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ОглавлениеLESSON 3
Actions! Actions! Actions!
これして！それして！あれやって！
Kore Shite! Sore Shite! Are Yatte!
In this lesson you will learn how to express your daily activities. It introduces basic forms of verbs as well as particles that are needed to complete the meaning of the verb.
| [cue 03-1] |
Basic Sentences
| 1. | 昨日大阪から友達が来ました。Kinō Ōsaka kara tomodachi ga kimashita.My friend came from Osaka yesterday. |
| 2. | 土曜日に友達とビデオゲームをしました。Doyōbi ni tomodachi to bideo gēmu o shimashita.I played a video game with my friend on Saturday. |
| 3. | 今メールを書いています。Ima mēru o kaite imasu.I’m writing an email now. |
| 4. | あしたは家族でレストランに行きます。Ashita wa kazoku de resutoran ni ikimasu.We will go to a restaurant as a family. |
| 5. | 月曜日から金曜日まで働きます。Getsuyōbi kara Kinyōbi made hatarakimasu.I work from Monday to Friday. |
| 6. | うちからオフィスまで歩きます。Uchi kara ofisu made arukimasu.I walk from home to my office. |
| 7. | 公園に行きます。公園で歩きます。Kōen ni ikimasu. Kōen de arukimasu.I go to the park. I walk in the park. |
| 8. | いっしょに日本語を勉強しましょう。Issho ni Nihongo o benkyō shimashō.Let’s study Japanese together. |
| 9. | ボストンに住んでいます。ボストンで働いています。Bosuton ni sunde imasu. Bosuton de hataraite imasu.I live in Boston. I work in Boston. |
| 10. | 週末は掃除をして，洗濯をして，散歩をします。Shūmatsu wa sōji o shite, sentaku o shite, sanpo o shimasu.On weekends I do cleaning, laundry, and take a walk. |
| 11. | 先週は仕事をしませんでした。Senshū wa shigoto o shimasen deshita.I did not work last week. |
| 12. | 朝ごはんを食べてから新聞を読みます。Asa go-han o tabete kara shinbun o yomimasu.I eat breakfast and then read the newspaper. |
| 13. | 駅には歩いて行きます。スーパーには自転車で行きます。Eki ni wa aruite ikimasu. Sūpā ni wa jitensha de ikimasu.I walk to the train station. I ride a bike to the supermarket. |
| 14. | 高校で教師をしています。Kōkō de kyōshi o shite imasu.I teach at a high school. |
| 15. | 日本の高校はアメリカの高校と違うでしょう。Nihon no kōkō wa Amerika no kōkō to chigau deshō.Japanese high schools are different from American high schools. |
| [cue 03-2] |
Basic Vocabulary
TRAVELING
| 観光 kankō | sightseeing |
| 空港 kūkō | airport |
| 駅 eki | train station |
| 交番 kōban | koban |
TRANSPORTATION
| 車 kuruma | car |
| タクシー takushī | taxi |
| バス basu | bus |
| 地下鉄 chikatetsu | subway |
| 電車 densha | train |
| 自転車 jitensha | bicycle |
| オートバイ ōtobai | motorcycle |
| スクーター sukūtā | scooter |
| 飛行機 hikōki | airplane |
交番 Kōban
A kōban is a neighborhood police station, usually found in a small building or in a portion of a large building, where a small contingent of police officers take turns responding to emergencies, giving directions to passersby, and patrolling the neighborhood by bicycle. In large cities, you find kōban every few blocks or so. The existence of kōban has greatly contributed to public safety in Japan.
