So, on a mission to find you some alternative responses and the appropriate circumstances in which to use them, I sought help from one of my reliable sources, Yoko Nishihara, aka long-time family friend. I too, was only ever taught to reply to “Genki desu ka?” (How are you?) with “Genki desu, anata wa?” (I’m fine, and you?). We both laughed as she shared this story, and she went on to explain how most Japanese people, when learning English, are always taught to respond to “How are you?” with “I’m fine thank you, and you?” That got me to thinking about my previous years in college and my time spent studying Japanese. So when he asked her how she was, she was delighted that she could understand him, but frustrated that the only way she knew how to reply to this question was to say, “I’m fine, thank you, how are you?” It soon became very clear however that the only way she and the doctor were going to be able to communicate was via English, the only mutual language they both had some grasp of, but he more than her. When it was finally her turn to see the doctor, she felt relieved. She was in Hong Kong at the time, and at a medical clinic hoping to find some relief for the vomiting and nausea she had been experiencing. I didn’t have to speak Japanese at all as my stylist spoke English very well, but I wanted to at least try.Īs our conversation progressed, my stylist shared with me an experience she had had when she was much younger and just learning to speak English. Nodo ga kawaite imasuka? / Nani ka nomi tai desu.I recently spent an afternoon at a Japanese hair salon and as usual, I took the opportunity to talk with my stylist about anything and everything, all the while throwing in a few Japanese words and phrases wherever possible. Onaka ga suite imasuka? / Onaka ga ippai desu.Īre you thirsty? / I want to drink something. " sukoshi" does not fit to some words, and " warito (means relatively)" can be used instead.Įxamples: Ano eiga wa warito yokatta desu. Top is the most positive and the bottom is the most negative. The list above shows how to express the different degrees. (more casual)Ītama ni kita: got ungly (atama: head + ni: into + kuru: to come) Used in the past tense.īikkuri suru: be surprised (sounds more casual) Tanoshi kunakatta desu.Ītama ni ki mashita. Only applicable to some words such as suki and kirai, not to all. kantan dewa arimasen deshita (It wasn't easy).ĭai_: Used to emphasize the following word. To make it negative, remove ending "i", and add " dewa arimasen deshita".Įxamples: kantan desu (It's easy) / kantan deshita (It was easy) / kantan dewa arimasen (It isn't easy). ![]() ![]() To make it the past tense, remove ending "na", and add " deshita". Na-adjectives are the adjectives ends with "na" when it modifies a noun. ![]() oishi kunakatta desu (It wasn't delicious). ![]() To make it negative, remove ending "i", and add "kunakatta".Įxamples: oishi i desu (It's delicious) / oishi katta desu (It was delicious) / oishi kunai desu (It isn't delicious). To make it the past tense, remove ending "i", and add " katta". I-adjectives are the adjectives ends with "i" when it modifies a noun. I-adjectives - "i" + katta desu = past tense
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |