LESSON 10: Yūbinkyoku wa doko desu ka = Where is the post office?

Introduction
In this lesson you will learn:
- how to ask for directions
- how to give directions
- how to say exactly where places are

You've learn that kudasai meant please or may I have. This word is also used when giving directions: (please) go straight ahead, (please) turn left.

Also, we've talked about question words (nan/i, what?; nanji, what time?; nansai, how old? etc.).

In this lesson you are going to learn a new question word doko (where?) to ask where something is. For example, yūbinkyoku wa doko desu ka Where is the post office?). Notice the sentence order: place wa doko desu ka.

Recap
Imagine you need to stop someone to ask them for directions. How do you:
a. catch their attention? (excuse me)


b. ask where a bank (ginkō) is?


c. ask them to repeat something?


d. say thank you?

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu.

Vocabulary list
To go straight on
... itte kudasai = (please) go ...
massugu = straight on
chotto = a little way
massugu itte kudasai = please go straight on
chotto itte kudasai = please go on a little way

To turn
...magatte kudasai = (please) turn ...
migi = right
hidari = left
migi ni magatte kudasai = please turn (to the) right
hidari ni magatte kudasai = please turn (to the) left

Orientation points
shingō = traffic lights
kōsaten = crossroads
kado = corner
michi = road
tsugi no ... = the next ...
tsugi no shingō = the next traffic lights
nibanme no ... = the second ...
nibanme no kōsaten = the second crossroads

Giving directions
shingō o* massugu itte kudasai = go straight at the traffic lights
kōsaten o* migi ni magatte kudasai = turn right at the crossroads
tsugi no kado o* hidari ni magatte kudasai = turn left at the next corner

*Think of o in this case as meaning at. Note that it comes after the word e.g. shingō o (at the traffic lights). You will learn more about o in the next lesson.

Some useful phrases
ginkō = bank
eki = station
eigakan = cinema

Exact location
tonari = next to
chikaku = near to
ichiban chikai = the nearest
mukaigawa = opposite (side)
mae = in front of
hidarigawa = left-hand side
migigawa = right-hand side
... no tonari = next to the ...
ginkō no tonari = next to the bank
yūbinkyoku wa ginkō no tonari desu = the post office is next to the bank

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Information*
You have now met two meanings for the word itte:
- say as in mōichido itte kudasai (please say it again)
- go as in massugu itte kudasai (please go straight on)

You will always know the meaning from the situation, so dont worry. There are lots of English words with more than one meaning too, e.g. bank, light, post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sample conversation
Scott is going to visit Anne's host family and he is looking for Shibuya train station.
Scott: Sumimasen, Shibuya eki wa doko desu ka.
Passer-by: Ā, sumimasen, watashi wa eigo ga dekimasen. (he runs off)
Scott: Ē! (sees another passer-by) Sumimasen, Shibuya eki wa doko desu ka.
Passer-by: Shibuya eki desu ka. Ēto, kono michi o massugu itte, tsugi no shingō o hidari ni ... Aa, sumimasen, tsugi no shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai. Sorekara, nibanme no kōsaten o hidari ni magatte kudasai. Shibuya eki wa Tōkyō ginkō no mukaigawa desu.
Scott: Sumimasen, kono michi o massugu o itte ... sorekara? Mōichido itte kudasai.
Passer-by: Sorekara, tsugi no shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai.
Scott: Wakarimashita. Soshite, nibanme no kōsaten o hidari ni magatte ...
Passer-by: Hai, sō desu. Nihongo ga jōzu desu ne!
Scott: Iie, mada mada desu. Dōmo arigato gozaimashita.

Extras
ā! ē! = (expressions of suprise)
dekimasen = can't
sorekara, soshite = and, and then
wakarimashita = I understand
jōzu = good at
iie, mada mada desu = no, i'm not good yet

Explanations
1. ... wa doko desu ka Where is ...
The pattern here is fairly straightforward. You put the name of the place you want to go to at the beginning of the phrase. Place wa doko desu ka means Where is place?. To be more polite, say excuse me (sumimasen) before you ask. For example:
- sumimasen, ginkō wa doko desu ka = excuse me, where is the bank?

