A Snack in Japan

When I hear the word, "snack", I think of things you can eat, or snack on. In Japan the word snack has an altogether different meaning. If you were to say, "snack" to a Japanese person, they would think you were talking about the local bar, where you have a chance to get to know everyone's names. In Japan,  a snack, or スナック  is a night club, or a bar. It is not a Dorito, or a Frito, peanuts or popcorn. A snack bar is a place where you can maintain a personal tab, so you can drink now, and pay later. You can even buy your own personal bottle of whiskey or brandy (although at a much heftier price than buying it yourself), keep it at the bar, and drink from it everytime you go to the bar. Once you buy your bottle though, you are as good as in the club.

Snack - スナック - night club or bar in Japan

Japanese Grammar Practice for fun

Japanese Grammar Plug and Play
Japanese Lesson #89– Verb (Base I) + ZU NI IRARENAI (Verb + ず に いられない)
(I can’t help but verb)

Today’s Japanese grammar lesson makes use of verbs in Base I. Verbs put into base I always end with the syllable, A (あ) (Pronounced aw as in awful, or awesome). We could think of verbs in Base I as links to negative states or conditions in verbs. Verbs in Base I are usually followed by the word NAI ( ない)- Nai is comparable to the English word not. For example, in English, we say that we can do something or we can not do something, or we say that we will do something, or, will not do something.

- As verbs in Base III tend toward affirmative, verb in Base I tend toward the negative -

The verb to be able to, or, DEKIRU (できる) in base III is positive affirmative, while DEKINAI, which is DEKIRU in Base I + nai is not positive nor affirmative, but negative. Base I forms are like linkage for putting words in their not positive, not affirmative conditions.

DEKINAI (できない) is to CAN’T as
DEKIRU (できる) is to CAN.

SHINAI (しない) is to WON’T DO as
SURU (する) is to WILL DO.

In order to put verbs into bases, it’s necessary to understand the difference between Ichidan 一段verbs ( vowel stemmed verbs) and Yo^dan ようだん or Godan verbs (consonant stemmed 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. In Japanese you have kami ichidan katsuyo verbs, godan katsuyo verbs and irregular verbs.


Examples:

1. KANASHIKATTA NODE NAKAZU NI IRARENAI -
悲しかったので泣かずにいられない
I was so sad, I couldn’t help but cry.

NAKU ( 泣く)– v. to cry
in Base I – NAKA ( 泣か)
NAKA + ZU + NI IRARENAI 泣かずにいられない

2. GAMAN DEKINAKUNATTA NODE KAERAZU NI IRARENAI –
我慢できなくなったので帰らずにいられない
Things got so bad, I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t help but go back home.

KAERU ( 帰る)– v. to return home, to go back
in Base I, KAERA ( 帰ら)
KAERA + ZU NI IRARENAI 帰らずにいられない

3. TAIHEN BYO^KI NI NATTA NODE, HAKIDASAZU NI IRARENAI –
大変病気になったので吐き出さずにいられない
I got so sick I couldn’t help but throw-up.

HAKIDASU (吐き出す) – v. to throw up, vomit, spit out
in Base I, HAKIDASA (吐き出さ)
HAKIDASA+ ZU NI IRARENAI 吐き出さずにいられない

4. KIITE ITA ONGAKU WA SUGOKU OMOSHIROKATTA NODE, ODORAZU NI IRARENAI –
聞いていた音楽は凄く面白かったので躍らずにいられない
The music was we were listening to was so good, I couldn’t help but dance.

ODORU ( 躍る)– v. To dance
in Base I, ODORA (躍ら)
ODORA + ZU NI IRARENAI 躍らずにいられない


These examples are extreme to show that you can make up any type of sentence you want using the grammar practice constructions and it will benefit your Japanese language skills immensely useful. There you have it! Another plug and play grammar principle you can use to add to your arsenal of Japanese language weaponry, which, depending on you, can take you yet another step towards better Japanese.

As Always,
Ganbatte Ne! 頑張ってね!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki マクラスキー


http://squidoo.com/ichinisan
learn to count in Japanese

http://squidoo.com/ghettogrammar
some quick Japanese grammar

http://eikaiwa.blogspot.com
Reverse English learning for Japanese Speakers

http://saketalkie.blogspot.com candid discussions on all sorts of Japanese topics especially how to speak Japanese

http://japanetics.blogspot.com
study Japanese with the help of you- Super Japanese accelerated language learning 3 cubed

for other language speakers that want to learn Japanese, try the following

http://italianjapanese.blogspot.com
or
http://spanishjapanese.blogspot.com

or
http://russianjapanese.blogspot.com



Towards Better Japanese
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

Japanese grammar fun

Japanese Wish Making
How to make wishes in Japanese

Japanese Grammar Lesson #98

How to Make Wishes in Japanese or

How to say , "If I could only. . . " in Japanese.

Base IV + ba ii no ni or

A Japanese verb in its conditional state + ii no ni

To wish (something), (I wish I could verb, despite not being able to although it is so cool.)

To make sentences that will express your wishes or longing for something put a Japanese verb into its conditional state and add ii noni. I always took noni as meaning, "In spite of" or "Despite something." "ii" is the word for good, so that yoi could be used or even other adjectives of different shapes and sizes.

For this construction, any Japanese verb in its condtional form conditional will suffice for this lesson's construction. The use of nara is also acceptable. So that you could have-noun nara ii noni etc.The Japanese conditional being either a verb in base IViku ? ik(e) (baseIV) + ba = ikeba or if (I) go or verb in base TA + RA, so that iku in base ta =itta,  itta + ra or ittara

The verb iku in base IV is iko^- add the conditional extendor ba to the base so that ike+ba=ikebaIkeba ii no ni -It would have been cool if I could have went, or I wish I could have gone. Literally this phrase means something more like Despite it being good, if I go.In the same way you may say it this way, iku in base TA is itta- add ra to form the conditional.

