08.09.10 to 08.09.16 Chapter2: Denwa de renraku suru, to contact by Phone

08.09.10 to 08.09.16 Chapter2: Denwa de renraku suru,
To contact by Phone

GRAMMAR POINT 1: Hodo for a more polite version of "gurai". With exact time , use "goro" instead.

FORMATION:

(inexact time interval/quantity)~hodo
approximately~(inexact time interval/quantity)

EXAMPLES:

(1)Densha no jiko ga atte, kaisah ni 30 pun hodo okure sou desu.
There was a train accident, and it looks like I will be about 30 minutes late in getting to the office.
(2)Kopi wo san mai hodo onegai shimasu ka?
Would you please make 3 copies?

NOTES:
(1) hodo cannot be used with exact time or dates
(2) hodo is more formal and polite than "gurai"

GRAMMAR POINT 2: (1)To make a prediction of the near future, or (2)to make a prediction or conclusion from something based on its appearance, you would use the following

FORMATION:

V(masu stem) sou da
Likely to V

EXAMPLEs:

(1)Densha no jiko ga atte, kaisah ni 30 pun hodo okure sou desu.
There was a train accident, and it looks like I will be about 30 minutes late in getting to the office.
VERB: Ori sou da / Ori sou mo nai / Ori sou datta / Ori sou mo nakatta
Ari sou da/ nasa sou da/ ari sou datta/ Nasa sou datta
i-ADJ: Oishi sou da / Oishiknasa sou da / Oishi sou datta / Oishikunasa sou datta
Yosa sou da/ Yokunasa sou da/ Yosa sou datta / Yokunasa sou datta
na-ADJ: Kantan sou da/ Kantan de wa nasa sou da/ Kantan sou datta/ Kantan de wa nasa sou datta

NOTES:
(1)Likely verb candidates for this pairing/use are verbs expressing a start, end, change in state such as:
(i) hajimaru
(ii) owaru
(iii) ~naru
(iv) fueru
(2) Verbs expressing speaker's will cannot be used with this formation, but the volitional form can.

GRAMMAR POINT 3: A more polite way to ask a question is to use the form "deshou ka?".

FORMATION:

~deshou ka (more polite than ~desu ka)
Is this ~?

EXAMPLE:

Moshi moshi, Inoue-san no otaku deshou ka?
Hello, is this the Inoue household?

GRAMMAR POINT 4: A formal way to say, "I'm sorry" or "Unfortunately" is with this
FORMATION:

ainiku~
Unfortunately/I'm sorry but~

EXAMPLE:

Ainiku mada kaette orimasen ga.
I'm sorry, but (he) is not back yet.

NOTES:
(1) This can be used when the LISTENER is inconvenienced.
(2) Also to be used when SPEAKER is inconvenienced to express disappointment.

GRAMMAR POINT 5: We learned a polite way to ask if the other party would convey a message for you to an absent party.

FORMATION:
~to tsutaete itadakitai (n desu ga...)
Would you mind telling/Please tell him that ~

EXAMPLE:

Katou-san ni doyoubi ni Toukyou e iku to tsutaete itadakitai n desu ga...
Would you mind telling Mr. Katou that I will come to Tokyo on Saturday?

Wakarimashita. Sono youni tsutaete okimasu.

Certianly, I will convey the message (to

GRAMMAR POINT 6: To confirm a message that you've taken from someone over the phone, you can use the following
FORMATION:

~to iu koto desu ne?
Your message is that~, right?

EXAMPLE:

Kondo no mokuyoubi ni shuuryoshiki de Toukyou e irassharu to iu koto desu ne?
You will come to Tokyo on Thursday to attend the Document Ceremony, right?

NOTES: You can also use this to confirm:
(i) a fact
(ii) something or action that you heard someone else do.

GRAMMAR POINT 7: When you want to say that not only A but also B exists or occurs, then you can use the following
FORMATION:

~(A phrase)dake de naku, ~(B phrase) mo
Not only ~(A phrase) but also ~(B phrase)

EXAMPLE:

Nihon no kuruma dake de naku, hoka no kuni no mo tenji sarete imasu.
Not only Japanese cars, but also other country's cars are also exhibited.

GRAMMAR POINT 8: This is another conditional formation clause to be used when the speaker is injecting his/her own thoughts based on other persons assertions.

