Quick Japanese 2 Basic Sentence Structures AFFIRMATIVE ends with des. This is ( OBJECT/ADJ ). これは ( ) です Kohdeh-WA ( OBJECT/ADJ ) des. NEGATIVE ends with ja-nye-des. This is NOT ( OBJECT/ な ADJ ). これは ( ) じゃないです Kohdeh-WA ( OBJECT/ な ADJ ) ja-nye-des. * NEGATIVE ends with ja-adima-sen. (This is textbook stuff and used in writing more.) This is NOT ( OBJECT/ な ADJ ). これは ( ) じゃありません Kohdeh-WA ( OBJECT/ な ADJ ) ja-adima-sen. QUESTION ends with deska? Is this ( OBJECT/ADJ )? これは ( ) ですか Kohdeh-WA ( OBJECT/ADJ ) deska? ANSWERS Yes Yes, it is. (lit. Yes, it is so.) はい そうです Hye, SOH des. No No, it is not. (lit. No. It is different.) いいえ ちがいます Ee-AE, chig-gye-mas. No No, it is not. (lit. No, it is not so.) いいえ そうじゃないです Ee-AE, SOH ja-nye-des. No No, it is not. (lit. No, it is not so.) いいえ そうじゃありません Ee-AE, SOH ja-adima-sen. Quick Japanese 2-1 of 8
Examples 1 Is this coffee? これは コーヒー ですか Kohdeh-WA COH-hee deska? No, it's not. It's barley tea. いいえ ちがいます むぎちゃです Ee-AE, chig-gye-mas. Moog-EEcha des. 2 What is that? それは なん ですか Sohdeh-wa NAHN deska? It's fried rice. チャーハン です CHAH-hahn des. 3 Is it delicious? おいしい ですか Oi-SHEE deska? Yes, it is (delicious). はい おいしい です Hye, Oi-SHEE des. * Vocabulary ******************************************* These are used only for things, NOT for people. kohdeh This (these) as a noun (thing near the speaker) これ sohdeh That (those) as a noun (thing near the listner) それ ahdeh That over there (those) as a noun (thing far from both the speaker and the listner) あれ These are used to address people (or direction in a polite form) kohchee-dah This (these) {person(s) near the speaker} こちら sohchee-dah That (those) {person(s) near the listener} そちら ahchee-dah That (those) {person(s) far from both the speaker and the listner} あちら NAH-nee? What? なに? 何? NAHN deska? What is it? なんですか? 何ですか? EE-ee good いい 良い soo-goh-ee great, amazing すごい KEE-deh-eh beautiful, pretty きれい mah-mah so so, mediocre, (it's just OK.) まあまあ toh-teh-moh very とても SOO-goh-koo greatly, really すごく hohn-toh-oh-nee really, truly ほんとうに 本当に CHO-oh super (Japanese slang) ちょう 超 MAH-jee-deh for real! (slang) まじで マジで Quick Japanese 2-2 of 8
oi-shee delicious おいしい mazz-oo-ee tastes bad まずい ahtz-oo-ee hot あつい 熱い tz-oomeh-tye cold (for things, not for weather) つめたい 冷たい den-shah train でんしゃ 電車 EH-kee train station えき 駅 h(ee)-toh person ひと 人 tohmohdah-chee friend(s) ともだち 友達 KAH-deh he, boyfriend かれ 彼 KAH-nohjoh she, girlfriend かのじょ 彼女 wah-tah-shta-chee us, we わたしたち 私達 KAH-dehdah them, they かれら 彼ら watashee me, I わたし 私 ah-nah-tah you (not used often. Use the person's name to address the listener.) あなた Possessive < Person + NOH + Object/Person > < 人 + の + 物 / 人 > means person's things/person. NOH works as a modifier or of in English. Examples 4 This is my money. これは わたしの おかねです Kohdeh-WA watashi-noh ohka-neh DESs. 5 This is not his money. これはかれのおかねじゃないです Kohdeh-WA KAH-deh-NOH ohka-neh ja-nye-des. 6 Whose money is this? これはだれのおかねですか Kohdeh-WA DAdeh-NOH ohka-neh DESka? It's mine. わたしのです Watashi-NOH des. 7 Whose is this? これはだれのですか Kohdeh-WA DAdeh-noh deska? It's Dean's. ディーンさんのです Dean-san-noh des. Quick Japanese 2-3 of 8
Vocabulary ********************************************** kohnoh This (these) as an adjective (near the speaker) この sohnoh That (those) as an adjective (near the listner) その AhNOH That (those) as an adjective (far from both the speaker and the listner) あの koh-koh here, this place (near the speaker) ここ soh-koh there, that place (near the listener) そこ ah-soh-koh over there, that place (far from both the speaker and the listener) あそこ ********************************************************************* 8 These clothes are mine. このふくはわたしのです KohNOH hookoo-wa watashi-noh des. 9 Whose is this cell phone? このけいたいはだれのですか KohNOH keh-ehtye-wa DAdeh-noh deska? It's Babi's. Babi-san-noh des. バビさんのです 6W's & More (What, Where, When, Who, Why, How) What is it? なん ですか NAN deska? Where is it? どこ ですか DOH-koh deska? When is it? いつ ですか IT-tsoo deska? Who is it? だれ ですか DA-deh deska? How is it? どう ですか DOH-oh deska? Why is it? どうして ですか DOHSH-teh deska? A) Which is it? (out of two things) どっち ですか DOHT-tchi deska? B) Which is it? (out of more than two things) どれ ですか DOH-deh deska? Quick Japanese 2-4 of 8