You might want to specify which bank, supermarket, etc. In this case, put the name first. For example:
- sumimasen, Jusco sūpā wa doko desu ka = excuse me, where is Jusco supermarket?

If you want to ask where the nearest one is, put ichiban chikai before the place. For example:
- sumimasen, ichiban chikai depāto wa doko desu ka = excuse me, where is the nearest department store?

2. Understanding and giving directions
In this lesson you have been introduced to two important phrases for giving directions: ... itte kudasai means please go ..., and ... magatte kudasai means please turn ... .

Once you have mastered some of the vocabulary in this unit you can gradually build up from fairly simple directions to more complex ones. Practise saying these build-up phrases, and when you feel more confident, try looking at the English phrase and try giving the Japanese phrase without looking at it.

massugu itte kudasai = please go straight ahead
kōsaten o massugu itte kudasai = please go straight on at the crossroads
tsugi no kōsaten o massugu itte kudasai = please go straight on at the next crossroads
nibanme no kōsaten o massugu itte kudasai = please go straight on at the second crossroads
hidari ni magatte kudasai = please turn left
migi ni magatte kudasai = please turn right
shingō o hidari ni magatte kudasai = please turn left at the traffic lights
shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai = please turn right at the traffic lights
tsugi no shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai = please turn right at the next traffic lights
nibanme no shingō o hidari ni magatte kudasai = please turn left at the second set of traffic lights

You can link two directions simply by leaving out the first kudasai. Thus, massugu itte kudasai + shingō o migi magatte kudasai becomes:
- massugu itte, shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai = please go straight on and turn right at the traffic lights

3. Giving the exact location
Ginkō no mukaigawa desu means (it's) opposite the bank. The word order is important here. In English, the word opposite comes before bank; in Japanese opposite comes after bank, with no in between. You could think of it as meaning the bank's opposite.

- yūbinkyoku no chikaku desu = (it's) near the post office
- eki no mae desu = (it's) in front of the station
- migigawa desu = (it's) on the right-hand side.

If you want to specify a place, you put it at the beginning of the sentence followed by the particle wa.

- depāto wa ginkō no mukaigawa desu = the department store is opposite the bank
- sūpa wa eki no tonari desu = the supermarket is next to the station
- eigakan wa hidarigawa desu = the cinema is on the left-hand side

--------------------------------------------

LESSON 10 PRACTISE - click me!

This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 23 2005, 10:51 AM

LESSON 10 - PRACTISE

1. Give the following directions in Japanese:
a. please go straight ahead


b. please turn right


c. please turn left


d. please go straight at the traffic lights


e. please turn right at the traffic lights


f. please go straight ahead at the crossroads


g. please turn right at the second set of traffic lights


h. please turn left at the next crossroads


2. The following questions refer to the following map (sorry la if it's poorly done, lol). See if the directions given in underline are wrong. If they are wrong, correct them:


a. Eigakan wa Mitsukoshi depāto no chikaku desu.


b. Jusco sūpā wa hanaya no mae desu. (There is a mistake in the picture for this one. There's supposed to be a florist next to Jusco.)


c. Yūbinkyoku wa ginkō no mukaigawa desu.


d. Ginkō wa eki no mukaigawa desu.


e. Eki wa eigakan no chikaku desu.


3. Refer to the previous map. You are at the hotel (on the right, before the traffic light). Give directions to the following locations:
a. The train station. (Go straight a little way and turn right at the traffic lights. THe station is on the left-hand side.)


b. The bank. (Go straight ahead and turn right at the second set of traffic lights. The bank is next to the post office.)


4. Which phrase would you choose to ask someone where the post office is?
a. Kōhī o futatsu kudasai.
b. Yūbinkyoku wa doko desu ka.
c. Yūbinkyoku no mae desu.


This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 26 2005, 10:08 AM

俺の古い教科書から見たい。

自分で作ったのか？

Wah, I dont understand!

>.<'''''

I cant read kanji. T_T

LESSON 11: Nichiyōbi ni nani o shimasu ka = What do you do on Sundays?

