Japanese conversation help without knowing the Japanese script

Practice
Watashi wa Tanaka desu. : I am Tanaka. Watashi no namae wa Tanaka desu. : My name is Tanaka. Kanojo wa Youko desu. : She is Yoko. Kanojo no namae wa Youko desu. : Her name is Youko. Kare wa Suzuki san desu. : He is Mr. Suzuki. Kare no namae wa Suzuki desu. : His name is Suzuki. Anata no namae wa nan desuka . : What is your name ? Anata wa nan toiu namae desuka . : What is your name ? (What name do you have?) Anata wa dare desuka ? : Who are you ? Kare no namae wa nan desuka. : What is his name? Kanojo no namae wa nan desuka.: What is her name? Kare wa dare desuka . : Who is he ? Kanojo wa dare desuka. : Who is she ? Kore wa nan desuka . : What is this ? Are wa nan neduka . : What is that ? Sore wa nan desuka. : What is it ?

Practice : There is / are . . .

Shounen ga imasu. : There is a boy. shounen : boy iru : there is / are... (i-nai, i-masu, iru, iru-toki , ire-ba, iro ,iyou, ita) Shoujo ga imasu. : There is a girl. shoujo : girl Otokonohito ga imasu : There is a man. otoko : male hito : man , human eg. onnanohito : lady, woman Niwatori ga imasu. : There is a hen. niwatori : hen / chicken Teeburu ga arimasu : There is a table teeburu : table aru : there is / are (nai, ari-masu, aru, aru-toki, are-ba, are, (arou), atta) Isu ga arimasu. : There is a chair.

isu : chair Enpitsu ga arimasu : There is a pencil. enpitsu : pencil Pen ga arimasu. : There is a pen. pen : pen (same!) If you say " There is / are ..." for animals including human, "iru" is used. For "thing", "aru" is used.

Come whenever you like.

Itsudemo anata ga sukina toki ni kinasai. : Come whenever you like. itsudemo : any time, whenever anata : you sukina : favorite sukina toki : favorite time toki : time ni : at, in kinasai : come (imperative) Itsudemo anata ga sukina toki ni kinasai : anytime, you, like/favorite, time, at , come : Come whenever you like. points; ...demo : any... for example nandemo : whatever nan/nani : what, anything daredemo : whoever dare : who, anyone dokodemo : wherever doko : where, any place Itsudemo (sentence(subject)+(predicate)) toki : the sentence modifies "toki" and "toki(time)" modifies "itsudemo" Itsudemo (anata ga(you))+(sukina(like)) toki : any time , you like, time : any time you like. If you put "ni (at)" at the end of above sentence, Itsudemo (anata ga(you))+(sukina(like)) toki ni : means " at any time you like". You can also use this "...demo" sentence like this; Itsudemo daijoubu desu. : It's OK at anytime. daijoubu desu : It's OK. Daredemo daijoubu desu. : Anyone is OK. Dokodemo daijoubu desu : Any place is OK.

Because I'm hungry.

Onaka ga suita node nanika tabetai. : I want to eat something because I'm hungry. onaka : stomach, belly, abdomen suku : become empty (vacant) onaka ga suku : become hungry (suka-nai, suki-masu, suku, suku-toki, suke-ba, suke, sukou, suita) node : so, because nanika : something taberu : eat (tabe-nai, tabe-masu, taberu, taberu-toki, tabere-ba,tabero, tabeyou, tabeta) suru : do (shi-nai, shi-masu, suru, suru-toki, sure-ba, shiro, shiyou, shita) shi-tai : want to do tabetai : taberu+shitai : want to eat Onaka ga suita node nanika tabetai. : stomach, became hungry, so, something, want to eat : I want to eat something because I'm hungry.

You should return the money.

Sono okane o kaesubekida. : You should return the money. sono : that, the okane : money kaesu : return (kaesa-nai, keshi-masu, kaesu, kaesu-toki, kaese-ba, kaese, kaesou, kaeshita) verb+beki : should verb Sono okane o kaesubekida. : that(the),money,return should. : You should return the money. Kono hon o yomubekida. : You should read this book. kono : this hon : book yomu : read (yoma-nai, yomi-masu, yomu, yomu-toki, yome-ba, yome, yomou, yonda) yomubeki : should read Kono hon o yomubekida. : this, book, read should,: You should read this book.

I'm good at speaking Japanese.

