Friday, 28 November 2008
Stage 2 (Part 3)
Friday, 26 September 2008
Stage 2 (Part 2)
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Today, we will be constructing sentences with [to omoimasu] and I bet today will be an easy lesson for all of you. To omoimasu means think/think that. You can only use it when you are expressing your opinion or feelings. If it is expressing thoughts or ideas, you have to use kangaeru which I will cover later on other parts of this stage.
Formula 1): Noun/-na adjectives + da to omoimasu [と 思います]
1)Kono kanojo wa totemo kirei desu. ---> Kono kanojo wa totemo kirei to omoimasu.
This girl is very pretty. --> I think this girl is very pretty.
Note: It is a very simple and straight forward sentence pattern. When an adjective ends with an [i] the da will be removed.
2)Mondai wa arimasen --> Mondai wa nai to omoimasu.
It is not a problem --> I think it is not a problem.
Note: Notice the "arimasen"? It was change to "nai" instead. The reason behind this is because when adding [To Omoimasu] all the longer words must be change to a shorter words. For example, "ariamasen = nai" "desu = da" "Kimasen = Konai".
3)Kotoko san wa kimasen --> Kotoko san wa konai to omoimasu
Ms Kotoko isn't coming. --> I think Ms Kotoko isn't coming.
Note: Note that the kimasen is change to konai before adding the "to omoimasu".
4)Kyou no testo wa muzukashii desu. --> Kyou no testo wa muzukashii to omoimasu.
Today's test is hard/difficult. --> I think today's test is hard/difficult.
Note: This is the same as the first sentence.
5)Kenzo san wa nihon no ryori wa zenzen oishikunai to omotte imasu.
Mr Kenzo thinks that the Japanese food is not delicious at all.
Note: Notice [To omotte]? The reason i use this was because Mr Kenzo is currently thinking about the japanese food. Thus the -te form is being applied here. However, when you want to say "I think...." it is always safe to use [To omoimasu]. Lastly, notice why are there 2 "wa" particles? This is because, both Mr Kenzo and the japanese food are the topic marker of this sentence.
6)Kare wa ii hito desu --> Kare wa ii hito da to omotta noni.
He is a good guy. --> I thought he was a good guy.
Note: Notice the [To omotta]?........It is the past tense for to omou/omoimasu. Most verb that ends with -ta are past tense. For example taberu = tabeta, nomu=nonda, yobu=yonda which are all past tense. On top of that, I just simply add "noni". It does not change the sentence much if you prefer to exclude the "noni".
7) Kyo wa hima da to omoimasu --> I think I am free today.
I will be stopping here for today and until I make a new post, i hope you can benefit from this one. As we move on, it will surely get harder however, with passion for japanese language, you will gain a lot from it and will be able to master it within a short period of time.
:-) Till we meet the next time, I wish you all a happy day.
Saturday, 19 July 2008
Stage 1 (Part 6)
Lets proceed onto stage 1 (Part 6). This will be the last part for stage 1 and by today, you should be able to write and talk basic japanese. Don't be surprise, thus far until part 6, we have covered many weeks of lectures in the regular japanese classes.
Now, lets proceed to our next sentence pattern. Today I will teach you about "mada atte nai" = Not yet.
Sounds foreign right? But no worries, I will give you many examples of sentences and elaborated explanation. Sit tight and here we go !!
Te-Form
Before we go into the sentence pattern, let me show you some examples of the [te form].
Taberu 食べる= Tabete (Eat)
Suru 為る= Shite (To do)
Kuru 来る= Kite (To Come)
Hairu 入る= Haite (To enter)
Wakaru 分かる= Wakatte (Understand/To know)
Omou 思う= Omotte (To feel/To think)
Iku 行く= Itte (To go)
Tsukau 使う= Tsukatte (To use/To handle)
Aru 在る= Atte (To have/exist)
Nomu 飲む= Nonde (To drink)
Even after you change the original (-ru form/Dictionary form) to Te form, it remains as present tense.
Example:
Mite Kudasai = Please take a look.
Haite Kudasai = Please enter.
Imouto wa totemo tanoshikatta to itte = Sister says that she was very happy.
