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea?
Mrs Foster: I'd prefer some ocha. Is there any?
Mrs Ito: Indeed there is. Ju st wait a moment. I'll go to the kitchen
and be back with the ocha in five minutes.
Mrs Foster: Thank you so much .
242
Chapter 12: At the Doctor's

Dialogue 1
Mrs Ito: This is a friend of mine called Mrs Foster. Ten days ago
she came to Japan and now she's staying with us.
Doctor: Really ? Is she English? Do you understand Japanese?
Mrs Foster: A little but if I cannot understand what you are saying,
Mrs Ito has said she will be so kind as to translate.
Mrs Ito : I cannot speak English well but I'll explain anyway.
Mrs Foster: Thank you. So .. . please speak slowly.
Doctor: What seems to be the trouble?
Mrs Foster: I have a headache. I have a slight fever and my throat
hurts.
Doctor: Your temperature is 38.3. It 's not serious but you must go
home and lie down .
Mrs Foster: On the day after tomorrow my husband and I are
going to Kyoto. Will that be all right ?
Doctor: If your temperature does not go back to normal then you
cannot go to Kyoto but if you take this pale green
medicine you'll soon be all right.
Dialogue 2
Mrs Foster: When should I take that green medicine?
Doctor: Take it before meals . Three times a day. Before breakfast,
before lunch , before dinner. Do you understand?
Mrs Foster: Yes . What can I eat ?
Doctor: Anything is all right but as it seems you have a sore throat,
drink a lot.
Mrs ItO: What do you want, Mrs Foster?
Mrs Foster: Water.
Doctor: Do you like this medicine?
Mrs Foster: No ! I do not like it at all! It's very unpleasant.
Doctor: It's a very good medicine but the taste is nasty . Sorry!
Mrs Foster: That's all right.
Dialogue 3
Mrs Ito: Come on! We must go back quickly . After you've eaten
lunch you must go to bed . Would you like your lunch
in bed?
Mrs Foster: No. I'll rest after lunch but I don 't want to go to bed
now.
Mrs Ito: Would you like to watch television ?
Mrs Foster: Yes, I would .
243
Mrs It6: Sit down and while you're drinking your ocha watch
television. As it' s in Japanese it'll be good for you .
Mrs Foster: Come off it , Mrs Ito! I'm ill. I don 't want to study!
Mrs It6: Please study every day. If you study you'll soon be good at
Japanese!
Chapter 13: Shopping and business trips

Dialogue 1
Mrs It6: If you take that medicine you'll get well.
Mrs Foster: But I am well! I really am much better.
Mrs It6: If you don 't go out to today you'll be able to go to Kyoto
tomorrow.
Mrs Foster: Do you intend to go shopping today?
Mrs It6: Yes . I'm going out at eleven o'clock .
Mrs Foster: Do you think you could get me some plums? If you're
going to the fruiterer's could you get ten plums
for me?
Mrs It6: Of course. If I'm back at half past twelve, is that all right?
Mrs Foster: Fine . Please don 't hurry. If the fruiterer hasn't any
plums that's all right. As it's not important , you
see .
Mrs It6: If there aren 't any plums I'll get some Japanese pears.
Mrs Foster: Thank you. I love those.
Mrs It6: If you want some coffee there are eight cakes in the
kitchen.
Mrs Foster: Eight! If I eat eight cakes I'll get fat!
Dialogue 2
Mr It6: If I go to England next year by plane could I visit your firm ?
Mr Foster: Any time you like . That would be a real pleasure . If you
come to England we could see all sorts of interest-
ing things together. When do you intend coming?
Summer? Autumn?
Mr It6: I'll be getting very busy in the spring so summer is probably
preferable. How about July?
Mr Foster: Fine . I have to go to France in June but if I can 't sell our
products I'll be back in England pretty quickly. But
if I can sell a lot I'll have to go to France again.
Mr It6: Probably so. Do you usually manage to sell a lot?
Mr Foster: Sometimes seven , sometimes seventeen , at another
time seven hundred. You never know . If the
244
French want to buy new thin gs I can sell a lot. Last

yea r I sold a lot but two yea rs ago I couldn't sell
one .
Mr It6: A re you going out now?
Mr Foster: Yes, I am. I want to go to the bank. How about you?
Mr It6 : Yes . If we wait at the bank for te n min utes is th at all right?
Mr Foster : Fine . T ake your time !
Chapter 14: The young people arrive

Dialogue 1
Nobuo: Do you like music?
Simon: Yes . I like liste ning to records.
Nobuo: H ave you a lot of reco rds?
Simon: A bo ut a hundred but th ese days I only bu y tap es.
Nobuo : A re th ey chea pe r th an records?
Simon: No, the y're the same .
Nobuo : Do you like the cinema?
Simon: My elde r siste r likes films but I rarely go to a cinema . How
abo ut you?
Nobuo : I love them. If there's a samura i film o n I rush to it!
Simon : Do you like telev ision?
Nobuo: I hate television . It 's too small. I prefer the big scree n .
Simon : Do you like rea ding boo ks?
Nobuo: I'm not kee n. I have to read a lot at schoo l so at hom e I
rarely read .
Dialogue 2
Yoshiko: Wo uld you like coffee or juice?
Jenny: Coffee please. Tha nk you.
Yoshiko: Do you need suga r and milk?
Jenny: I tak e both sugar and milk. How abo ut you?
Yoshiko : I like coffee but I do n' t tak e suga r.
Jenny: How about milk?
Yoshiko: I tak e milk . I hate black coffee . Now . . . Th e milk . ..
Ah , I' ve rem emb er ed . It 's in the kitchen . Wait a
minute .
Jenny: I'll come too.
Yoshiko : No , please don 't. It 's O K. I'll fetch the milk .
Yoshiko: Have ano the r ca ke.
Jenny: Th ank you, I will. I love Jap an ese ca kes .
Yoshiko: Do you like E nglish cakes as well?
Jenny: Yes, but they are a litt le differ en t.
245
Yoshiko: What shall we do today? Shall we go to the cinema?

Jenny: Yes, I love films, but as I don't understand Japanese well, a
Japanese film will probably be a little difficult.
Dialogue 3
Jenny: Sorry . I'd like to go to the Ladies. Where would it be?
Yoshiko: Over there . Can you read the Chinese characters?
Jenny: No, I can't.
Yoshiko: Look. Those characters are danshi. That means Men.
Those characters are read as joshi. That's for
Women. Please don't forget!
Jenny: I'll certainly remember because now I've learnt them .
Yoshiko: If you learn the Chinese characters Japanese gradually
gets easier and easier. If you learn new characters
every day you'll soon get good at understanding
Japanese .
Jenny: I'm sure I will. If I do not forget the characters I can find a
Ladies to-morrow as well. It'll be useful.
Yoshiko: You must study!
Chapter 15: Planning a trip

Dialogue 1
Mr Ito: It seems the young people want to go to the cinema .
Mrs Ito: Nobuo looks so happy. It looks as if he really likes talking
to his English friend . He's got one or two friends at
school but sometimes he looks a little lonely.
Mr Ito: According to my wife Nobuo is lonely , but as far as I can
see Nobuo always looks cheerful. Of course he has to
study at school but every Sunday he goes to the cinema
in Tokyo with a friend.
Dialogue 2
Mr Ito: Take Simon with you . Go to Tokyo together. Before you go
to the cinema you've got some time, so Simon would
probably like to see all sorts of interesting things .
Simon: Yes, I would.
Nobuo: Where would you like to go - the zoo? a museum? a
theatre?
Simon: The zoo would be most interesting. I love animals. At
home in England we have one white cat and two dogs .
Nobuo: Really? But the dogs probably don't like the cat.
Simon: No , that's not the case. The three get on very well.
246
Dialogue 3
Simon: I want to speak Japanese but I am embarrassed.
Nobuo: Don't be shy! If you speak Japanese I'll correct your
Japanese. Would that be OK?
Simon: Certainly. But do speak more slowly. Sometimes I under-
stand your Japanese well but at other times I can't
understand it at all!
Nobuo: Open the window!
Simon: Once more please. I didn 't get that.
Nobuo: You're joking! I spoke clearly.
Simon: Please teach me. I do want to speak Japanese. If I make a
mistake please correct me .
Nobuo: Well . . . what have you got to do?
Simon: Shut the window!
Chapter 16: The Japanese family

Dialogue 1
Mr It6: How old is your son now?
Mr Foster: He's 16 now.
Mr It6: When is your daughter's birthday?
Mr Foster: My son was born on July 10th but my daughter on
December 25th.
Mr It6: That's Christmas Day!
Mr Foster: That's right. Not only my daughter but everyone gets
presents.
Mr It6: Poor girl!
Dialogue 2
Mr It6: Look at this photo. It 's of my father.
Mr Foster: Is that your father? Does he live in Tokyo?
Mr It6: No, he is dead. He died ten years ago .
Mr Foster: I'm sorry. You must miss him.
Mr It6: My mother still lives in Matsumoto. She's 82. This is a
photo of her. I took it last year at New Year.
Mr Foster: She has a splendid kimono on . Who is the man with the
beard?
Mr It6: That's my elder brother.
Mr Foster: Does he also live in Matsumoto?
Mr It6: Yes, he does. That's our home town. I was born there.
Mr Foster: Is Mrs Ito also from Matsumoto?
Mr It6: Oh no! She's a real Tokyoite born and bred!
247
Dialogue 3
Mr Foster: Have you only the one older brother?
Mr Ito: Yes. He's called Ichiro and he teaches maths. I've got two
younger brothers . Look . Here's a photo of all the
family. The man wearing spectacles is now living in
America - he's my younger brother - but he's sup-
posed to be coming back to Japan next year.
Mr Foster: Is that woman his wife?
Mr Ito: No, she's a younger sister of mine .
Mr Foster: What a large family!
Mr Ito ,: It is, isn't it! My older brother is 50, my elder sister 48, the
next sister down is 45, I'm 41, the first younger brother
is 39, my younger sister is 36 and the other brother is
34.
Dialogue 4
Mr Foster: Do you go back to Matsumoto every year?
Mr Ito: Usually at O-Bon. The children love visiting their grand-
mother.
Mr Foster: Both my parents live in London so Simon and Jenny see
them frequently . Look . This is a photo of my elder
sister.
Mr Ito: Does she too live in London?
Mr Foster: Yes . I've just got the one sister.
Mr Ito: Has she got a husband?
Mr Foster: Yes . She got married five years ago .
Mr Ito : Have they children?
Mr Foster: Yes! My wife and I have become aunt and uncle!
Mr Ito: Congratulations!
Chapter 17: Eating out

Dialogue 1
Mr Ito: Good evening!
Mr Foster: Good evening!
Mr Ito: Shall we go and eat some sushi?
Mr Foster: Let's do that. That'd be splendid.
Mr Ito: Let 's sit at the bar. You can see the place where the owner
prepares the sushi. And look . There are the names of
the fish written up on the wall.
Mr Foster: It's not easy to read!
Mr Ito: What do you specially recommend to-day?
Owner: The prawns are fresh.
248
Mr Ito: Mr. Foster, what will you have?

Mr Foster: Prawns , please .
Mr Ito: Me too .
Owner: What can I give you next?
Mr Foster: I've never eaten octopus before so I'll have that.
Mr Ito: Yes, do try it. I'll have tuna .
Owner: What can I get you to drink ?
Mr Ito: Beer, please.
Dialogue 2
Mr Ito: This is a famou s tempura restaurant. Shall we go in here ?
Mr Foster: Mmm yes, but it looks expensive . Perhaps we oughtn't
to.
Mr Ito: I've been here before. It's not all that expensive .
Mr Foster: All right , let's go in. I'm flush today!
Mr Ito: Shall we go to that table near the window?
Mr Foster: As the menu 's in Roman letters it's easy for me to read
it! Now, 'pinetree' , 'bamboo', 'plum-tree' - what's
that mean ?
Mr Ito: They are the set meals. 'Pine' is the dearest. With that you
get prawn, cuttlefish , aubergine and mushrooms.
Dialogue 3
Mr Ito: You 're a foreigner, so naturally you like meat.
Mr Foster: I do like Japanese food but today , as I haven 't had it for
a long time, I'd like to eat some beef.
Mr Ito: Have you ever had sukiyaki ?
Mr Foster: Yes. Ah I've forgotten my wallet. I must go back to the
house .
Mr Ito: No, I'll treat you.
Mr Foster: Thank you, but next time I'll take you and Mrs Ito out
to a meal.
Mr Foster: This bean-curd is delicious .
Mr Ito: How do you like the bamboo-sprouts?
Mr Foster: Not a lot.
Mr Ito: How about a little more beef?
Mr Foster: No thank you! I'm full!
Mr Ito: Could we have the bill please .
249
Chapter 18: Language for men and women

Dialogue 1
Mr It6: How about going to the baseball game this Sunday?
Toshio: Hold on a second. I'll look at my diary . No , it's no good .
Saturday would be OK. Shall we meet in front of the
stadium at five?
Mr It6: Agreed .
Toshio: Who d'you think will win?
Mr It6: No question ! The Giants.
Toshio: Idiot! It'll be the Osaka/Kobe team.
Mr It6: Will you be coming by tube?
Toshio: I'll have the car so I'll pick you up on my way.
Dialogue 2
Mrs It6: Next Sunday is the wedding of a friend of mine . I have to
arrange the flowers so I wonder if you'd give me a
hand in choosing them ?
Mrs Yamada: Of course . I'd be delighted . What sort of flowers I
wonder?
Mrs It6: That's the question. Light-coloured ones would be good.
Mrs Yamada: In that case how about roses?
Mrs It6: Yes . Good . Let 's add chrysanthemums and lilies. If we do
that, then with red , yellow and pink it'll become
really beautiful.
Mrs Yamada: It will. It'll be a beautiful arrangement.
Mrs It6: I just wonder if I'm up to it.
Mrs Yamada: The flowers you arranged at your sister's wedding
were really lovely though , weren't they ?
Mrs It6: Oh by the way . . . have I already shown you the purse I
bought yesterday?
Mrs Yamada: It's really lovely .
Chapter 19: At the bank and at the garage

Dialogue 1
Mr Foster: What time do the banks open?
Mr It6: Half past nine.
Mr Foster : And what time do they close ?
Mr It6: Four thirty.
Mr Foster: Where's the nearest bank?
Mr It6: Do you know where the police -box is?
Mr Foster : Yes .
Mr It6: Th ere's a supermarket near the kob an isn't there ?
Mr Foster: Yes. I went there yesterday and bought some
soap .
250
Mr It6: Well ... behind the supermarket there's a big building.

