Learn Japanese through Dialogues:

Beginning Conversations

Listen. Repeat. Associate

Clay & Yumi Boutwell

Copyright © 2016 Kotoba Books at Smashwords

www.TheJapanShop.com

www.TheJapanesePage.com

All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

Finally, a fun and easy way to learn REAL conversational Japanese!

We are including, at no extra charge, MP3s for all the dialogues found in this book. Create play-lists to study on the go or burn the sound files to a CD to listen at home. The download link is found on the last page (if the MP3s were not included at purchase).

The dialogues found in this book are all about context and how Japanese is actually used with friends casually and when peppered with politeness among new acquaintances.

Each dialogue will have MP3s. The Japanese is all recorded by native voice actors and actresses.

The dialogue is presented naturally and all in Japanese. This may be too fast for you at first, but try listening to it a few times to attune your ears.

As you master the vocabulary and understand the grammatical points mentioned in the book, you may find what was difficult upon first hearing is easy the second (or tenth!) time around.

The book itself contains the dialogue with the English translation, but it also adds cultural and grammatical notes to help you understand the dialogue in context.

While you do not have to know hiragana before using this book (rōmaji is provided), we highly recommend it. Every kanji here has furigana (small hiragana) over it to aid reading. However, if you do not yet know hiragana, please check out our Hiragana, the Basics of Japanese eBook and paperback.

Let's get started!

Clay & Yumi Boutwell

help@thejapanshop.com

http://www.TheJapanShop.com

http://www.TheJapanesePage.com

Dialogue One

Jane Introduces Herself to a Coworker

Dialogue One: in Japanese

Jane Introduces Herself to a Coworker

First, let’s view the dialogue in natural Japanese with translation.

はじめまして。

はじめまして。

ジェーンと申します。

田中です。どちらの出身ですか？

アメリカから来ました。

あ、アメリカですか。いつ来ましたか？

先週来ました。

Dialogue One: in Japanese

Jane Introduces Herself to a Coworker

Try to read the Japanese on the left page first. Use this page only when necessary.

hajimemashite.

Nice to meet you.

hajimemashite.

Nice to meet you.

je-n to moushimasu.

I am Jane.

tanaka desu. dochira no shusshin desu ka?

I'm Tanaka. Where are you from?

amerika kara kimashita.

I'm from America.

a, amerika desu ka. itsu kimashita ka?

Oh, America, huh? When did you arrive?

senshuu kimashita.

I arrived last week.

日本はどうですか？

大好きです。

食べ物は何が好きですか？

すしが好きです。

私もです。じゃあ、今度いっしょに食べに行きましょう。

はい、ぜひ行きましょう。

nihon wa dou desu ka?

What do you think of Japan?

daisuki desu.

I love it.

tabemono wa nani ga suki desu ka?

What foods do you like?

sushi ga suki desu.

I like sushi.

watashi mo desu. jaa, kondo tabe ni ikimashou.

Me too. Well, let's go eat sometime.

hai, zehi ikimashou.

Sure. Definitely, let's go.

Dialogue One: Line-by-Line

Jane introduces Herself to a Coworker

Tackle each line individually. Try to understand the sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary.

はじめまして。

hajimemashite.

Nice to meet you.

hajimemashite—Literally, “let’s begin.”

hajimemashite is the most common way to greet someone you are just meeting. When someone says, hajimemashite to you, you can simply repeat in response.

ジェーンと申します。

je-n to moushimasu.

I am Jane.

Literally, "I am called Jane."

VOCABULARY

ジェーン je-n—Jane [The “je” sound is made by combining “ji” with “e”: ジェ. The sound is enlongated (ー) to approximate the long sound in Jane.]

と申します to moushimasu—I am called. [This set phrase comes from the verb 申す mousu meaning “to speak” or “to call.”]

田中です。どちらの出身ですか？

tanaka desu. dochira no shusshin desu ka?

I'm Tanaka. Where are you from?

Here Tanaka simply says his name and then "desu." Tanaka to moushimasu is politer, but since he is the boss, his speech doesn’t have to be as polite as Jane’s. "dochira" is polite for "doko" (where).

VOCABULARY

田中 tanaka—Tanaka [family name]

です desu—the copula [often used like the English “to be” but also used to show existence, a state, and identity.]

どちら dochira—from where

出身 shusshin—originally from; hometown

ですか？ desu ka?—Question marker

A Few Common Japanese Last Names:

アメリカから来ました。

amerika kara kimashita.

I'm from America.

Literally, "I came from America."

アメリカ means “the United States”; South America is 南アメリカ minami amerika or 南米 nanbei. Both are used. Canada is, thankfully, just カナダ kanada.

VOCABULARY

アメリカ amerika—America

からkara—from [a common postpositional meaning “from, of, through, with, by…”]

来ましたkimashita—came [past tense of one of the few irregular verbs in Japanese:くる to come.]

あ、アメリカですか。

いつきましたか？

a, amerika desu ka. itsu kimashita ka?