ACTIONS
| 行く・行きます iku/ikimasu | goes |
| 帰る・帰ります kaeru/kaerimasu | returns |
| 来る・来ます kuru/kimasu | comes |
| 歩く・歩きます aruku/arukimasu | walks |
| 乗る・乗ります noru/norimasu | gets on… |
| 降りる・降ります oriru/orimasu | gets off… |
| 食べる・食べます taberu/tabemasu | eats |
| 見る・見ます miru/mimasu | watches |
| 読む・読みます yomu/yomimasu | reads |
| 書く・書きます kaku/kakimasu | writes |
| 働く・働きます hataraku/hatarakimasu | works |
| 勤める・勤めます tsutomeru/tsutomemasu | works, gets (is) employed |
| する/します suru/shimasu | does |
FUN ACTIVITIES
| コスプレ kosupure | cosplay |
| ビデオゲーム bideo gēmu | video game |
| コンピューターゲーム konpyūtā gēmu | computer game |
| ボーリング bōringu | bowling |
| ビリヤード (or 玉突き) biriyādo (or tamatsuki) | billiards |
| ダーツ dātsu | darts |
| カラオケ karaoke | karaoke |
DAYS OF THE WEEK
| 月曜日 Getsuyōbi | Monday |
| 火曜日 Kayōbi | Tuesday |
| 水曜日 Suiyōbi | Wednesday |
| 木曜日 Mokuyōbi | Thursday |
| 金曜日 Kinyōbi | Friday |
| 土曜日 Doyōbi | Saturday |
| 日曜日 Nichiyōbi | Sunday |
SPOUSES
| 家内 kanai | one’s own wife |
| 妻 tsuma | one’s own wife |
| 奥さん okusan | someone else’s wife |
| 主人 shujin | one’s own husband |
| ご主人 goshujin | someone else’s husband |
WORK
| 仕事 shigoto | job |
| 会社 kaisha | company |
| 教師 kyōshi | teacher (plain form, cf. 先生 sensei) |
| 医者 isha | doctor |
Structure Notes
3.1. Time words (relative time expressions)
In the preceding lesson we found that place words like ue ‘topside’ and naka ‘inside’ are a kind of noun in Japanese. Time words are a similar sort of noun. Such words are kyō ‘today,’ kyonen ‘last year,’ and mainichi ‘every day.’ The general question word used to ask the time is itsu ‘when.’ Here are some time words you will find useful:
| 昨日kinōyesterday | 今日kyōtoday | あした/明日ashita/asutomorrow | 毎日mainichievery day |
| 先週senshūlast week | 今週konshūthis week | 来週raishūnext week | 毎週maishūevery week |
| 先月sengetsulast month | 今月kongetsuthis month | 来月raigetsunext month | 毎月maitsukievery month |
| 去年kyonenlast year | 今年kotoshithis year | 来年rainennext year | 毎年maitoshi/mainenevery year |
| 先学期sengakkilast academic term | 今学期kongakkithis academic term | 来学期raigakkinext academic term | 毎学期maigakkievery academic term |
Here are some example sentences with relative time expressions:
いつ大阪に行きますか。
Itsu Ōsaka ni ikimasu ka.
When are you going to Osaka?
来年行きます。
Rainen ikimasu.
I’ll go there next year.
私は昨日ステーキを食べました。
Watashi wa kinō sutēki o tabemashita.
I ate steak yesterday.
3.2. Nouns with and without particles
Most nouns usually occur followed by a particle of some sort or by the copula—kono hon wa…, go-han o…, byōki desu. Some nouns occur either with or without a particle, with only a slight difference in meaning. The time words listed in note 3.1 can be followed by the particle wa or used alone without the particle:
毎日は仕事をしません。
Mainichi wa shigoto o shimasen.
I don’t work EVERY day.
毎日仕事をします。
Mainichi shigoto o shimasu.
Every day I work.
When you use the particle wa, you are making the time word the topic of your sentence. Often you are CONTRASTING what happens at THAT time (… wa) with what happens at other times. When a noun is used without a particle, it usually modifies either the whole sentence or the verb phrase at the end; this we can call the ADVERBIAL USE of a noun.
3.3. Particles から kara, まで made, and へ e
After place words, the particle kara means ‘from,’ the particle e means ‘to,’ and the particle made means ‘to, as far as, up to.’ If you want to say ‘from Kobe to Osaka’ you can say either Kōbe kara Ōsaka made or Kōbe kara Ōsaka e, but there is a slight difference of meaning. When you use the particle e, you are primarily interested in the two endpoints; when you use made, you are also interested in the space, time, or means of travel between the two points. This difference of meaning is so subtle, however, that you can just remember that either made or e means ‘to’ when reference is to a place.
Many speakers in Eastern Japan often replace the particle e with the particle ni. So you will also hear Kōbe kara Ōsaka ni ikimashita ‘I went from Kobe to Osaka.’ You can say either Uchi e kaette benkyō shimashita or Uchi ni kaette benkyō shimashita ‘I went (back) home and studied.’
After kore ‘this,’ sore ‘that,’ or a time word, the particle kara has the meaning ‘after, since,’ for example, sore kara ‘after that’ and kore kara ‘after this, from now on.’ Compare them with koko kara ‘from here.’ In a similar way, the particle made means ‘until’: sore made ‘until that (happens)’ and kore made ‘until now (this).’ Compare them with koko made ‘up to here, as far as this place.’
(Kara with verbal expressions is discussed in notes 3.10 and 4.12. Made with verbal expressions is discussed in note 5.18.)
ご飯を食べて, それから映画を見ました。
Go-han o tabete, sore kara eiga o mimashita.
I had dinner and after that watched a movie.
これから毎日勉強します。
Kore kara mainichi benkyō shimasu.
From now on I’m going to study every day.
これまでマンガを読みませんでした。
Kore made manga o yomimasen deshita.
Until now I haven’t been reading comic books.
昨日から病気なんです。でも，あしたからまた働きます。
Kinō kara byōki na n desu. Demo, ashita kara mata hatarakimasu.
He’s been sick since yesterday. But he’ll work from tomorrow (on) again.
明日の晩までその仕事をしています。
Asu no ban made sono shigoto o shite imasu.