Mr Foster: That'll be the bank.
Mr It6: No it won't. That's a block of flats but next to that building
there is a bank.
Dialogue 2
Mr Foster: Excuse me . I want to open an account so what do I do?
Clerk: It's simple . I'll ask you to write your name here and then
straightaway you can open an account.
Mr Foster: Would you please change these pounds into yen?
Clerk: Certainly.
Mr Foster: How many yen to the pound today?
Clerk: Just a moment, please. I'll go and check . It's 287.
Mr Foster: Lower than yesterday.
Clerk: Yes . It changes every day .
Mr Foster: The yen is changeable!
Clerk: No! It's the pound!
Mr Foster: Would you change a hundred pounds please?
Clerk: Certainly, sir. Is it all right if I deduct the commission?
Mr Foster: I didn't know anything about that. What percentage?
Clerk: I'm afraid it's five per cent.
Mr Foster: Oh well, it can't be helped.
Dialogue 3
Mr Foster: We need some petrol. There's a filling-station . Let's
stop. Fill her up please.
Attendant: Right you are . Sir! Are you all right for oil?
Mr Foster: Would you check it please?
Attendant: It's very old-looking. Pitch black . Just take a look!
Mr Foster: This is a hired car actually ...
Attendant: What an awful firm it must be! Shall I put some oil in?
Mr Foster: Yes .
Attendant: I'll put a litre in.
Mr Foster: Would you check the tyres too please .
Attendant: Certainly. But could you move the car over there
please. Shall I clean the windscreen?
Mr Foster: No need, thank you. It's clean. We've got another
hundred kilometres to do .
Attendant: The motorway is crowded so do take care. Hope to see
you again!
251
Chapter 20: A Japanese inn

Dialogue 1
Mr Foster: Hallo!
Clerk: This is the White Crane Hotel.
Mr Foster: I'd like to know if you have a room free on October 6th .
Clerk: A moment please . . . For how many?
Mr Foster: Two.
Clerk: How many days will you be staying?
Mr Foster: Three .
Clerk: We have a room with a beautiful view free. How will that
do ?
Mr Foster: How much would that be?
Clerk : 10 000 yen a night including the two meals.
Mr Foster: That's cheaper than England! Can I reserve it now?
Clerk : Of course. What time will you be arriving?
Mr Foster: We're coming from Tokyo by train so I should think
we'd be arriving at about six.
Clerk: Fine . We look forward to seeing you .
Mr Foster: Goodbye for now.
Dialogue 2
We arr ived safely yesterday evening at 6.30. Our room is abso-
lutely delightful. We can see the Ea stern Mountains from our
window. We went to the bath before dinner but as it was our first
time we were a little embarrassed . However all went well! When wc
returned from the bath we tried on our yukata .
The maid who brought us our dinner was amazed to see us! We are
the only foreigners in the ryokan . Mary , who doesn't drink sake,
dr ank ocha .
Has your sister whom we didn't meet gone back to Matsumoto?
A German we met on the train knows your firm. It's a small world!
As we are getting back to Tokyo on Monday you don 't have to write
that letter to the electric company . I'll do it when I return .
The sky has got dark and it may rain. We wanted to go out for a stroll
so that's a shame .
We got your card this morning. I hope this letter will arrive before we
get back to Tokyo .
Pleas e give my best wishes to Mrs Ito .
252
ANSWERS TO EXERCISES
Chapter 1: Greetings and introductions

Section A
Answers to Exercise 1
1. Watakushi wa Foster desu.
2. Anata wa Ito-san desu ka?
3. Keisu ja arimasen.
4. Kaban ja arimasen .
5. Kore wa keisu desu. Sore mo keisu desu ka?
1. Watakushi no keisu desu.
2. Kore wa watakushi no keisu desu.
3. Anata no kaban wa okii desu ka?
4. Sore wa anata no keisu desu ka?
5. Shujin no keisu wa akai desu.
6. Anata no keisu wa chiisai desu ka?
7. Goshujin no kaban wa akaku wa arimasen.
8. Kanai no keisu wa kuroi desu. Chiisaku wa arimasen.
9. Watakushi no kaban wa okii desu. Kuroku wa arimasen.
1. Kore wa kaban ja arimasen.
2. Kore wa keisu ja arimasen.
3. Kore wa chiisaku wa arimasen.
4. Kore wa akaku wa arimasen.
5. Kaban wa okiku wa arimasen.
6. Keisu wa okiku wa arimasen.
7. Watakushi wa Ito ja arimasen.
8. Watakushi wa Yamamoto ja arimasen.
253
Section B
1. Anata no keisu wa (a) okii desu ka?
(b) kuroi desu ka?
(c) akai desu ka?
2. Goshujin no kaban wa (a) chiisai desu ka?
(b) akai desu ka?
(c) kuroi desu ka?
3. Kore wa anata no keisu desu ka?
4. Kore wa anata no kaban desu ka?
5. Kore wa goshujin no keisu desu ka?
6. Kore wa okusan no kaban desu ka?
7. Sore wa anata no keisu desu ka?
8. Sore wa anata no kaban desu ka?
9. Sore wa goshujin no kaban desu ka?
10. Sore wa okusan no keisu desu ka?
1. Hajimemashite.
2. Arigato gozaimasu .
3. Anata wa Ito-san desu ka? Hai, so desu.
4. Ogenki desu ka? Hai, genki desu.
5. Sore wa anata no keisu desu ka? Hai, so desu.
Dialogue 1
(HaL Watakushi wa Jones desu.)
(So desu ka? Anata wa Yamamoto-san desu ka? Haji-
memashite.)
(Genki desu. Anata mo?)
Dialogue 2
(Koko desu.)
(lie, sore wa watakushi no keisu ja arimasen.)
(Hai, sore wa watakushi no keisu desu. Ariqato .)
Dialogue 3
(lie, okiku wa arimasen. Chiisai desu.)
(Hai, akai desu. Ariqato.)
Chapter 2: The family car
Section A
1. Kono kuruma wa Honda desu.
2. Sono kuruma wa Mitsubishi desu.
3. Ano kuruma wa Toyota desu.
4. Watakushi no keisu wa doko desu ka? Koko desu.
5. Watakushi no kaban wa doko desu ka? Soko desu!
254
6. Anata no kuruma wa doko desu ka? Asoko desu.

7. Doitsu no kuruma wa akai desu.
8. Watakushi no Amerika no kuruma wa kuroi desu.
9. Nihon no namae wa muzukashii desu.
10. Igirisu (or Eikoku) no namae wa yasashii desu.
1. Itarii no kuruma wa 6kii desu ga Furansu no kuruma
wa chiisai desu.
2. Watakushi no keisu wa kuroi desu ga anata no keisu
wa akai desu.
3. Kanai no kuruma wa chiisai desu ga akaku wa
arimasen.
4. Shujin no kaban wa 6kii desu ga kuroku wa arimasen.
1. lie, Furansujin desu.
2. lie, Itariijin desu.
3. lie, kanai wa Nihonjin desu.
4. lie, shujin wa Igirisujin desu.
Section B
1. Untrue .
2. True .
3. Untrue .
4. Untrue.
5. True .
6. Untrue .
7. Untrue .
Answers to Exercises 5
(Hai, watakushi wa Sat6 desu.)
(Hajimemashite. Kore wa kanai desu.)
(Hai, kanai wa Furansujin desu.)
(Genki desu. Anata mol)
(Asoko desu.)
(lie, watakushi no keisu wa okiku wa arimasen.)
(lie, sore wa kuroku wa arimasen. Watakushi no keisu
wa kuroi desu.)
(Hai, sore wa watakushi no keisu desu. Aripato.)
(lie, kanai no keisu wa akai desu.)
(Hai, sore wa kanai no desu. Ariqato. Anata no kuruma
wa asoko desu ka?)
(Nihon no kuruma desu ka?)
(Watakushi no kuruma wa Toyota desu.)
(So desu.)
255
Chapter 3: Eating at home

Section A
1. lie, Igirisujin desu.
2. lie, kanai wa Furansujin desu.
3. lie, Amerikajin desu.
4. lie, Nihonjin desu.
5. lie, Itariijin desu.
1. Watakushi wa ringo 0 tabemashita.
2. Nihonjin wa sashimi 0 tabemasu.
3. Ebi matawa sakana ga arimasu.
4. Biiru to osake ga arimasu.
5. Ringo ya momo ga arimasu .
6. Nihon de osake 0 nomimashita.
7. Igirisu de (or no) biiru 0 nomimashita.
8. Igirisu no naganegi wa 6kii desu.
9. Watakushi no keisu wa kuruma ni arimasu .
10. Watakushi no kuruma wa akaku wa arimasen.
11. Sore wa kanai no keisu ja arimasen.
1. ka.
2. ne.
3. ne,
4. yo.
1. Kudamono 0 tabemasen.
2. Doitsujin wa osashimi 0 tabemasen.
3. Momo 0 tabemasen deshita.
4. Nihon de osashimi 0 tabemasen deshita.
1. Nihonjin wa sakana ya gohan 0 tabemasu.
2. Doitsujin wa biiru 0 nomimasu.
3. Watakushi wa naganegi to ebi 0 tabemashita.
4. Nihon de osashimi 0 tabemasen deshita .
5. Kanai wa osake 0 nomimasen.
Section B
(Ebi/naganegi/gohan 0 tabemasu.)
(Biiru/ocha/mizu 0 nomimasu.)
(Hai, nomimasen.)
256
1. Sore wa nan desu ka?
2. Kudamono 0 tabemasu ka?
3. Sore wa ocha desu ka?
4. Ito-san wa biiru 0 nomimasu ka?
5. Ito-san no okusan wa osake 0 nomimasen ka?
6. Igirisu no ringo wa akai desu ka?
1. Mizu ga arimasu ka?
2. Ocha ga arimasu ka?
3. Osake ga arimasu ka?
4. Nihon de osake 0 nomimasu.
5. Oishii desu .
1. Amerika no naganegi wa okii desu ga Nihon no wa
chiisai desu.
2. Watakushi wa biiru 0 nomimasu ga kanai wa osake 0
nomimasu.
3. Shujin wa gohan 0 tabemashita keredomo Ito-san wa
tabemasen desh ita.
4. Nihonjin wa osake 0 nomimasu keredomo Igirisujin wa
biiru 0 nomimasu.
1. True .
2. Untrue .
3. Untrue.
4. Untrue .
5. True .
6. True.
7. Untrue.
8. True.
Chapter 4: After dinner

Section A
1. lie, yasashiku wa arimasen . Muzukashii desu.
2. Waruku wa arimasen. Ii desu.
3. Suzushiku wa arimasen. Atsui desu,
4. Muzukashiku wa arimasen. Yasashii desu .
5. Yoku wa arimasen. Warui desu.
1. Nihongo 0 hanashimasu.
257
2. Doitsugo 0 hanashimasu.
3. Itariigo 0 hanashimasu.
4. Eigo 0 hanashimasu.
Senkvukvaku nijunen , Senkvuhvaku hach ijuqonen .
Senkvuhvaku sanjush ichinen. Sh6wa jukv unen.
Senkvuhvaku qojusannen. Sh6wa vonjurokunen.
Answer s to Exercise 4
Goju , qojuichl. qojuni, qojusan, qojuvon, qojuqo, qojuroku,
qojushichi (or -nana). qojuhach i, qojukvu, roku ju,
rokujuichi ... shichiju, shichijuichi (or nanaju , nanajuichi).
1. Sate -san wa Eigo 0 hanashimasen .
2. Okusama wa biiru 0 nomimasen .
3. Watakushi wa sashimi 0 tabemasen.
4. Kore wa watakushi no keisu ja arimasen .
5. Yamada-san wa Bonn de Doitsugo 0 hanash imasen
deshita.
6. Anata wa osake 0 takusan nomimasen deshita.
7. Ano Nihonjin wa naganegi 0 tabemasen deshita.
8. Kuruma wa akaku wa arimasen.
1. Sh6wa sannen desh ita.
2. Sh6wa juqonen deshita.
3. Sh6wa sanjushich inen deshita.
4. Sh6wa qojuvonen desh ita.
Section B
(Senkvuhvaku hach ijusannen no natsu ni kimashita.)
(lie, mush iatsui otenki deshita.)
(lie, kanai/shuj in mo kimashita.)
(lie, heta desu yo!)
1. Aki ni Nihon e kimasen deshita.
2. Shujin wa hitori de T6ky6 e kimashita.
3. Eigo wa Furansujin ni rnuzukashii desu.
4. Yamamoto-san no okusan wa Doitsugo 0 yoku
hanashimasu.
1. Untrue.
2. True.
258
3. Untrue .
4. Untrue .
5. True.
6. True(?) .
(Hai, arigat6. Genki desu. Anata mo?)
(Warui otenki desu ne.)
(Suzushii desu ne.)
(Ame ga takusan furimasu ne.)
(Biiru 0 nomimasu ka?)
(Ocha 0 nomimasu ka?)
(Oishii desu ka?)
(M6 ippai nomimasu ka?)
Chapter 5: The next morning
Section A
gozen rokuji jOgofun. kujihan.
asa hachiji jOichiji gofun mae.
jOichiji gofun. goji yonjippun
gogo ichiji nijippun. yoji jOgofun mae
niji jippun. yoji sanjOgofun
shichiji (or nanaji) nijOgofun. kuji jippun mae.
1. Biiru 0 nomimash6.
2. Sakana 0 tabemash6.
3. Sampo 0 shimash6.
4. Uchi e kaerimash6.
5. Nihongo 0 hanashimash6.
6. Jimusho e ikimash6.
1. Nichiy6bi ni Yokohama e kaerimashita.
2. Getsuy6bi ni jimusho e ikimashita.
3. Kay6bi ni hachiji ni uchi e kaerimashita.
4. Suiy6bi ni (o)sashimi 0 tabemashita.
5. Mokuy6bi ni Nihongo 0 hanashimashita.
6. Kin'y6bi ni jimusho e ikimasen deshita.
7. Doy6bi ni sampo shimashita.
(Ohay6 gozaimasu. Yoku nemurimashita ka?)
(Arigat6. Yoku nemurimashita. Warui otenki desu ne.)
(Kin6 suzushii otenki deshita ne.)
(Ima nanji desu ka?)
(Doy6bi desu kara jimusho e ikimasen.)
259
(Tokyo e iklrnasho. Ikaga desu ka?l

(Shichiji jGgofun ni kaerirnasu.)
Section B
1. Hajimemashite.
2. Ohavo gozaimasu.
4. Ornedeto gozaimasu.
5. Ariqato gozaimasu .
6. Sore wa oishii desu.
7. Kekko desu .
8. Wakarimasen.
1. Nigatsu desu kara samui desu .
2. Shichigatsu desu kara atsui desu.
3. JGgatsu desu kara suzushii desu.
4. Rokugatsu desu kara mushiatsui desu .
5. Dovobi desu kara inaka e ikirnasho.
6. Nichivobi desu kara Ito-san wa jimusho e ikimasen.
1. Nihon dewa kodomotachi wa shichiji ni asagohan 0
tabemasu .
2. Asa hachiji ni qakko e ikimasu.
3. Futsu jGniji jGgofun ni hirugohan 0 tabemasu.
4. Gogo yoji ni uchi e kaerimasu .
5. Hai, dovobi mo qakko e ikimasu .
1. Tokidoki ame ga furimasu.
2. Mochiron Ito-san wa gozen rokujihan ni jimusho e
ikimasen .
3. Sate-san wa futsu goji jGgofun ni uchi e kaerimasu .
4. Kyonen Nihon e ikimashita .
5. Mainichi gohan 0 tabemasu.
6. Kavobi kara Dovobi made ii otenki deshita.
7. Asa kuji kara gogo yoji made atsui desu.
Chapter 6: Shopping - I Going to the bookshop
Section A
1. YGbinkyoku de kitte 0 kaimashita .
2. Hon 0 kaitaku wa arimasen.
3. Hon'ya wa qakko no mae ni arimasu .
4. Issho ni Yokohama e ikirnasho ka?
5. Ano hito wa Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?
260
6. Gaikokujin no hon wa omoshiroku wa arimasen.