Oh, America, huh? When did you arrive?

Like “oh” in English, Japanese has several similar interjections. a is very common.

ka—question marker; adding ka to the end of most any statement makes it into a question. If you use a question word as in itsu kimashita ka, you don’t necessarily need the ending ka in casual speech.

VOCABULARY

あ a—ah; oh

アメリカ amerika—America

ですか desu ka—Usually desu ka makes a statement into a question. Here, it is doing that in a soft way. The speaker is repeating what is said: oh, so you are from America?

いつ itsu—when

きました kimashita—came [past of くる kuru—to come]

か ka—question marker

先週来ました。

senshuu kimashita.

I arrived last week.

As mentioned earlier, Japanese has very few irregular verbs. Thankfully. But one of them is extremely common.

来る kuru to come. Learn the common forms well: (note, you can use the kanji 来 or just write it in hiragana. Both are acceptable)

くる kuru—to come (nonpast)

きます kimasu—to come (nonpast polite)

きた kitta—came (past)

きました kimashita—came (past polite)

こなかった konakatta—didn’t come (past)

きませんでした kimasen deshita—didn’t come (past polite)

VOCABULARY

先週 senshuu—last week

来ました kimashita—came

日本はどうですか？

nihon wa dou desu ka?

What do you think of Japan?

~はどうですか？ ~wa dou desu ka? is a very useful question phrase. この本はどうですか？ kono hon wa dou desu ka? What do you think about this book? 天気はどうですか？ tenki wa dou desu ka? What do you think about the weather?

VOCABULARY

日本 amerika—The United States

はwa—[the topic particle; marks the topic of the sentence]

どうdou—how about

ですかdesu ka—question marker

大好きです。

daisuki desu.

I love it.

"suki" means "to like.” Add 大 dai (which means “big”) in front of it and it becomes “love” or “big like.”

VOCABULARY

大好き daisuki—love; like a lot

食べ物は何が好きですか？

tabemono wa nani ga suki desu ka?

What food do you like?

何が好きですか？ ~nani ga suki desu ka? is also a very useful question phrase. 音楽は何が好きですか？ Ongaku wa nani ga suki desu ka? What music do you like?

VOCABULARY

食べ物tabemono—food [飲み物 nomi mono—drink]

何 nani—what

が ga—[subject particle; comes after what is usually the subject in English]

好き suki—like

すしが好きです。

sushi ga suki desu.

I like sushi.

To say you like anything is easy in Japanese: (what it is you like) ＋が好きです。 ga suki desu.

猫が好きです。neko ga suki desu. I like cats.

日本語が好きです。nihongo ga suki desu. I like the Japanese language.

この映画が好きです。kono eiga ga suki desu. I like this movie.

VOCABULARY

すし sushi—sushi

が ga—[subject particle; comes after what is usually the subject in English]

好き suki—like

です desu—copula [a word used to link the subject of a sentence with a predicate; often like the English “to be”]

私もです。じゃあ、今度

いっしょに食べに行きましょう。

watashi mo desu. jaa, kondo issho ni tabe ni ikimashou.

Me too. Well, then. Let’s go next time.

私も watashi mo—me too; あなたも anata mo—you too; 私たちも watashi tachi mo—us also

VOCABULARY

私も watashi mo—me too

じゃあjaa—well then…

今度kondo—next time [although it literally means “this time” it is used for a future event]

いっしょにissho ni—together

食べにtabe ni—to go eat; for the purpose of eating

行きましょうikimashou—let’s go

はい、ぜひ行きましょう。

hai, zehi ikimashou.

Yes, let’s definitely go.

Use power words like ぜひ (certainly; by all means) for emphasis.

VOCABULARY

はい hai—yes; okay

ぜひzehi—by all means

行きましょうikimashou—let’s go

Dialogue Two

Jane Meets Her New Boss

Dialogue Two: in Japanese

Jane Meets Her New Boss

First, let’s view the dialogue in natural Japanese with translation.

やあ、ジェーンさん。

山田部長ですね。はじめまして。

はじめまして。よろしく。

よろしくお願いします。

アパートはどう？

きれいです。スーパーと銀行が近いのでとても便利です。

Dialogue Two: in Japanese

Jane Meets Her New Boss

Try to read the Japanese on the left page first. Use this page only when necessary.

yaa, je-n san.

Oh, Jane.

yamada buchou desu ne. hajimemashite.

Manager Yamada, isn't it? Nice to meet you.

hajimemashite. yoroshiku.

Nice to meet you.

yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Nice to meet you too.

apa-to wa dou?

How is the apartment?

kirei desu. su-pa- to ginkou ga chikai node totemo benri desu.

It is nice. A supermarket and bank are close by. It is very handy.

それはよかった。

はい、今からどうすればいい

ですか？

まず、みんなに自己紹介して

くれるかな？

はい。わかりました。

sore wa yokatta.

That’s good to hear.

hai, ima kara dou sureba ii desu ka?

