How to Say ,"I Think So..." in Japanese

How to say, “ I think so” in Japanese


A Lesson in Basic Japanese Grammar

To say the English phrase, I THINK SO in Japanese, you would say
SOU DA TO OMOIMASU そうだと思います.

To say you think or believe something in Japanese the following grammar can be used for plug and play style sentence construction for Japanese phrases “ I think that …P.F.”

P.F. + TO OMOIMASU と 思います

P.F. or plain form can be any verb, or adjective in plain dictionary form with an ai あい,iiいい, ui う,いeiえい,oiおい ending; what is known as Base III or Plain form of a verb.

“TO” OMOIMASU と 思います - “TO” と(Pronounced like toe or tow) acts as a “”quotation device for the Japanese verb OMOU 思う. It quotes whatever comes before the “TO”, so that a Japanese sentence like iku to omoimasu 行くと 思います,would translate into I think “He is going” or I think “He is going to go”. In a similar fashion this “TO” quotation marker is used in phrases to say, as in iku to iu 行くと言う- He says, “He is going”. The only difference between iku and iu, a difference of to go and to say, the quotation marker TO stays the same.

P.F. + TO IU と言う- It is said that… or They say that…etc.

“TO” とbecomes “TTE” って, and dewa nai では ないbecomes ja nai じゃ ない in colloquial Japanese

OMOU思う - v. to think (of, about).
IU 言う - v. to say


OMOU 思う and IU言う are definitely two Japanese verbs that you will want to remember when studying Japanese. Even without purposefully seeking to understand the meaning of the words, OMOU思うor IU言う , you will eventually run into their utility. They are smack dab in the center of Japanese conversation a whole lot of the time. So take special care to notice how these two Japanese words are used. These are two words not to exclude in your studies. It is the word for what you believe in sometimes. It is the word for what you feel sometimes. In English, we may say I feel such and such a way, or I believe in this and that a way; In Japanese the verb OMOU 思うand  IU言うhelp us express these things. These two Japanese verbs cover a lot of ground for their size.

OMOIMASU思います is polite form of OMOU思うin Base II + Masu ます

IIMASU 言いますis polite form of IU言う in base II + Masu ます

Examples:

1.Kirei da to omoimasu. きれいだと思います - “I think it is pretty.”

1a. Kirei da to iimasu きれいだと言います - “He says she is pretty”, or “They say it is pretty”

2.chigau to omoimasu. 違うとおもいます- “I think it is different.”, or “ I beg to differ”; more literally “I think that it may differ.”

2a.Chigau to iimasu 違うと言います - “They say it is different.”

3.muzukashii to omou*. 難しいと思う- “I think it is difficult “

3a.muzukashii to iu 難しいと言う- “They say it is hard. “

4.sugoi to omou! 凄いと思う! - “I think that is great!”

4a. sugoi to iu 凄いと言う- “They say it is great!”

5.O kotowari suru to omoimasu. お断りするとおもいます- “I think that I will humbly bow out of this one”, or “I think I pass on this one”, or “ I think I'll humbly reject this”.

5a.O kotowari suru to iu お断りすると言う- “He'll say no!”

•The Japanese verbs OMOU思うand IU言う, in dictionary form, are not as polite as the verb Base II + Masu construction. Always keep your language in crispy polite shape by using Base II + Masu construction.

Another use of OMOU 思うcomes in the form of suspicion. DEWA NAI KA TO OMOUではないかと思う- means to suspect that something is true, or more literally “I think it might not be…or that it isn't.”

Examples:
1.Okii dewa nai ka to omotta 大きいではないかと思った- I thought it was big, or I suspected that it might have been big.

2.Iku no dewa nai ka to omoimasu 行くのではないか と思います- I didn't think he was going to go, or I suspect he is probably going.

Good luck making new sentences with this Japanese Grammar Lesson



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

Quick and Easy Japanese Vocabulary Learning - Mai Everything

The kanji for every, or Mai

Learn these useful words that all begin with mai or every -

毎- まい - mai – every

毎日 - まいにち - mainichi –every day
毎晩 - まいばん - maiban – every night
毎週 - まいしゅう - maishu^ - every week
毎月 - まいつき - maitsuki – every month
毎年 - まいねん - mainen - every year
毎度 - まいど - maido – every time
毎朝 - まいあさ maiasa – every morning


Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

How to Get Somebody's Phone Number in Japanese



A Japanese Pay Phone

 Let's say, you are in Japan, and you meet a new friend and want to get their phone number. Before we learn the phrase, we must first understand that they will not be telling us their phone number, they will be instead teaching us their phone number.