7. Watakushi no tomodachi wa Eigo no hon 0 kaitai desu .
1. Hon 0 yomimashita.
2. Sakana 0 tabemashita.
3. Osake 0 nomimashita.
4. Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
5. Nihongo 0 hanashimasu.
6. Ame ga furimashita.
7. Kino Tokyo e ikimashita.
8. Nigatsu ni Nihon e kimashita.
9. Nichivobi ni sampo 0 shimashita.
10. Kino Igirisujin wa Eikoku e kaerimashita.
1. Arukimasho.
2. Hairimasho.
3. Kaerirnasho.
4. Kairnasho.
1. Watakushi wa yGbinkyoku e ikitai desu.
Tomodachi wa yGbinkyoku e ikitaku wa arimasen.
2. Nihon 0 mitai desu.
Nihon 0 mitaku wa arimasen.
3. Sashimi 0 tabetai desu.
Sashimi 0 tabetaku wa arimasen.
4. Ano hon 0 yomita i desu/yom itaku wa arimasen..
5. Momo 0 kaitai desu/kaitaku wa arimasen.
6. Yokohama e kaeritai desu/kaeritaku wa arimasen.
1. (lie, qakko no yoko ni arimasu.)
2. (Hon 'ya no mae ni arimasu.)
3. (YGbinkyoku no yoko ni arimasu .)
4. (Momo no yoko ni arimasu.)
1. Sambyaku-en desu.
2. Nisen happyaku-en desu.
3. Sanzen yonhyaku-en desu.
4. Gosen roppyaku-en desu.
5. Ichiman-en desu.
6. Niman yonsen nihyaku-en desu.
7. Samman hassen-en desu.
8. Sam man kyGsen gohyaku-en desu.
261
1. Ano kodomo wa Furansugo ga wakarimasu.
2. Okusama wa Doitsugo ga wakarimasu.
3. Shujin wa Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
4. Ano gaikokujin wa Itariigo ga wakarimasu.
5. Ano Nihonjin wa Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?
Section B
1. Kudamonoya wa hon'ya no yoko ni arimasu.
2. Watakushi no kuruma wa uchi no mae ni arimasu .
3. Watakushi no keisu wa anata no kaban no yoko ni
arimasu.
4. Momo wa ringo no yoko ni arimasu.
5. Gakko wa watakushi no jimusho ':10 mae ni arimasu .
1. Arigato gozaimasu. (Hyaku goja-en no okaeshi desu .)
2. (Gohyaku-en no okaeshi desu .)
3. (Sen happyaku-en no okaeshi
desu .)
4. (Sanzen-en no okaeshi desu.)
5. (Kvusen roppyaku-en no okaeshi
desu.)
(Gomen kudasai!)
(Jib iki ga arimasu ka?)
(Ei-wa jiten 0 kaitai desu keredomo.)
(Takai desu ka?)
Okura desu ka?)
(So desu ka? Takai desu ga Nihon no hon 0 yomitai
desu. Niman-en de otsuri 0 itadakemasu ka?)
(Dorno ariqato gozaimasu .)
Chapter 7: Shopping - 2 At the post office
Section A
1. Chotto matte kudasai.
2. Eigo de hanashite kudasai.
3. Ehagaki 0 katte kudasai.
4. Omoidashite kudasai.
1. Kitte 0 sammai kaitai desu.
2. Ehagaki 0 gomai kaitai desu.
3. Kitte 0 hachimai kaitai desu.
262
4. Ehagaki 0 [urnai kaitai desu .

5. Kitte 0 juichirna i kaitai desu .
1. lie, mada kaimasen.
2. kaerimasen .
3. nomimasen.
4. furimasen .
1. Igirisu e ikitai desu.
2. Furansu e kono ehagaki 0 okuritai desu.
3. Benri na jibiki desu ka?
4. Hyaku-en no kitte 0 kaitai desu .
5. Kanai wa Itariigo ga wakarimasu.
6. Hon'ya wa uchi no mae ni arimasu .
7. Kudamonya de ringo 0 kaimashita.
1. Sen-en .
2. Sambyaku-en.
3. Ichiman goju-en.
4. Sanzen nanajuqo-en,
5. Happyaku-en
6. Roppyaku-en .
7. Hyaku hachiju-en,
1. Yubinkvoku de.
2. Kudamonoya de.
3. Hon'ya de.
4. Sakaya de.
5. Kudamonoya de.
6. Sakanaya de.
7. Kudamonoya de.
8. Hon'ya de.
Section B
1. lie, ame ga furimashita.
2. lie, kitte 0 rokumai kaimashita.
3. lie, kuji ni kaerimashita .
4. lie, Dovobi Tokyo e ikimashita.
5. lie, watakushi no kaban wa akai desu.
6. lie, kino nashi 0 kaimashita.
7. lie, vubinkvoku e ikitai desu.
8. lie, shujin wa ehagaki 0 nimai kakimashita.
263
1. Kino tegami 0 sammai kakimashita.
2. Kesa ocha 0 nihai nomimashita.
3. Kin'vobi Nihonjin 0 futari mimashita.
4. Sanji nijippun ni ehagaki 0 gomai kaimashita .
5. Shichiji ni tegami 0 yommai kakimashita .
(VQbinkyoku e ikitai desu.)
(lie, arukimashO.)
(Kesa ehagaki 0 kakimashita kara Amerika e okuritai
desu.)
(Sammai kakimashita.)
(Sumimasen. Eigo 0 hanashimasu ka? or Eigo ga
wakarimasu ka?)
(Ano . .. Amerika e ehagaki 0 sammai okuritai desu.
Ikura desu ka?)
(Hyaku gojQ-en no kitte 0 sammai kudasai.)
(Gosen-en satsu shika arimasen ga ii desu ka?)
(Arigato gozaimasu .)
Chapter 8: At Mr Maeda 's office
Section A
1. Katte imasu .
2. Kaite imasu.
3. Vonde imasu .
4. Hanashite imasu.
5. Matte imasu.
6. Nonde imasu.
7. Hataraite imasu .
1. Suivobi desu.
2. Mokuvobi desu.
3. Getsuvobi deshita.
4. Nichivobi deshita .
1. Sangatsu sanjQnichi desu.
2. Sangatsu sanjQichinichi desu .
3. Sangatsu nijQhachinichi deshita.
4. Sangatsu nijushichinichi deshita.
1. Jugatsu nijuninichi desu.
2. Juqatsu nljusannichi desu.
264
3. Jugatsu nijugonichi desu.

4. Jugatsu nijurokunichi desu.
1. Mite kudasai.
2. Hanashite kudasai.
3. Tabete kudasai.
4. Katte kudasai.
5. Kaite kudasai.
6. Nonde kudasai.
1. Nichivobi ni shimasho,
2. Biiru ni shimasu.
3. Rokugatsu jusannichi ni shirnasho,
4. Ocha ni shimasu.
5. Dovobi ni shimasho.
1. Biiru 0 nihon kaimashita.
2. Ebi 0 jippon kaimashita.
3. Naganegi 0 sambon kaimashita.
4. Supuun 0 gohon kaimashita.
5. Pen a roppon kaimashita.
6. Kasa 0 ippon kaimashita.
1. Gofun
2. Jippun
3. Jugofun.
4. Nijippun.
5. Sanjippun.
1. Eigo de (or 0) hanashimasu.
2. Sate-san to hanashimashita.
3. Teeburu no ue ni nani ga arimasu ka?
4. Mo ippai?
5. Kocha ni shimasu.
6. Ito to iu tomodachi desu.
7. Sono hon wa omoshiroku wa arimasen .
8. Hon'ya de jibiki 0 kaimashita.
Section B
1. lie, hataraite imasu.
2. lie, ocha 0 nonde imasu .
3. lie, ebi 0 tabete imasu.
4. lie, shimbun 0 yonde imasu.
265
5. lie, tegami 0 kaite imasu.

6. lie, ehagaki 0 katte imasu.
7. lie, zasshi 0 yonde imasu.
1. Denwa no mae ni pen ga sambon arimasu.
2. Hon no ushiro ni kitte ga nimai arimasu .
3. Isu no ue ni kami ga gomai arimasu.
4. Teeburu no ue ni biiru ga roppon arimasu.
5. Ringo no yoko ni naganegi ga gohon arimasu.
(lie, isogashiku wa arimasen.)
(Wasuremashita.)
(Arimasu keredomo ima Ito-san ga sore 0 yonde
imasu.)
(Hai, teeburu no ue ni arimasu.)
(Kocha ni shimasu . Ariqato.)
(Ah! Supuun wa arimasu ka?)
Chapter 9: On the Ginza
Section A
1. Tokyo e itte . . .
2. Kaimono 0 shite .
3. Kohii 0 nonde .
4. Yokohama e kite .
5. Tomodachi ni atte .
6. Tegami 0 kaite .
7. Otera 0 mite .
(a) Zannen desu gao
(b) Gomen kudasai.
(c) DOlO.
(d) Chotto matte kudasai.
(e) Irasshaimase.
(f) Sumimasen.
1. shikashi.
2. sukoshi.
3. tokidoki.
4. matawa.
5. soretomo.
6. futsu,
7. mochiron.
8. mada.
266
9. mata .
10. shika.
11. ikaga.
12. ikura.
1. Ano akai otera wa utsukushii desu.
2. Ano kuroi hon wa omoshiroi desu.
3. Nihongo wa yasashii desu ga Eigo wa muzukashii
desu.
4. Ano chiisai jibiki wa yasui desu.
5. Kyo mushiatsui desu. Kino suzushii otenki deshita.
Section B
1. GozenchCl yasunde imasu.
2. Denwa de hanashite imasu.
3. Nannichi ni shimasho ka?
4. Asatte mata kimasho.
5. Ototoi Kimura-san ni aimashita.
(Ima jCljihan desu.)
(Jimusho de hataraite imasu.)
(Ginza e itte kaimono 0 shitai desu.)
(Hamigaki 0 kaitai desu. Kusuriya ga arimasu ka?)
(Ah! omoidashimashita! Tabako 0 kaitai desu.)
(Hito hako?)
(Mainichi nambon suimasu ka?)
(JClgohon gurai. Karada ni warui desu ne!)
Chapter 10: By taxi and train
Section A
1. Depaato wa yClbinkyoku yori toi desu.
2. Nihongo wa Eigo yori omoshiroi desu.
3. Furansugo wa Doitsugo yori yasashii desu.
4. Natsu wa aki yori atsui desu.
5. Shim bun wa zasshi yori yasui desu.
1. tabete.
2. kaite.
3. atte.
4. magatte.
5. yonde.
1. Nihongo 0 yomu koto ga dekimasu.
267
2. Doitsugo 0 hanasu koto ga dekimasu.

3. Osake 0 nomu koto ga dekimasu .
4. Ash ita Takya e iku koto ga dekimasu.
5. Takai jibiki 0 kau koto ga dekimasu.
1. nimai.
2. roppon.
3. itsutsu.
4. gohon.
5. shichinin.
6. sammai.
7. sambon .
8. mittsu.
9. yottsu.
10. ippon.
1. suru desha.
2. kakaru desha.
3. iku desha .
4. kaku desha .
5. hanasu desha.
1. Amari chiisaku wa arimasen . Okii desu.
2. Amari yasashiku wa arimasen. Muzukashii desu.
3. Amari takaku wa arimasen. Yasui desu.
4. Amari muzukashiku wa arimasen. Yasashii desu.
5. Amari yoku wa arimasen . Warui desu.
1. gofun gurai.
2. jugofun gurai.
3. nijippun gurai.
4. sanjippun gurai.
5. yonjippun gurai.
6. gojippun gurai kakarimasu.
Section B
1. Nijihan ni demasu.
2. Sanji gofun mae ni demasu.
3. Shichiji jugofun ni demasu.
4. Gofun oki ni demasu.
5. Sanjuqofun oki ni demasu.
1. After drinking some sake I ate some fish .
268
2. As the sake is good let's drink some.

3. After I went to Tokyo I did some shopping.
4. As I'm going to Tokyo I can meet Mr Sate .
5. As it is snowing let's go home.
6. As the snow is stopping I'd like to go for a walk .
7. After I spoke on the phone I got to work .
8. As there's a good deal of traffic let 's go by underground .
1. Massugu itte kudasai.
3. Futatsume no kado 0 migi e magatte kudasai.
4. Ano 6kina vubinkvoku no tokoro 0 hidari e magatte
kudasai.
5. Tabakoya no tokoro 0 migi e magatte kudasai.
1. Watakushi wa eki e takushii de ikimashita.
2. Watakushi wa Nihon e fune de kimashita .
3. Yurakucho e chikatetsu de kaerimashita.
4. Ky6to e kisha de ikitai desu.
5. Depaato e kuruma de ikimashita.
Chapter 11: Feeling ill
Section A
1. Shichigatsu tsuitachi.
2. Jugatsu muika .
3. Ichigatsu (or Sh6gatsu) juvokka.
4. Gogatsu kokonoka.
5. Rokugatsu mikka.
6. Nigatsu futsuka.
7. Sangatsu nanoka .
8. Shigatsu toka.
9. Hachigatsu itsuka.
10. Kugatsu hatsuka.
1. Kuruma wa 6kikute akai desu.
2. Hon wa chiisakute kuroi desu .
3. Nihongo wa yasashikute omoshiroi desu.
4. Nodo ga itakute akai desu.
1. Atsuku narimashita.
2. Muzukashiku narimashita.
3. Okiku narimashita.
269
4. Itaku narimashita.
5. Waruku nar imashita.
1. Ito -san wa kuruma 9a arimasu.
2. Watakushi wa kitte qa arimasu.
3. Yamada-san wa node qa itai desu.
4. Sate-san no okusan wa atama ga itai desu.
5. Ano kata wa okina ie ga arimasu .
1. Nomanakereba narimasen.
2. Minakereba narimasen.
3. Kaeranakereba narimasen .
4. Hanasanakereba narimasen.
5. Tsukenakereba narimasen.
6. Yasumanakereba narimasen.
7. Naranakereba narimasen.
8. Tabenakereba narimasen.
9. Norikaenakereba narimasen.
10. Mitsukenakereba narimasen.
1. Stomach-ache .
2. Headache as well.
3. Caught a cold .
4. Got a fever.
5. Sore throat.
Section B
1. Kino .
2. Yokka mae ni.
3. SenkyQhyaku nanajQnananen ( or Showa gojQninen)
ni.
4. JQichigatsu voka ni.
5. Toka mae ni.
6. JQnigatsu nijQyokka ni .
7. Gozen kujihan ni.
8. Ototoi.
9. Sakuban.
10. Kesa.
(lie, yamimashita.)
(lie , samuku narimashita.)
(Kaze 0 hikimashita.)
270
(Netsu ga demashita.)
(Mada ikimasen.)
(lie, toku wa arimasen. Chikai desu.)
(Watakushi wa atama ga itai desu.)
(Honto desu.)
(Sumimasen. Hai, uchi e kaeranakereba narimasen.)
(Arigato gozaimasu.)
1. Tamago 0 tabete kocha 0 nomitai desu.
2. Yokohama e itte kaban 0 kaitai desu.
3. Ito-san no okusan wa daidokoro e itte okashi 0 motte
kimashita.
4. Kanai wa sampo shite kaimono 0 shitai desu.
5. Nihonjin ni atte Nihongo 0 hanashimashita.
Chapter 12: At the doctor's
Section A
1. Watakushi wa biiru ga suki desu.
2. Anata wa mizu ga hoshii desu ka?
3. Shujin wa ocha ga dai kirai desu.
4. Kodama wa atama ga itai desu.
5. Ito-san wa okane ga arimasu yo.
1. Nominagara.
2. Minagara.
3. Tabenagara.
4. Ikinagara.
5. Shinagara.
1. (nomeba) If you drink this medicine you will get better.
2. (ikeba) If you go to Kyoto you can see some splendid
temples.
3. (hanaseba) If one speaks Japanese one will get good at it.
4. (tabereba) If you eat rice you'll grow tall.
5. (kureba) If you come here you can see Mt Fuji.
1. Ma.
2. Ano.
3. Ano ne,
4. Eeto.
5. Sa.
271
1. Hayaku hanashimashita.
2. Mazui desu.
3. Kirai desu.
4. Igirisu e ikitaku wa arimasen.
5. Yasashii desu.
(lie, mada ikimasen.)
(lie, kino deshita.)
(Mikka desu.)
(lie, kin'vobi desu.)
(lie , hitori de ikimasu.)
(Hatsuka ni kaerimasu.)
(Nan demo kekko desu.)
(Ocha no ho ga ii desu.)
Section B
1. Genki ni nareba Nikko e iku koto ga dekimasu.
2. Genki ni naranakereba Kyoto e iku koto ga dekimasen.
3. Yokohama e ikeba Doitsu no jibiki 0 kau koto ga
dekimasu.
4. Nihon e ikanakereba Fuji-san 0 miru koto ga dekima-
sen.
5. Kono kusuri 0 nomeba genki ni narimasu.
6. Benky6 shinakereba oj6zu ni narimasen. .
7. Depaato e ikeba isu 0 kau koto ga dekimasu.
1. Setsumei shite kudasaimasu.
2. Depaato e itte kudasaimasu.
3. Ehagaki 0 kaite kudasaimasu.
4. Koko e kite kudasaimasu .
5. Jibiki 0 katte kudasaimasu.
(Atama ga itakute node mo itai desu.)
(Sukoshi demashita. Taion ga sanjO shichido kyObu
arimasu.)
(lie. Kino wa itaku narimashita ga kyo wa daijcbu
desu).
(Ebi to gohan 0 tabemashita.)
(HaL Nodo ga itai desu kara mizu 0 takusan nomi-
masu.)
(Sakuban yori ii desu keredomo itai desu.)
(Hidoi desu ka?)
272
(Taka ni Matsushima e ikimasu. Daijobu desu ka?)