Yes. What should I do from now?

mazu, minna ni jikoshoukai shite kureru kana?

First, how about an introduction to everyone?

hai. wakarimashita.

Sounds good.

Dialogue Two: Line-by-Line

Jane Meets Her New Boss

Tackle each line individually. Try to understand the sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary.

やあ、ジェーンさん。

yaa, je-n san.

Oh, Jane.

VOCABULARY

やあ yaa—ah!

ジェーンさんje-n san—Mrs. Jane.

山田部長ですね。はじめまして。

yamada buchou desu ne. hajimemashite.

It’s Mr. Yamada, isn’t it? Nice to meet you.

Like さん, "buchou" tells us who he is or what his position is.

VOCABULARY

山田部長 yamada buchou—General Manager Yamada

ですねdesu ne—isn’t it?

はじめましてhajimemashite—Nice to meet you

はじめまして。よろしく。

hajimemashite. yoroshiku.

Nice to meet you. We’re counting on you!

はじめまして is used when meeting someone for the first time. よろしく is used with workmates or when asking someone to do a favor for you. It is a set phrase, but means something like, “I leave it up to you” or “please take care of things.”

よろしくお願いします。

yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

I’m excited to work here.

Adding お願いします is better and politer. When someone says よろしく to you, you can respond with one back.

アパートはどう？

apa-to wa dou?

How is your apartment?

A simple (and casual) way to asking what someone thinks of something is to say the topic and then add

はどう？ To be politer, make it はどうですか？

VOCABULARY

アパート apa-to—apartment

はwa—[topic particle]

どうdou—how about

きれいです。スーパーと銀行が

近いのでとても便利です。

kirei desu. su-pa- to ginkou ga chikai node totemo benri desu.

It’s lovely. A supermarket and bank are nearby so it is very convenient.

きれい means “beautiful” but it also means “clean” or “nice.”

VOCABULARY

きれい kirei—nice; clean

スーパーsu-pa—supermarket [written in katakana because it is taken from “supermarket”]

とto—and

銀行ginkou—bank

近いchikai—close; nearby

のでnode—therefore; because of that

とてもtotemo—very

便利benri—convenient

それはよかった。

sore wa yokatta.

That’s good to hear.

よかった！ yokkata all by itself is also commonly said when you are relieved or when you are happy something happened.

VOCABULARY

それはsore wa—that; as for that… [それ (that) + は (topic particle) = as for that…]

よかったyokatta—that’s good (to hear)

はい、今からどうすればいいですか？

hai, ima kara dou sureba ii desu ka?

Yes. What should I do from now?

In English, we say “from now.” In Japanese it is “now from”: 今 ima (now) からkara (from)

VOCABULARY

はい hai—yes

今からima kara—from now

どうすればいい dou sureba ii—what should I do? [Literally, something like: “in what way should be done that is good”]

まず、みんなに自己紹介してくれるかな？

mazu, minna ni jikoshoukai shite kureru kana?

First, it might be good to have you introduce yourself to everyone.

に is used to show direction. In this case, to whom she should address her introduction: minna (everyone).

VOCABULARY

まず mazu—first

みんなにminna ni—to everyone [There are two forms for “everyone” みんな minna or みなさん mina san. You can’t use

みんなさん]

自己紹介jikoshoukai—self introduction

してくれるshite kureru—please do (give us)

かなkana—I wonder [used to soften or show uncertainty]

はい。わかりました。

hai. wakarimashita.

Yes, sir. I understand.

When someone asks you to do something and you both understand the request and are willing to do it, say

わかりました wakarimashita.

VOCABULARY

はいhai—yes

わかりました wakarimashita—understood [This is actually the past tense since you are saying you have understood and have accepted the request.]

Dialogue Three

Jane Introduces Herself

Dialogue Three: in Japanese

Jane Introduces Herself

First, let’s view the dialogue in natural Japanese with translation. Since this is a self-introduction 1) is Jane.

ジェーンと申します。

アメリカのフロリダ州からきました。

結婚しています。二人の子供がいます。

日本には先週来ました。

趣味は映画とスポーツです。

どうぞよろしくお願いします。

Dialogue Three: in Japanese

Jane Introduces Herself

Try to read the Japanese on the left page first. Use this page only when necessary.

je-n to moushimasu.

I am Jane.

amerika no furorida shuu kara kimashita.

I’m from Florida in America.

kekkon shite imasu. futari no kodomo ga imasu.

I'm married. I have two children.

nihon ni wa senshuu kimashita.

I arrived in Japan last week.

shumi wa eiga to supo-tsu desu.

My hobbies are movies and sports.

douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

I look forward to working with you.

Dialogue Three: Line-by-Line

Jane Introduces Herself

Tackle each line individually. Try to understand the sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary.

ジェーンと申します。

je-n to moushimasu.

I’m Jane.

VOCABULARY

ジェーン je-n—Jane

と申します to mouoshimasu—am called; my name is…

アメリカのフロリダ州からきました。

amerika no furorida shuu kara kimashita.