The phrase for, "please tell me your phone number" in Japanese is -

電話 番号 を 教えて 下さい
denwa bango o oshiete kudasai - please teach me your phone number.

The keyword here is oshieru or the verb to teach.



Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

Another word for stomach and its uses

There is another word for belly. It is not honorific. It is the word hara.

Hara is a plain form of the honorific o-naka 中
hara 腹 はら- the belly, the stomach

Here are some uses of hara -

hara ga itamu 腹が痛む - to have stomach pains 腹 はら

hara o tateru 腹を立てる- to get or become upset; angry

hara ga tatsu - when speaking of one's self - That upsets me, or that really ticks me off or that really "p***es me off" etc.

An easy way to remember the other Japanese word for stomach, o-naka, would be to think

You onaka'd up!" (お-中ed up) You are knocked up!


Towards Better Japanese Ganbatte ne! Do Your Best! Makurasuki

Review of question words in Japanese

Let's learn how to say, " Who?, What?, Where?, When? and How many?" in Japanese
Learn these basic Japanese question words -

dare? - Who?
nani? - What?
doko? - Where?
itsu? - When?
ikutsu? How many?


bonus word -
naze? - Why?

Past tense Hakata ben

You might hear the following past tense phrases at the Hakata eki:

Here is past tense of nan shiyo^ to? 何しようとう? or "What are you doing" in Hakata ben.

What were you doing (right now)? 何しようったとう? Nan shiyotta to?

Another example often heard in the Hakata region might be -
doko ni ikiyo^ to? どこに往きようとう?
or "Where are you going?" and again in past tense this sentence would be doko ni ikiyo^tta to?

Now for formal Japanese this is appalling grammar so it is to be used only in congenial situations as you would have amongst good friends or family members. This wouldn't be casually said to a stranger or someone you just met.

Japanese Grammar conclusion by looking at today's examples
to^ is the question marker and could be substituted for the participle ka か.

Some interesting Japanese words

Here are some interesting Japanese words for your enjoyment

Kashikomarimashita - I totally understand and will do as you command

Ton Demo Nai - no sweat, it aint nothing

o-Sewa ni natte kudasaimashite taihen arigatou gozaimasu - thanks for going out of your way for me, I am extremely thankful

oshii - darnit

yoshii - yay!

oi - hey

arya - oh man

o-negai moshiagemasu - I humbly ask it of you

O-kyaku-sama - guests, houseguests

Irrashaimase - welcome

Haizara - ashtray

O negai dekimasu ka? - you think you could do it for me?

Shitsurei shimasu - I am sorry

Rusu ni shite orimasu - I am not in right now, nobody is home

Go-chiso sama deshita - what a great meal

Itadakimasu - I humbly partake



Towards Better Japanese Ganbatte ne! Do Your Best! Makurasuki

Japanese sentence

Dochi ga ii ka yoku wakaranai - I don't know which one will be better



Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

Xmas in Japan

Christmas in Japan is no such thing. The closest thing the Japanese have to X-mas is their tradition of eating X-mas cake. Do they believe also in a Sandy Claus? Just about as much as people in the US believe in him.

Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

Japanese seafood discussion

Since carp and shark are two items of the sea that the Japanese don't have a habit of making into sushi, I will discuss them first then extrapolate on couple of thoughts concerning sushi. The word koi is more oftened used to indicate love, or the act of falling in love more than it is used to mean Koi or Carp.

Same* - shark *(Not pronounced as in English but with long ah as in saw and meh as used in the word men.)

The following items, usually taken from the sea, are occasionally used as sushi.

Kurage - jellyfish

Unagi - Unagi is Eel, or snakes of the sea. The fish with no real fins more similar to a snake than a fish. and the best I have ever had and came away saying, "Boy that sure was tasty Unagi." I thought Unagi particularly well prepared in the quaint town of Isahaya, which isabout a forty five minute drive away from Nagasaki. Nagasaki and the surrounding area is reknown for its excellently prepared eel. The unagi used as sushi is always cooked and is white meat that with a hint of brown.

Uni - taste like poo-poo of the sea until you acquire a taste for it. I love it. It is rather expensive, because it is a pain in the behind to get.

Tako - in Japanese is the word for kite, the flight wielding one or it can mean an octopus. Tako is pronounced like taco, a favorite Mexican food that even the Japanese know.