We’ll be doing that job until tomorrow night.
3.4. Particle ね ne
The particle ne is frequently tacked on at the end of a sentence to soften its tone. It implies that the speaker wants the hearer to agree with him, or that he wants what he is saying to agree with what the hearer might think. It is often translated by a rhetorical question (one to which an answer really isn’t expected) such as ‘…isn’t it,’ ‘…doesn’t he,’ ‘… wasn’t it,’ or by something like ‘… you know,’ ‘… you see.’
| 「中村さんは銀行員ですね。」“Nakamura-san wa ginkōin desu ne.”“Mr. Nakamura is a bank clerk, isn’t he?” | 「はい, そうです。」“Hai, sō desu.”“Yes, he is.” |
| 「また飛行機がおちたんだってね。」“Mata hikōki ga ochita n datte ne.”“I heard that an airplane crashed again.” | 「ええ, 昨日の新聞にありましたね。」“Ē, kinō no shinbun ni arimashita ne.”“Yep, it was in yesterday’s newspaper, wasn’t it?” |
| 「じゃあ，ホテルを予約しておきますね。」“Jā, hoteru o yoyaku shite okimasu ne.”“Okay, I’ll reserve a hotel room, okay?” | 「ああ，どうも。」“Ā, dōmo.”“Oh, thank you.” |
| 「まあ, きれいですね。」“Mā, kirei desu ne.”“My, isn’t it pretty?” | 「そうですね。」“Sō desu ne.”“Yes, indeed.” |
| 「また遊びに来てくださいね。」“Mata asobi ni kite kudasai ne.”“Please come to visit us again, okay?” | 「ああ, ありがとうございます。」“Ā, arigatō gozaimasu.”“Oh, thank you.” |
| 「何が要りますか。」“Nani ga irimasu ka.”“What do I need?” | 「そうですね。ちょっと調べます。」“Sō desu ne. Chotto shirabemasu.”“Well, let me see. I’ll check it out.” |
| 「何か心配していますね。」“Nanika shinpai shite imasu ne.”“You must be worrying about something.” | 「え, どうしてわかるんですか。」“E, dōshite wakaru n desu ka.”“What? What makes you think that?” |
We all know people who can’t say three words without inserting something like ‘I mean,’ ‘you know,’ or ‘you see’: ‘Well, you see, it was Friday, you see, and, you know, that movie, you see, it was new, I mean, I hadn’t seen it, so….’ In a similar fashion, some Japanese overwork the particle ne, inserting it after every few words. This seems to be particularly true of the speech of women, as in Kyō ne, sūpā ni ne, ittara ne, Yamada-san ga ne, Tanaka-san to hanashiteta no yo ‘When I went to the supermarket today, (I saw) Ms. Yamada talking with Ms. Tanaka.’ For the foreign student, it is advisable to avoid using the particle except at the end of a sentence, as above.
3.5. Particle で de
The particle de has two quite different meanings. One is ‘by means of’:
車で来ましたか。
Kuruma de kimashita ka.
Did you come by car?
筆で名前を書きました。
Fude de namae o kakimashita.
I wrote my name with a brush.
Another meaning is ‘(an action happens) at (a place)’:
学校で勉強します。
Gakkō de benkyō shimasu.
I study at school.
You have already learned that the particle ni means ‘at’ in the sense of a location in space:
学校にいます。
Gakkō ni imasu.
I’m at school.
The difference in usage between ni and de depends on whether you use a verb that means something about existence—‘exists, lives, stays’—or something about activity—‘talks, works, studies, eats, sleeps.’ There are very few verbs of the inactive sort; you have had imasu ‘stays, (a person) exists (in a place),’ arimasu ‘exists,’ and sunde imasu ‘is living, residing.’ With other verbs you will usually hear de for ‘at,’ but occasionally a Japanese person will use ni if his attention is focused on the person’s existence rather than his action. In general, you will be doing best to remember that ‘at’ corresponds to ni with the verbs imasu, arimasu, and sunde imasu (also tomarimasu ‘stops or stays at’); with other verbs—alone or in a phrase with imasu, like hataraite imasu—‘at’ corresponds to de.
| 「夏休みには何をしますか。」“Natsuyasumi ni wa nani o shimasu ka.”“What will you do during summer vacation?” | 「レストランでバイトをします。」“Resutoran de baito o shimasu.”“I’ll work part-time at a restaurant.” |
叔母が先週からうちに泊まっています。うちで母の手伝いをしてくれています。
Oba ga senshū kara uchi ni tomatte imasu. Uchi de haha no tetsudai o shite kurete imasu.
My aunt has been staying at our house since last week. She is helping my mother.
まだ東京に住んでいるんですか。大阪で働きませんか。
Mada Tōkyō ni sunde iru n desu ka. Ōsaka de hatarakimasen ka.