I’m from Florida in the US.

アメリカのフロリダ州 amerika no furorida shuu Florida in America. Since Japanese word order for beginners can be confusing, it might be helpful to think of の as an apostrophe S. America’s Florida.

VOCABULARY

アメリカ amerika—America; the United States

フロリダ州furorida shuu—Florida state [州 shuu means state]

からkara—from

きましたkimashita—came

アメリカからきましたamerika kara kimashita—I’m from America. [You don’t have to use the “I” pronoun if it is obvious you are speaking about yourself.]

結婚しています。二人の子供がいます。

kekkon shite imasu. futari no kodomo ga imasu.

I am married with two children.

With words like “married” that imply continued action, you use the continuing action form ～しています ~shite imasu.

VOCABULARY

結婚 kekkon—marriage

結婚していますkekkon shiteimasu—(I) am married.

二人futari—two (people) [see next page for how to count people]

子供kodomo—child; children

二人の子供futari no kodomo—two children

いますimasu—have; exist

子供がいますkodomo ga imasu—(I) have children.

日本には先週来ました。

nihon ni wa senshuu kimashita.

I came to Japan last week.

VOCABULARY

日本 nihon—Japan

日本にnihon ni—to Japan

先週senshuu—last week

来ましたkimashita—came

趣味は映画とスポーツです

shumi wa eiga to supo-tsu desu.

My hobbies are movies and sports.

A common topic brought up when giving 自己紹介 jikoshoukai (self introductions) is one’s hobbies.

VOCABULARY

趣味 shumi—hobby

映画eiga—movie

とto—and

スポーツsupo-tsu—sports

どうぞよろしくお願いします。

douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Look forward to working with you.

When ending your 自己紹介 jikoshoukai (self introductions) or finishing up meeting someone for the first time, this is a great line to use.

douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu is not easy to translate into English for two reasons. First, it is used in multiple ways and situations. Second, culturally speaking, Westerners rarely need to express such a thought.

The best way to think of it is as an expression of desire for future cooperation, apology, gratitude, or simply “thank you.”

One note on お願いしますonegaishimasu (please). This comes from the word 願い negai meaning to “wish” or “desire.” So by adding onegaishimasu you are making the phrase politer and with more emphasis.

Dialogue Four

Jane Meets Her Neighbor

Dialogue Four: in Japanese

Jane Meets Her Neighbor

First, let’s view the dialogue in natural Japanese with translation.

はじめまして。どうぞよろしく

お願いします。

こちらこそ、よろしく。

お名前は？

ジェーンです。あなたは？

田中と申します。

仕事は何ですか？

学校の先生です。

Dialogue Four: in Japanese

Jane Meets Her Neighbor

Try to read the Japanese on the left page first. Use this page only when necessary.

hajimemashite. douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Pleased to meet you.

kochira koso, yoroshiku.

Same here. Please to meet you too.

onamae wa?

What is your name?

je-n desu. anata wa?

I am Jane. And you?

tanaka to moushimasu.

I am Tanaka.

shigoto wa nan desu ka?

What do you do for work?

gakkou no sensei desu.

I am a school teacher.

何を教えていますか？

国語です。

それなら、私の日本語をなおしてください。

お上手ですよ。

まだまだだめです。

それでは、またね。

またね。

nani o oshiete imasu ka?

What do you teach?

kokugo desu.

Japanese language.

sore nara, watashi no nihongo o naoshite kudasai.

In that case, please correct my Japanese.

ojouzu desu yo.

You are very good at Japanese.

mada mada dame desu.

I'm still no good.

sore dewa mata ne.

Well then, I'll see you later.

mata ne.

Goodbye.

Dialogue Four: Line-by-Line

Jane Meets Her Neighbor

Tackle each line individually. Try to understand the sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary.

はじめまして。どうぞよろしくお願いします。

hajimemashite. douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Nice to meet you.

As mentioned before, some form of the above is what you will hear when meeting someone for the first time.

こちらこそ、よろしく。

kochira koso, yoroshiku.

Same here. Nice to meet you.

kochira koso is very useful when returning compliments. It means “it is I who should say…”

お名前は？

onamae wa?

What is your name?

It is just a coincidence that 名前 namae (name) sounds like name. Add the honorific o when asking for someone else’s name.

While you can add nan desu ka to ask the full question, it is most common to just ask the above.

お名前はなんですか？

onamae wa nan desu ka?

What is your name?

ジェーンです。あなたは？

je-n desu. anata wa?

I’m Jane. And you?

You can just say anata wa (and you?) instead of asking the full question again. And you?

田中と申します。

tanaka to moushimasu.

I am Tanaka.

VOCABULARY

田中 tanaka—Tanaka [common family name]

と申しますto moushimasu—(I) am called…

仕事は何ですか？

shigoto wa nan desu ka?

What kind of work do you do?

You could abbreviate this to simply oshigoto wa?