A lot of people have pre-conceived notions concerning the sushi. They seem to think of stinky, rotten raw fish that has been dead for a month. And anybody who thinks of sushi in this way couldn't be thinking of it in a worse manner. The look and taste of well prepared sushi by iron chefs in my opinion can be compared to lustrousand precious jewels. Served on a plate, arranged like art and appearing like rubies, saphires and diamonds.

Another myth about sushi is that the octopus sushi is served raw. This is not the case. It shoud be stated at the gate that is very rare to eat octopus raw. I myself having the privalege only twice out of about 300 eatings to try raw octopus. Raw octopus is not boiled. The octopus westerners traditionally associate with the sushi turns a light shade of purple because it is boiled. I grant you permission to safely approach octopus sushi with a smile and a glad heart, knowing that it is boiled. To reiterate, octopus used as sushi is boiled, and its good. Don't knock it before you try it. Or give it to Mikey he'll like it... he likes everything.

If sushi didn't have such a bad image, that more people could enjoy it's truly redeeming qualities. Just thinking about sushi and talking about it in this lense makes my mouth water,... try it and see. It is the images, stigmata and the English words we use to describe sushi that block our minds preventing us from ever attempting to try such delicious and delectably marvelous jewels. I must admit raw octopus was nasty when I tried it and don't recommend it, but it needs to be stated again to reverse the damage we westerners have of sushi in general to remember that the octopus served as sushi is purple because it is boiled. It is not raw as is usually typified in the prejudices of western thought.

kazu no ko - this is the yellow, and crunchy roe of the herring fish. There never seems to be a lack of kazu no ko although it is one of the few sushi items that won't make my mouth water just thinking about. In other words I never developed a keen taste for kazunoko nor is it one of my favorites.

Natto - This is one of my personal favoites. It is a breakfast food worth mentioning. Although it is a live moving creatue it has the potential to become one. Natto is fermented soy beans served with hot mustard served in a styrofoam cup. Served with mustard it is a great morning food. Just make sure to add all the tare that comes with it and add the mustard mix it up, it looks a little grody but it is worth every mouth full. At only ¥103 (one hundred and three yen), it is the most economical breakfast food readily available to those living in Japan. Natto is a budget minded food. You can buy it in family packs of three for even less money. Natto with its tare sauce(not the heavy soy sauce but the lighter and salty sweet tare(sauce)I grew to love the stuff. mmm oishii... This is occasionally used in sushi and is known as nattozushi.

The following are usually not used as sushi.

Mentaiko - Better than chile picante hot sauce on your rice. This stuff could burn a hole in your tongue but it makes plain rice so tasty, even more than ... I like it as a breakfast food on my bowl of rice in the morning, it is quite expensive but to me is always well worth its weight in gold. It usually comes in a pack of 3 sacks for around ¥900-1300 or $10-$12 U.S. dollars.

As far as I know the following items are usually never part of the sushi menu but are worth mentioning in this lense that began as a discussion on how Godzilla got It's name.

Shita - meaning tongue and implying cow tongue, not human tongue. The human tongue is more oftened known as a bero. (Watch the pronunciation of the ro in bero.)

kimo (pronounced like chemo in chemothreapy) - is otherwise known as reebah or liver rather than the anatomical kind.

Stay tuned for a future lense devoted to the foods of yaki-niku and o-konomiyaki. As always, Do Your Best! Ganbatte Ne! Makurasuki Sensei.

Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

At the door in Japan

Let's say you are in Japan, and you are visiting a friend. So you go to their door and give it a knock. After you hear some movement inside, you will probably hear this phrase too.

Dochirasama desu ka? or Who is it?

Politely tell them it is you by stating your name followed by desu, the polite form of the verb "to be".

So if you are Robert, say
Robert desu. - It is Robert.

If you are Brett, say
Brett desu. - It is Brett.

If you are Julie, say
Julie desu. It is Julie.
After stating politely who you are, and if they like you, they will tell you
Dozo, o-hairi kudasai - which is to say - please come in.

How to say dog and cat in Japanese

The word for dog in Japanese is inu.
The word for cat in Japanese is neko.

犬
inu - dog

猫 
neko - cat

We can make two new words from the words for cat and dog. If we want to make the word for puppy and kitten, all we have to do is add the word for small or ko 小.

