How to really say please in Japanese... Well Sorta

How to really say please… in Japanese.

In another article, I wrote about how to say ‘please’ in Japanese. You can say please, but you will need to know the what in please what? Please what? Look at the words related to please like the verb to please. It means to satisfy someone, or to make them happy about something you did . Pleasure is a word also related to the word please. What’s the magic word? Please! What would be pleasing to say today.

Today just as in Japanese to please someone to make them tell you that you did a good job. That you are pleasant to be with can be described as pleasant an adjective. Pleasant isn’t the kudasai but neither is the please. I mentioned earlier that kudasai comes from the verb kudasaru which means to kindly do something for (someone). V It has the kind of fun’iki (atmosphere) that one does this favor for you because you can’t. It is a very honorific word. Kudasaru, to honorably accepting your doing of this for me elegance. There are 3 most basic politeness levels.

The highest form of politeness is when you speak to someone that you have much respect for. You speak in Honorifics when you are speaking to someone older, a person with a higher status than you such as your boss, and when speaking to someone who you have as yet to determine their status, someone new to you until you can establish their ranking. IN this sense you can say that in Japan people are typecasting with their language as well as keeping the caste system alive. It is also to be said that After putting verbs into base (TE) add the extensions of kudasaru, kureru, morau, or itadaku depending on who you are talking to.

After Verbing in Base TE + KARA

Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar 109
JPPGG #109
Three Ways of Saying “After Verb’ing” in Japanese.

After, After, and After - 3 ways to say, “after verb’ing” in Japanese –
There are 3 easy ways to say to “after verb’ing” in Japanese

1. verb (base TE) + KARA
2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE
3. verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI

By themselves KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI all mean, after similar equivalent expressions for the English terms following or later.

To say that you will do something after doing something else in Japanese, use the following grammar constructions:

1. Verb (Base TE) + KARA – after verb’ing

Take verbs and put them into base TE.

Verbs ending in KU become ITE  ~ITE
Verbs ending in GU become IDE  ~IDE
Verbs ending in U, TSU, or RU  ~ TTE
Verbs ending in BU, MU or NU  ~NDE
The verb suru or verbs ending in SU become SHITE  ~SHITE

Then add + KARA (after)

HANASU (v. to speak)  HANASHITE

CHOTTO HANASHITE KARA IKIMASHO^ -
Let’s go after we talk a little.

YOMU (v. to speak) YONDE

HON O YONDE KARA NERU TO OMOIMASU.
I think I’ll sleep after reading a book.

TABERU (v. to eat)  TABETE

TABETE KARA SHUKUDAI O SURU. –
After I eat, I’m going to do homework.

UNDO WO SHITE KARA SHAWA O SURU KOTO GA SUKI DESU.
I like to take a shower after I do my exercise.

2. verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb’ing

Take verbs and put them into base TA

NOMU (v. to drink)  NONDA

NOMU (base TA) NONDA
Verb ending in either BU, MU or NU
ta  nda
NOMU in base TA is NONDA

SAKE O NONDA ATO DE NEMUKUNATTA –
I got sleepy after drinking some* sake.

*NOCHI NI = ATO DE, NOCHI DE

3. verb ( base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb’ing

SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI IE NI KAETTA –
I went home after drinking some sake.

SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI INU O SAMPO SHI NI ITTA –
(After I drank some sake I took the dog for a walk.)

As you can see from these examples, there are two sides with two verbs comprising this construction. (Predicates and the like.)

Verb 1 in base TE +KARA and Verb 2

Verb 2 can be past, present, negative or positive, but Verb 1 must be in base TE.

As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei

Japanese Vocabulary Blaster 15
or to continue the training, see
Japanese Vocabulary Blaster 17