VOCABULARY

仕事shigoto—work

何ですか nan desu ka—what is it? [You can write it with or without the kanji: 何]

学校の先生です。

gakkou no sensei desu.

I am a school teacher.

The の connects and shows relationships. As mentioned before, it may be helpful to think of it as an apostrophe S: school’s teacher or school teacher.

VOCABULARY

学校 gakkou—school

のno—connecting particle showing relationship

先生sensei—teacher

学校の先生gakkou no sensei—school teacher

ですdesu—the copula [often used like the English “to be” but also used to show existence, a state, and identity.]

何を教えていますか？

nani o oshiete imasu ka?

What do you teach?

The ～ています ~te imasu form is politer than just the ~masu form.

VOCABULARY

何 nani—what [typically, nani is a stand alone “what” and nan is used with other words: nan sai—how old]

教えていますoshiete imasu—teaching

かka—[question marker]

国語です。

kokugo desu.

Japanese language.

kokugo literally means “country language.” Technically, kokogo for the US would be English. But in most cases kokugo, means the Japanese language.

それなら、私の日本語をなおしてください。

sorenara, watashi no Nihongo o naoshite kudasai.

In that case, please correct my Japanese.

VOCABULARY

それなら sore nara—in that case…

私のwatashi no—my [の after a pronoun makes it possessive]

日本語nihongo—Japanese language

をwo—[direct object marker]

なおしてくださいnaoshite kudasai—please correct

お上手ですよ。

ojouzu desu yo.

You are very good at it.

It is very common to lay compliments thick especially upon first meeting.

VOCABULARY

お上手 ojouzu—skilled [the honorific o is added when speaking of others]

よ yo—[particle showing assertiveness]

まだまだだめです。

mada mada dame desu.

I’m still not good at it.

It is also common to be overly humble. mada mada dame means one still had much to learn.

VOCABULARY

まだまだ mada mada—still; much yet to go [If you still have a lot of work or homework to do and someone asks if you are done, you can say this.]

だめdame—no good; bad at

ですdesu—the copula [often used like the English “to be” but also used to show existence, a state, and identity.]

それでは、またね。

sore dewa, mata ne.

Well, then. See you later.

While mata ne is a common farewell especially among friends, sore dewa is a common signal that the person has to go or wants to end the conversation. Something like, Well, I’d better be going…

VOCABULARY

それでは sore dewa—well then

またねmata ne—see you again [The mata means “again” and the ne implies certitude]

またね。

mata ne.

Bye.

With friends you can also say バイバイ bai bai.

Dialogue Five

Jane has a Headache

Dialogue Five: in Japanese

Jane has a Headache

First, let’s view the dialogue in natural Japanese with translation.

こんにちは。

こんにちは。お元気ですか？

元気ですよ。あなたは？

まあまあです。

そうですか。

実は、ちょっと頭がいたいです。

大丈夫ですか？

はい。でもちょっと休みます。

Dialogue Five: in Japanese

Jane has a Headache

Try to read the Japanese on the left page first. Use this page only when necessary.

konnichi wa.

Good afternoon.

konnichi wa. ogenki desu ka?

Hello. How are you?

genki desu yo. anata wa?

I’m fine and you?

maa maa desu

So so.

sou desu ka.

Oh, really?

jitsu wa chotto atama ga itai desu.

Actually, I have a little headache.

daijoubu desu ka?

Are you all right?

hai. demo chotto yasumimasu.

Yes, but I think I’ll rest a little.

そうですね。やすんだほうがいいですよ。

じゃあ、またね。

おだいじに。

sou desu ne. yasunda hou ga ii desu yo.

Yes, you had better get some rest.

jaa, matane.

Well, goodbye.

odaiji ni.

Take care.

Dialogue Five: Line-by-Line

Jane has a Headache

Tackle each line individually. Try to understand the sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary.

こんにちは。

konnichi wa

Hello.

konnichi wa literally means “As for this day…”

こんにちは。お元気ですか？

konichiwa. O genki desu ka?

Hello. How are you?

ogenki desu ka, like “How are you?” in English, is rarely meant as a serious question. The canned response is almost always genki desu.

元気ですよ。あなたは？

genki desu yo. anata wa?

I’m fine. And you?

Just about any question that is asked of you can be thrown back with an anata wa.

まあまあです。

maa maa desu.

I’m so-so.

VOCABULARY

まあまあ maa maa—so so; not great

そうですか。

sou desu ka?

Is that so?

It is a coincidence that そう and the English “so” are so similar.

実は、ちょっと頭がいたいです。

jitsu wa, chotto atama ga itai desu.

Actually, my head hurts a little.

chotto is a very useful word in Japanese. It is often used as a “softener.” chotto dekinai literally means “little can’t do it” even when it means, “there’s no way it can be done.”

VOCABULARY

実は jitsu wa—actually

ちょっとchotto—a little

頭atama—head

頭がいたいatama ga itai—head hurts; headache

大丈夫ですか？

daijoubu desu ka?