"Mada atte nai" 未だ あってない = Not Yet
Formula: mada + te form + inai/imasen (The imasen is from arimasen)
(Use this "te form + inai/imasen" to describe something that has not happen yet)
1) Asa gohan wa mada tabete imasen.
(I have not taken my breakfast yet).
2) Kohi wa mada nonde imasen.
(I have not drink my coffee yet).
3) Daigakusei wa kurasu ni mada haite imasen/inai ne.
(The college students have not yet enter the class).
4) Watashi/boku/atashi no ototo wa ie/uchi ni mada kite imasen.
(My brother has not come home yet)
Note: The "ie" (House/home) is more commonly use compared to uchi (House/home). So I would say it is best to use "ie" each time you refer to your own house or others. Also "Atashi" is for female way of addressing ownself.
Now comes the combination of"sentence particles" + "desu kedo" with "Masu form" and "Te form"
Example:
Kobayashi san ni mada denwa shite inain kedo, kore kara denwa shimasu. Ato de dou surun no?
(I haven't call Mr kobayashi yet but I will call him now. After that what do you plan/want to do?)
Explanation:
Notice the "Ni"....It is to refer to the intended target. In this case the target is Mr Kobayashi so the "Ni" will be place after Kobayashi san. "Mada denwa shite" means haven't make a call yet. The "inai" had been change to "inain" because this is a dialogue. In japanese way of conversation, they prefer to put the "n". "Shimasu" = Doing....Notice why there isn't a desu at the end of the sentence? This is because of the masu form. In Stage 1 Part 5, I have stated that when there is a "masu form" the desu will not appear at the end of the sentence. "Ato de", the reason the "De" is place there to signify an action is taking or going to take place. "Dou surun no?" The suru is change to surun because this is a conversational dialogue. On top of that the "no" means "mono". It doesn't mean much but it is another variation to ending the sentence beside "desu ka".
Extra vocabularies:
Daigakusei = College/university student
Kurasu = Class
Asa gohan = Breakfast
Hiru gohan = Lunch
Ban gohan = Dinner
Denwa = telephone
Denwa suru = To make a call
I will see you in the 2nd stage a few days from now. I hope you have benefited from my blog and have the burning desire to learn more.
See you and thanks for coming by my educational blog.
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Stage 1 (Part 5)
Welcome back. I believe by now you can already speak a little and write some simple sentences. However, some might be wondering, what if i join 2 sentences as 1 and make it look longer?
The answer is yes, your wish is about to come true. Today we will focus only on "Kedo" which is actually a very important word that is commonly use in daily conversation.
Lets begin the lesson:
Introduction to "Kedo"
First of all, "Kedo" means "But" and it is always put at the last part of the first sentence. You have probally heard in anime the word "desu kedo" or "desu ga". Both are the same but "desu kedo" is more commonly used compared to "desu ga". However desu kedo can also be simplify to become dakedo which is Da (desu) + Kedo = Dakedo
Now lets go down to the sentences and see how they are constructed.
Formula 1: Sentence A + [Desu Kedo] + Sentence B
1) Pinpon wa daisuki (desu kedo / dakedo) amari jouzu (dewa nai / dewa arimasen / ja arimasen).
(I love / like pingpong but I am not very good at it)
Extra Note: Notice the choices I wrote down with the (/).......It means you can either use any of those words with the sentences and it will still be the same. The "dakedo" is the simplify form of "desu kedo". However do not confuse yourself with "Demo" which also means "But". "Demo" and "Kedo" are both use in different situation. "Demo" will appear at the front of the sentence most of the time and "Kedo" is definitely in between 2 sentences. When someone says "Demo....." means they are enquiring or making a request like "But I really want this mum"....oppose to Kedo which is use to describe your situation or something and joining 2 sentences together like the sentence above.
2) Hatoko san wa sukii ga jouzu (desu kedo / dakedo), boku wa jouzu (dewa nai / dewa arimasen / ja arimasen).
(Hatoko, you are good at skiing but I am not good at it)
Extra Note: This sentence is the same as the above sentence.
Now there is an exception in using "desu kedo".......In fact I would say a variation to it is what makes it so unique.