Are you still living in Tokyo? Wouldn’t you want to work in Osaka?
Note that the nouns that express events such as meetings, conferences, and concerts are marked by the particle de even though the verb is arimasu.
会議は品川であります。ホテルは品川にあります。
Kaigi wa Shinagawa de arimasu. Hoteru wa Shinagawa ni arimasu.
The meeting will take place in Shinagawa. The hotel is located
in Shinagawa.
3.6. Particle を o
The particle o (written wo in some spelling systems, but pronounced o) shows that the preceding word is the direct object of the verb.
何を見ていますか。
Nani o mite imasu ka.
What are you looking at?
本を読みました。
Hon o yomimashita.
I read a book.
The meaning of o is the OPPOSITE of that of ga, which is the particle indicating the subject of the verb, of the copula, or of the adjective (as we shall see later). Notice the following sentences:
ここでだれが何をしますか。
Koko de dare ga nani o shimasu ka.
Who does what here?
だれがだれを見ましたか。
Dare ga dare o mimashita ka.
Who saw who?
誠が幸平を見ました。
Makoto ga Kōhei o mimashita.
Makoto saw Kōhei.
幸平が誠を見ました。
Kōhei ga Makoto o mimashita.
Kōhei saw Makoto.
Either ga or o can be replaced by the topic particle wa. That is, you can take either the subject or the object and make it the topic you are going to talk about.
誠は幸平を見ました。
Makoto wa Kōhei o mimashita.
Makoto saw Kōhei.
誠は幸平が見ました。
Makoto wa Kōhei ga mimashita.
It was Kōhei who saw Makoto.
幸平は誠を見ました。
Kōhei wa Makoto o mimashita.
Kōhei saw Makoto.
幸平は誠が見ました。
Kōhei wa Makoto ga mimashita.
It was Makoto who saw Kōhei.
Notice the shift of emphasis when one of the phrases is made the topic and released from the focus of attention. The most common focus of attention in both English and Japanese is on something other than the subject. We say ‘Makoto saw Kōhei.’ with a slightly heavier stress on ‘Kōhei.’ That is the most COLORLESS way we can say it. In a similar way, the Japanese will say Makoto wa Kōhei o mimashita. But in English we always have to have a subject. A Japanese sentence is complete without a subject—Go-han o tabemashita ‘I’ve eaten dinner’ (heaviest stress on ‘dinner’). In this case, it is quite common to shift the emphasis over to just the verb itself, by taking the object and turning it into a topic: ‘I’ve eaten dinner’ (heaviest stress on ‘eaten’), as in Go-han wa tabemashita.
The particle o is also used to show the place where a verb of motion takes place:
道を歩きます。
Michi o arukimasu.
(He) walks (in) the street
空を飛びます。
Sora o tobimasu.
(He) flies (in) the sky.
公園を (or で) 散歩します。
Kōen o (or de) sanpo shimasu.
(He) strolls (in) the park.
うちを出ます。
Uchi o demasu.
(He) leaves the house.
Verbs that can take a direct object or a noun marked by the particle o are called transitive verbs. Note that not all transitive verbs in English are also transitive verbs in Japanese. The following are examples of transitive verbs in Japanese with a sample direct object in the parentheses.
| （コーヒーを）飲む (kōhī o) nomu | drinks (coffee) |
| （本を）読む (hon o) yomu | reads (a book) |
| （手紙を）書く (tegami o) kaku | writes (a letter) |
| （日本語を）話す (Nihongo o) hanasu | speaks (Japanese) |
| （音楽を）聞く (ongaku o) kiku | listens (to music) |
| （晩ご飯を）作る (ban go-han o) tsukuru | makes (dinner) |
| （靴を）買う (kutsu o) kau | buys (shoes) |
| （はさみを）使う (hasami o) tsukau | uses (scissors) |
| （皿を）洗う (sara o) ara(w)u | washes (dishes) |
| （ピアノを）習う (piano o) nara(w)u | learns (how to play the piano) |
| （数学を）教える (sūgaku o) oshieru | teaches (mathematics) |
3.7. Particle と to, meaning ‘with’ and ‘and’
In ginkō to depāto no aida ‘(the place) between the bank and the department store,’ the particle to means ‘and.’ This is an exhaustive ‘and’ that means you have listed everything in a series. There is also an inexhaustive ‘and’ that means you have listed only some of the things in a series; this is the particle ya. In an exhaustive listing of two or more things, each noun is followed by the particle to except the last, which is followed by whatever particle is appropriate to link the phrase up with the rest of the sentence.
肉と魚と野菜とご飯を食べました。
Niku to sakana to yasai to go-han o tabemashita.
We ate meat and fish and vegetables and rice (and that’s all).
肉や野菜を食べました。
Niku ya yasai o tabemashita.
We ate meat and vegetables (among other things).