Are you all right?

はい。でもちょっと休みます。

hai. demo chotto yasumimasu.

Yes, but I will rest a little.

Another example of chotto being used to soften or play down something.

VOCABULARY

はい hai—yes

でもdemo—but

ちょっとchotto—a little

休みますyasumimasu—rest

そうですね。やすんだほうがいい

ですよ。

sou desu ne. yasunda hou ga ii desu yo.

That’s right. You should get some rest.

～ほうがいい is a very useful construction. It would be better to…

やすむ yasumu (to rest) -> convert to ~ta form = yasunda

add ~hou ga ii = yasunda hou ga ii. It would be better to rest.

じゃあ、またね。

jaa, mata ne.

Well, then. See you later.

jaa is a shortened and casual form of では dewa

VOCABULARY

じゃあ jaa—well, then

またね mata ne—see you again

おだいじに。

odaiji ni.

Take care.

When talking to someone who is sick or not feeling well, use odaiji ni when parting. It means, “take care of yourself.”

Dialogue Six

Jane and Neighbor Tanaka

Dialogue Six: in Japanese

Jane and Neighbor Tanaka

First, let’s view the dialogue in natural Japanese with translation.

おはよう。

あ、おはよう田中さん。

さいきん、元気？

はい。あなたは？

仕事が忙しいけど元気です。

今日は仕事ですか？

いいえ、ちがいます。今日は日曜日ですから休みです。

今から何をするんですか？

Dialogue Six: in Japanese

Jane and Neighbor Tanaka

Try to read the Japanese on the left page first. Use this page only when necessary.

ohayou

Good morning.

a, ohayou tanaka san

Oh, good morning, Mr. Tanaka.

saikin, genki?

Have you been well recently?

hai, anata wa?

Yes, and you?

shigoto ga isogashii kedo genki desu.

I’ve been busy with work, but I’m fine.

kyou wa shigoto desu ka?

Do you have to work today?

iie, chigaimasu. kyou wa nichiyoubi desu kara yasumi desu.

No, I don't. Since today is Sunday, I'm off.

ima kara nani o surundesu ka?

What will you do from now?

今からスーパーに行くつもりです。

私もあとでスーパーに行こうと思っています。

そうなんですか？じゃあ、いっしょに行きませんか？

そうですね。行きましょう。

ima kara su-pa- ni iku tsumori desu.

I plan to go to the supermarket from now.

watashi mo ato de su-pa- ni ikou to omotteimasu.

I'm also thinking of going to the supermarket later.

sounan desu ka? jaa issho ni ikimasen ka?

Is that so? Well then, why not go together?

sou desu ne. ikimashou.

Yes, let’s go.

Dialogue Six: Line-by-Line

Jane and Neighbor Tanaka

Tackle each line individually. Try to understand the sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary.

おはよう。

ohayou.

Good morning.

Originally, this was the honorific お o plus a form of はやい hayai (early). This is similar to the English, “good morning.”

あ、おはよう田中さん。

a, ohayou tanaka san.

Oh, good morning, Mrs. Tanaka.

san can be male or female and it doesn’t imply marriage statis. I could have written Mr. Tanaka, Ms. Tanaka, or even Old Man Tanaka!

さいきん、元気？

saikin, genki?

How have you been recently?

This is casual speech among friends. Literally, “recently, healthy?”

VOCABULARY

最近 saikin—recently

元気genki—healthy; energetic

はい。あなたは？

hai. anata wa?

Yes. And you?

anata wa is an easy way to throw a question back at someone.

VOCABULARY

はい hai—yes

あなたは anata wa—and you?

仕事が忙しいけど元気です。

shigoto ga isogashii kedo genki desu.

I’ve been busy with work, but I’m fine.

The conjunction kedo is an easy way to connect thoughts.

VOCABULARY

仕事 shigoto—work

がga—[particle that usually marks the subject]

忙しいisogashii—busy

けどkedo—but

元気genki—healthy; energetic

ですdesu—the copula [often used like the English “to be” but also used to show existence, a state, and identity.]

今日は仕事ですか？

kyou wa shigoto desu ka?

Do you have work today?

VOCABULARY

今日は kyou wa—as for today…

仕事shigoto—work

ですかdesu ka—is it?

いいえ、ちがいます。今日は日曜日

ですから休みです。

iie, chigaimasu. kyou wa nichiyoubi desu kara yasumi desu.

No, I don’t. Today is Sunday so I am off.

Until recently, Japanese school children had school six days a week—although Saturday was usually short and for club activities.

VOCABULARY

いいえ iie—no

ちがいますchigaimasu—wrong

今日はkyou wa—As for today

日曜日nichiyoubi—Sunday

ですからdesu kara—because of …

休みyasumi—rest; vacation; off work

今から何をするんですか？

ima kara nani o surun desu ka?

What are you doing now?

Literally, “what will you be doing from now?”

