Day #2.3.1

Lesson 9:

• Expressing ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’
• Asking someone ‘what kind of ~ do you like’
• Describing being ‘good at’ and ‘bad at’
• Expressing ‘have something’ and ‘understand something’  [next class]
• Stating reasons [next class]

In this lesson, the particle ‘ ‘ga | が’ is introduced. It is used after a noun/ subject/ object before the above mentioned ideas.

1. To express one’s ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’, the particle ‘ga | が’ is used. It is situated after the object/ noun that is liked/ disliked. The word ‘suki | すき’ means like. The word ‘きらい | kirai’ means dislike.

“LIKE”:

わたしは にほんりょうり が すきです。 | Watashi wa nihon ryouri ga suki desu. | I like Japanese cuisine.

“DISLIKE”:

わたしは おさけ が きらいです。 | Watashi wa osake ga kirai desu. | I dislike like sake.

Q: にほんりょうりがすきですか。| Nihon ryouri ga suki desu ka? | Do you like Japanese food/ cuisine?

– – – – – – – はい、すきです。| Hai, suki desu. | Yes, I like it.

– – – – – – – いいえ、すきじゃありません。| Ie, suki ja arimasen. | No, I don’t like it.

2. “WHAT KIND OF ~ DO YOU LIKE”:

Q: どんな スポーツが すきですか。 | Donna suposu ga suki desu ka? | What kind of sports do you like?

– – – – – – – テニス が すき です。| Tenisu ga suki desu. | I like tennis.

** The question word ‘どんな | donna’ is also used in the middle of a sentence, as seen in last week’s lesson about describing a place/ town.

Q: どんな にほんりょうり が すき です か。| Donna nihon ryouri ga suki desu ka? | What kind of Japanese food do you like?

– – – – – – – さしみ が すき です。 | Sashimi ga suki desu. | I like sashimi.

Q: どんな のみもの が すき です か。| Donna nomimono ga suki desu ka? | What kind of drinks do you like?

– – – – – – – カルピス ソーダ が すき です。 | Karupisu soda ga suki desu.| I like Calpis soda.

3. When expressing how good/ bad at something one is, the verb/ noun comes before the particle ‘ga | が’ and the idea of how good/ bad is placed at the end of the sentence. The word ‘じょうず | jouzu’ means good at.

“GOOD AT ~”:

さとうさんは スキー が じょうずです。| Satou-san wa suki ga jouzu desu. | Sato is good at skiing.

**’じょうず | jouzu’ is used specially when referring to other people, and not yourself. Instead, use ‘とくい | tokui’.

わたしは スキーが とくいです。 | Watshi wa suki ga tokui desu. | I am good at skiing. ✓

“BAD AT ~”:

マットさん は スキー が へた です。 | Matto-san wa suki ga heta desu. | Matt is bad at skiing.

Day #1.9.2

Today we moved on to Kanji 2 and the second third of Lesson #6 as follows:

• Describing activities
• Using “after that” and “and then”
• Describing activities done at a place (place + object + verb)
• Using the word “like” in a sentence (I like movies)
• Vocabulary for places (will be added under the Vocab section)

Last lesson we looked at (object + verb) eating things. This lesson we describe more activities like watching a movie, reading a book etc.

DESCRIBING ACTIVITIES

Q:

What do you do on Sundays? | Nichiyobi ni nani wo shimasu ka? | にちようび に なに します か。

S:

Every Sunday I watch a movie. | Watashi wa maishu nichiyobi ni eiga wo mimasu. | わたし は にちようび に えいがを みます。

USING “AFTER THAT” 

‘Kara’, roughly translated, means “after”. We learnt that a number of lessons ago when we touched on time. (‘Kara’ and ‘Made’) In Japanese, the phrase ‘Sore kara’ is literally translated from “after that” – ‘sore’ being “that” and ‘kara’ meaning “after”.

Q:

What do you do on Sundays? | Nichiyobi ni nani wo shimasu ka? | にちようび に なに を します か。

S:

In the morning I study. After that, in the afternoon, I watch a movie with my friend. | Asa benkyoshimasu. Sore kara, gogo tomodachi to eiga wo mimasu. | あさ べんきょうします。それ から、ごご ともだち と えいが を みます。

DESCRIBING ACTIVITIES DONE AT A PLACE

When describing something done at a particular place, the verb as usual goes at the end of the sentence, the object before the verb, and the place before the object. Structurally speaking, it goes: time/period + place + *particle de + object + *particle wo + verb. The particle ‘de |で’ is used because it is a location marker for action. (It is also used for describing how one takes the transport to somewhere)

S:

I ate toast at the canteen today. | Kyo shokudou de tosuto wo tabeshimashita. |きょう しょくどう で トースト を たべしました。

Q:

Where did you have breakfast today? |Kyo doko de asagohan wo tabeshimashita? | きょう どこ で あさごはん を たべました か。

S:

At home. | Uchi de tabeshimashita. | うち で たべました。

USING THE WORD “LIKE” IN A SENTENCE

Like | Suki | すき

To use “like” in a sentence, we need to add the *particle ga as a marker.

S:

I like movies.| Eiga ga suki desu. | えいが が すき です。

D:

Do you like movies? | Eiga ga suki desu ka? | えいが が すき です か。

–  –  –  –  –  –  Yes I do. | Hai, suki desu. | はい、すき です。

When and where do you watch movies? | Itsumo doko de eiga wo mimasu ka? |いつも どこ で えいが を みます か。

–  –  –  –  –  –  I often watch at Jurong Point GV. | Yoku Juron・Pointo no GV de mimasu. | よく ジュロン・ポイントの GV で みます。

I see. I also go to GV. | So desu ka. Watashi mo GV e ikimasu. | そう です か。わたし も GV へ いきます。

–  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –

**Difference between *particle e and *particle wo:

e | へ: direction marker – to show places that one goes to

wo | を: location marker – to show places one is at

Day #6.2

ASKING SOMEONE IF THEY LIKE SOMETHING

What kind of ramen do you like? | Donna ramen ga suki desu ka? | どんな ラーメンが すきですか。

VERB CONJUGATION 

Present Tense

Past Tense

Q:

Did you study yesterday? | Kinou benkyoushimashita ka? | きのう べんきょうしました か。

–  –  –  –  –  –  –  Hai, benkyoushimashita. | はい、べんきょうしました。

–  –  –  –  –  –  –  Ie, benkyoushimasen deshita. |  いいえ、べんきょうしません でした。