(ltsu sono kusuri 0 nomanakereba narimasen ka?)
(Ariqato gozaimasu. Sayonara.)
1. Anyway.
2. Kind .
3. Egg .
4. Kitchen.
5. Too bad .
6. 9th day or nine days.
7. Fetch, look for , find .
8. Taste .
9. Utterly.
10. Explanation.
1. That is a shame .
2. Anything will do.
3. It 's only ten minutes on foot.
4. Excuse me!
5. You are probably busy .
6. Turn left please .
7. You must study.
8. Do sit down .
9. Good morning.
10. What seems to be the trouble?
Chapter 13: Shopping and business trips
Section A
1. naganegi.
2. jibiki.
3. ringo.
4. tamago.
5. kitte .
1. benkvo suru.
2. eki e iku.
3. kaimono 0 suru.
4. zasshi 0 yomu.
5. Ito-san no kaisha 0 tazuneru .
1. tabenaide kudasai.
2. kakanaide kudasai.
3. nomanaide kudasai.
273
4. hanasanaide kudasai.
5. kawanaide kudasai.
6. matanaide kudasai.
7. ikanaide kudasai.
8. tazunenaide kudasai.
1. Sh6wa qojuichi-nen desu.
2. Sh6wa qojuninen desu.
3. Sh6wa rokujuvonen deshita.
4. Senkvuhvaku hachijuqonen deshita.
1. ringo 0 to.
2. okashi 0 nanatsu.
3. tamago 0 itsutsu.
4. momo 0 kokonotsu.
5. teeburu 0 yattsu.
6. denwa 0 juichi.
1. ikanakereba ... aimasen.
2. nomanakereba narimasen.
3. tabenakereba futorimasen .
4. yomanakereba . . wakarimasen.
5. kakanakereba ikimasen.
6. isoganakereba tsukimasen.
1. Gink6 e ikitai desu .
2. Dekaketai desu.
3. Sampo shitai desu.
4. Uchi e kaeritai desu.
5. Tegami 0 kakitai desu.
6. Tomodachi ni aitai desu.
Section B
1. hon/jibiki/Ei-wa jiten
2. kippu
3. sakana/ebi
4. hagaki/kitte
5. osake
(M6 naorimashita yo. Ima totemo genki desu.)
(Hai, [ujihan ni dekakemasu.)
(Gink6 e iku tsumori desu.)
(Gink6 e itte kara vubinkvoku e ikimasu.)
274
(Mochiron katte kimasu yo. Nammai deshcj)

(Anata wa kyo Tokyo e iku tsumori desu ka?)
(Sukoshi isogashii desu kara watakushi no kaisha 0
tazunete kudasaimasen ka?)
(Moshi kaisha e ikeba watakushi no tegami 0 motte kite
kudasaimasen ka?)
(Moshi tegami ga nakereba ii desu yo. Sore hodo jOya
ja arimasen kara.)
1. Sore wa tanoshimi desu ne.
2. Zenzen wakarimasen.
3. Shichigatsu no ha ga ii desha.
4. Niji ni dekakereba, ii desu ka?
5. Ma ichido Doitsu e ikanakereba narimasen .
6. Go yukkuri!
Chapter 14: The young people arrive
Section A
1. Yasunde imasu.
2. Mite imasu.
3. Matte imasu.
4. Tazunete imasu.
5. Naotte imasu.
6. Kiite imasu.
7. Naratte imasu.
8. Hanashite imasu.
9. Itte imasu.
10. Kite imasu.
1. Oboenakereba narimasen.
2. Matanakereba narimasen.
3. Ikanakereba narimasen.
4. Konakereba narimasen.
5. Arawanakereba narimasen.
6. Magaranakereba narimasen.
7. Nomanakereba narimasen.
8. Hanasanakereba narimasen .
1. Arukitai desu . Arukitaku wa arimasen.
2. Tabetai desu. Tabetaku wa arimasen.
3. Yomitai desu. Yomitaku wa arimasen.
4. Kitai desu . Kitaku wa arimasen.
275
1. Tama ni shika ikimasen.
2. Tama ni shika kimasen .
3. Tama ni shika hanashimasen.
4':" Tama ni shika nomimasen.
5. Tama ni shika tabemasen.
6. Tama ni shika mimasen.
1. Nomu desha.
2. Oboeru desha.
3. Kiku desha.
4. Suru desha .
5. Kaeru desha .
6. Wakaru desha.
7. Kuru desha.
8. Konde iru desha.
Section B
1. Aruku koto ga suki desu.
2. Oishasan e ikimasu.
3. lie, takushii de ikanakereba narimasen.
4. Biiru no ha ga ii desu. Ariqato.
5. Nani 0 suru koto ga kirai desu ka?
6. Ha ga itaku nareba nani 0 shimasu ka?
7. Rondon made kisha de iku koto ga dekimasu ka?
s,: Kocha to kohii to dochira ga ii desy ka?
1. Sono naganegi wa takasugimasu.
2. Ano kanji wa muzukashisugimasu.
3. Okashi 0 tabesugimashita.
4. JQgofun hayaku kisugimashita.
1. Can you read those kanji ?
2. The reading of those kanji is hon'ya.
3. I can remember thos e kanji.
4. Those kanji are read as isha.
1. zenzen.
2. dandan.
3. onna.
4. rainen.
5. kyonen.
6. otoko.
276
1. Eki no ushiro ni arimasu.
2. Depaato no mae ni arimasu.
3. Asoko desu. Gink6 no yoko ni arimasu.
4. Massugu itte, hitotsume no kado 0 migi e magatte
kudasai. Okina tatemono desu . Eki no yoko ni arimasu.
Answers to Exercise II
1. Ky6 atarashii kanji 0 naraimashita.
2. Eigakan e itte Nihon no eiga 0 mimashita.
3. Kono chiisakute akai hon wa yasashisugimasu.
4. Sat6 to iu tomodachi wa eki e tonde ikanakereba
narimasen.
(K6cha no h6 ga ii desu. Arigat6.)
(Miruku wa irimasu ga osato wa irimasen.)
(lie! Okashi 0 tabesugireba by6ki ni narimasu yo!)
(Arigat6, itadakimasu.)
(Atama ga itai desu kara dekakemasen.)
(Kaze 0 hikimashita.)
(Kekk6 desu. Arigat6.)
Chapter 15: Planning a trip
Section A
Answers to Exercise I
1. omoshiros6 desu.
2. hanashitas6 desu.
3. hoshis6 desu.
4. sabishis6 desu.
5. hazukashis6 desu.
1. Ane to issho ni eiga 0 mi ni ikimash6.
2. Momo to (or ka) ringo to (or ka) dochira ga suki desu
ka?
3. Gakk6 ni tomodachi ga futari imasu.
4. Kusuri 0 nonde kara kanai wa naorimashita.
5. Gakk6 de Eigo 0 naraimasu.
6. Kusuri wa watakushi no tomodachi 0 naoshimashita.
7. Okusama wa genki ni narimashita.
1. Chittomo wakarimasen.
2. Heta desu.
3. Sukoshi wakarimasu.
4. Yoku wakarimasu.
5. Hanasu koto ga dekimasu ga kaku koto wa dekimasen.
277
1. Okusama 0 tsurete kudasai.
2. Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
3. Mado 0 shimete kudasai.
4. Kono kusuri 0 non de kudasai.
5. Wasurenaide kudasai.
6. Sono tegami 0 akenaide kudasai.
7. Ma ichido itte kudasai.
1. Sengetsu.
2. Rokugatsu nijuvokka.
3. Igirisu/Eikoku kara.
4. Hikoki de.
5. Jugatsu taka .
Section B
1. Mr Ito has to go to Tokyo every week .
2. Peaches are dearer than Japanese pears but apples are the
dearest.
3. My friend taught me Japanese.
4. Have you got the time to do it?
5. Which do you like, dogs or cats?
(Kanai wa Nihon ga dai suki desu.)
(Mada hanashimasen keredomo naraitai desu.)
(lie, heta desu ga hanashitai desu yo.)
(Ii desu yo. Shikashi sukoshi hazukashii desu.)
(Muzukashii desu ga dandan yasashiku natte imasu.)
(Mada yomimasen ga ana kanji 0 naraimashita.)
(Ano kanji wa Nihon to yomimasu.)
(Sono kanji wa wakarimasen.)
I went to the zoo and sawall sorts of interesting animals. I
love animals.
In our home in Kyoto we have three cats. The biggest is
small and black.
I like dogs too but as our cats hate dogs we don't have any
dogs in the house .
1. Moshi sono mado a akereba heya wa samuku nari-
masu.
2. Sono made a akenakereba uchi wa atsuku narimasu.
278
3. Machigaeba watakushi wa anata no Nihongo 0 naoshi-

masu.
4. Benky6 shinakereba j6zu ni narimasen.
5. Yoku benky6 sureba Nihongo 0 yomu kotoga
dekimasu .
Chapter 16: The Japanese family

Section A
1. Chichi wa rokujQissai desu.
2. Haha wa gojQhassai desu.
3. Musuko wa jQsansai desu.
4. Musume wa jQissai desu.
5. Kanai/Shujin wa sanjQhassai desu.
6. Ani ga futari imasu.
7. Im6to ga hitori imasu.
1. Hon 0 yonde iru hito wa ot6to desu.
2. Mainichi eki e kuru otoko no kata wa otomodachi desu
ka?
3. Osake 0 takusan nomu hito wa itsumo by6ki desu.
4. Utsukushii kimono ga aru onna no hito wa ane desu.
1. Okaasan desu ka?
2. Oj6san desu ka?
3. Obasan desu ka?
4. Okusan desu ka?
5. Oniisan desu ka?
6. Kodomosantachi desu ka?
7. Im6tosan desu ka?
8. Botchan (or) musukosan desu ka?
1. nihiki.
2. hitori.
3. sannin.
4. sambiki.
5. gomai.
6. futatsu.
7. roppon.
8. ippon.
Section B
1. Musuko wa gosai desu.
2. Okaasan wa Yokohama ni sunde imasu ka?
279
3. Ojiisan wa sen kyQhyaku shichijQsannen ni nakunari-

mashita.
4. Ani wa kuroi hige ga arimasu.
5. Botchan (or musukosanl wa tanjobi ni okurimono 0
takusan moraimashita ka?
6. Ojosan wa itsu kekkon shimashita ka?
7. Otosan wa itsu kikoku shimasu ka?
8. lrnoto wa megane 0 kakete imasu.
9. Kono shashin 0 Shoqatsu ni torimashita.
10. Tomodachi no okaasan wa Furansugo no sensei desu.
1. The man speaking Japanese is an English teacher.
2. Foreigners who can write kanji are clever, aren't they!
3. People who smoke a lot have to go and see the doctor.
4. People who work for a company every day like to go to the
country on Saturdays.
1. Eiga 0 miru koto ga dekimasu.
2. Dobutsu 0 miru koto ga dekimasu.
3. Kitte 0 kau koto ga dekimasu.
4. Torii 0 miru koto ga dekimasu.
1. Hakone ni sunde iru hito wa Fuji-san 0 mainichi miru
koto ga dekimasu .
2. Kono daigaku de sQgaku 0 oshieru hito wa ototo desu.
3. Mainichi sampo suru hito wa genki desu.
4. Ano akai Nihon no kuruma 0 unten shite iru hito wa
chichi desu.
(Sangatsu kokonoka desu.)
(Hai, Nihongo no jibiki to utsukushii kimono to ata-
rashii pen 0 moraimashita.
(So desu keredomo ima tegami 0 takusan kakanake-
reba narimasen! l
(Mada kaerimasen. Raigetsu kikoku suru desho .)
(Jimusho de hataraite imasu.)
(lie, kaze 0 hikimashita.)
(Mada ikimasen keredomo kusuri 0 nornirnashita.)
(So desu ne! Kino ame ga takusan furimashita. Ototo
wa watakushitachi 0 tazunemashita ga kasa 0 wasure-
mashita!)
(Ima nijQhassai desu.)
(NijQissai desu.)
(Hakubutsukan de hataraite imasu.)
280
(Hai, sengetsu kekkon shimashita. Mite kudasai. Kore

wa irnoto no shujin no shashin desu.)
(Futaritomo ureshiso desu.)
(lmoto no shujin no ani desu.)
(lie, Matsumoto de hataraite imasu.)
Chapter 17: Eating out
Section A
1. Yonde shimaimashita.
2. Itte shimaimashita .
3. Kaette shimaimashita.
4. Haitte shimaimashita.
5. Shite shimaimashita.
1. Yonda koto ga arimasu ka?
2. Kaita koto ga arimasu ka?
3. Katta koto ga arimasu ka?
4. Totta koto ga arimasu ka?
5. Tazuneta koto ga arimasu ka?
6. Unten shita koto ga arimasu ka?
1. Ito-san ni 0 ai shimashita.
2. Ito-san to 0 hanashi shimashita.
3. Eigo de 0 hanashi ni narimasu ka?
4. Atarashii pen de 0 kaki ni narimasu ka?
1. Kono kanji 0 kaite mite kudasai.
2. Kono osake 0 nonde mite kudasai.
3. Kono tempuraya ni haitte mite kudasai.
4. Nihongo de hanashite mite kudasai.
5. Mado 0 akete mite kudasai.
1. My younger brother.
2. Splendid.
3. Music.
4. Aubergine.
5. Your father.
6. Lonely .
7. University.
8. Summer.
Section B
1. Eiga 0 mi ni ikirnasho.
281
2. Ongaku 0 kiki ni kaerimashita.