In the phrase watashi to issho ni ‘together with me,’ the particle to means ‘with.’ You can say watashi to kimashita ‘he came with me,’ but with verbs of motion it is more usual to add the phrase issho ni ‘together,’ as in watashi to issho ni kimashita. Notice that just issho ni often corresponds to ‘with me’ or ‘with you’ or ‘with us.’
父と話しました。
Chichi to hanashimashita.
I spoke with my father.
彼女と一緒に旅行しました。
Kanojo to isshoni ryokō shimashita.
I went on a trip with my girlfriend.
(私と)一緒に行きませんか。
(Watashi to) issho ni ikimasen ka.
Why don’t you come with me?
Occasionally, the particle to is used in expressions that call for an unexpected equivalent in the English translation:
私はあなたと違います。
Watashi wa anata to chigaimasu.
I’m different FROM you.
ここはあそこと違いますね。
Koko wa asoko to chigaimasu ne.
It’s different here FROM (what it is) there, isn’t it?
3.8. Expressions for accompaniment
Tanaka-san to issho ni ikimasu means ‘goes with Mr. Tanaka’; Makoto o tsurete ikimasu means ‘brings Makoto along.’ You use an expression of the latter type, or an expanded form, Makoto o tsurete issho ni ikimasu, when the person you are ‘bringing along’ is younger or socially inferior to you. If the person is your equal or superior, then you say he ‘comes along with’ you: Yamada-san wa (watashi to) issho ni ikimasu ‘Ms. Yamada is going along (with me).’ The noun issho means something like ‘a group (as contrasted with a single person),’ so issho ni means ‘in a group; with others’; issho desu means ‘are together.’ Issho refers to either people or things; (to) tomo ni is a less colloquial synonym.
家族で一緒に公園へ行きました。
Kazoku de issho ni kōen e ikimashita.
I went to the park with my family.
主人と一緒に料理をしました。
Shujin to issho ni ryōri o shimashita.
I cooked with my husband.
今度一緒に映画を見に行きませんか。
Kondo issho ni eiga o mi ni ikimasen ka.
How about going to see a movie together next time?
3.9 Verbs, polite moods
You have heard forms like ikimasu ‘goes,’ ikimashita ‘went,’ and ikimashō ‘let’s go.’ These are various moods of the same verb. Each verb, adjective, and the copula as well, can be changed in shape to correspond to different categories we call “moods.” (Compare the English forms go, went, gone, going.)
In Japanese, each verb, like each adjective and the copula, has two sets of forms: “polite” and “plain.” So far we have seen only the polite forms of verbs and the copula. In the next lesson we have some of the plain forms of these, and plain and polite forms of the adjectives. In normal polite conversation, it is customary to end a sentence with one of these polite forms. For a further discussion on the use of polite and plain forms, see the next lesson.
In this lesson, you’ll find forms like shite ‘doing,’ hanashite ‘talking,’ kaette ‘returned and,’ kite (kudasai) ‘(please) come,’ aruite (ikimasu) ‘(goes) on foot,’ tsurete (kimasu) ‘brings along,’ tabete (kara) ‘(after) eating,’ (kuruma ni) notte (ikimasu)’ (goes) riding (in a car).’ These forms are called gerunds or te-forms. The use of gerunds is discussed in 3.10. You need not worry about how they are formed until the next lesson. Just learn them as they occur.
Below is a list of some verbs, and the copula, many of which you have seen by now in this book. Examine the list, but no need to memorize it.
You will notice that the mood we call the polite imperfect ends in -masu for all the verbs (-su for the copula); the polite perfect ends in -mashita for all the verbs (-shita for the copula); and the polite tentative ends in -mashō for all the verbs (-shō for the copula). The verb forms that appear before these polite endings are called infinitives (or pre-masu forms), and they all end in the vowel -e or -i. See 4.3 and 4.8 for more about infinitives. The plain gerund ends in -te or -de (no ending for the copula), and there are certain changes in the verb stem itself.
3.10. Use of the gerund (or te-form)
The gerund is often called the te-form. It is used before kudasai ‘please’ to make a polite request, for example:
もう一度言ってください。
Mōichido itte kudasai.
Please say it again.
The gerund is used with the particle kara to mean ‘after (do)ing.’ For example:
ご飯を食べてから新聞を読みました。
Go-han o tabete kara shinbun o yomimashita.
After eating, I read my newspaper.
The gerund is also used alone at the end of a clause to mean ‘does/did/will do … and…,’ for example:
オフィスへ行って, メールを読みます。
Ofisu e itte, mēru o yomimasu.
I go to the office and read my e-mails.
The gerund is used in verb phrases with some form of the verb imasu to mean ‘is (do)ing,’ expressing a kind of “process” or “continuing action” and focusing on the fact that the action lasts for a while. For example:
今ご飯を食べています。
Ima go-han o tabete imasu.
I’m eating now.