小 + 犬  = 小犬, koinu
small + dog = puppy

小 + 猫 = 小猫, koneko
small + cat = kitten

In review:

inu - dog
neko - cat
koinu - puppy
koneko - kitten

more on honorifics in Japanese

Forming honorific adjectives
Honorific adjective Constructions

Ai
II
UI
EI - irregular
OI

AI  OU + GOZARU

II  UU + GOZARU

UI  UU + GOZARU

EI – DE GOZARU

OI  OU + GOZARU

Examples:

1.akai  akou + gozaru = akou gozaimasu
2.atarashii  atarashuu + gozaru = atarashuu gozaimasu
3.boroi  borou + gozaru = borou gozaimasu
4.furui  furuu + gozaru = furuu gozaimasu

that is to say any ai ending adjective will turn to long o - o^ ou

The best example of this is hayai. Hayai ends in ai therefore changing the ai into long o we have hayou gozaimasu just like the phrase "good morning" o-hayou gozaimasu
hope this helps.



Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

Closer to Mastering Japanese Grammar

Japanese Grammar Plug and Play #107 JPPGG

by Makurasuki Sensei &

Japanetics

Let's say that one day, while visiting Japan, you find yourself wanting to get someone to do you a favor. We must tell them that we need them to do us a favor and the more specific we are, the better . . . I mean . . . you're probably notgoing to want just any old thing, I mean... watcha wa... what do you really want?! What in the world could YOU possibly want? If the sushi is not up to your liking and you find yourself wanting instead some good ol'fashioned American Apple Pie, then you've got to get some Japanese language skills. In some parts of the ghetto they're called skillz!  

This lens will help us acquire those skillz. We'll learn how to rap in Japanese, and learn how to say this kind of stuff in Japanese . . . "but you're getting so much more" . . . "and more" . . . (steps back)," And More!" Furthermore. . . this system is simple. All you have to do is plug words, usually verbs, into the JPPGG Japanese Plug and play Ghetto Grammar constructions. (49 grammar lessons numbered from JPPGG70 to JPPGG119.

Ok so where was I... Oh yeah . . . about you wanting things done, favors you may ask, or things you may need to get done, finished, accomplished, completed etc. During my stay in Japan I sometimes felt homesick. I would want to see a good ol American movie.  I wasn't happy unless I got to see a real American Movie. Not a Chinese movie starring Jackie Chan overdubbed in Japanese for my viewing pleasure... oh no...I wanted something specific and I wouldn’t be satisfied unless I got to watch my favorite American movies starring James Dean or Harrison Ford? (They comprise what are the only movies available in English and rentable  in Japanese video stores.) Yepper's, not much of a selection. . . but,  Look on the btight side, I can recite the dialogue of the movie, Rebel Without A Cause from memory

This lense is about to show you via my simple JLSystem's Japanese Plug & Play Ghetto Grammar or Japanese to the P squared G squared JPPGG® method, how to say that you want something or that you want something done (by someone or something else).

The Japanese word around which we are basing today’s Ghetto Grammar is hoshii. Hoshii is a Japanese adjective and its meaning according to Sanseido’s Daily Concise Japanese English Dictionary is a want, or a wish for. Its kanji is made up of two radicals which resemble the words for tani (valley) and ketsu (lack, or missing, but is also in words related to thirst and throat) and together inside of the kanji for this word hoshii, it makes me think of somebody out in the middle of Death Valley California having no water but really, really wishing that they had something to drink. That is a wish or a want for something. 

The Japanese construction for the equivalent English phrase of

--- I want noun - noun ga hoshii desu or emphatic no desu

Ex. a.)  I want an apple! - Ringo ga hoshii desu! 

Ex. b.) I want it now! - Ima hoshii! Etc.

--- I want you to verb -  Verb (base TE) hoshii desu. Polite form

Plain form would be verb (base TE) hoshii without any copula, or by adding the emphatic all purpose sentence ending ...no da!. This is less polite.

Super polite form would be - verb (base TE) hoshu^ gozaimasu. This may be a little too polite for all circumstances. Because you are in the personal realms anyway you are relaying to someone else your wishes for somebody to do something. This bunpo(grammar) will work when put into question form like the following:

Ex. 1) What do you want done?  Nani shite hoshii desu ka? Or, simply Nani o shite hoshii? (Not as polite - What do you want me to do?)

Putting hoshii into its negative present form you can get sentences that mean I don't want you to do something as in Ex. 2

Ex. 2. I don't want anything done. Nanimo shite hoshikunai desu! (Without the copula)

Ex. 3. I want you to see a television show that I like.  Suki na terebi no bangumi o mite hoshii desu!