If you encounter an adjectives ending with an -i the "kedo" comes first and the "desu" will be at the last of the 2 sentences. To make things easy here is the formula:
Formula 2: Sentence 1 + [Kedo] + sentence 2 + [Desu]
Now lets see how the sentences looks like:
1) Itai kedo daijoubu desu.
(It hurts but I am fine)
Extra Note:
Notice the "Itai" ends with "i" so the kedo will still join the 2 sentences together but the only differences is that the "desu" is at the last of the 2 sentences.
2) Muzukashii kedo, boku ga yaru anata tachi o mamorimasu.
(It is hard but I can protect you and your friends).
Extra note:
You will be wondering where is the desu right? Well, I actually wrote what I am thinking at the moment without realizing that I haven't included the -masu form tutorials yet. However I will make a simple explanation right here. When there is a "-masu" form the "Desu" is not needed at all. This is because "-masu" is usually combine together with action such as taberu (Tabemasu = eating), Kuru (Kimasu = coming), iku (ikimasu = going) and etc.
Example:
a)Watashi wa ima ikimasu. (I am going now).
Now there is another variation to "Kedo" and this time it is the hardest compared to the previous 2 formula. But I will make it simple for you. Here it goes:
Formula 3: "Sentence 1 with action verb" + [kedo] + "Sentence 2"
1) Sato san no kazoku wa ashita onsen ni iku kedo, Sato san no imouto wa ikimasen.
(Sato's family is going to the hot spring but his younger sister isn't going).
Extra note:
Notice the "Iku"....it is an action verb therefore the kedo will be placed after the action verb. At the end of the sentence the "Desu" is missing again because the "masu" form is a positive form while "masen" is the negative form. So they are practically the same and the desu will not exist.
Examples:
Tabemasu = eating
Tabemasen = not eating
Ikimasu = going
Ikimasen = not going
kimasu = coming
kimasen = not coming
Extra vocabularies:
Mamoru (Mamorimasu) = Protect
Onsen = hot spring
kazoku = family
yaru = do
Sukii = ski
pinpon = pingpong
daijoubu = fine
itai = pain/hurt
If there are doubts plz mail me or either write down some comments so i can immediately reply to it. I hope you did learn something today. By far this is the hardest tutorials but hey it is already part 5. Once you can master this section, you are ready for stage 1 part 6. That is the last part for stage 1. Keep up the good work.
Time for me to retire to bed. :-)
Monday, 14 July 2008
Stage 1 (Part 4)
Vocabularies:
Dictionary form = Te form
Hanasu 話す(To speak/talk) = Hanashite
Taberu 食べる(To eat) = Tabete
Miru 見る(To see) = Mite
Tomeru 停める(To stop) = Tomete
Hajimaru 始まる(To start) = Hajimete
Kaku 書く(To write) = Kaite
au 会う(To meet) = Atte
yomu 読む(To drink) = Yonde --> This is a special case.
nomu 飲む(To read) = Nonde --> This is a special case.
Note: The yomu and nonde is in -de form instead of -te form. However the usage are the same. It is either [-te/-de + kudasai].
Sentences: [-Te + Kudasai]
1)Hayato san gomen ne. Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
(I am sorry Hayato. Please speak slower).
2)Hayaku, shinbun o mite kudasai. Saikin nyusu ga totemo omoshiroi.
(Quickly take a look at the newspaper. The latest news are very interesting).
3)Hayaku, shinbun o nonde kudasai.
(Quickly read the newspaper).
4)Hidari no kado de tomete kudasai.
(Please stop at the right corner).
5)Kono kusuri o yonde kudasai.
(Please drink that medicine).
6)Go ji han ni koko de atte kudasai.->(The -han means 30. So If i put san ji han it means 3.30)
(Please meet at 5.30 pm right here).
7)Ima kara hajimete kudasai. Jikan wa nai kara.
(From now on please start because we don't have much time left)
--> (Notice the "Kara" at the back of the sentence? It is put there to say "because". If the "Kara" is in front it means "From" and if it is at the back it means "because").
8)Asoko de tabete kudasai. Sore wa meirei da.