FORMATION:

Moshi V(ru form) nara, ~(phrase)
If you V, ~(phrase)

EXAMPLE:

Moshi Mootaashoo ni ikareru nara, machiawase basho to jikan wo kimetai to omoimasu.
If you can go to the motor show, I would like to decide on a time and place to meet.

;

08.10.14 Chapter 6 Houmon Suru; Shoukai Suru; To Visit/Call on

08.10.14 Chapter 6 Houmon Suru & Shoukai Suru;
To make housecalls/visiting a Japanese home

GRAMMAR POINT 1: The following is an extremely polite way of telling someone in A-san's main circle (family, friends or co-workers) that they appreciate A-san's help/kindness. It is used as part of the "aitsu" or greeting when meeting someone for the first time.

A-san ha, Osewa ni natte orimasu.
A-san is always looking after me/taking good care of me.

RECALL 1: To make a generic negative statement, you use the FORMATION:

QUESTION WORD + mo + NEGATIVE VERB

Examples:
(1) Nani mo nai ===> There is nothing
(2) Dare mo shiranai ===> I don't know anyone
(3) Nani mo tabemasen ===> I didn't eat anything

GRAMMAR POINT 2: To stress the importance or illustrate the difference in something, you would say in English, " It is ~(phrase with V plain) that ~".

NIHONGO FORMATION:

~(phrase V plain) no ha ~(phrase)
~(na-adj or noun) na no ha ~ (phrase)
It is ~(phrase with V plain) that ~

EXAMPLE:

Watahsi wa, ima Shanhai sunde imasu. Demo, umareta no ha, Shanhai kara go jikan gurai no chiisai machi desu.
I live in Shanghai now, but I was born in a small town about 5 hours from Shanghai.

NOTE: That in the above Example, the stress is on the birthplace.

Review:
(1) that day's (08. 09.29) handout, chapter 38, page 91 front and back.
(2) Page 85, #2 questions

GRAMMAR POINT 3: In CASUAL SPEECH, you use the word "de" to mean "AND" when starting a 2nd sentence related to the first topic.

FORMATION:
~(sentence 1). DE, ~(sentence 2).
~(sentence 1). And, ~(sentence 2).

Example:

LEE: Watahsi wa, ima Shanhai sunde imasu. Demo, umareta no ha, Shanhai kara go jikan gurai no chiisai machi desu.
I live in Shanghai now, but I was born in a small town about 5 hours from Shanghai.
ITOU-san: ...Sou desu ka. De, itsu Shanhai ni utsurareta n desu ka?
I see. And when did you move to Shanghai?

Review page 86 #3, #4.

GRAMMAR POINT 4: One way to describe a thought on a topic is to use the following formation with the ne agreement seeking particle at the end.

FORMATION:
N tte, ~(phrase containing thought topic1) kedo, ~(opposing of thought 1) ne.
Regarding N, ~(thought topic 1) that (opposing thought 1).

Example:

Shanhai tte, telebi de mita n desu kedo, zuibun kakki no aru machi desu ne.
Speaking of Shanghai, I learned on TV that it is a surprisingly lively town, right?

Review page 87 #5 and #6.

GRAMMAR POINT 5: To express "to be like" or "to look like" or "to seem like", you would use the
FORMATION:

(1) ~N mitai ni~(phrase)
(2)~N mitai da/desu
Like ~

Example:

(1)Watashi mitai ni, daitokai ni dete kuru hito ga ooi n desu yo.
Like me, there are many people moving into big urban cities.

(2)Jiko ga atta mitai da.
It looks like there was an accident.
(3)Koshou mitai da.
It seems to be broken.

Review page 87 #7 and #8.

GRAMMAR POINT 6: There are other uses for the V(te) kuru formation:
(1) it describes the specific condition of an action
(2) it descrbes the action which is coming closer to the speaker.
FORMATION:

V(te form) kuru
Come V-ing

EXAMPLE OF USE 2:

(1)Watashi mitai ni, daitokai ni dete kuru hito ga ooi n desu yo.
Like me, there are many people moving into big urban cities.

(2)Watashi sengetsu Amerika kara kaete kimashita.
I returned from the US last month.