VOCABULARY

今から ima kara—from now

何nani—what

するsuru—to do

何をするんnani wo surun—what are (you) doing? [the ん is used when explaining or asking for explanation for something]

今からスーパーに行くつもりです。

ima kara su-pa- ni iku tsumori desu.

I’m planning to go the supermarket from now.

つもり tsumori—plan to. Just add after the plain form of a verb: 本を読むつもり hon o yomu tsumori—plan to read a book

VOCABULARY

今から ima kara—from now

スーパーsu-pa-—supermarket

にni—shows direction

行くiku—to go

つもりtsumori—plan; intend to

スーパーに行くつもりsu-pa- ni iku tsumori—(I) plan to go to the supermarket

私もあとでスーパーに行こうと

思っています。

watashi mo atode su-pa- ni ikou to omotte imasu.

I am also thinking of going to the supermarket later.

行こうと思っています ikou to omotte imasu—(I) was thinking of going…

VOCABULARY

私も watashi mo—me too

あとでatode—later

スーパーにsu-pa- ni—to the supermarket

行こうikou—want to go [shows intent]

と思っていますto omotteimasu—was thinking about

そうなんですか？じゃあ、

いっしょに行きませんか？

sou nan desu ka? jaa, issho ni ikimasen ka?

Is that so? Why not go together?

Use this negative-invitation form in other situations:

issho ni ikimasen ka? Why not go together?

issho ni tabemasen ka? Why not let’s eat?

issho ni eiga mimasen ka? Wouldn’t you like to see a movie together?

VOCABULARY

そうなんですか sou nan desu ka—is that so

じゃあ jaa—well

いっしょに issho ni—together

行きません ikimasen—not go

か ka—[question marker; makes the negative verb a suggestion in a question ]

そうですね。行きましょう。

sou desu ne. ikimashou.

You’re right. Let’s go.

行きましょう ikimashou—let’s go

食べましょう tabemashou—let’s eat

飲みましょう nomimashou—let’s drink

読みましょう yomimashou—let’s read

VOCABULARY

そうです sou desu—that’s right

ねne—[ender showing agreement]

行きましょうikimashou—let’s go

Dialogue Seven

Eating Out

Dialogue Seven: in Japanese

Eating Out

First, let’s view the dialogue in natural Japanese with translation.

やっと仕事が終わりましたね。今から食べに行きませんか？

いいですね。

前にすしが好きと言ってましたよね。回転寿司はどうですか？

回転寿司ってなんですか？

すしが自動でカウンターの上を

回りながら出てくるんですよ。

あの、すみませんが、あまりよくわかりません。

Dialogue Seven: in Japanese

Eating Out

Try to read the Japanese on the left page first. Use this page only when necessary.

yatto shigoto ga owarimashita ne. ima kara tabe ni ikimasen ka?

I see work is finally finished! Wouldn't you like to go eat something now?

ii desu ne.

Sounds good.

mae ni sushi ga suki to ittemashita yo ne. kaitenzushi wa dou desu ka?

Didn't you say before that you liked sushi? How about kaitensushi?

kaitenzushi tte nan desu ka?

What is kaitensushi?

sushi ga jidou de kaunta- no ue o mawari nagara dete kurun desu yo.

While the counter automatically revolves, sushi come out.

ano, sumimasen ga amari yoku wakarimasen.

Sorry, but I don't understand very well.

お店に行くとわかりますよ。

そうですか。会社のそばですか？

はい、近くにあります。行きましょう。

はい、行きましょう。

omise ni iku to wakarimasu.

You'll understand when you go to the restaurant.

sou desu ka. kaisha no soba desu ka?

I see. Is it near the company?

hai, chikaku ni arimasu. ikimashou.

Yes, it is nearby. Let's go.

hai, ikimashou.

Yes, let’s go.

Dialogue Seven: Line-by-Line

Eating Out

Tackle each line individually. Try to understand the sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary.

やっと仕事が終わりましたね。

今から食べに行きませんか？

yatto shigoto ga owarimashita ne. imakara tabe ni ikimasen ka?

You’ve finally finished work. Why don’t we go get something to eat?

VOCABULARY

やっと yatto—at last; finally

仕事shigoto—work

終わりましたowarimashita—finished

ねne—[sentence ender asking for confirmation]

今からima kara—from now; next

食べにtabe ni—to go to eat; for the purpose of eating

行きませんかikimasen ka—won’t (you) go?

食べに行きませんか　tabe ni ikimasen ka—Won’t you go get something to eat? [Posing a question in the negative (why don’t we go eat something…) is a polite way to invite someone to do something.]

いいですね。

ii desu ne.

That sounds good.

One of the most common—and useful—phrases in the Japanese language.

VOCABULARY

いいii—good

です desu—the copula [often used like the English “to be” but also used to show existence, a state, and identity.]

ね ne—[sentence ender prompting confirmation or showing agreement]

前にすしが好きと言ってましたよね。回転寿司はどうですか？

mae ni sushi ga suki to ittemashita yo ne. kaitenzushi wa dou desu ka?