(Please eat over there. This is an order).
Extra Vocabularies:
Yukkuri = Slowly
Gomen/sumimasen = Sorry
Saikin = Latest
Nyusu = News
Shinbun = Newspaper
Hidari = Left
Kusuri = Medicine
Kado = Corner
Jikan = Time
Asoko = There
Meirei = Orders/Command
I hope atleast by today, you can speak a little and write some kanji. The chinese characteristic words are actually Kanji + Hiragana. As we go deeper in to this lesson, I will start to write more in hiragana, katakana and kanji. This is just stage 1 there are many more stages to master. On top of that by the time we reach stage 5 or 6 you can already speak quite alot and can start writing letters to your penpals or mail to Japanese friends.
:-)
I will see you in Stage 1 (Part 5).
It takes time to learn but it is well worth it.
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Stage 1 (Part 3)

Lets continue from where we stop the last time.
Above is the list of hiragana and katakana. Mastering this table is the one main factor in understanding japanese language and to be efficient in writing.
Particles
Wa は= Use for topic marker
Ga が= Use to a sentence indicator (To see thing as a whole)
Ni に= Use to specify a location or an intended target
Demo でも= "But". Quite often it is use at the start of the sentence.
Kara から= "From". To indicate something and where it came from.
O を= The "o" is use when there is action taking place.
To と= "And". "A to B" means "A and B"
No の= To indicate something belongs to someone. "Watashi no Koto" means "My Things/Belongings"
De で= Indicate action is taking place.
Dake だけ= "Only". Use at the end of the sentence.
Yori より= "Than". "Densha wa Takushi yori hayai desu" means "The tain is faster than the Taxi/Cab".
Houga ほうが= "Basu yori densha no houga hayai desu" means "The train is faster compared to the bus".
Yori+houga = For comparison between 2 objects.
Sentences:
Wa
a)Kore wa nan desu ka. (What is that?)
b)Watashi wa tsuyoi desu. (I am strong)
c)Imouto wa san nin ga imasu. (I have 3 younger sister)
d)Boku wa nanimo wakaranai. (I do not know anything)
e)Sore wa watashi no koto desu. (This is mine)
Extra Vocabularies:
Nan (Nani) = What
San nin = 3 person
nanimo = nothing
wakaranai = Don't know
Imasu (Iru) = Have
Ga
a)Watashi wa nihon go ga jouzu dewa arimasen/dewa nai. (My japanese language is not good)
b)Anata ga suki. (I like you)
c)Basu houga ii desu yo. (Bus is better)
d)Anata wa zenbu ga dekiru. (You can do everything)
e)Ame ga furu. (The rain is falling)
Extra Vocabularies:
Jouzu = Good/skillful
Zenbu = All/Everything
Yoku = Well
Dekiru = Can do
Furu = To fall
Ni
a)Gakkou ni iku. (Go to school)
b)Kuala Lumpur ni sunde imasu. (I live in Kuala Lumpur)
c)Mi ni iku. (Go and see)
d)Togi ni naru. (To become a nurse)
e)Isshou ni kaeru. (Go home together)
Extra Vocabularies:
Sunde iru = Live in
Mi (Miru) = See/Watch
Togi = Nurse
Naru = To become
Isshou = Together
Demo
a)Yuki demo kaeru yo. (Even if it snows, I will return home)
b)Kare wa nanimo shiranai demo hen da yo. (He knew nothing but it is wierd)
c)Itsu demo oyogi ni kite kudasai. (Please come and swim anytime)
Extra Vocabularies:
Yuki = Snow
Shiranai = Do not know (Refering to someone else)
hen = wierd
Itsu = When
Itsu demo = Whenever/anytime
oyogi (Oyogu) = Swim
Kite (Kuru) = Come
Kara
a)Kinou wa Saito san ga Nihon kara kita. (Saito came from Japan yesterday).
b)Kyo kara ganbarimasu. (I will work harder from today).
c)Kono testo wa san ji kara yo ji made desu. (That test is from 3 o'clock to/till 4 o'clock).
d)Ashita wa Osaka kara basu ni notte. (I will be taking a bus from Osaka tommorow).