Introduction
In this lesson you will learn:
- ten useful doing words for describing your day
- how to say when you do something
- how to ask about someone's future schedule
- the days of the week
- some useful question words

Recap
1. Ima nanji desu ka
How well can you remember telling the time? Refresh your memory by saying the times below.
a. 6 o'clock


b. 4.30


c. 9pm


d. 7.30am


e. 12 o'clock


f. 11.30am


2. Say the times that these places open and close (start and finish) as in the example.
a. Wine shop, 10 - 8
Sakaya wa jūji kara hachiji made desu.

b. bank, 9 - 3


c. supermarket, 8 - 8


d. post office, 9 - 6


Vocabulary list
Action words
okimasu = wake up (get up)
nemasu = go to bed
tabemasu = eat
nomimasu = drink
yomimasu = read
shimasu = do, make, play
mimasu = see, watch, look
benkyō shimasu = study
gorufu o shimasu = play golf
kaimono o shimasu = do the shopping
The final u of these action words is very soft and hardly spoken

Time expressions
nanji ni = at what time
nanyōbi ni = on what day
asa = morning
hiru = midday
yoru = evening
asagohan = breakfast
hirugohan = lunch
yorugohan/bangohan = evening meal

Food and drink
tabemono = food
tōsuto = toast
pan = bread
tamago = eggs
niku = meat
yasai = vegetables
ringo = apples
gohan = rice
nomimono = a drink
ocha = green tea
kōcha = black tea
jūsu = juice
miruku = milk
kōra = cola
mizu = water

Useful objects
zasshi = magazine
manga = comic book
terebi = television
eiga = movie
soshite/sorekara/sore ni = and (then)
goro = about (used when saying times)
daitai = more or less, generally
tokidoki = sometimes

Sample conversation
Scott has come round to the Yamaguchi home to interview Mr. Yamaguchi about his typical day, as part of a Japanese homework project.
Scott: Asa, nanji ni okimasu ka.
Mr Yamaguchi: Daitai, rokuji han goro okimasu.
Scott: Hayai desu ne! Sorekara, asagohan ni nani o tabemasu ka.
Mr Yamaguchi: Sō desu ne. Tōsuto o tabemasu. Sore ni kōhī o nomimasu.
Anne: Shigoto wa nanji kara desu ka.
Mr Yamaguchi: Daitai, hachiji han kara rokuji made desu. Hirugohan wa ichiji kara desu.
Scott: Yoru nani o shimasu ka.
Mr Yamaguchi: Bangohan o tabemasu. Soshite terebi o mimasu. Jūichiji han goro nemasu.
Scott: Nichiyōbi ni nani o shimasu ka.
Mr Yamaguchi: Sō desu ne. Rirakkusu shimasu ne. Zasshi o yomimasu. Tokidoki gorufu o shimasu...
Anne: (laughing) Ē? Daitai ichinichi jū nemasu yo.

Extras
hayai = early
rirakkusu = relax
ē = what?
ichinichi jū = all day

Explanations
1. Action words (masu words)
Japanese "doing" words are very simple to use - you will notice that they all end in masu. This gives the meaning I do or I will do something. For example, the question nichiyōbi ni nani o shimasu ka could have the meaning what do you do on Sundays? or what are you going to do on Sunday? The context will tell you which one is intended.

Also, the masu ending does not change whether you say I/you/he/she/it/we/they do something. For example:
- nichiyōbi ni Sukotto-san wa terebi o mimasu = Scott watches TV on Sundays
- nichiyōbi ni terebi o mimasu = I watch TV on Sundays.

And you dont need to use the words you/I/he, etc. unless it's not clear who is being spoken about. It is then better to use a person's name rather than you. For example:
- nichiyōbi ni nani o shimasu ka = what do (you) do on Sundays?
- Yamaguchi-san, nichiyōbi ni nani o shimasu ka = Mr Yamaguchi, what do you do on Sundays?