A while back you said you liked sushi. How about going to a kaitenzushi?

VOCABULARY

前に mae ni—previously; before [Here, it is used temporally. You can also use this spatially: 前にねこがいます。 mae ni neko ga imasu. There is a cat in front (of me).]

すしsushi—sushi

好きsuki—like

すしが好きsushi ga suki—(you) like sushi

と言ってましたto ittemashita—was said [used when quoting]

よねyo ne—[sentence enders with a fair amount of certitude, but still asks for confirmation or affirmation]

回転ずしkaiten zushi—sushi restaurant with a revolving countertop; the customer waits in his chair for the sushi he wants to come around [note the “s” changes to a “z” after certain sounds.]

どうですか？dou desu ka—how about it?

回転寿司ってなんですか？

kaitenzushi tte nan desu ka?

What is a kaitenzushi?

This is another useful form to remember:

～ってなんですか？ ~tte nan desu ka? What is …?

VOCABULARY

って tte—[a way to mark off a quote; the small っ may look like the large つ, but it isn’t pronounced like it. It means there is a small pause as in “booK Club” rather than “bookstore”; this can make a difference: oto (sound) vs otto (husband); gaki (brat; annoying kid) vs gakki (musical instrument)]

なんnan—what

なんですかnan desu ka—what is …?

すしが自動でカウンターの上を回りながら出てくるんですよ。

sushi ga jidou de kaunta- no ue o mawari nagara dete kurun desu yo.

Sushi automatically comes around on a moving counter.

Japanese has many compound verbs such as 出てくる dete kuru which combines出る deru (to come out; appear) and くる kuru (to come). The sushi not only appears, but it comes to you.

VOCABULARY

自動で jidou de—automatically; by itself

カウンターkaunta-—counter

の上no ue—on top of

をo—[particle showing the direct object]

回りながらmawari nagara—while circling [nagara means “while”]

出てくる detekuru—comes out

んですn desu—[this ender is used to either explain something or to show emphasis]

よyo—[an ender for emphasis]

あの、すみませんが、

あまりよくわかりません。

ano, sumimasen ga, amari yoku wakarimasen.

Sorry, but I don’t really understand.

There are two が used in Japanese: 1) the particle marker that (usually) shows the subject and 2) a conjunction meaning, “but” or “however.”

VOCABULARY

あの ano—um [a way to get someone’s attention]

すみませんsumimasen—excuse me; sorry

がga—but; however

すみませんがsumimasen ga—excuse me, but…

あまりamari—not very… [always followed by a negative verb: wakarimasen]

よくyoku—well; fully

わかりませんwakarimasen—don’t understand

あまりよくわかりませんamari yoku wakarimasen—I don’t fully understand

お店に行くとわかりますよ。

omise ni iku to wakarimasu yo.

You’ll understand at the store.

行くと iku to—the “to” is often used to show cause and effect: if you go… you’ll understand.

VOCABULARY

お店 omise—store [the o is used for politeness: ocha—green tea; otousan—father; okyakusama—(honorable) customer]

お店に omise ni—to the store

行く iku—to go

行くと iku to—upon going…

わかります wakarimasu—understand

よ yo—[ender for emphasis]

そうですか。会社のそばですか？

sou desu ka. kaisha no soba desu ka?

I see. Is it next to the office?

Instead of saying “next to” you can ask if it is nearby:

会社にちかいですか？ kaisha ni chikai desu ka? Is it near the office?

VOCABULARY

そうですか sou desu ka—is that so?; I see

会社kaisha—office

のno—[a connecting particle showing relationship]

そばsoba—next to

会社のそばkaisha no soba—next to the office

はい、近くにあります。

行きましょう。

hai, chikaku ni arimasu. ikimashou.

Yes, it is close by. Let’s go.

You can say 近くにあります chikaku ni arimasu or

近いです chikai desu—both mean “it is nearby.”

VOCABULARY

はい hai—yes

近くにchikaku ni—nearby

ありますarimasu—there exists [used with inanimate objects]

行きましょうikimashou—let’s go

はい、行きましょう。

hai, ikimashou.

Yes, let’s go.

行く iku—to go; 行きます ikimasu—to go (masu form); 行きましょう ikimashou—let’s go [drop the su in the masu form and add shou.]

VOCABULARY

はい hai—yes

行きましょうikimashou—let’s go

DOWNLOAD LINK

Download Link for the MP3s:

http://thejapanesepage.com/downloads/db.zip

As an added bonus, here is a coupon for 10% off your next order at www.TheJapanShop.com. Just use the coupon :

“MATANE”

(Just use the above word without the quotes)

Thank you for purchasing and reading this book! To contact the authors, please email them at help@thejapanshop.com. See also the wide selection of materials for learning Japanese at www.TheJapanShop.com and the free site for learning Japanese www.thejapanesepage.com.

Table of Contents

Learn Japanese through Dialogues: Beginning Conversations

INTRODUCTION

Midpoint