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  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 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 #1.9.1

Previous Lesson Recap: 

Time/ Period opens the sentence. E.g “I went to Tokyo last year” / “I went to Tokyo last year in June” / “I went to Tokyo in 2012” >>>>>> Open the sentence in Japanese with ‘last year | kyonen | きょうねん’

S:

I went to Tokyo last year. | Kyonen Tokyo e ikimashita. | きょうねん とうきょうえ いきました。

I went to Tokyo in June last year. | Kyonen no roku gatsu ni Tokyo e ikimashita. | きょねん の ろくがつ とうきょ え いきました。

I went to Tokyo in 2012. | 2012 nen ni Tokyo e ikimashita. | 2012 ねん とうきょ え いきました。

We use the particle ‘ni | に’ as a time and date marker. ***not to be used for certain time markers (see Day #8.2)

LESSON #6

Lesson 6 is about describing daily activities like eating, watching TV, playing sports, as well as inviting someone to do activities together. 🙂 We also start on Kanji.

Check out the Vocabulary section for different activities in Japanese.

PLACE + VERB [Action word and place] 

To phrase where an action is taking place, the particle ‘de | で’ is used. It’s also used as a direction marker, “by”. Note that the verb is placed at the end of the sentence, unlike in the English Language.

I study at school. | Watashi wa gakko de benkyoshimasu. | わたし は がっこう べ んきょします。

OBJECT + VERB 

In the case of doing ~, ~ being the object, the same phrasing as above is applied. The verb is placed at the end of the sentence. To link the object and verb, the particle ‘wo | を’ is used. It is an object marker, used after the grammatical object.

In the case of “eat ~”: the object “~” comes first, followed by the verb “eat”. Simply put: Object + *particle wo + Verb 

S:

[present tense]

I eat toast. | Tosuto wo tabeshimasu. | トースト を たべします。

I eat rice. | Gohan wo tabeshimasu. | ごはん を たべします。

[past tense]

I drank orange juice. | Orenji jusu wo nomishimashita. | オレンジ ジュース を のみしました。

[including time period – always in the beginning of the sentence]

I ate a sandwich this morning. | Kesa sandoichi wo tabeshimashita. | けさ サンドイッチ を たべしました

I eat toast and egg every morning. | Mainichi tosuto to tamago wo tabeshimasu. | まいにち トースト と たまご を たべします

[negative]

I didn’t eat anything. | Nani mo tabeshimasu. | なに も たべします。

Q:

What did you eat this morning? | Kesa nani wo tabeshimashita ka? | けさ なに を たべしました か。

What do you drink every morning? | Mainichi nani wo nomishimasu ka? | まいにち なに を のみします か。

PLACE + OBJECT + VERB 

Sequence: Place + *particle de + Object + *particle wo + Verb

S:

I ate a hamburger at home. | Uchi de hanbaga wo tabeshimashita. | うち で ハンバーガー を たべしました。

FREQUENCY 

1. Always |

2. Often |

3. Sometimes | Tokidoki

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KANJI 

We start off with 10 Kanji words – the basics. A single Kanji word can have multiple readings and meanings.

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