The simple verb form, on the other hand, focuses our attention on the action itself, either a specific act (Nani o tabemasu ka ‘What do/will you eat?’; Sakuban benkyō shimashita ‘Last night I studied’) or a series thought of as a set of specific acts (Mainichi hatarakimasu ‘Every day I work’) rather than as a set of continuing actions taking up a space of time (Mainichi hataraite imasu ‘Every day I’M WORKING’). The exact difference between shigoto o shimasu and shigoto o shite imasu is just as subtle as that between ‘I work’ and ‘I’m working,’ and in many situations either phrase would seem appropriate. Sometimes the difference between the simple verb and the GERUND + imasu seems to lie in a slightly different focus of emphasis. In the sentence Ichi-ji kara ni-ji made hatarakimashita ‘I worked from 1 o’clock to 2 o’clock,’ the principal emphasis is on the fact that I worked and the time is incidental additional information. But in the sentence Ichi-ji kara ni-ji made hataraite imashita ‘From 1 o’clock to 2 o’clock I was working,’ the emphasis, while perhaps really focused on the DURATIVE nature of the action, that is, on the word imashita, seems to be more on the time and what I was doing during the time.
The gerund is also used in certain phrases with other verbs:
歩いて行きます。
Aruite ikimasu.
He walks (He goes walking).
車に乗って来ます。
Kuruma ni notte kimasu.
He comes by car (riding in a car).
マイクをつれて行きましょうか。
Maiku o tsurete ikimashō ka.
Shall I bring Mike along (Shall I come bringing Mike)?
Notice that the gerund has no perfect, imperfect, or tentative meaning of its own but takes on the mood of the following (or final) verb.
旅行しています。
Ryokō shite imasu.
I am traveling.
旅行していました。
Ryokō shite imashita.
I was traveling.
旅行していましょう。
Ryokō shite imashō.
Let’s keep traveling.
公園へ行って散歩しましょう。
Kōen e itte sanpo shimashō.
Let’s go to the park and take a walk.
公園へ行って散歩しました。
Kōen e itte sanpo shimashita.
I went to the park and took a walk.
公園へ行って散歩しませんか。
Kōen e itte sanpo shimasen ka.
Won’t you go to the park and take a walk?
3.11. Use of the imperfect, perfect, and tentative moods
The imperfect mood (sometimes called the present tense or non-past tense) indicates that an action has not been completed: it may or may not have begun, but it must be a definite, decided action. In the following sentence, we use the imperfect because I’m still sick today:
昨日から病気です。
Kinō kara byōki desu.
I’ve been sick since yesterday.
In the following sentence, perhaps you haven’t even started to go yet, but it’s definite that you will go:
どこへ行きますか。
Doko e ikimasu ka.
Where are you going?
On the other hand, the perfect mood (sometimes called the past tense) shows that the action has been completed:
田中さんは病気でした。
Tanaka-san wa byōki deshita.
Mr. Tanaka was sick (but he’s well now).
どこへバスで行きましたか。
Doko e basu de ikimashita ka.
Where did you go by bus?
The tentative mood (sometimes called suggestive, future, probable future, or presumptive) is used when an action isn’t quite definite. You’re not sure about it—maybe it will be, probably it will be, perhaps it has already been—or you’re suggesting it for consideration.
田中さんは病気でしょう。
Tanaka-san wa byōki deshō.
Mr. Tanaka must be sick. (I’m not sure, it isn’t definite, but what do you think?)
どこへ行きましょうか。
Doko e ikimashō ka.
Where shall we go? (It hasn’t been definitely decided where we will go, but we will probably go some place, so what shall we consider?)
This sometimes corresponds to English let us:
歩いて行きましょう。
Aruite ikimashō.
Let’s walk. (It isn’t definite that we will walk, but I’m suggesting it.)
3.12. Negatives
The polite imperfect negative of a verb is made by changing -masu to -masen. The polite negative of the copula desu is the phrase ja arimasen. Or, often, ja nai desu; and arimasen is often nai desu. Ja in negative forms is often de wa in formal contexts. Do not confuse this with the word arimasen all by itself; this is the negative of arimasu and means ‘there isn’t any.’
The most common type of attention-focus for a negative sentence in Japanese is on the negation itself ‘there ISN’T any bread.’ If you want to say ‘There isn’t any BREAD’ (that is, ‘It’s BREAD that we lack (rather than something else)’), then you say Pan ga arimasen.