A) How much is it? (price) いくら ですか Eek-oodah deska? B) How much is it? (amount/time) どのぐらい ですか DOH-noh goo-dye deska? * The above expressions work as complete sentences. But, when you want to be more specific with it, add the topic + wa before the above sentences. < Topic-WA + 6W-Sentence > < Topic- は + 6W-Sentence > Examples 10 What is that? それは なんですか Sohdeh-WA NAN deska? It's soba noodles. SOH-bah des. そばです 11 How is the soba? そのそばはどうですか SohNOH SOH-bah-WA DOH-oh deska? It's really delicious! すごくおいしいです! SOO-goh-koo oi-shee des! 12 Where is the restroom? トイレは どこですか TOH-eedeh-WA DOH-koh deska? It's over there. ah-soh-koh DES. あそこです 13 Who is that person? あのひとは だれですか Ahnoh h(ee)toh-wa DAH-deh deska? (That's) my friend. わたしのともだちですよ watashi-noh tohmohdah-chee DES(oo) *yoh. 14 Is that person your friend? あのひとはあなたのともだちですか Ahnoh h(ee)toh-wa ah-nah-tah-noh tohmohdah-chee deska? No, it's not (my friend). いいえ ちがいますよ Ee-AE, chig-gye-mas(oo) *yoh. Quick Japanese 2-5 of 8
15 This place is good (delicious), huh? ここは おいしいですね Koh-koh-WA oi-shee des(oo) *neh. * yoh at the end of a sentence adds more conviction to tell the listener the information he/she doesn't know as in I tell you. Whereas neh at the end means, right? or, huh? as in asking the listener for agreement. Summary & Guide は works as a topic marker wa これは This is/these are or Is this?/are these? kohdeh-wa それは That is/those are or Is that?/are those? sohdeh-wa あれは That (over there) is/those are or Is that?/are those? adeh-wa この Noun は This (Noun) is/these (N) are or Is this (N)?/Are these (N)? koh-noh その Noun は あの Noun は です it is/they are (I am/you, we are/he, she is) des じゃないです it is not/they are not (am/are/is not) ja-nye-des じゃありません it is not/they are not (am/are/is not) ja-adee-masen ですか is it?/are they? des-ka MISTAKES; If you say these, it's automatically incorrect. INCORRECT: このは kohnoh-wa INCORRECT: これ (N) は kohdeh + (N) + wa INCORRECT: このです kohnoh des Remember these! 1) after の NOUN follows 2) after れ は (wa) or です (des) follows 3) after (N/ADJ) です / じゃないです / じゃありません / ですか follows CORRECT: これは kohdeh-wa CORRECT: この (N) は kohnoh + (N) + wa CORRECT: (N/ADJ) です des MISTAKES; If you say these, it's automatically incorrect. INCORRECT: (N) は + です INCORRECT: (N) は + じゃないです / じゃありません INCORRECT: (N) は + ですか Remember this! 4) after は Noun or Adjective follows Quick Japanese 2-6 of 8
Practice Fill in the blanks. 1) This is a pen. ( ) はペン ( ) 2) This is my pen. こ ( ) はわたし ( ) ペンです 3) Is this your pen? こ ( ) ( ) あなた ( ) ペンです ( ) 4) This is not his pen. こ ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ペン ( ) です 5) Is that cell phone yours? そ ( ) けいたい ( ) あなた ( ) です ( ) 6) Is that cell phone John's? そ ( ) ( ) ジョンさん ( ) けいたいです ( ) 7) Whose cell phone is this? こ ( ) ( ) だれ ( ) けいたいです ( ) 8) This *book is just OK. *book ほん本 こ ( ) ほん ( ) ( ) です 9) How is this book? ( ) ( ) どう ( ) 10) Where is my cell phone? わたし ( ) けいたい ( ) どこ ( ) 11) Who is that person? あ ( ) ひと ( ) だれ ( ) 12) It's my friend Michael. わたし ( ) ともだちのマイケルさん ( ) 13) That is delicious. あ ( ) ( ) おいしい ( ) 14) That is delicious tea. あ ( ) ( ) おいしい ( ) ( ) 15) That tea is delicious. あ ( ) ( ) おいしい ( ) Quick Japanese 2-7 of 8
Composition Practice Translate the sentences. Make up your own sentences. 1. What's that (thing near the listener)? 2. It's green tea. 3. Is it delicious? 4. How is that sashimi? 5. It's really delicious! 6. How is that tea? 7. It's hot (, huh?). * Write with/without, huh? 8. It's cold (, huh?). * Write with/without, huh? 9. How is that ramen. 10. It tastes bad (I tell you)! * Write with/without, I tell you. 11. It tastes delicious, huh? * Write with/without, huh? 12. Whose ramen is this? 13. It's mine. 14. It's my ramen. 15. It's not my ramen. It's his. 16. Who is that person (away from both you and the listener)? 17. That's my friend. 18. That's my friend, Jeff. 19. Where is your friend? 20. He's over there. 21. Where is the sushi restaurant? 22. It's here (I tell you). * Write with/without, I tell you. 23. Whose umbrella is this? KAH-sah かさ (umbrella) 24. That's mine. 25. That's my umbrella. 26. It's Jeff's. 27. It's Jeff's umbrella. 28. It's not Jeff's umbrella. 29. Who is Yoko's boyfriend? 30. It's John (I tell you). * Write with/without, I tell you. 31. Who is that person? 32. It's Yoko's boyfriend, John. Quick Japanese 2-8 of 8