3. Nihongo 0 narai ni kimasu.
4. Ehagaki 0 kaki ni ikimashita.
1. As you're Japanese of course you must like fish.
2. Have you ever bought a German newspaper?
3. I'll have tunafish next.
4. It's finally stopped raining.
5. My elder sister was born in 1970.
1. Kono tegami wa yominikui desu.
2. Nihongo wa kakinikui desu!
3. Ano ongaku wa kikiyasui desu.
4. Ano kanji wa wasureyasui desu!
5. Ano t6fu wa tabeyasui desu.
6. Ano kotoba wa oboenikui desu.
1. Yasui desu.
2. Yasuku wa arimasen.
3. Yasuso desu.
4. Yasukute oishii desu.
5. Atarashii desu.
6. Atarashiku wa arimasen.
7. Atarashiso desu.
8. Atarashikute utsukushii desu.
(Sore wa tanoshimi desu ne. Tempura 0 tabeta koto ga
arimasen.)
(Takas6 desu.)
(Konde imasu ka?)
(Desu kara asoko ni suwarimash6 ka?)
(lie! Nihongo de kaite arimasu!)
(Yomiyasui desu ga kanji 0 watakushi ni oshiete kuda-
sai.)
(Wakarimasen.)
(Nani ga haitte imasu ka?)
(Ebi ga nambon haitte imasu ka?)
(Oishis6 desu ne.)
(Kono shiitake wa oishii desu.)
(Ammari suki ja arimasen.)
(M6 onaka ga ippai ni natte shimaimashita!)
(lie. Watakushi ga gochis6 shimasu yo. Okanj6 0 one-
gai shimasu.)
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Chapter 18: Language for men and women

Section A
1. lie, chikatetsu no he ga ii desu.
2. Yuri.
3. Nasu.
4. Mikka.
5. Asatte.
6. Gahan.
7. Mizu .
8. Nashi.
9. Gazen.
10. Kecha.
11. Kaban.
12. Zasshi.
1. Hakubutsukan no mae de.
2. Ginko no ushira de.
3. Sate-san no ataku no voko de.
4. Eki de.
5. Kyuje no mae de.
1. Akai bara a gahan.
2. Okina kiku a nanahan.
3. Shirai yuri a sam ban.
4. Chiisana tamaga a muttsu.
5. Tabaka a nijippan.
6. Hyaku-en na kitte a sammai.
1. Yamimashita.
2. Kaimashita.
3. Kikimashita.
4. Aimashita.
5. Kakimashita .
6. Tabemashita.
1. yanda.
2. kita .
3. itta.
4. tatta.
5. wasureta .
6. naratta.
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7. moratta.
8. iketa .
Section B
1. Sushi 0 taberu koto ga suki desu.
2. Benkvo suru koto ga kirai desu.
3. Aruku koto ga suki desu .
4. Osake 0 nomu koto ga dai kirai desu.
5. Eigakan e iku koto ga suki desu .
6. Ongaku 0 kiku koto ga kirai desu.
1. Ashita Yokohama e iku to omoimasu.
2. Ano hito wa kino Kobe e itta to omoimasu .
3. Ano hito wa kyo jimusho e kuru to omoimasu ka?
4. Hon'ya de jibiki 0 katta to omoimasu ka?
1. How many pink chrysanthemums do you intend to bu y?
2. It 's useful to hear Jap anese every da y.
3. It 's not much fun waiting for a friend to come.
4. Th ere are many pine-trees near a high mountain.
5. As I want to remember Engli sh I intend to study hard .
6. Aft er we've see n the film sha ll we go and ea t some sushi?
1. Kino katta jibiki wa warui desu/yoku wa arimasen.
2. SenshG no kin'vobi ni nonda kusuri wa mazukatta no
desu .
3. Okaasan ga iketa hana wa utsukushii desu .
4. Amerika de totta shashin wa doko desu ka?
5. Kesa eranda hon wa omoshiroku wa arimasen.
(Chotto matte kudasai. Techo 0 mimasu. Dame desu
yo. Mokuvobi nara ii desu keredomo. Anata wa?)
(Otaku no mae de airnasho ka?)
(Hachijihan.)
(lie, watakushi wa kuruma ga arimasu kara tochu de
anata 0 hiroimasho.)
(Ah ... ane ga inaka kara motte kita hana 0
mimashita ka?)
(Watakashi wa kiku ga dai suki desu.)
(Akai bara ga suki desu ga shiroi no wa kirai desu.)
(NijGyokka ni. Ane no atarashii uchi no shashin desu.
Mite kudasai.)
284
(Ima Matsumoto ni sunde imasu ga jOgonichi ni Tokyo

e kuru tsumori desu.)
(Hai, Eigo no sensei desu kara chOgakko de oshie-
masu.)
(Hai, kyonen no shichigatsu ni Rondon e itte ototoshi
Amerika e ikimashita.)
Chapter 19: At the bank and at the garage
Section A
1. Kuruma 0 tomemashita.
2. Kuruma wa tomarimashita.
3. Hako 0 akemashita.
4. Hon'ya wa rokuji ni shimarimasu .
1. Tabako 0 nomanakute mo ii desu.
2. Mado 0 akenakute rna ii desu.
3. Shashin a toranakute rna ii desu .
4. Tegami 0 kakanakute mo ii desu .
5. Momo a kawanakute mo ii desu.
6. Ashita konakute mo ii desu.
1. Mado a aratte kudasaimasen ka?
2. En a pando ni kaete kudasai.
3. Onamae a kaite kudasaimasen ka?
4. Kuruma a ugokashite kudasai.
5. Shirabete kudasai .
6. Mantan ni shite kudasai.
1. haitte hirakimashita.
2. hiraite kaemashita .
3. kaete kaerimashita.
4. kaette kakemashita .
5. kakete hiroimashita.
6. hirotte tabemashita.
7. tabete ikimashita.
8. itte kaimashita.
9. katte kakimashita.
10. kaite yomimashita.
1. We need petrol.
2. Plea se put some pet rol in.
3. Do you take sugar?
4. I've put some sugar in.
285
Section B
1. Sate-san wa shitte imasu ka?
2. Sore wa shirimasen deshita.
3. Sakaya no soba ni aru koban wa shitte imasu ka?
4. Ano kotoba wa shiranakereba narimasen.
1. Sir!/Madam!
2. Certainly , sir/madam.
3. It makes no odds.
4. I'm sorry .
5. Do take care .
6. Please!
7. Excuse me .
8. I'm treating. (It 's on me.)
1. Kuruma a chotto achira e uqokashirnasho ka?
2. Kosokudoro wa konde im asu.
3. Taiya a shirabete kudasai. (or chiekki shite kudasai.)
4. Mada ate hachijCJkiro mo unten shinakereba
narimasen.
1. Furansugo a hanasu koto ga dekimasen.
2. Nemuru koto ga dekimashita.
3. Hataraku koto ga dekimasen.
4. Itadaku koto ga dekimasu ka?
(Hachiji jCJgofun desu.)
(Gogo shichiji gurai.)
(Mainichi nambon nomimasu/suimasu ka?)
(Honto desu ka! Ana ... ginko wa shitte imasu ka?)
(Ginko no saba ni gasorinsutando ga arimasu ne.)
(Ano ... gasorinsutando no ushiro ni tabakoya ga
arimasu.)
(Sumimasen ga . .. Koza 0 hirakitai n desu ga do
sureba ii no desho ka?)
(Wakarimashita.)
(Chigaimasu. Watakushi wa Igirisujin desu.)
(Kyo wa ichipondo wa nan-en desu ka?)
(So desu ka? Kino yori takai desu ne. Gojupondo 0 en
ni kaete itadakemasen ka?)
286
Chapter 20: A Japanese inn

Section A
1. Ashita kuru ni kimatte imasu.
2. Sensei ga kaita hon 0 yomimashita ka?
3. Sukiyaki 0 tabe ni iklmasho ka?
4. Maguro ni shimasu.
5. Sore wa shirimasen deshita.
6. Biiru 0 nihon kudasai.
7. Mado 0 akemashita.
8. Dochira ga katsu to omoimasu ka?
9. Nanji ni jimusho wa akimasu ka?
10. En 0 pondo ni kaemashita.
1. Tokyo e iku kamo shiremasen.
2. Bikkuri suru kamo shiremasen.
3. Kanji 0 narau kamo shiremasen.
4. Hairu kamo shiremasen.
1. yomanakatta.
2. todokanakatte.
3. akenakatta.
4. konakatta.
5. kinakatta.
6. shiranakatta.
7. shinakatta.
8. tomaranakatta.
9. ugokasanakatta.
10. ikanakatta.
1. Shimbun 0 yomitai no desu. Shimbun 0 yomitakatta
no desu.
2. Eiga 0 mitai no desu. Eiga 0 mitakatta no desu.
3. YQbinkyoku e ikitai no desu. YQbinkyoku e ikitakatta no
desu.
4. Asoko ni tomaritai no desu. Asoko ni tomaritakatta no
desu.
5. Nihongo de hanashitai no desu. Nihongo de hanashi-
takatta no desu.
1. Chotto okiki shitai no desu ga ichigatsu nijQgonichi no
ban heya wa aite imasu ka?
2. Sangatsu yokka
287
3. Shichigatsu voka.
4. Hachigatsu [Osannichi,
5. Kugatsu futsuka.
6. Haishu no suivobi .
7. Haishu no dovobi.
8. Saraishu no kin'vobi
1. Hitori desu .
2. Futari desu.
3. Sannin desu.
4. Vonin desu.
5. Watakushi to musuko desu.
6. Kanai to musume desu.
1. Hitoban desu.
2. Futaban desu .
3. Yoban desu.
4. Goban desu.
5. Rokuban desu.
6. lsshukan desu .
7. Nlshukan desu .
8. Ikkagetsu desu.
9. Rokkagetsu desu.
10. Shichikagetsu desu.
1. Hitoban de nishoku tsuki de kvusen gohyaku-en ni
narimasu .
2. ichiman issen-en
3. ichiman yonsen-en
4. niman-en
Section B
1. Watakushi ga yomanakatta han.
2. Tegami a kakanakatta atoka no hito.
3. Kino jimusho e konakatta atoka no hito.
4. Anata ga kawanakatta saifu.
1. Nihongo a hanasanai atoka no hito desu .
2. Benkvo shinai kodomo desu.
3. Tabaka a nomanai/suwanai atoka no kata desu.
4. Sashimi a tabenai Nihonjin desu.
5. Furusato e kaeranai tornodachl desu.
288
1. Tokyo e kaette kara denwa 0 kakemashita.
2. Kyoto e tsuite kara otomodachi ni aimashita .
3. Asoko ni kuruma 0 tomeba Fuji-san 0 miru koto ga
dekiru desho.
4. Ryokan ni rokuji mae ni todoku to ii desu .
5. VQgohan no mae ni kuru to ii desu .
289
ANSWERS TO REVISION AND

CHAPTERS 1-5
Section 1
1. Kore wa watakushi no kaban ja arimasen.
2. Uchi ni ringo to (or va) momo ga arimasu.
3. Nihon dewa kodomotach i wa hachiji ni qakko e iki-
masu.
4. Watak ishi wa Yokohama e ikimash ita.
5. Foster-san wa Kyoto de sashim i 0 tabemashita.
6. Yuki ga takusan furimasu.
7. Getsuvobi kara kin'vobi made jimusho e ikimasu.
8. Samuku wa arimasen .
Section 2
1. Yasashiku wa arimasen. Muzukashii desu .
2. Samuku wa arimasen. Atsui desu.
3. Chiisaku wa arimasen. Okii desu.
4. Waruku wa arimasen . Ii desu.
5. Yoku wa arimasen. Warui desu .
Section 3
jQichi.
nijQni.
sanjQsan.
yonjQroku.
yonjQshichi (or -nana)
gojQgo .
shichi- (or nana-) jQhachi
hachijQkyQ
kyQjQyon
hyaku.
290
Section 4
sen kyOhyaku rokujOgonen
sen kyOhyaku hachijOnen
Section 5
gozen (or asa) shichi- (or nana-) ji jOgofun.
gogo hachiji yonjOgofun (or kuji jOgofun mae).
yoji jippun mae.
jOichiji sanjOgofun.
kuji nijippun.
Section 6
naganegi. goshujin
kudamono. kugatsu
kuruma. rnokuvobi
ame. kyo
okusama. mochiron.
Section 7
1. lie, Rondon no haru wa mushiatsuku wa arimasen.
2. Igirisu dewa fuyu wa atsuku wa arimasen .
3. Nihonjin wa sakana ya go han 0 tabemasu.
4. Nihongo wa gaikokujin ni muzukashii desu yo!
5. Nihon dewa kodomotachi wa futsO goji ni uchi e
kaerimasu.
Section 8
1. It is large and red .
2. It is 6.30.
3. Black .
4. No, German.
5. Fish and rice (and other things!).
6. Sake or green tea.
7. No.
8. No.
9. In June.
CHAPTERS 6-10
Section 1
1. jOmai
2. futatsu
3. jippon
4. sambai
5. itsutsu
291
Section 2
1. Tegami 0 kaite imasu.
2. Kaimono 0 shite imasu.
3. Ebi 0 katte imasu.
4. Nihongo de hanashite imasu.
5. Tokyo e kite imasu.
Section 3
1. Jimusho de hataraite tegami 0 kakimashita.
2. Tokyo e itte kaimono 0 shimashita.
3. Uch i e kaette gohan 0 tabemashita.
4. Gohan 0 tabete shimbun 0 yomimashita.
5. Shimbun 0 yonde osake 0 nomimashita.
Section 4
1. Otera wa Kiyomizudera to iimasu.
2. Teeburu no ue ni nani ga arimasu ka?
3. Watakushi wa Nihonjin ni aimashita.
4. Kocha ni shimasho.
5. Otera 0 mimashita.
6. Yurakucho kara Gotanda made eki ga muttsu arimasu .
7. Senri na hon desho,
8. Ano hito wa Nihongo ga yoku wakarimasu.
Section 5
1. Massugu itte kudasai.
3. Mittsume no kado 0 migi e magatte kudasai.
4. Ano okina (or okii) tatemono no tokoro 0 hidari e
magatte kudasai.
Section 6
1. Three .
2. 750 yen.
3. Germany.
4. 2500 yen .
5. A 10 000 note.
6. 7500 yen.
7. On the table over there; two.
8. October 13.
9. 2.25.
Section 7
1. VObinkyoku no yoko ni kusuriya ga arimasu .
2. Kudamonoya no mae ni denwa ga arimasu.
Section 8
Niman gosen-en.
samman rokusen-en.
292
sambyaku rokujO-en.
roppyaku yonjOgo-en.
sanzen nanahyaku-en.
Section 9
1. Yasumimashita. or Hatarakimasen deshita.
2. Takai desu. or Yasuku wa arimasen.
3. re: desu. or Chikaku wa arimasen.
4. Karada ni ii desu. or Karada ni waruku wa ari-
masen.
5. Nihongo wa yasashii desu.or Nihongo wa muzuka-
shiku wa arimasen.
Section 10
1. As the rain is stopping how about a stroll ?
2. How much is it? I don 't know yet.
3. Let 's come back again next Friday .
4. It 's a little difficult but it is interesting.
5. After I came to Tokyo I saw a Shinto shrine.
CHAPTERS 11-15
Section 1
1. Tomodachi wa bvoki ni narimashita.
2. Otenki wa samuku narimashita.
3. Watakushi wa atama ga itai desu.
4. Kanai wa netsu ga demashita.
5. Watakushi wa kaze a hikimashita.
Section 2
Ichigatsu kokonoka.
sangatsu jOgonichi.
gogatsu muika.
kugatsu jOyokka
shichigatsu hatsuka.
Section 3
1. Watakushi wa osake ga dai kirai desu.
2. Watakushi wa mizu ga hoshii desu.
3. Watakushi wa Tokyo ga suki desu.
4. Watakushi wa Furansu no kuruma ga arimasu.
5. Watakushi wa terebi 0 miru koto ga suki desu.
Section 4
1. Hatarakanakereba narimasen.
2. Mado 0 akenakereba narimasen.
3. Uchi e konakereba narimasen.
293
4. Tomodach i ni awanakereba narimasen.