The polite perfect negative is a phrase, -masen deshita (for the copula ja arimasen deshita), and similarly the polite tentative negative is -nai deshō (for the copula ja nai deshō).
| There is bread. パンがあります。 Pan ga arimasu. | This is bread. これはパンです。 Kore wa pan desu. |
| There is no bread. パンはありません。 Pan wa arimasen. (パンはないです。) (Pan wa nai desu.) | This isn’t bread. これはパンじゃありません。 Kore wa pan ja arimasen. (これはパンではありません。) (Kore wa pan de wa arimasen.) (これはパンじゃないです。) (Kore wa pan ja nai desu.) (これはパンではないです。) (Kore wa pan de wa nai desu.) |
| There was bread. パンがありました。 Pan ga arimashita. | That was bread. それはパンでした。 Sore wa pan deshita. |
| There was no bread. パンはありませんでした。 Pan wa arimasen deshita. (パンはなかったです。) (Pan wa nakatta desu.) | That was not bread. それはパンじゃありませんでした。 Sore wa pan ja arimasen deshita. (それはパンではありませんでした。) (Sore wa pan de wa arimasen deshita.) (それはパンじゃなかったです。) (Sore wa pan ja nakatta desu.) (それはパンではなかったです。) (Sore wa pan de wa nakatta desu.) |
| There won’t be any bread (I bet). パンはないでしょう。 Pan wa nai deshō. | That (probably) won’t be bread. それはパンじゃないでしょう。 Sore wa pan ja nai deshō. (それはパンではないでしょう。) (Sore wa pan de wa nai deshō.) |
3.13. Words for ‘work’
You have seen two ways to say ‘I work.’ Shigoto o shimasu means ‘I do my job’; hatarakimasu means ‘I work (often, but not necessarily, at something physical).’ These two words can frequently be used in each other’s place, with no great change of meaning. There is another word meaning ‘is employed’ or ‘works’—tsutomemasu. This has a somewhat more refined connotation.
どこで働いていますか。
Doko de hataraite imasu ka.
Where do you work?
どこに勤めていますか。
Doko ni tsutomete imasu ka.
Where are you employed?
3.14. Verbal nouns (…する …suru)
There are some nouns, like shutchō ‘a business trip,’ shōkai ‘introduction,’ and benkyō ‘study,’ that can be followed directly by a form of the verb suru/shimasu ‘does.’ These constitute a class of nouns we call “verbal nouns.” (They are also called suru-verbs more commonly.) Sometimes the particle o is inserted with expressions of this type, especially if the noun has something modifying it:
先月大阪に出張しました。
Sengetsu Ōsaka ni shutchō shimashita.
Last month I went to Osaka for a business trip.
友達に紹介しましょう。
Tomodachi ni shōkai shimashō.
Let me introduce you to a friend.
日本語を勉強しました。
Nihongo o benkyō shimashita.
I studied Japanese.
その勉強をしました。
Sono benkyō o shimashita.
I did that study.
The following are additional examples of verbal nouns followed by suru:
| 料理 ryōri cooking | 料理する ryōri suru cooks |
| 掃除 sōji (room) cleaning | 掃除する sōji suru cleans |
| 洗濯 sentaku laundry | 洗濯する sentaku suru does laundry |
| 予約 yoyaku reservation | 予約する yoyaku suru reserves |
| 契約 keiyaku contract | 契約する keiyaku suru signs a contract |
| 研究 kenkyū research | 研究する kenkyū suru conducts research |
| 卒業 sotsugyō graduation | 卒業する sotsugyō suru graduates |
| 準備 junbi preparation | 準備する junbi suru prepares |
| 旅行 ryokō trip | 旅行する ryokō suru travels |
| 結婚 kekkon marriage | 結婚する kekkon suru marries |
| 失礼 shitsurei rudeness | 失礼する shitsurei suru is excused |
| メール mēru email, text | メールする mēru suru emails, texts |
| ツイート tsuīto tweet | ツイートする tsuīto suru tweets |
| チャット chatto chat | チャットする chatto suru chats |
| ログイン rogu in log on | ログインする rogu in suru logs on |
| ログアウト rogu auto log out | ログアウトする rogu auto suru logs out |
3.15. Going in vehicles
To say ‘I went by train,’ you can say either of the following sentences:
電車で行きました。
Densha de ikimashita.
I went there by train.
電車に乗って行きました。
Densha ni notte ikimashita.
I went riding on a train.
The verb norimasu ‘gets on board, rides,’ like the verbs imasu, arimasu, and sunde imasu, takes the particle ni, here implying a change of position. Doko de fune ni norimashita ka ‘Where did you board the ship?’ Notice the difference between Mainichi densha ni norimasu ‘He rides the train every day,’ and Mainichi densha ni notte ikimasu ‘He goes (there) on the train every day.’ To get off (or out of) a vehicle, you use the verb orimasu (orite): Kuruma o orimashita ‘I got out of the car.’ (Basu o) doko de orimashō ka ‘Where shall we get off (the bus)?’ Orimasu! ‘Coming out! Getting off!’
3.16 ‘As soon as’
A common way to say ‘as soon as’ is to use the gerund followed by kara ‘after …ing,’ and then begin the next clause with sugu ‘right away, immediately.’ Go-han o tabete kara sugu sanpo ni ikimashita ‘I went for a walk as soon as (right after) I ate dinner.’ Sometimes the gerund is followed directly by the next clause without the particle kara. Heya ni haitte sugu sensei ni hanashimashita ‘As soon as I entered the room, I spoke to the teacher.’
| [cue 03-3] |
Conversation
Takeshi (T) and Shizuka (S) are talking.