Since this adjective serves as an auxiliary, you can also put hoshii into the past or past negative as in Ex.4

Ex. 4. Kite hoshikatta kedo konakatta - I wanted you to come but you never came. (This little phrase turns out to be quite the alliterative tongue-a-twisty. Say it 5 times fast! I dare you!)

Or

Ex. 5) Kurisumasu puresento o akeru no o matte hoshikatta, ammari akete hoshikunakatta no desu, zannen... Mou, shikata ga nai.  I wanted you to wait before you opened the Christmas presents, I really didn't want you to open them at all. Too bad and so sad but I guess there is nothing we can do about it now...

Hoshii can be made into a verb by adding dropping the final i, forming the plain form stem hoshi and adding ku adjective linker adding the verb, "to become" or, naru (One of the most used verbs in all Japanese). Hoshi-i naru becomes hoshikunaru.

Another way of saying the same thing would be by dropping the final i of hoshii and adding garu becoming hoshigaru (v. to wish for, want).

A common mistake made in Japanese is to mis-pronounce double vowels as single vowels. Two ii together in Japanese needs to be pronounced like two different i's. Actually you re-utter the second i. A lot of times double vowels will sound like the same vowels just drawn out. 

Here is a good example of which witch is which. Don't mistake hoshii, the adjective for wanting, with hoshi, the noun for the word star. The former being having its final vowel sound i held twice as long. 

***BONUS SENTENCE - Not available in any text book anywhere! ***

***Zutto mae kara kanojo o hoshigatte iru no ja nai to desu ka? Didn't you want to make her your girlfriend like forever now? Or, "You have been wanting that chick for a while now haven't you?”

This concludes today's Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar bunpo method JPPGG© for the month of July. Stay tuned for more incredible methods to help improve your Japanese language skills.

What about a lense on the middle school teenager girl who died because she was 1-2 minutes late to school and the gate closed in on her. Japan is strict on things like school and stuff yo! No joke about that. Conform! Conform! Conform! Conform! ... Just kidding.

 

Ganbatte ne! Do your Best! Makurasuki Sensei.

 

 

 

 

Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

2 Japanese ireggular verbs and their usage

Suru and Kuru are irregular Japanese verbs so I thought I would show the conjugations of them through the 5 bases and base TE and TA. Here goes

Japanese 1 2 3 4 5 TE TA
Verb Bases _______________________________________________________________________________

suru する shi(し) shi(し) suru(する) sure(すれ) shiyo^(しよう) shite(して ) shita(した)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

kuru 来る ko(こ) ki(き) kuru(くる) kure(くれ) koyo^(こよう) kite(きて) kita(きた)

Japanese Grammar Verbs in Base II + Hajimeru

Japanese Grammar – Fusing verbs to make new ones.
Verb(Base II) + Hajimeru – To begin to verb


You can usually make new Japanese words, verbs, or phrases by fusing two verbs together; The first verb in base II and the last verb conjugated normally. Let’s take some verbs and put them into base II then see what kind of new words, verbs and different Japanese phrases we can come up with.

1.Hatasu 果たす – to accomplish
2.settoku suru 説得する – to persuade
3.hiyakeru 日焼ける– to get sun burnt
4.kau 買う– to buy
5.umareru 生まれる– to give birth

Proceeding we will put these Japanese verbs into base II to form the extensor. As explained in previous lessons, base II extensor form for yo^dan verbs is made with the 2nd Japanese vowel i, pronounced ee. A verb in Base II will always end in the i vowel unless it is an chidan verb. Below, 1,2 and 4 are yo^dan verbs while 3 and 5 are ichidan verbs:

1.hatasu in base II = hatashi 果たし
2.settoku suru説得する is suru する in base II = shiし
3.hiyakeru日焼ける in base II = hiyake日焼け(In ichidan verbs, just drop the final ru)
4.kau 買う in base II = kai 買い (replace u with i)
5.umareru生まれる in base II = umare生まれ (ichidan)

Now we can proceed to make new verbs in Japanese to test on our Japanese friends, just to make sure that this makes sense. So we use the above Japanese grammar plug and Play construction Verb (base II) + hajimeru – to begin to verb, to make new Japanese words, verbs and phrases.