5. Matanakereba narimasen.
Section 5
1. Sono ringo 0 tabena ide kudasai.
2. Sono mizu 0 nomana ide kudasa i.
3. Matanaide kudasai.
4. Eigo 0 hanasanaide kudasa i.
5. Ashita konaide kudasai. .
Section 6
1. Itadakimasu .
2. Ohavo gozaimasu.
3. Goch lsosarna deshita.
4. Do shimashita ka?
Section 7
1. Nihiki.
2. Futari.
3. Nimai.
4. Nihon.
5. Futatsu.
Section 8
1. Benkvo sureba ojozu ni narimasu.
2. Nihon e ikeba Fuji-san 0 miru koto ga dekimasu.
3. Kusuri 0 nomeba genk i ni nar imasu.
4. Jippun mateba ii desu yo.
5. Ito-san ni aeba issho ni gink6 e itte kudasai.
Section 9
1. I ate three cakes while watchi ng television.
2. As I have a sore throat I do n't want to eat.
3. I rarely ea t prawns.
4. As the new book is too expe nsive I'm not going to buy it.
5. Accord ing to the doctor my wife can go out for a walk.
Section 10
1. Go and see a Jap anese film.
2. Give explanations.
3. No , by taxi.
4. A thousand yen.
5. He had a sto mach-ache.
6. He had no fever.
7. Next Friday .
8. No , the ninth .
9. Sixtee n hours.
10. Visit Mr Jones's firm in England .
294
CHAPTERS 16-20
Section 1
1. Sumimasen ga otearai wa doko ni arimasu ka?
2. Keisatsusho wa doko ni arimasu ka?
3. Oisha san no ie .. .
4. Ryokan .. .
5. Ichiban chikai koban .. .
Section 2
1. Eigo ga wakarimasu.
2. YOmei na tokoro desu.
3. Tokyo de umaremashita.
4. Oji ga kaita tegami 0 yomimashita.
5. Jiro to iu tomodachi wa shitte imasu ka?
6. Biiru ni shimasu.
7. Itsu tsuku to omoimasu ka?
8. Supaa no soba ni ginko ga arimasu.
9. Takushii de kimashita.
10. RaishU kaeru ni kimatte imasu.
11. Kauntaa ni suwarirnasho.
Section 3
1. Musume no tanjobi wa shigatsu tsuitachi desu.
2. Musuko wa hassai desu.
3. Haha wa shichigatsu toka ni kaerirnasu,
4. Ani wa jimusho de hataraite imasu.
5. lrnoto wa sen kyOhyaku gojOroku nen [Showa
sanjOichinenl ni umaremashita.
Section 4
1. Akeru.
2. Shimeru.
3. Akarui.
4. Kurai.
5. Kyonen.
6. Kotoshi.
7. Ototoi.
8. Asatte.
9. Ureshii.
10. Sabishii.
Section 5
1. That 's too bad.
2. It's a pity but there we are .
3. Take your time.
4. Take care.
295
5. Bill, plea se.

6. That's no good .
7. Congratulations.
8. Certainly , sir.
Section 6
1. Taberu koto ga suki desu. (or) Taberu no ga suki desu .
2. Eigakan e iku koto ga kirai desu .
3. Unten suru koto ga suki desu .
4. Hana 0 ikeru koto ga kirai desu.
Section 7
1. Oishasan e ikanakereba narimasen. (Kusuri 0 nom ana-
kereba narimasen.)
2. YQbinkyoku e ikimasu. (Tabakoya e ikimasu.)
3. Ebi ya sakana ya nasu ya shiitake ya ika 0 taberu koto
ga dekimasu.
4. Kusuriya (supaa) e ikanakereba narimasen.
Section 8
1. Ano/Sono kanji wa yomiyasui desu.
2. Ano/Sono hon wa yominikui desu.
3. Otenki wa kawariyasui desu.
4. Onamae wa kakiyasui desu.
Section 9
1. The man taking a photo lives over there .
2. The person wearing spectacles is a maths teacher.
J . The woman walking back here is my elder sister.
4. The man smoking a cigarette is a foreigner.
Section 10
1. I read a magazine while listening to some music .
2. As this dictionary is a good one your friend will find it
useful.
3. Have you ever been to the theatre?
4. Don't feel at all embarrassed - go and have a bath before
dinner.
5. The purse my wife didn 't buy was a small red one.
Section 11
1. Yuki ga furu kamo shiremasen.
2. Hirugohan no mae ni tsuku kamo shiremasen.
3. Watakushi no kuruma 0 arawanakute mo ii desu.
4. Anata no pondo 0 en ni kaenakute mo ii desu.
Section 12
1. The aubergine and mushrooms Mrs Sato prepared are
delicious.
296
2. I bought the book you wrote by going to that bookshop I

didn 't enter last week .
3. The room your friend chose was absolutely splendid.
4. Would you be so kind as to teach me the kanji I didn 't
know?
Section 13
1. Suwarimasho.
2. Koza 0 hirakirnasho.
3. Nobuo 0 tochO de hirairnasho.
4. Hairirnasho.
Section 14
1. Go to the cinema.
2. This Friday.
3. His younger sister is coming from Yokohama .
4. Next Monday.
5. He 'll pick his friend up by car.
6. The roads are crowded .
7. Underground.
8. In front of the station.
9. A new English film.
10. In the kitchen .
11. Two o'clock.
12. He has to meet a friend after lunch.
13. At seven thirty.
14. After seeing the film.
15. At a tempura restaurant.
297
NUMERALS
ichi hitotsu 1
ni futatsu 2
san mittsu 3
shi or yon yottsu 4
go itsutsu 5
roku muttsu 6
shichi or nana nanatsu 7
hachi yattsu 8
kyO kokonotsu 9
jO to 10
[uichi 11
nijO 20
nijOichi 21
sanjO 30
yonjO 40
gojO 50
rokujO 60
shichijO or nanajO 70
hachijO 80
kyOjO 90
hyaku 100
nihyaku 200
sambyaku 300
yonhyaku 400
gohyaku 500
roppyaku 600
shichikyaku or nanahyaku 700
happyaku 800
kyOhyaku 900
sen 1000
298
nisen 2000 hachisen or hassen 8000

sanzen 3000 kyusen 9000
yonsen 4000 ichiman 10 000
gosen 5000 ichiman issen 11 000
rokusen 6000 samman 30000
shichisen or nanasen 7000 yomman 40000
hyakuman 1 000000
299
TIME
ichiji 1.00
ichiji ippun 1.01
ichiji nifun 1.02
ichiji sampun 1.03
ichiji yompun 1.04
ichiji gofun 1.05
ichiji roppun 1.06
ichiji shichifun or nanafun 1.07
ichiji hachifun or happun 1.08
ichiji kvufun 1.09
ichiji jippun 1.10
ichiji jGippun 1.11
ichiji jugofun 1.15
ichiji nijippun 1.20
ichiji nijuqofun 1.25
ichiji sanjippun or han 1.30
ichiji sanjuqofun 1.35
ichiji yonjippun 1.40
niji juqofun mae or ichiji vonjuqofun 1.45
niji jippun mae or ichiji gojippun 1.50
niji gofun mae or ichiji qojuqofun 1.55
niji 2.00
sanji 3.00
yoji 4.00
goji 5.00
rokuji 6.00
shichiji or nanaji 7.00
hachiji 8.00
kuji 9.00
juji 10.00
300
jOichiji 11.00
jOniji 12.00
gogo sanji or jOgoji 3.00 p.m.
gozen sanji or asa sanji 3.00 a.m .
reiji midnight
301
DAYS, DATES, MONTHS
getsuy6bi Monday
kay6bi Tuesday
suiy6bi Wednesday
mokuy6bi Thursday
kin'y6bi Friday
doy6bi Saturday
nichiy6bi Sunday
tsuitachi 1st
futsuka 2nd
mikka 3rd
yokka 4th
itsuka 5th
muika 6th
nanoka 7th
y6ka 8th
kokonoka 9th
t6ka 10th
juichinichl 11th
juninichi 12th
jusannichi 13th
juvokka 14th
jugonichi 15th
jurokunichi 16th
[Oshichinichi 17th
juhachinichi 18th
jukunichi 19th
hatsuka 20th
nijuichinichi 21st
nijunichi 22nd
302
ni jOsann ich i 23rd

ni jOyokka 24t h
nijOgonichi 25t h
nijOrokunichi 26th
nijOshichin ichi 27th
nijOhachinichi 28th
nijOkunichi 29th
sanjOnichi 30th
sanjOichinichi 31st

kino yeste rday
kyo today
ashita tom orro w
asatte th e day afte r tom or row
sensenshO th e week before last

senshO last week
konsh O this week
ra ishu next week
saraishO the wee k after next
sensenqetsu th e month before last

sengetsu last mo nth
kongetsu th is mo nth
raigetsu next month
saraigetsu th e month after next
ototoshi the yea r before last

kyonen last year
kotoshi this year
rainen nex t year
sarainen th e yea r after next
hitoban one evening (night)

futaban two evenings (nights)
miban three evenings (nights)
yoban four evenings (nights)
goban five eve nings (nights)
rokuban six evenings (nights)
nanaban = issh Okan = 1 week
303
ichigatsu o r Sh6gatsu Januar y

nigatsu Februar y
sangatsu March
shigatsu April
gogatsu Ma y
rokugatsu Jun e
shichigatsu o r nanagatsu Jul y
hachigatsu August
kugatsu September
juqatsu Octob er
juichiqatsu November
juniqatsu Decem ber
304
COUNTERS
Flat objects
ichimai 1 stamp , piece of paper, etc .
nimai 2
sammai 3
yommai or yomai 4
gomai 5
rokumai 6
shichimai or nanamai 7
hachimai 8
kyCJmai 9
jCJmai 10
People
hitori 1 person
futari 2 people
sannin 3
yonin 4
gonin 5
rokunin 6
shichinin or nananin 7
hachinin 8
kyCJnin 9
jOnin 10
jOichinin 11
jOninin 12
Cylindrical objects
ippon 1 pen , umbrella , etc.
nihon 2
sambon 3
305
yonhon 4
gohon 5
roppon 6
shich ihon or nanahon 7
happon 8
kvuhon 9
jippon 10
Animals
ippi ki 1
nihiki 2
sambiki 3
yon hik i 4
goh iki 5
ropp iki 6
shichihiki or nanah iki 7
happiki 8
kvuh iki 9
j ipp iki 10
Cupfuls
ippai 1
nihai 2
samba i 3
yonha i 4
goha i 5
roppa i 6
306
VERB TABLES
Weak verbs
taberu to eat infinitive
tabenai negative infinitive
tabemasu present
tabemasen present negative
tabete -te form
tabemashita past
tabemasen deshita past negative
tabeta past plain form
tabenakatta past negative plain form
tabetai 'want to'
tabereba 'if' form
tabenakereba negative 'if' form
Strong verbs
yomu to read infinitive
yomanai negative infinitive
yomimasu present
yomimasen present negative
yonde -te form
yomimashita past
yomimasen deshita past negative
yonda past plain form
yomanakatta past negative plain form
yomitai 'want to'
yomeba 'if' form
yomanakereba negative 'if' form
307
-te form and present tense of strong verbs

kaku kaite kakimasu to write
hanasu hanashite hanashimasu to speak
motsu motte mochimasu to hold
aru atte arimasu to be
kau katte kaimasu to buy
isogu isoide isogimasu to hurry
tobu tonde tobimasu to fly
shinu shinde shinimasu to die
Irregular verbs
suru to do kuru to come iku, to go
shinai konai ikanai
shimasu kimasu ikimasu
shite kite itte
308
SUPPLEMENTARY
VOCABULARY
heavy omoi
light karui
long nagai
short mijikai
old (of people) toshiyori no
old (not people) furui
warm attakai (or atataka i)
young wakai
brown chairo no (literally, tea-colour)
dark blue kon no
green midori no
grey nezumiiro no (literally rat-colour)
purple murasaki no
ear mimi
face kao
finger yubi
hair kami
leg, foot ashi
mouth kuchi
nose hana
ring yubiwa
glove tebukuro
hat , cap b6shi
shoe kutsu
sock kutsushita
trousers zubon
309
bridge hash i
crossro ad s kosaten
garden niwa
park koen
so uth minami
insid e no naka ni
un de rneath no shita ni
as htray ha iza ra
desk ts u kue
drin king-glass koppu
mirror kagam i
plate sa ra
roo m heya
scisso rs hasami
be in difficu lty komaru

break koware ru (wea k verb)
close to jiru (weak verb)
co mpa re kuraberu (wea k verb)
co unt kazoeru (wea k verb)
cut kiru (stro ng verb)
e njoy o nese lf asobu
get dirt y yogore ru (wea k verb)
ge t tired tsukareru (wea k verb)
rejoice yorokobu
ru n hash iru (stro ng ve rb)
smile , lau gh wa rau
use tsuka u
310
GRAMMAR SUMMARY
LIST OF TOPICS
1. Types of verbs
(a) desu
(b) imasu/arimasu
(c) Weak verbs
(d) Strong verbs
(e) Irregular verbs
2. Nouns
3. Counters and Numbers
4. Tenses
(a) Present and pres ent negative
(b) Past and past negative
5 Pronouns
6. Adjectives
(a) True adjectives
(b) Negative of true adjectives
(c) Other adjectives and their negatives
(d) Comparatives
(e) Superlatives
(f) Preference (. . . no h6 ga ii)
(g) demonstratives (kana, sana, ana)
7. Adverbs
8. Particles
(a) ka, ne , ne, ya
(b) wa
311
(c) a
(d) ga
(e) ni
(f) de
(g) no
(h) e
(i) kara
(j) to, ya, ka, matawa
(k) mo
9. Expressing position
10. Time
(a) Hours and minutes
(b) Days
(c) Months
(d) Years
(e) Dates
(f) Ages
11. Weather
12. Honorifics
13. Verbs in Use
(a) -te form
1. Giving instructions
2. Continuous actions
3. Joining two sentences
4. Linked verbs
5. With kara
6. With arimasu
7. With shimau
8. With mite kudasai
(b) Plain form
(c) Relative clauses
(d) Negative instructions
(e) -tai desu
(f) tsumori desu
(g) Probable form
(h) Must
(i) Need not
(j) If
(k) kama shiremasen
(I) naru
312
14. Plain form of adjectives

15. -te form of adjectives
16. Conjunctions
GRAMMAR EXPLANATIONS
1. Types of verbs
(a) desu, the verb 'to be': the present tense - ' am' , 'is', 'are' .
This verb joins two words together :
watakushi wa Ito desu I'm Ito

kana han wa akai desu this book is red
After a noun, the negative of desu is ja arimasen:
Han ja arimasen. It's not a book .
deshita: the past tense - 'was' , 'were':
Showa 42 wa 1967 deshita

Showa 42 was 1967.
(b) imasu/arimasu
These verbs are also equivalents of the verb 'to be ', but are used to
express position . imasu is used with people, animals, birds and means
of transport , whereas arimasu is used with inanimate objects:
neka wa daidokoro ni the cat is in the kitchen

imasu
kaban wa kuruma ni the briefcase is in the car
arimasu
(c) Weak verbs
All weak verbs end in -eru or -iru (although not all verbs that end in
-eru or -iru are weak verbs).
(d) Strong verbs
Strong verbs end in -bu , -gu, -ku, -rnu , -nu, -ru, -su, -tsu or -u . See
p. 306 for the conjugation of these and of weak verbs - but be careful
to check each new verb that ends in -eru or -iru you come across to
ensure whether it is a weak verb or a strong one:
En a panda ni I changed yen into

kaemashita. pounds.
Tokyo e kaerimashita. I returned to Tokyo .
313
Kaeru, to change, is a weak verb; kaeru, to return, is a strong verb.
(e) Irregular verbs

There are only three in Japanese: suru, to do .
kuru, to come .
iku, to go.
Again see p.306.
2. Nouns
Hito is one of the very few nouns that has a plural, hitotachi or
hitobito . Kodoma is another (plural Kodornotachi) . Other
Japanese nouns are either singular or plural according to context.
Kana han a yande kuda- Please read this book

sai
Kana han a yande kuda- Please read these books
sai
In the first case the speaker would be holding out one book, in the
second more than one (but see also section 3 below):
Kippu a kaimashita I bought a ticket or some

tickets
3. Counters and Numbers.
These are used to show the difference between singular and plural,
and to specify quantity:
Kippu a ichimai I bought one ticket

kaimashita
Kippu a gamai I bought five tickets
kaimashita
In order to count one, two , three, etc. the system ichi, ni, san, etc. is
used . But once quantity is involved , the appropriate counter must be
used : ippan, nihon, samban, etc. for cylindrical objects; ichimai ,
nimai , sammai, etc. for flat objects ; hitori, futari , sannin , etc. far
people; ippiki, nihiki, sambiki , etc . for animals; ippai, nihai,
sambai, etc . for cupfuls . There is an 'all-purpose' system: hitatsu,
futatsu, mittsu, etc . up to t6 (thereafter use juichi, juichi, juni,
etc .) Lists of these counters are to be found on pp . 297 and 304.
Remember in each case the counter goes immediately before the verb:
Kasa a ippan kaimashita. I bought one umbrella.