T: 昨日は仕事をしましたか。
Kinō wa shigoto o shimashita ka.
Did you work yesterday?
S: いいえ, 休みでした。
Īe, yasumi deshita.
No, I didn’t have to work.
T: ああ，そうですか。
Ā, sō desu ka.
Oh, really.
S: ええ。仕事は月曜日から木曜日までなんです。
Ē. Shigoto wa Getsuyōbi kara Mokuyōbi made na n desu.
Right. My job is from Monday to Thursday.
T: ああ，いいですね。じゃあ，家にいたんですか。
Ā, ii desu ne. Jā, ie ni ita n desu ka.
That’s nice! Then, were you at home?
S: いいえ。昨日は大阪から友達が来ていたんです。
Īe. Kinō wa Ōsaka kara tomodachi ga kite ita n desu.
No. I had a friend visiting me from Osaka yesterday.
T: 友達とどこかへ行ったんですか。
Tomodachi to dokoka e itta n desu ka.
Did you go somewhere with your friend?
S: ええ。いっしょにディズニーシーに行きました。
Ē, issho ni Dizunīshī ni ikimashita.
We went to Disney Sea together.
T: 何で行きましたか。
Nani de ikimashita ka.
How did you go there?
S: 車で行きました。
Kuruma de ikimashita.
We went there by car.
T: あしたも休みですね。
Ashita mo yasumi desu ne.
You don’t have to work tomorrow, either, right?
S: ええ。あしたは秋葉原に行きます。パソコンを買うんです。
Ē. Ashita wa Akihabara ni ikimasu. Pasokon o kau n desu.
Right. I’ll go to Akihabara tomorrow. I’m buying a PC.
T: 僕も行きたいな。
Boku mo ikitai na.
I want to go there, too.
S: じゃあ，秋葉原の駅の前で待ち合わせをしましょう。
Jā, Akihabara no eki no mae de machiawase o shimashō.
Okay, then let’s meet in front of Akihabara train station.
Exercises
I. Fill in the blanks with either de or ni. Do it all aloud.
1. 山田さんはどこ —— 働いていますか。 Yamada-san wa doko —— hataraite imasu ka.
2. 銀行 —— 勤めています。 Ginkō —— tsutomete imasu.
3. 会社にはバス —— 行きますか。 Kaisha ni wa basu —— ikimasu ka.
4. 電車 —— 乗ります。 Densha —— norimasu.
5. 家は東京 —— あります。主人と東京 —— 住んでいます。 Ie wa Tōkyō ——— ari-masu. Shujin to Tōkyō —— sunde imasu.
II. Fill in the blanks with either ga or o.
1. 私はアメリカの映画 —— 好きです。 Watashi wa Amerika no eiga —— suki desu.
2. もうご飯 —— 食べましたか。 Mō go-han —— tabemashita ka.
3. 何 —— ありますか。 Nani —— arimasu ka.
4. だれ —— 部屋の中にいますか。 Dare —— heya no naka ni imasu ka.
5. 何の勉強 —— しましょうか。 Nan no benkyō —— shimashō ka.
6. だれ —— 私のクッキーを食べましたか。 Dare —— watashi no kukkī o tabemashita ka.
7. どの本 —— 買いましたか。 Dono hon —— kaimashita ka.
III. Fill in the blanks appropriately by using verbs and the copula in negative.
1. 「刺身を食べましたか。」 「いいえ，食べ ——————— 。」
“Sashimi o tabemashita ka.” “Īe, tabe ———————— .”
2. 「今日は勉強しますか。」 「いいえ， ———————— 。」
“Kyō wa benkyō shimasu ka.” “Īe, ———————— .”
3. 「今は働いていますか。」 「いいえ，今は働 ——————— 。」
“Ima wa hataraite imasu ka.” “Īe, ima wa hata ——————— .”
4. 「あの人は病気でしょうか。」 「いいえ，病気 ——— でしょう。」
“Ano hito wa byōki deshō ka.” “Īe, byōki ——————— deshō.”
5. 「あの人は先生ですか。」 「いいえ，先生 —————— 。」
“Ano hito wa sensei desu ka.” “Īe, sensei ——————— .”
Answers:
I 1. で de 2. に ni 3. で de 4. に ni 5. に ni, に ni
II 1. が ga 2. を o 3. が ga 4. が ga 5. を o 6. が ga 7. を o
III 1. …ませんでした …masen deshita 2. 勉強しません benkyō shimasen 3. …らいていません …raite imasen 4. …じゃない …ja nai or …ではない …de wa nai 5. …じゃありません …arimasen or …ではありません … de wa arimasen