Extra Vocabularies:
Kinou = Yesterday
Kyo = Today
Ganbarimasu (Ganbaru) = Keep up the good work.
Testo = Test
San ji = 3 o'clock
Yo ji = 4 o'clock
Notte (Noru) = To get on
Extra Note:
Notice San ji and Yo ji. The word san and Yo (Yon) means 3 and 4. The "Ji" comes from the word "Jikan = Time". When the Yon + Jikan, it becomes "Yo ji". However for san + jikan, it remains as "San ji". That is the rule. If you want to say 5 o'clock it will be "Go ji", 6 o'clock will be "Roku ji", 11 o'clock will be "jyu ichi ji" and so on.
O
a)Watashi tachi Unagi o taberu. (We eat eels)
b)Ima kara tori niku o taberu. (I will eat chicken from now on)
c)Hashi o wataru. (To cross the bridge)
Extra Note:
Watashi Tachi = We
Unagi = Eel
Tori niku = Chicken meat
Hashi = Bridge
Wataru = To cross
To
a)Kobayashi san to Sato san wa tomodachi/yuujin da yo. (Kobayashi and Sato are friends).
b)Anata to kankenai. (It doesn't concern you)
c)Ano hito wa atama ga ii to omoimasu. (I think that the person is smart)
Extra Vocabularies:
Tomodachi/Yuujin = Friend
Kankenai = Does not concern
Atama = Head
Atama ga ii = Smart/Clever
Omoimasu (Omou) = Think
No
a)Sore wa Takashi san no musuko da. (That is Takashi's daughter)
b)Ingurando no Kaisha. (England's Company)
c)Watashi no namae. (My name)
Extra Vocabularies:
Musuko = Daughter
Ingurando = England
Kaisha = Company
De
a)Basho de sagashite. (Searching the place)
b)Kuruma de kaisha in ikimasu. (I travel to office by car)
c)Byouki de daigaku o yasunda. (I was absent from University due to sickness)
Extra Vocabularies:
Sagashite (sagasu) = Search
Kuruma = Car
Byouki = Sickness
Daigaku = University
Yasunda (Yasumu) = Rest/absent
Extra Note:
The "de" is used to indicate an action taking place. Notice the sagashite, ikimasu and yasunda at the end of the sentence? They are all action that took place or are currently taking place.
Dake
1)Anata wa hitori dake. (Only you are alone)
2)Watashi dake dekimasu. (Only I can do it)
3)Sore dake desu ka. (Is that all?)
Extra Note:
The "Dake" is used to specify that the object is the "only" one.
Yori/Houga
1)Basu no houga hayai desu. (The bus is faster)
2)Takushi wa Basu yori hayai desu. (The taxi is faster than the bus)
3)Basu yori densha no houga hayai desu. (The Train is faster compared to the bus)
Extra Note:
When yori+houga it is for comparison. For easier understanding, you can either use houga or yori.
See you in the stage 1 (Part 4). I hope you have learn a lot while visiting my site. If there are questions, plz feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to immediately answer it.
Thanks.
Stage 1 (Part 2)
Expressions:
Suki 好き= Like (To like something)
Kirai 嫌い= Hate (To hate something)
Omoshiroi 面白い= Interesting (To be interested in something)
Muzukashii 難しい= Difficult (To do or describe something difficult)
Hazukashii 恥ずかしい= Embarrass, Shy (To be shy or embarass about something)
Kanashii 哀しい= Sad (To be sad about something and use to express feelings)
Ureshii 嬉しい= Glad/Happy (To express oneself)
Tanoshii 愉しい= Fun/Enjoyable (Use to describe the fun of doing or playing something)
Sabishii 淋しい= Lonely (Use to describe oneself)
Tsuyoi 強い= Strong (Physical strength or a hard object)
Yowai 弱い= Weak/Fragile (Physical weakness of a human)
Now lets make sentences:
1) Sono yume wa omoshiroi desu. (That dream is interesting)
Note: (Sono=That) and (Yume=Dream). If you want to say "That movie is interesting" just change the yume (Dream) with eiga (Movie). It is basically a play of words because this are basic sentences.