314
Sara ga rokumai There are six plates.

arimasu.
Nihonjin ni futari I met two Japanese.
aimashita.
Inu ga nihiki imasu. There are two dogs .
Ocha 0 nihai I drank two cups of
nomimashita. Japanese tea .
Teeburu ga itsutsu There are five tables.
arimasu .
Isu ga jQichi arimasu . There are eleven chairs .
4. Tenses
(a) Weak verbs form their present tense by cutting off the - ru and
putting -rnasu . The negative ending is -rnasen:
taberu to eat
miru to see
tabemasu I eat
tabemasen I do not eat
mimasu I see
mimasen I do not see
(b) The past ending is -mash ita and the past negative ending is
-masen deshita:
tabernash ita I ate

mimashita I saw
tabemasen deshita I did not eat
mimasen deshita I did not see
The endings are exactly the same both for strong verbs and for
irregular verbs , but they form their ten ses in a different way :
yomu to read
yomimasu I read (now)
yomimasen I do not read
yomimashita I read (yesterday)
yomimasen deshita I did not read
A full list of the strong verb formations is given on pp . 306-7 . also

the irregular verbs.
315
5. Pronouns
These are mainly used to avoid ambiguity. Once it is clear who is
doing the action , they can be omitted.
The personal pronouns are:
watakushi I
anata (singular) you
watakushitachi we
anatagata (plural) you
Ano hito or ana kata , meaning that person', can be used for ' he' or
'she ', but if it is necessary to indicate the gender of the individual , you
can use:
ana otoko (no hito) that male person for 'he'

ana onna (no hito) that female person for 'she'
kore means this object which is by me, or the one I am holding

sore means that object which is by you , or the one you are
holding
are means that object which is by neither of us - i.e ., over there
Kore wa watakushi no kaban desu This is my despatch-case .
Sore wa anata no keisu desu ka? Is that your case by you?
Are wa Ito-s a n no kuruma desu That over there is Mr Ito's car
6. Adjectives
(a) True adjectives end in -i, like chiisai , small , shiroi, white:
Kono keisu wa chiisai This case is small

desu
Ano neko wa shiroi desu That cat is white
(b) They form their negatives by substituting -ku wa arimasen

for -i:
Kuroku wa arimasen It is not black

Okiku wa arimasen It is not large
Other adjectives (momoiro pink, murasaki purple, kon dark blue)

take no before the noun:
momoiro no kimono a pink kimono
316
Still others take na:
benri na jibiki a useful dictionary
(c) Adjectives that are not true adjectives form their negatives like
nouns:
murasaki ja arimasen it's not purple
(d) Comparatives
Kono zasshi wa ana zasshi yori omoshiroi desu.

This magazine is more interesting than that one.
Yokohama wa Matsumoto yori okii desu.
Yokohama is bigger than Matsumoto .
(e) Superlatives
Tokyo wa ichiban okii Tokyo is biggest.

desu.
(1) Preference
The construction no ho qa ii literally means 'This side is the good
one - i.e ., this course or system is preferable :
Chikatetsu no ho qa ii The underground is better.

desu.
Kono hon no ho qa ii This book is preferable .
desu.
(g) There are three demonstrative adjectives:
kono hon this book (near me)

sono hon that book (near you)
ana hon that book (over there)
7. Adverbs
To form adverbs from true adjectives, you replace the -i with -ku:
hayai, fast hayaku, quickly

Watakushi wa hayaku arukimashita I walked quickly
317
The old form of ii was yoi, and today its adverbial form is still yoku :
Ano hito wa yoku hatarakimashita ne.

That chap did work well, didn't he ?
8. Particles
(a) ka, ne, ne and yo
ka is a verbal question mark:
Ito-san desu ka? Are you Mr Ito?
ne implies a measure of cert ainty :
Ito-san desu ne? You 're Mr Ito , aren 't you?
ne abolishes all doubt:
Samui desu ne! It is cold, isn't it!
yo lends emphasis:
Watakushi no kaban It jolly well is my case

desu yo
(b) wa
wa is an attention-calling particle :
kore wa hon desu this is a book

watakushi wa Igirisujin I'm English
desu
It is sometimes tacked on to ni or de, again to call attention:
Nihon dewa jimusho e hachiji ni ikimasu

In Japan they go to the office at 8
Fuyu niwa yuki ga furimasu ka?
In winter doe s it snow?
(c) 0
o shows the object of a transitive verb :
watakushi wa biiru 0 I drank beer

nomimash ita
eiga 0 mimashita I saw a film
318
There are cases when wa is preferred, once more for emphasis:
Nihonjin wa sashimi The Japanese eat raw fish

o tabemasu
Gohan 0 tabemasu ga They eat rice but not raw

sashimi wa tabemasen fish
(d) ga
ga usually stresses the subject of a verb:
Kore ga kaban desu This is a despatch-case
(as opposed to Kore wa kaban desu This is a despatch-case) but as

you saw in Chapter 12.3 (d) this is one of the trickiest points in
Japanese. There are several instances where ga is (almost!) essential:
1. To express 'There is/are':
Isu no shita ni shim bun ga arimasu.

There's a newspaper under the chair.
2. As the subject of a relative clause:
Sensei ga kaita hon wa omoshiroi desu.

The book the professor wrote is interesting.
3. With wakaru :
Nihongo ga wakarimasu. I understand Japanese.
4. With koto ga aru and koto ga dekiru:
Kyoto e itta koto ga arimasu ka?

Have you ever been to Kyoto?
Kono kanji 0 yomu koto ga dekimasu ka?
Are you able to read these kanji?
5. With suki, kirai, hoshii:
Osake ga suki desu I like sake

Ocha ga kirai desu I hate green tea
Mizu ga hoshii desu I want some water
319
(e) ni
1. Indicates position or time:
Keisu wa kuruma ni The case is in the car.
arimasu.
Shoqatsu ni Nihon e I came to Japan in
kimashita. January.
2. Indicates the dative:
Ito-san wa watakushi ni Nihongo a oshiemashita.

Mr Ito taught me Japanese (= Japanese to me)
3. Is used with certain verbs:

With au, to meet:
Nobuo ni aimashita
I met Nobuo
With kimaru:
Kuru ni kimatte imasu

He 's bound to come
With suru :
ocha ni shimasu
I'll have green tea
(1) de
Unlike ni, de indicates where an action is taking place :
Tomodachi wa Yokohama de hatarakimasu.

My friend works in Yokohama.
Yubinkvoku de kitte a kaimashita.
I bought stamps at the post-office .
(g) no
Best thought of as the equivalent of's :
Sate-san no han Mr Sate 's book (the book

of Mr Sato)
watakushi no kuruma my car (I's car)
Nihon no nomimono a Japanese drink (a drink
of Japan)
320
(h) e
Means towards:
eki e ikimashita he went to the station
(i)kara
Means from:
eki kara kimashita he came from the station
(j) to, v», ka, matawa

to
1. Means 'and' when linking specific objects or persons:
ane to irnoto wa eki e ikimashita

My older sister and my younger sister went to the station
ebi to gohan ga arimasu
There are prawns and rice
2. Is used with certain verbs:
tomodachi ga iku to I think my friend will

omoimasu come
Yamada to iu hito a person called Yamada
Sate-san to hanashitai I'd like to speak to Mr.
desu Sate
va
Is used when other objects not mentioned are implied :
momo va ringo va nashi ga arimasu.

there are peaches and apples and Japanese pears (and other
fruit)
ka
means 'or' between two nouns or pronouns:
k6hii ka k6cha ga there is coffee or tea

arimasu
matawa
means 'or else '
shichigatsu (matawa nanagatsu) shichigatsu (or nanagatsu)

321
(k) rna
Means 'too' or 'also' :
watakushi rna Igirisujin I'm English too

desu
(Do not confuse mo with rna , which means 'more' : mo ippai one
more cup .)
9. Expressing position
mae in front
ushiro behind
shita beneath
ue on top
naka inside
yoko beside
saba near
tsukue no ue ni han ga there's a book on the table

arimasu
ginko no yoko ni hon'ya there's a bookshop next to
ga arimasu the bank
10 Time
(a) hours and minutes
The suffix -ji is used for hours and -fun for minutes (see p. 299):
ic h iji jOgofun 1.15

gozen jOji 10 a .m . (asa , morning, is
also used)
gogo sanji 3 p.m.
When the 24-hour clock is used, reiji (literally, zero hour!) can be
used to express midnight.
The suffix -jikan expresses extent of time:
nanjikan kakarimasu ka? how long will it take?

nijikan kakarimasu it'll take two hours
(b) Days
(see p. 301) kyo today

kino yesterday
322
ashita tomorrow
asatte the day after tomorrow
(c) Months
(see p . 303)
The suffix -gatsu is used to show a specific month .

The suffix -kagetsu is used to show the number of months.
sangatsu ni Nihon e kimashita

I came to Japan in March
sankagetsu tomarimashita I stayed for three months
(d) Years
Although the A .D . system is official , the traditional way of reckoning
years since the start of the current Emperor's reign is more common
sen kvuhvaku rokuju roku -nen wa Sh6wa vonjuichi-nen

deshita
1966 was Showa 41
ototoshi the year before last

kyonen last year
kotoshi this year
rainen next year
sarainen the year after next
(d) Dates
(see p. 301)
The Japanese order is always year, month, day:
Sh6wa rokuju-nen gogatsu nijuichinichi 1985, May 21
(0 Ages
The suffix -sal is used (see Chapter 16.3 (cj).
11. Weather
ii otenki desu ne lovely weather, isn't it!

warui otenki desu ne foul weather. isn't it!
323
The verb furu is used with ame (rain) and yuki (snow):
ame ga futte imasu it is raining
kyonen yuki ga takusan it snowed a great deal last

furimashita year
The verb kuru is used with taifO (typhoon) .
kugatsu ni 6kina taifQ ga kimashita

there was a big typhoon in September
12. Honorifics
The prefix 0- is used traditionally with certain words :
otenki weather
oisha doctor
osake, osushi and osashimi
ocha green tea
o furo bath
It is also used to distinguish the speaker from the person addressed :
tomodachi ni aimashita I met my friend

otomodachi ni aimashita I met your friend
oj6zu desu ne! you are clever!
j6zu ja arimasen I'm not good at it
(See Chapter 16.3 (a) for the family honorifics)

=:ertain words require the on or Chinese honorific prefix go :
gohan rice
goshujin your husband
go men nasai pardon me
words associated with money usually take an honorific:
okane money
otsuri change
okanj6 bill
13. Verbs in use

(a) the -te form
(The -te form of weak and strong verbs is given on pp . 306-7.)
324
1. Giving instructions
Use kudasai (please) after the -te form :
koko e kite kudasai please come here

kono hon 0 yonde do read this book
kudasai
2. Continuous actions
Use imasu after the -te form :
ana hito wa Eigo de he's speaking in English

hanashite imasu
neko wa sakana 0 tabete the eat's eating the fish
imasu
3. Joining two sentences

To link two sentences together, put the first verb in the -te form :
Watakushi wa Yokohama e ikimashita. Tomodachi ni aima-

shita .
I went to Yokohama . I met a friend .
Watakushi wa Yokohama e itte tomodachi ni aimashita.
I went Yokohama and met a friend .
The tense of the final verb does not matter. The first verb is always in
the -te form :
Igirisu e itte Eigo 0 hanashirnasho

I'll go to England and speak English
Hon'ya e itte zasshi 0 kaitai desu
I want to go to the bookshop and buy a magazine
4. Linked verbs
Sometimes one idea in English is expressed by two verbs in Japanese,
the first being in the -te form :
motte kuru to bring

motte iku to take away
sono shim bun 0 motte kite kudasai
please could you bring that newspaper?
kono haizara 0 motte itte kudasai
would you please take this ashtray away?
325
5. With kara
asagohan 0 tabete kara denwa 0 kakemasu

I'll phone after I've had breakfast
gink6 e itte kara okurimono 0 kaimasu
I'll buy the present after I've been to the bank
Be very careful not to confuse kara after the -te form, meaning
'after' , with kara after other forms of the verb meaning 'because' :
Igirisujin desu kara Eigo 0 hanasu koto ga dekimasu

Because he is English he can speak English
6. With arimasu
This is used to express a state:
namae ga kaite arimasu the names are written

made wa akete arimasu the window is open
7. With shimau
This adds a note of finality or completion:
furusato e kaette shimaimashita

he ended up by going back to his home town
osake 0 nonde shimaimashita
all the sake has been drunk
8. With mite kudasai

An extension of 1 and 4, meaning 'to give something a try' :
Nihongo 0 hanashite mite kudasai

have a go at speaking Japanese
(b) Plain form (given on p. 306)

The 'normal' verb-forms all have a parallel plain form :
mimasu miru
mimasen minai
mimashita mita
mimasen deshita minakatta
(See also Chapter 20 3 (g).)