- Tokidoki gorufu o shimasu = I sometimes play golf

Shimasu is a useful word meaning do, make or play. Here are some examples of its use:
- tenisu o shimasu = I play tennis
- sakkā o shimasu = I play football
- kaimono o shimasu = I do the shopping
- denwa o shimasu = I make a phone call
- kuji kara jūji made eigo o benkyō shimasu = I study English from nine until ten

When you add tokidoki you are talking about what you do sometimes. For example:
- tokidoki denwa o shimasu = I sometimes make phone calls
- tokidoki tenisu o shimasu = I sometimes play tennis

When you add daitai you are saying generally ... . For example:
- daitai rokuji ni okimasu = I generally get up at six

2. Tōsuto o tabemasu I eat some toast
There is no equivalent in English of the word o, but in Japanese you say it after the item you eat, drink, read, etc. (We call this the object of the sentence.) Here are some examples with the object in italics:
- gohan o tabemasu = I eat rice
- kōcha o nomimasu = I drink black tea
- kaimono o shimasu = I do the shopping

You should note that the masu word always comes at the end of the sentence.

3. Yamaguchi-san wa kōhī o nomimasu Mr Yamaguchi drinks coffee
When you mention the person who eats, drinks, etc., this word is followed by wa and is the subject of the sentence. Remember that wa acts like a highlighter and can be translated as as for... . Here are some examples with the subject in italics:
- An-san wa nihongo no hon o yomimasu = Anne reads a Japanese book
- watashi wa nihongo o benkyō shimasu = I study Japanese
- Sukotto-san wa kaimono o shimasu = Scott is going to do the shopping

You should note the order in which you say these sentences.
1 - you say the person who does the action, followed by wa.
2 - you say the item (or person) which has the action done to it, followed by o.
3 - you say the action word - the masu word.



4. Nichi yōbi ni nani o shimasu ka What do you do on Sundays?
When you say the day or time that you do something, it is followed by ni meaning on or at. For example:
- nichiyōbi ni terebi o mimasu = I watch TV on Sundays
- hachiji ni okimasu = I get up at 8 o'clock

You can replace ni with goro (about) if you want to give an approximate time. For example:
- hachiji goro okimasu = I get up at about 8 o'clock

The important point to remember is that ni and goro are said after the time/day.

The time expression is usually said at this point in a sentence:
- An-san wa hachiji kara terebi o mimasu = Anne watches TV from 8 o'clock
- Hachiji ni asagohan o tabemasu = I eat breakfast at 8 o'clock
- Rokuji ni okimasu = I get up at 6 o'clock

5. Nanji ni At what time
To ask when somebody does something you can use nanji ni (at what time):
- nanji ni okimasu ka = (at) what time do you get up?

Or nanyōbi ni (on what day):
- nanyōbi ni gorufu o shimasu ka = (on) what day/s do you play golf?

Or nannichi ni (on what date/days of the month):
- nannichi ni sakkā o shimasu ka = on what date are you going to play football?

Or the more general question itsu (when):
- itsu kaimono o shimasu ka = when do you do the shopping?

You do not need to say ni after itsu because you are not saying in, on or at:
- itsu sakkā o shimasu ka = when are you going to play football? (not: on when are you going to play football?)

6. Bangohan o tabemasu I eat dinner
The words for the three main meals in Japanese are interesting. THey are made up of the word for rice (gohan) and the words for morning (asa), midday (hiru) and evening (ban - as in konbanwa, good evening; also yoru). Therefore, asagohan (breakfast) literally means morning rice, hirugohan (lunch) is midday rice, and bangohan or yorugohan (dinner/evening meal) is evening rice.

7. Asa nanji ni okimasu ka What time do you get up in the morning?
In previous lessons we learnt gozen (a.m.) and gogo (p.m./afternoon). A more informal way of saying this is to use asa (morning) and yoru (evening). For example:
- asa shichiji ni okimasu = I get up at 8 o'clock in the morning
- yoru terebi o mimasu = I watch TV in the evenings

You should note that you dont need ni after asa and yoru. Ni is only used with exact times, days and dates. More of this will be learnt in the next lesson.

8. Asagohan ni nani o tabemasu ka What do you eat for breakfast?
To ask what someone eats at mealtimes, use ni (in this case meaning for) after the meal word. For example:
- bangohan ni nani o tabemasu ka = what do you eat for dinner?