So that itta + ra = ittara- than add ii no ni to complete the phrase that you wish would happen.Below are some examples to get you going. Make your own interesting sentences. Make questions out of them. Use them in Japan on real Japanese people to test them out and make sure they work. You never know what you might be able to say with your new grammar construction for making wishes in Japanese.

Examples:

1. Yasukattara ii noni - I sure hope it is cheap, (lit. if it were cheap it would be good despite the fact that its probably not.)

2. Ittara ii noni or ikeba ii noni or - I wish I could go

3. Kirei dattara or kirei nara ii noni or - If she were cute that would be cool, or I hope she is pretty. (lit. Despite it being good if (she) is pretty.)

4. Shicchan ga ittara ii noni - it would be cool if shi chan (a girl whose name starts with Shi)

5. Mite mireba ii noni. - I wish you would go check it out. or It would be cool if you could go look at it.

6. Okane mochi nara ii noni - "I wish I were rich", or "If only I had a lot of money how nice things would be." etc.

As always,Ganbatte ne!

Do Your Best!

The Useful Japanese Word Ki

Ki or, 気,  is a very useful Japanese word. It has many meanings, but since there are many situations where this word is used, it would be beneficial for any Japanese language learner to get acquainted with it.

Ki 気 is the Japanese word for air; atmosphere; flavor; heart; mind; spirit; feelings; humor; an intention; mind; will. When used in conjunction with other verbs, this little word really starts becoming useful. I recommend studying this little word by looking it up in your Japanese dictionary, and noting some of its' uses. The following examples should get you started.

1. ki ni iru 気に入る- to take a liking to something
2. ki ga kawaru 気が変わる - to change your mind
3. ki ga sumu 気が済む - feel settled with something
4. ki ga nakunaru 気が無くなる - don't feel like it anymore
5. ki ni kakeru 気にかける- worried about something
6. ki ni naru 気になる- to be anxious about something
7. ki o tsukeru 気を付ける - to be careful with something

Japanese Grammar - Ka do ka - iffy statements

P.F. + Ka do^ ka - Whether or not...
Basic Japanese grammar plug and play for "Whether or not...p.f."

In Japan, I always would hear Do^ ka na when I questioned someone about something for which they were uncertain of... Like I might ask, "Do you think the Hanshin Tigers will win? A simple not too complicated question to which may be replied, "I'm not sure really", or "Heck if I know, I wonder who will win too." etc. So that we would have

Hanshin ga katsu to omou? - Do you think Hanshin will win?
Do^ ka na. - "Heck if I know" or "I wonder...who..." or "Ummm, thats a tough one."

So in our Japanese grammar construction for today we have P.F. + ka do^ ka Whether or not A, B. Where A and B could be verbs or adjectives in plain form. It is in plain form because it is actually two questions nested nearby one another. Do^ ka is a question in itself meaning, "How is it?" In Japan you will hear Do^ by itself when someone wants to know the state or condition of somebody or something. If I say do^ with a certain inquisitive inflection you would be saying, "How are you" etc.

P.F. + ka do^ ka - Whether or not

Plain form verbs -

iku ka do^ ka shirimasen - I don't know whether he is coming or not.

Whether or not you know something or do something ka do^ ka is the question doubled Japanese grammar. This Japanese grammar

More on Hodo in Japanese grammar

Hodo – to the extent that

Ex. 1 sureba suru hodo shiyasukunaru – The more I do it the easier it gets.

Ex. 2 Aeba au hodo suki ni natte shimau – the more I meet you the more I begin to like you.

Ex. 3 Stephen wa toshi or toreba toru hodo se wa takakunaru - The more Stephen ages, the taller he gets.

Japanese Vocabulary 40

Japanese Vocabulary Blaster 40
15 Words Every 2 Days.
Learn, Memorize, Drill
Study, Ponder, Get Quizzed,
Rinse and Repeat!
Blasters 40-49
Focus on VERBS

1. harau – to pay
2. jo^tatsu suru – to improve
3. naguru – to hit, to slap
4. kizuku – to notice
5. daiji ni suru – to take well care of, to put at first interest
6. hinan suru – to criticize
7. sadameru – to establish
8. nazukeru* – to name
9. doku mi suru – to test for food poisoning
10. uchikatsu – to conquer
11. kaimono suru – to shop
12. yurusu – to forgive
13. hima o tsubusu - to waste time
14. shinrai suru – to trust
15. ni hokosu – to move to

* nazukeru is made up of two parts, na - from namae or name, and tsukeru- to stick something to something else. So sticking a name on something is basically naming it.

As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
to see the list of the last 15 words you should have already memorized go to Japanese Vocabulary 39 or go on to memorize your next 15 here at Japanese Vocabulary 41

Rocket Japanese

Japanese Grammar practice - Bakari

Verb (base TA) + bakari desu - to just 'verb'

First putting some verbs into base TA like -

iku --> itta
dasu --> dashita
suru --> shita
kuru --> kita
umu --> unda
deru --> detta
tatsu --> tatta
abiru --> abita
suwaru --> suwatta
umareru --> umareta
etc.

then adding the polite sentence ending desu to bakari (just)

verb (base TA) + bakari desu - to just 'verb"

ex.1 suwatta bakari desu. I just sat down

ex.2 deta bakari da! He just left.

ex.3. umareta bakari desu. He (It) was just born.


As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!

Makurasuki