326
These are used especially by men in friendly or informal talk :
tomodachi ga kimasu tomodachi ga kuru

tabemasen deshita tabenakatta
They are also used for relative clauses (see Section (c) below)
(c) Relative clauses

The plain form is used for the verb in the relative clause:
sakana 0 taberu hito wa itsumo genki desu

People who eat fish are always healthy
osake 0 nomanai hito wa sabishii desh6
People who don't drink sake are a cheerless lot
kin6 atta Nihonjin wa Amerika e ikimashita
The Japanese I met yesterday has gone to America
neko wa anata ga tabenakatta sakana 0 tabemashita
The cat ate the fish you didn 't eat
(See Section 8 (d) on ga)
(d) Negative instructions
add-de kudasai to the negative infinitive (see pp . 306-7) :
tabenai not to eat, tabenaide kudasai please don't eat

yomanai not to read, yomanaide kudasai please don 't read
konaide kudasai please do not come
(e) -tai desu 'want to'

to express a wish cut off the -masu ending and put -tai desu:
ikimasu I go
ikitai desu I want to go
benky6 shimasu I study
benky6 shitai desu I want to study
(f) tsumori desu

Used after the infinitive to
express intention :
ash ita gink6 e iku

tsumori desu
I intend going to the
bank tomorrow
327
(g) Probable form

1. desha is the less de-
finite form of desu :
ana hito wa Amerikajin he's probably an American

desha
Yamada-san wa konai Mr Yamada probably
desha won't come
ashita kuru desha he 'll probably come
tomorrow
Tokyo e itta desha he's probably gone to
Tokyo
as such, it is used after nouns , pronouns or adjectives and verbs in the

plain form.
2. -rnasho
Using the ending -masho instead of -masu implies probability:
yQbinkyoku e ikimasu I'll go to the Post Office

yQbinkyoku e ikirnasho I'll probably go to the Post
Office
This form is also used to express the idea 'Let's do something':
biiru 0 nornimasho let's have a beer
(h) Must
Take the negative infinitive (shinai; ikanai; konai ; tabenai) , cut off
the final -i and substitute -kereba narimasen :
benky6 shinakereba I must study

narimasen
gakk6 e ikanakereba I must go to school
narimasen
mainichi koko e I had to come here every
konakereba narimasen day
deshita
kodomotachi wa gohan children must eat rice ,
o tabenakereba mustn't they ?
narimasen ne
328
(i) Need not

Take the negative infinitive (kaenai; nomanai) , cut off the fina l -i
and substitute -kute mo ii desu :
en 0 pondo ni kaenakute you do n't need to change

mo ii desu your yen into pounds
sono kusu ri 0 noma- you needn' t drin k that
nakute mo ii desu medici ne
(j) If
1. Ta ke off the -u of the infinitive (m iru, hanasu ), and subst itute
eba:
Ran to iu eiga 0 mireba if you see a film called

Ran
Nihongo 0 hanaseba ; If you spea k Jap anese
2. to after the infinitive mea ns 'whe n' or 'if' :
Hakone e iku to Fuji -san 0 mimasu .

When/If you go to Hak one you' ll see Mr Fuji.
3. (see (h) above)
benky6 shinakereba if you do not study

Nihon e ikanakereba If you don 't go to Japan
(k) kamo shiremasen

After a noun or pron oun or the infinitive for m of a verb , this means
'may ' :
Yamada-san kamo That may be Mr Yamada

shiremasen
Arne ga furu kamo It may rain
shiremasen
(I) naru
1. After a true adjective
Substitute -ku for the -i ending:
kodomo wa 6kii desu he's a big boy

kodomo wa 6kiku he's grow n (become big)
narimashita
329
sora ga kuraku natte the sky's growing dark

imasu
2. After other words
Use ni :
sensei ni narimashita he 's become a teacher
by6ki ni narimashita he's fallen ill
14. Plain form of adjectives

True adjectives are really verbs. akai means 'is red ' , and the desu is
strictly speaking unnecessary. They have their past plain form - you
substitute -katta for the final -i:
(omoshiroi) ornoshiro- it was interesting

katta (no desu)
(muzukashii) muzukashi- it was difficult
katta (no desu)
Hence , you can see why the past plain form of the negative verb (see
13 (b) above) is formed that way - because minai is really an
adjective.
15 -te form of adjectives
Substitute -kute for the final -i. You can now link adjectives the way
you linked sentences (in 13 (a) above):
akai desu. chiisai desu. It is red. It is small

akakute chiisai desu It's red and small
Hence, you can see why the 'need not' form in 13 (i) above is formed
that way .
16 Conjunctions
(a) ga and keredomo :
watakushi wa Nihonjin desu ga kanai wa Furansujin desu

I am Japanese but my wife is French
Kippu 0 kaitai desu keredomo taihen takai desu
I want to buy a ticket but it's very expensive
keredomo is perhaps marginally stronger, equivalent to 'however'.

(b) kara
See 13 (a) above.
330
HIRAGANA
iYJ a t) -) u ;t e to 0
7P ka ~ ki < skuu (t ke
'7"
<- ko
~ sa G s hi T -tt se of so
t::. ta
Id: na ,:
-t:> chi
m
-:J ts u
~ nu
.s, fu
-C te
tl ne
C: to
(J) no
tt ha V- hi A.. he ';f ho
~ rna 77- rm ts mu (/) me t mo
~ ya ~ yu J: yo
G ra 'J rJ G ru ;fL r e is ro
b wa i- 0*
Iv final n or ill
"Used only for object particle.
7J'i;, ga ~" gi <' gu (j' ge '7""

<- go
~' za L: )1 f zu -tf ze of· zo
t3. da 15' ji -j' zu -C' de E do
'f ba rf bi S bu /\(, be ';f. bo
,;r pa r.J. pi S pu « pe (;f0 po
~ ~ kya ~~ kyu ~J: kyo
~. ~ gya ~. ~ gyu ~.J: gyo
G ~ s ha G ~ s hu G J: s ho
L: ~ ja L: ~ )u L:J: jo
331
-f::> J\> c ha -f::> ~ c hu -f::> J: c ho

,= ~ nya ,= ~ nyu ,= J: nyo
V' J\> hya V' ~ hyu V'J: hyo
lf ~ bya lf ~ byu lf J: byo
LJJ\> pya LJ~ pyu LJ J: pyo
l7. ~ mya l7. ~ myu l7. J: myo
~ J\> r ya ~ ~ r yu ~J: r yo
332
KATAKANA
7 a l' ry u ..I.. e :;;f 0
j} ka q=.
ki 7 ku 'r ke :J ko
+j- s a ~ shi :;7,. s u ~ se '.J so
'7 ta T chi 'Y tsu T te r to
-T na m ;I. nu t- ne / no
J\ ha I::: hi 7 fu ./'\". he ;t- ho
y rna ..... rni L>. rnu ;J. me .:crno
~ ya .:L yu '3 yo
7 ra 1) n Jl.-- r u V re t1 r o
'J \Va /' final n or m
jJ ga ::¥ gi 7" gu If ge :J" go
-if' za :; ji :;7,." z u
_.
~' ze -r zo
'7" da T de r' do
J\ ba 1:::' bi 7 " bu « be , , bo
;f
J '\ pa \:::0 pi 7 ° pu « pe ;f po
333
.:r-\' kya .:r..:z. ky u .:r 3 kyo

~-\' s ha ~..:z. sh u ~.x. s he ~3 s ho
7-\' c ha 7..:z. c hu 7.x. che 7 3 cho
.::. -\, nya - ..:z. ny u - 3 nyo
t:: -\' hya t:: ..:z. hyu t:: 3 hyo
,
~ -\' mya ~ ..:z. myu ...... 3 myo
I) -\' r ya J) ..:z. r yu I) 3 r yo
.:¥ -\' gya .:¥ ..:z. gy u .:¥ 3 gyo
--'
/'-\, Ja --'
/'..:z. JU Y.x. je /'--' 3 jo
t::" -\' bya t::"..:z. by u l:::' 3 byo
0
e-\, pya t::0..:z. pyu t:: 3 pyo
ry1 wi ry.x. we ry ;;t wo
7 7 kwa
'Y 7 ts a 'Y .r; tse 'Y ;;t tso
7 1 ti
7 7 fa 7 1 fi 7.x. fe 7 ;;t fo
- , -,'
T 1 di T ..:z. du
( ry" 7 va ry" 1 VI ry" VU ry" .r; ve . ry" ;;t v o)
334
COMMON KANJI
ic hi 1
m 2
san 3
1m s hi 4
Ji go 5
-L.
/"
r ok u 6
-t s hic hi 7
}~ ha ch i 8
JL kyG 9
-J- jG 10
-8 hyak u 100
-=f se n 1,000
n man 10,000
fIl ye n
B nich i S unda y
f-} ge tsu Mond ay
*- ka T ues da y
71< SUI W edne sd ay
*1Jt:±
mok u T hursday
kin Frida y
do S aturda y
335
B
*ff
Ni ho n J a pan
~ ginko ba n k
m ~i5 denwa te lephon e
--L...
~ :m: ko ba n po lice-box
-6.
~ 11 kai s ha office
j\) f!I!~ yGbi nkyok u post office
!mr}~ c hikatets u Unde rgro und
~ ~ft byoin hos pit al
~ iIi is ha doctor
~, ~
~
kusu ri ya chemist's
ffi ~~ kik en Danger
rm a (ke r u) open
1:11 s hi (me r u) s hut
A 0 iriguc h i ent rance
Cb 0 d eguc hi ex it
.~ eki station
~ ~ dans hi GENTLEMEN
fx. ~ joshi LADIES
336
WORDS FREgUENTLY
SEEN IN KANA
71 A 7 1) - £.. aisu kuri im u ice c ream

7 J ) - l- apaato a part me nt, fl at
J" A ba su bu s
e:"-}(...- bii ru beer
7 "J ) - r depa ato depa rtment s tore
7 -1 }(...- £.. fi rumu film (f o r came r a )
if'J I) / gaso n n pet r ol
1 ;f 1) A Igirisu E ng la nd
1;7-7 kam e r a came ra
4=-0 ki r o kil og r amm e
:::J-e:- koohii co ffee
7 t> ~ ''j r 1; - F kure j itt o-k a ad o c red it-ca r d
J ) / pa n b read
7~::t r a j io r adi o
vAr7/ r e su to r an r estauran t
I) ''j r}(...- ri t to r u lit r e
1j- / r' sando sand wic h
A-J )- s u u paa s u pe r ma r ke t
!J7~ ta kushi i taxi
7-7 t e epu
0
t ap e
7 V e:" t ereb i t el e visi on
337
~Gli s a s h im i
s u k iy a ki
T~~~
T G sus hi
t:::. ,;;t' ::. t ab ak o c iga re t tes
-cIv SG t empura
338
USEFUL BOOKS
AND
ADDRESSES
DICTIONARIES
Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary (Tokyo: Kenkyusha) .

The Modern Reader's Japanese-English Character Dictionary
(Tokyo : Tuttle) .
The Oxford Duden , Pictorial English-Japanese Dictionary (Oxford:
OUP) .
Pocket English-Japanese Dictionary (Tokyo : Kenkyusha) .
New Collegiate English-Japanese Dictionary (Tokyo: Kenkyusha) .
Takahashi's Romanized English-Japanese Dictionary (Tokyo: Taisei-
do).
REFERENCE BOOKS
P.G. O'Neill, Japanese Names, (New York and Tokyo : Weatherhill) .

Malcolm D. Kennedy A History of Japan (London: Weidenfeld and
Nicolson).
E . Papino, Historical & Geographical Dictionary of Japan (Tokyo:
Tuttle) .
Charles J . Dunn , Everyday Life in Traditional Japan (Tokyo : Tuttle).
Sokyo Ono, Shinto (Tokyo : Tuttle).
Suzuki, Zen and Japanese Buddhism (Tokyo : Japan Travel Bureau) .
Keene (ed .) Anthology of Japanese Literature (Tokyo : Tuttle) . 2
vols.
P.G .O 'Neill, A Guide to No (Tokyo: Hinoki Shoten) .
A Waley , (trans) The No Plays of Japan (Tokyo : Tuttle) .
AS. & G .N. Halford, The Kabuki Handbook (Tokyo: Tuttle).
Donald Richie, Japanese Cinema (New York: Anchor).
Peter Swann, Art of China, Korea and Japan (London : Thames &
Hudson).
Akiyama Terukazu, Japanese Painting (London: Macmillan).
339
Bradley Smith, Japan , A History in Art (Tokyo: Gemini Smith).

Masterworks of Ukiyo-e (Tokyo: Kodansha) 10 vols.
Kenneth Roxroth, 100 Poems from the Japanese (New York: New
Directions) .
Henderson, An Introduction to Haiku (New York: Anchor).
Nobuyuki Yuasa (trans.) Basho (London : Penguin) .
Harry and Lynn Guest and Kajima Shozo , Post-War Japanese Poetry
(London : Penguin).
Rafael Steinberg The Cooking of Japan (New York : Time-Life) .
ADDRESSES
Japanese Embassy 46, Grosvenor Street WI (visas 01-493 2475)

Japan Association 43, King William Street EC4 (01-623 5324)
Japan Centre 66, Brewer Street WI (01-4376445)
Japan Foundation 35, Dover Street WI (01-4994726)
Japan Travel Bureau Canberra House, Maltravers Street WC2
(01-3796244)

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MASTERING

Reprint of the original edition 1989

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission

No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied

Any person who docs any unauthorised act in relation to

First edition 1989

Typeset by TecSet Ltd, Wallington, Surrey

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

ISBN 978- 0--333-4199S-4 Pbk export

1 Greetings and introductions 3

Grammar - Foreign words in Japanese; the days of

Grammar - Making an enquiry; aku ; the plain form

II. REFERENCE MATERIAL

SERIES EDITOR'S PREFACE

These should be studied with the cassette . Each phrase should be

There is no vocabulary-list at the end of this book . Students should

After the introductory chapters, the third section of most chapters

This section contains a Note on Written Japanese (p. 227) , the

In this book words in Japanese are set in a different type-face so that

T here are five basic vowel-sounds in Jap anese: a , i, u , e , and o .

car key coo l cage coat

~ (Say: a-o-i ; i- e; u-e).

T here is one single consonant, final -n or -m . Whe n saying it as n , try

san hon pan

It is pron ounced as m before b , p and m :

sembei sampo nammai

CONSONANT AND VOWEL

All other Japanese sounds consist of a consonant and a vowel :

(sometimes the '3 '-sound is nearer d 3 )

There are a number of double vowel-sounds:

kya kyu kyo

hon'ya bookshop (from han , a book and va, a shop) as opposed

Japanese is therefore made up of f ive vowels , one separate conson-

Unlike English, each syllable carries an even stress. Not Yokohama

Sometimes vowels are long. When this happens , they carry a

Th er e are doubled consonants, to o. It is very imp ort ant to distingu ish

H e'll bat tenth

Practise these sounds :

gakko gal /kklo

Qu estion s usually have an interrogative 'lift' towards the end, much

Japanese has been called the 'mirror-language' to English and,

E ach lan guage is a differ ent way of looking at th e wo rld . Accept -

Mrs Foster: 56 desu. Watakushi wa Mary desu. Hajimema-

-san Mr , Mrs, Miss

kanai (my) wife

1.3 EXPLAN AnONS

Kore wa keisu desu. Th is is a case .

T he subject of a sentence is frequently omitted if the sense is clear:

Keisu desu . (It/That/T his) is a suitcase .

(b) True adjectives

Kore wa kuroi desu. This is black .

Ito-san desu ka? Are you Mr. Ito?

In practice, Western men tend to be referred to by the surname,

Ogenki desu ka? Are you well?

(e) Plural and singular

Kore wa kaban desu. As for this , it is a briefcase.

wa usually calls attention to the subject of the sentence:

Keisu wa aka i desu . As fo r th e case , it's red.

rno mea ns 'as well', 'also' , 'too' :