RECALL 2: The 1st use of above formation describes a specific condition of an action.
Example:
(1) Hashiru ===> hashite kuru ; to come running
(2) Aruku ===> aruite kuru: to come walking
(3) Noru ===> notte kuru; to come riding

GRAMMAR POINT 7: In FORMAL CONTEXT, OR IN WRITINGS, you can express that N(person, matter, action) can be used as a means for obtaining knowledge or gaining experience.

FORMATION:

N wo tooshite
Through N~

EXAMPLES:

(1)Nihon no kata to no buntsuu wo tooshite, nihonjin no kangaekata wo manabitai to omotte iru.
I would like to learn about the Japanese way of thinking by exchanging letters with a Japanese pen friend.

(2)Kodomo wa asobi wo tooshite, iroiro na koto wo mi ni tsukemase.
Children learn various things through play.

Review on page 90 yomou section #1 and #2.

08.10.15 Chapter 7: 症状を伝える, Conveying your Symptoms (to a Doctor)

GRAMMAR POINT 1: A more polite way to ask someone (like a customer) to do something is to use the form:

お動詞(masu stem)下さい
O V(-masu stem) kudasai
Eg: 順番が来たら、お呼びしますから、そちらでお待ち下さい。
Junban ga kitara, Oyobi shimasu kara, sochira de, Omachi kudasai.
When your turn/number comes, your name will be called, so please wait over there.

Other examples that we've seen in the text:
お入り下さい / OHairi Kudasai / Please come in.
~お止め下さい / ~OYame Kudasai / Please do not~
お出し下さい / ODashi Kudasai / Please take out or Please show

See page 99, #1 for review.

GRAMMAR POINT 2: There are various uses of the verb SURU, in this chapter we see Time Passing in Jikan Suru.

4, 5 日しても治らない場合は、また来てください。
4, 5 nichi shite mo naoranai baai ha, mata kite kudasai.
If it does not improve/get better in 4 or 5 days, please come back.

Formation:

時間+する /　Unit of Time + SURU

Eg: 1) 4, 5 日して
2) 8, 9 分すると、リーさんが来た。　
After 8 or 8 minutes, Lee-san arrived.

Alternate Formation with "mo" and "gurai" to indicate approximate time, stick "mo" or "gurai" between the unit of time and SURU conjugation.

時間+も/ぐらい+する 　
Unit of Time + mo/gurai +SURU

Other examples done verbally in class of use of "SURU" verb:
ネクタイをする / ネクタイを締める / Necktie wo shimeru / To fasten or do a Necktie
ハンバーグにする / ハンバーグに決める　/ To decide to order or to do a Hamburger
変な味がする　/ Hen na aji ga suru / To do a strange taste
臭いがする / Nioi ga suru / To do a strange smell

See page 100, #5 for review practise. See also page 101, #7 and #8 for more practise.

GRAMMAR POINT 3: To show that an action is done a number of times EACH TIME, you use ZUTSU. In this chapter where you take medicine, ZUTSU is used to show that you repeat the action on a regular basis.

FORMATION:

~ずつ~ / # Each #

この薬は食後に１カプセルずつ飲んで下さい。
Kono gusuri ha, shokugo ni ichi capuseru zutsu nonde kudasai.
As for this medicine, after ever meal, please take/drink one capsule.

Example on Page 104 Prescription example:

青い錠剤は毎食後１じょうずつ、白いカプセルは毎食前２カプセルずつ飲んで下さい。
Aoi jouzai ha, maishokugo ichi jou zutsu, shiroi capsule ha, mai shokuzen, ni capsule zutsu nonde kudasai.

Please take/drink one blue tablet after every meal and two white capsules before every meal.

Formation II: This zutsu can also be used to apply to the same amount or quantity being allocated to several people or objects.

e.g. 一人千円ずつ集めます。　Hitori sen en zutsu atsumemasu. (I) will collect 1000 yen from each person.

See page 102, #9 and #10 for review questions/practise.

GRAMMAR POINT 4: To say that you are doing something "just in case" or "by way of precaution", you use "nen no tame"

FORMATION:

~念のため~ / (Some phrase 1) nen no tame (some phrase 2) /
(Some phrase 1) just in case (some phrase 2)

Example:

骨には異常ないと思いますが念のためレントゲンを撮りましょう。
Hone ni ha ijou nai to omoimasu ga, nen no tame rentogen wo torimashou.
I don't think there's anything abnormal in your bones, but just in case, let's take an X-RAY.