1.hatashi果たし + hajimeru始める= hatashihajimeru果たし始める – to begin to accomplish
2.settoku shi 説得し+ hajimeru 始める= settoku shihajimeru 説得し始める – to begin to persuade
3.hiyake日焼け+ hajimeru 始める = hiyakehajimeru日焼け始める – to begin to get sunburnt
4.kai 買い+ hajimeru始める = kaihajimeru買い始める – to begin to buy
5.umare 生まれ + hajimeru 始める = umarehajimeru 生まれ始める – to begin to be born

There you have the Japanese grammar plug and play for making new phrases in Japanese. Continue by plugging in your own verbs and making your own new sentences. As always, Ganbatte Ne! Do Your Best! Makurasuki まくらすき.

Japanese grammar practice for "after verbing"

Japanese Grammar Plug and Play - Three Ways of Saying,
"After Verb-ing" in Japanese.

There are three ways to form sentences that you can use when you want to say, "after verb-ing" in Japanese.

Here are the constructs:

I. Verb (base TE) + KARA
II. Verb (base TA) + ATO DE
III. Verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI

By themselves KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI all mean, after. All are similar to each other and are the equivalent for expressions relating to the English terms following or later, thereafter etc...

The first way to say that you will do something after doing something else in Japanese, is by using the kara bunpo (grammar):

I. Verb (Base TE ) + KARA = after verb-ing

Take verbs and put them into base TE-て.

Verbs ending in KU くbecome ITE いて.
Verbs ending in GU ぐbecome IDE いで.
Verbs ending in Uう, TSUつ, or RUる become TTEって
Verbs ending in BUぶ, MUむ, or NUぬ become NDEんで.

The verb suruするor verbs ending in SUす become SHITE して
After putting verbs into base TE, add + KARA (after) to complete the construction

1. HANASU 話す(v. to speak)

In Base TE-て the Japanese verb HANASU話す = HANASHITE話して
HANASHITE + KARA 話してから = after speaking , or after talking

CHOTTO HANASHITE KARA IKIMASHO^ ちょっと話してから往きましょう
Let's go after we talk a little.

2. YOMU読む (v. to read) -

In Base TE-て the Japanese verb YOMU読むbecomes - YONDE読んで
YONDE KARA 読んでから= after reading

HON O YONDE KARA NERU TO OMOIMASU. 本を読んでから寝ると思います.
I think I'll sleep after reading a book.

3. TABERU 食べる (v. to eat)

TABERU 食べるin Base TE-て becomes – TABETE 食べて
TABETE KARA食べてから= after eating
TABETE KARA SHUKUDAI O SURU. 食べてから宿題をする
After I eat, I'm going to do homework.

4. UNDO^ SURU 運動する(v. to exercise)

SURU するin Base TE-て becomes - SHITEして
SHITE KARA してから= after exercising

UNDO^ SHITE KARA SHAWA WO ABIRU. 運動をしてから
I’ll take a shower after doing my exercise.

II. Verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb'ing

The second way to say "after verb-ing" in Japanese is by using the following construct.

Verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb'ing

Take verbs and put them into base TA. (Base TA is the past tense form of Japanese verbs.)



For verbs ending in BU (ぶ), MU (む) or NU (ぬ),
The TA た form = NDA んだ
1. NOMU飲む (v. to drink)
NOMU 飲む in base TA -た is NONDA 飲んだ (past tense of drink or drank)
NONDA ATO DE飲んだ後で = after drinking

SAKE O NONDA ATO DE NEMUKUNATTA 酒を飲んだ後で眠くなった
I got sleepy after drinking sake.


III. verb ( base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb'ing

The third way of saying "after verb-ing" in Japanese, is to substitute the word+particle NOCHI NI のちに or 後に, , for ATO DE あとでor 後で. ATO 後 and NOCHI 後 actually use the same kanji as you can see. This being the case you can use them interchangeably and the meanings will stay the same. As a general rule, you can use NOCHI with NI (different particle) any time you would use ATO DE.

NOCHI NI and ATO DE are interchangeable thus: NOCHI NI = ATO DE

Verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb'ing

1. SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI IE NI KAETTA 酒を飲んだ後に家に帰えた
I went home after drinking some sake.

2. SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI INU O SAMPO SHI NI ITTA 酒を飲んだ後に犬を散歩しに行った
After I drank some sake, I took the dog for a walk.

As you can see from these examples, there are two sides to every sentence. On one side is verb 1 that comes before transforming it into its TE or TA base, and verb 2 which occurs after KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI

- 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.