To answer, just say the food that you eat.
- tamago o tabemasu = I eat eggs

If you want to include what you drink, use one of the and words (sore ni, soshite, sorekara). You say these at the beginning of a new sentence. For example:
- tamago o tabemasu. sore ni kōhī o nomimasu = I eat eggs. And I drink coffee

To make a statement about what you have for breakfast (etc.), start with: asagohan ni ... . For example:
- asagohan ni tamago o tabemasu = I eat eggs for breakfast

9. The days of the week
Note that all the days of the week end with yōbi, meaning day.

nichiyōbi = sunday
getsuyōbi = monday
kayōbi = tuesday
suiyōbi = wednesday
mokuyōbi = thursday
kinyōbi = friday
doyōbi = saturday

--------------------------------------------

LESSON 11 PRACTISE - click me!

This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 28 2005, 09:38 AM

ore no furui kyoukasho mitai.

jibun de tsukutta no ka?

I'm not really sure if my translation is correct. Did you ask me if I made the lessons up myself or did I take it from an old textbook?

LESSON 11 - PRACTISE

1. Say what each of the people below have for their breakfast in Japanese. The first one is done for you as an example.
a. Mr. Yamaguchi = toast, coffee
Yamaguchi-san wa asagohan ni tōsuto o tabemasu. Sore ni kōhī o nomimasu.

b. Scott = toast, coffee


c. Anne = eggs, black tea


d. Reiko = rice, green tea


e. Heidi = fruit, juice


2. Anne has been writing up an interview with Emi. These are the answers to her questions. Can you write out the questions in full, in Japanese?
a. What time? Hachiji ni okimasu.


b. What? Asagohan ni tōsuto to tamago o tabemasu.


c. What day? Doyōbi ni kaimono o shimasu.


d. What? Yoru tokidoki eiga o mimasu.


e. When? Getsuyōbi kara kinyōbi made benkyō shimasu.


3. Say these days in Japanese.
a. Friday


b. Monday


c. Thursday


d. Tuesday


This post has been edited by jhcj: Dec 28 2005, 09:40 AM

i said

it looks like my old textbook.

did you make it yourself?

and thats not a bad thing mind you.....

Actually, the more regular term used for computer is 'persocom(p)' which, is an abbreviation of 'personal computer'. Go figure...

You're right. They prefer to use that term.

Ah, close.

No, I didnt make the lessons up. I took them from a book, actually. One that I'm reading, in fact.

O.o'''

I thought persocom is something that was made up in Chobits.

Anyways, thanks for the info.

most of teh time... teh Jap mix english wif japanese

Most people will think like that. I thought like that at first when watching Chobits but later on, I found that Japanese does call their computers as Persocom (especially Windows as for Apple computers, they call it MAC).

unrelated Japanese fact!!

Japanese kids usually have less exposure to computers. most of their email and internet is thru handphones. gaming thru consoles like PS2 and GC.

Japanese that use Persocon's are usually otaku recluses. Most are usually over 20 years old.

This attributes to the sheer lack of regulation of adult content on japanese computer games, while console games have to comply to a "CERO" rating system.

well, it generally depends on who you're talking to, I doubt it's only anime-otaku who use the term since there have been references when I speak to my friends who are Japanese and have PR's here

hm...somthing is wrong
it's koNpyuta not kompyuta. pasokoNãeuroeuronot pasokom.

Just a link for you guys :

http://www.tbns.net/knuckles/

Read carefully

Usually, the n that ended before letters like b, p, m and few others, the n became m. For example, senpai where sometimes it becomes as sempai.

For pasokom, the original word is personal computer then becomes persocom (in English way). When persocom became Japanization, it becomes pasokon but persocom ended with an M. So, pasokon becomes pasokom.

How about CAPCOM? Dont you think that they supposed to say it as Kapukom? Sounds funny.

anyway......

another thing worth mentioning is that

the term 'otaku' is more colloquial than a proper word in japanese vocabulary and is not reserved for those who specifically indulge in anime,

think more in terms of 'geekiness', those who are geeky in relation to anime are called; Anime-Otaku, those who are military fanboys are known as "ã??ã,"ã?~ã,"ã,ªã,¿ã,¯" Gunjin-otaku, and so on and so forth.