For Review see page 100-101, #6.

GRAMMAR POINT 5: We learned some onomatopoeic words or MIMETIC words called 擬態語/kitaigo. There are a lot to describe illness/pain/sickness. These describe a state of being.

Examples:
- for a burn: ひりひり　する
- for a headache:　がんがん　する
- for a chill: ぞくぞく　する
- for an ache (tooth, leg, etc.): ずきずき　する

See page 100 #5 for review.

GRAMMAR POINT 6: We learned a useful phrase to express: "I was expecting that (some phrase 1 would happen), but (some phrase 2 happened instead)"

FORMATION:

そのうち~(Phrase 1)かと思って~(Phrase 2)んですが
Sono uchi ~(Phrase 1) ka to omotte ~(phrase 2) n desu ga.
I was expecting that (some phrase 1 would happen), but (some phrase 2 happened instead).

Example:

そのうち治ると思って様子を見てたんですが、治らないんです。
Sono uchi naoru to omotte yousu wo mite tan desu ga, naoranai n desu.

I was waiting to see if it would get better, but it didn't.

See page 100 #4 for review.

08.10.15 Goodbye Dinner Candid photos

Here's a few of the fun shots taken at the lunch after our class.

An overview of our food. Ironically, Mark's shirt says, "poison" but trust me it tasted nothing like poison.

Uemura-Sensei imagining Victor's description of something truly wonderful to get that dreamy look in her eye.

Suzuki-sensei listening in rapt attention to Mark-san's tales of his time in England.

Isono-sensei, looking skeptical at some of Mark-san's hyperboles when telling his tall-tales. ;-).

As we sit down to order, everyone else crowds around the other table. I, with my camera, am going the other way, closer to the wall so that I can fit everyone into the photo.

Mark-san's satisfaction is totally written all over his face; the food is really *THAT* GOOD.

Uemura-sensei has one of the most expressive faces; I couldn't resist adding this photo.

Victor-san needs clarification while Suzuki-sensei finds the curent tale somewhat amusing.

A scene found at any Japanese household... the pouring of (ice) tea.

08.10.15 Photos with 3rd instructor and all our Regular Sensei

Today was our last day of this course with the 3rd instructor, Isono-Sensei. This is our photos with her, just us, and all the sensei together.

08.10.14, onomatopoeia words

Today we learned a lot of words not derived from Kanji. Most of these words are repeated words. The words arose from chapter 7, going to the doctor, but we also got a list of onomatopoeic words for general use. Here are the list of words.

For going to the Doctor:
ぺこぺこ　pekopeko - hungry; e.g. "onaka ga peko peko".
がんがん　gangan - headache; refers to the sound of blood pounding in the veins of your forehead.
ひりひり　hirihiri - pain from being burnt/heat
ぞくぞく　zokuzoku - to have chills
むかむか　mukamuka - to feel nauseus; e.g. when you have too much to drink, you feel mukamuka
からから　karakara - to feel thirsty; e.g. when you've just run a marathon, "nodo ga karakara"
ずきずき　zukizuki -pain from teeth (but apparently can also be used for any other pain)

Other repeated words for everyday use:
わいわい　waiwai - sound of excited people
きょるきょる　kyorukyoru - to look around nervously
にこにこ　nikoniko - to smile
びしょびしょ　bishobisho - to be wet
いらいら　iraira - to be irrated/annoyed
どきどき　dokidoki - the sound of a heartbeat
わくわく　wakuwaku - to tremble with joy
がらがら　garagara - to be nearly empty; e.g. a car's gas tank is garagara if it sits in traffic a lot
ぴかぴか　pikapika - to shine/to be well polished
ごちゃごちゃ　gochagocha - to be in a mess; a messy state
くしゃくしゃ　kushakusha - to be crumpled
ぺらぺら　perapera - to chatter
ぎりぎり　girigiri - to be very close; on the verge; at the last minute

NOTE: I apologize that these posts are not as colourful as the past ones, but we do have a test on Thursday and not all lessons have been posted or summarized. As well, I haven't done today's homework yet.

Class in action

This is one where we are in the middle of a class... :-D