I hope that you too can start-up some cool and interesting conversations using these Japanese plug and play grammar constructions. Test your creations out on your Japanese friends to see if they fly. If not revise and do it again. Plug and play is drill and kill for Japanese language learners of the 21st century. Good luck in all your Japanese learning endeavors.

As Always,
Ganbatte Ne! 頑張ってね
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki まくらすき.

How to really say please in Japanese - Japanese Phrases

Ghetto Grammar supplement #95
How to say good-bye in Japanese

There are many different ways to say goodbye in English. Same in Japanese, there are many different ways of saying sayo^nara. It’s strange because of all the expressions used by the Japanese, which could be considered equivalent ways of the saying the same thing, phrase matches etc., for the understanding communication that I am leaving now and will not see you for a while. That is to say goodbye;

I would do a literal translation of the phrase and compare with modern day terminology to determine a more equivalent terminology to express some same meaningful word. Sayo^nara has meaning of So long for a long time, or farewell for a couple of seasons. Sayo^nara is the ancient form and way of saying the so yu form of the a yu ko yu etc. Because A sayo^ de gozaimasu would be the super equivalent of the honorific form of the same phrase as above the In the time I have spent in Japan only on rare occasions(and I mean super rare occasions, {besides Karaoke of course}), have I ever heard the traditional term for goodbye, ‘sayonara’.

Sayo^nara differs from English’s goodbye in a direct translation also because sayo^ is to say “so” versus the English’s term good;The conditional subject marker “nara” has not changed its shape since around 600 A.D. (western reckoning). For nara is still nara of modern Japanese and still functions the same way. However the sayo^ part is much older and more traditionally Japnanese.

The words sayonara and goodbye both have a y in them. That in itself could be a coincidence but I think it proves that at some point in our languages past, but they have similiarities too.

I also remember being a kid in an American elementary school growing up in Southern California and pretending to be asian, I would pull my eyes to make them appear slanted and having the look of an oriental person I would go around saying A so, A so, A so. It wasn’t until I actually visited Japan, that I realized that somehow the phrase or nuance given from the words A so is actually meaningful in the same way as it is mocked. When the Japanese inquire, “A so …?”, they are implying , “Is that right?”, or, “. . . is that so?” It is a short abbreviated way of saying the complete phrase of , “A so^ desu ka? Desu ka is, as you know, is the question mark phrase ending form of the verb, to be, and so^ is of the form –(a yu) , (ko^ yu) , and (so^ yu ), where a – placement over there, ko^ is placement over here and so^ yu is placement there.

So the main point I’m trying to make is, and hopefully show some real life examples of how we say goodbye in both languages.
In English we might say something like the following to signal to another that we are leaving for now and may or may not see them at some point in the future:
Ways of saying – goodbye-- in English
Later dude!
See ya (spoken best when chewed, as in bubble-gum)
See ya later @lligator!
Late my Peeps!
Peace Out!!
Adios - We even say adios taken from the Spanish
If we were elegant we might periventure say
Adieux (…to you and you and you) with a French nasality but we are talking English here, and modern tech English at that. . .
So Long…
Farewell, old chap…
Hit the road! Jack! And don’t you come back no more no more no more
Till next time (…America) gross – Maury P.
Til’ we meet again…
Bye now…
B’ Bye because goodbye takes too long to say anyway.
You say Hello but I say b’bye
Later on Holmes depending on whether you are of latin or Spanish, Conquistadores, Azteca, or Mayan descent
I’m Outta’ here
I’m Splittin’
Tell ‘so and so’ I said hi!
If you all will excuse me, I surely must get going.
Thanks for your hospitality.
Cheerio
Come along now.
See you on the flipside…
Catcha tomorrow
Til den –
I Ketchup wif y’all later ,or, (on the flipside.)
Get outta here
Move it or lose it.
Good Bye

Instead of going back through this great list of ways to say good-bye in English I’m just going to throw out at you instead some similar types of ways to say sayo^nara In Japanese, because languages don’t grow from the alphabet or the symbolic transference of meaning to ink, or written forms of communication; but that it comes from the environment in which the communicators find themselves. So although very similar type ways of saying goodbye exist, they are only rough estimations, playing themselves like a tennis ball bounced from racket to racket, volleying to and fro acting as a feedback mechanism upon which colloquial speech thrives in real time with real meanings backing these distinct phrases and the words which compose them in both languages.