2) Anata wa totemo sabishii desu yo. (You are very lonely)
Note: (Totemo=Very). Notice i put the totemo, actually if you want you can remove it. The totemo is just to exaggerate the given situation. Without the sabishii, the sentence would be like "You are lonely". Easy right?
3) Anata no koto suki desu. (I like you) / Anata ga suki desu. (I like you)
Note: (Koto=Things). Notice why it is translated as "i like you" instead of "i like your thing" ?
Let me explain, if a girl says that to you, it means she like the things about you. it means your characteristic, your way of life or your way of doing things. That is why the "koto" is important there. Please do not mistake this with Ai shiteru (Love). If a girl says Ai Shiteru it is love but suki is basically like and is a form of preference or favourtism.
:)
4) Ano hito wa tsuyoi deshou. Shinjirarenai. (That person is strong isn't it? Unbelievable)
Note: (Ano=That), (Hito=Person), (deshou=An uncertainty) and shinjirarenai (Unbelievable). Note the ano, it is commonly use to refer to strangers. Deshou is used when you are not sure of something and need confirmation from a second party.
5) Takusan yowai hito ga iru. (There are a lot of weak people)
Note: (Takusan=Many/Alot) and (iru=have/exist). Note the iru. I put it to emphasize the existance of weak people. Iru is for animated object while aru is for inanimated objects.
6) Haha wa san ji goro ni kuru to itte (Mum says that she will be arriving around 3 o'clock) .
Note: Notice the "itte", it means "said". The dictionary form of "to say" is "iu". (Haha=Mother). Goro means "Around".
7) Kinou wa totemo tanoshikatta da yo. (It was very enjoyable today)
It is basically the same. Notice the "Tanoshikatta" is is actually the past tense of tanoshii (Fun).
:-) So how was today's lesson? Enjoyable?
I hope you enjoyed it as we proceed. Learning is just another tool for us to prepare ourself for our goal.
Stage 1 (Part 1)
Watashi 私= Me (For both Gender to use)
Atashi 私= Me (Used by females)
Boku 僕= Me (Used mostly by males...It is a way to express oneself in a more masculine way)
Anata 貴方= You (Refering to the person you are talking to)
Haha 母= Mother
ChiChi 父= Father
Kazoku 家族 = Family (Own family)
Ane 姉= Older Sister
Aniki 兄貴= Older Brother
Imouto 妹 = Younger Sister
Ototo 弟= Younger Brother
Namae 名前= Name
Desu です= is (Is is always place at the end of the sentence)
Wa は= It is use as a topic marker
Using the few words above lets create a sentence.
1) Watashi no Namae wa Takashi desu. (My name is Takashi)
2) Boku/Atashi no namae wa Kobayashi/Hatoko desu. (My name is Kobayashi/Hatoko)
This is just the start. Now lets go further in and explore more.
Iku 行く= To go
Kuru 来る= To come
Kaeru 帰る= To return
Taberu 食べる= To eat
Nomu 飲む= To drink
Yobu 呼ぶ= To call
Yomu 読む= To read
Sentences:
1) Ima wa Gakkou ni iku yo (I am going to school now)
Note: Notice the "yo", It is commonly spoken to emphasize on the sentence. The yo is mostly found in dialogue. (Ima = Now) and (Gakkou = School).
2) Oishii tabemono o taberu (I eat delicious food)
Note: The tabemono = food. It can be replace with any edible things such as fish (Sakana), chicken meat (Toriniku), kudamono (Fruits), Ringo (Apple) and many more.
3) Watashi no namae o yobu (Call my name)
Note: Notice the "o", it is used for action such as eat, drink, call, sleep and many more.
4) Hon o yomu (To read a book)
Note: Hon (Book)
5) Isshou ni kaeru (Go home together)
Note: If you want to say "Lets go home together", just change kaeru to kaeyou. It is the same for "Lets eat together (Isshou ni tabeyou)
See, it isn't hard right. It is simple as cracking a nut. Just use 10 minutes to reherse and memorize the vocabulary. With this you will be one step further.
Remember this Quote "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".
Keep it up guys and gals.