Ways of saying Sayo^nara in Japanese
1. ja ne!
2. ja mata!
3. ja mata ne!
4. Sore Dewa!
5. Go- Chiso Sama Deshita
6. Dewa Mata!
7. Kashikomarimashita
8. Hai Wakarimashita
9. Shitsurei Shimasu
10. Mata O- tanoshimi ni shite imasu
11. Gokuro^ sama deshita
12. Shitsurei Itashimasu
13. Ja mata kondo!
14. Ii desu
15. Kekko Desu
16. Sayo na
17. Kondo ne!
18. Sono toki ni ne!
19. H~~~~ai
20. Wakatta
21. Bow – lowering of the head and exiting
22. Osu
23. Heikai itashimasu
24. Sore ja!
25. Goo buy
26. Dete ike!
27. ii kara
28. ki o tsukete ne
29. buy buy

And that’s a rap, stay tuned for more crazy linguistics, as the world of languages shrinks around us merging as it may into one eventual world tongue.

As always,
Ganbatte Ne! Do your Best

Makurasuki Sensei
Brett McCluskey

Irregular Japanese Verbs

I thought since the last post was about the difference between yo^dan and ichidan verbs, that todays post would be a little about japanese irregular verbs. So what makes a verb irregular? Does it need metamucil? Not enough fiber in its diet? No! Irregular means that it just doesn't fit any where else. The rules that go with ichidan verbs is regular enough. Ichidan verbs are those verbs which end in either an eru or iru. So the examples I gave were something like

iru いる
eru - 得るえる
oshieru- 教えるおしえる
oboeru - 覚えるおぼえる
kazoeru - 数えるかぞえる
hairu - 入るはいる

and yo^dan verbs are any other verbs that don't end in eru or iru.

You'll just have to remember which verbs are irregular. It is fairly obvious to notice the irregular verbs because they do not conjugate the same as ordinary ichidan and yo^dan verbs. So lets look at a few that really threw me for a loop and I could never find a full conjugations of these nor any rules to accompany these offset Japanese verbs. The irregular Japanese verbs act strangeley. With ordinary ichidan and yo^dan verbs, you can expect them to act as they should and abide all the rules of Japanese grammar. With irregulary Japanese verbs you don't know what could happen, sometimes an irregular verb looks like an ichidan and actually conjugates out as a yo^dan or some mixture of the two etc. Without any further ado, here is my list of irregular verbs I hate to love to use. They absoluetely defy all grammar rules and are really confusing until you just by rhote memorize their conjugations etc.

List of Japanese irregular verbs - Confusion causing messed up Japanese verbs

1. Suru - v. to do
2. kiru - v. to cut
3. kiru - v. to wear
4. hashiru - v. to run
5. shiru - v. to know
6. kuru - v. to come

Lets start with these and learn about how they can wreak havoc in the mouth of a beginning Japanese language speaker. The verb suru is probably the most used verb in all the Japanese language. It serves a lot of different purposes and acts irregularly regulary. Suru is a well behaved irregular verb but nonetheless is difficult to remember in so many ways.

Of all those irregular verbs, the one I dislike the most is Kiru. Kiru just doesn't work out at all. It is easily confused with the verb to wear and the verb to cut and yet sounds very much the same when conjugated. It also happens to sound just like kuru when conjugated so that
the stem is ki in all situations except kuru which is ko

so how do you tell the difference between kite, kite, kitte, kiite etc. Its all in the ear. You got to get good at hearing tiny subtle differences.

How to form TA and TE forms for Suru and Kuru (2 irregular verbs)

1. kuru - add TA or Te to base II -
kuru in base II = ki
ki+ta = kita
ki+te = kite

2. suru - add TA or TE to base II
suru in base II = shi
shi+ta = shita
shi+te = shite

Yo^dan and Ichidan Verb Discussion Japanese Vocabulary focus on verbs

In order to put verbs into bases, it’s necessary to understand the difference between Ichidan verbs and Yo^dan verbs. I was taught that there exists three types of verbs but these types are unrelated to the three types of English verbs. In English, the three types of verbs are passive, active and forms of the copula- to be.

With the exception of irregular verbs,
Ichidan verbs are any Japanese verb that end in eru or iru.

Examples of ichidan verbs
Iru
Eru
Obieru
Oshieru


Youdan verbs are any other verbs verbs.

Examples of yo^dan verbs

Yaru
Utsu
Komu
Oyogu