Watashi wa Nihongo ga tokuidesu. : I'm good at speaking Japanese. Nihongo : Japanese(language) tokui : be good at ...ga tokui : be good at... Watashi wa Nihongo ga tokui desu.: I, Japanese, good at : I'm good at Japanese. futokui : be not good at,be bad at Watashi wa Nihongo ga futokuidesu. : I'm bad at Japanese. Watashi wa kuruma no unten ga tokuidesu. : I'm good at driving a car. kuruma : car unten : driving kuruma no unten : driving a car Watashi wa kuruma no unten ga tokui desu. : I, car, driving, good at. : I'm good at

driving a car. Watashi wa tenisu ga tokuidesu. : I'm good at playing tennis. tenisu : tennis Watashi wa tenisu ga tokuidesu : I, tennis, good at : I'm good at playing tennis. Watashi wa Nihongo ga amari tokui dewa arimasen.: I'm not good at Japanese very much. amari ...arimasen / nai : not...very much tokui dewa arimasen : not good at Watashi wa Nihongo ga amari tokui dewa arimasen. : I'm not good at Japanese very much.

There is a book on the desk.

Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu. : There is a book on the desk. tsukue : desk ue : on, above, up ni : at ...no ue ni : on ... hon : book aru : be-verb, exist (nai, ari-masu, aru, aru-toki, are-ba, are, arou, atta) Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu. : desk, on, book, exist : There is a desk on the desk. Mondai ga arimasu. : There is a problem. mondai : problem , question, Mondai ga arimasu. : problem, exist(is) : There is a problem. Toshokan niwa takusan no hon ga arimasu.: There are many books in a library. toshokan : library niwa : at takusan : many takusan no hon : many books Toshokan niwa takusan no hon ga arimasu. : library, at, many, book, exist(are): There are many books in a library.

Eat and drink

Watashi wa paatii de tabetari nondari shimashita.: I ate and drank at the party. paatii : party taberu : eat (tabe-nai, tabe-masu, taberu, taberu-toki, tabere-ba, tabero, tabeyou, tabeta) nomu : drink (noma-nai, nomi-masu, nomu, nomu-toki, nome-ba, nome, nomou, nonda) ...dari...dari : (verb) and (verb) , this structure have a nuance that " do this and also do that". nondari : euphonic change of "nomi" of "-masu pattern" +dari suru : do (shi-nai, shi-masu, suru, suru-toki, sure-ba, shiro, shiyou, shita) shimasu : do (polite) : shi(-masu pattern of "suru")+masu mashita : past type of "masu" Watashi wa paatii de tabetari nondari shimashita : I, party, at eat, drink, do: I ate

and drank at the party. kaitari yondari : write and read kaku : write (kaka-nai, kaki-masu, kaku, kaku-toki, kake-ba, kake, kakou, kaita) kaitari : kaki+tari tari : same with "dari". It depends on the verb whether " dari " or " tari " should be used. yomu : read (yoma-nai, yomi-masu, yomu, yomu-toki, yome-ba, yome, yomou, yonda) naitari warattari : cry and laugh naku : cry (naka-nai, naki-masu, naku, naku-toki, nake-ba , nake, nakou, naita) naitari : "naki" of "naki-masu" with euphonic change + tari warau : laugh (warawa-nai, warai-masu, warau, warau-toki, warae-ba, warae, waraou, waratta) warattari : warai+tari

She looked happy.

Kanojo wa shiawase soudatta.: She looked happy. kanojo : she shiawase : happy, happiness souda : look, it looks, they say soudatta : looked, it looked, the said Kanojo wa shiawase soudatta : shi, happy, looked : She looked happy. Kanojo wa shiawase souda : She looks happy. Sengetsu kanojo ni attatoki, kanojo wa fushiawase soudatta.:When I saw her last month, she looked unhappy. sengetsu : last month ni : to, with au : see, meet (awa-nai, ai-masu, au, au-toki,ae-ba,aou,atta) atta-toki : When (I) saw/met fushiawase : unhappy

Would you mind opening the window?

Mado o aketemo yoroshii desuka. : Would you mind opening the window ? mado : window akeru : open (ake-nai, ake-masu,akeru,akeru-toki,akereba,akero,akeyou,aketa) yoroshii : good, ok desuka : ? mado o akeru : open the window (verb(-masu pattern))-temo yoroshii. : verb-ing is good (verb(-masu pattern))-temo yoroshii desuka. : Is it good (OK) verb-ing? Mado o aketemo yoroshii desuka : window, opening, good , ? : Would you mind opening the window? Denwa o karitemo yoroshii desuka : telephone, borrow, good,? : Can I use the telephone? kariru : borrow, use something which is no mine (kari-nai, kari-masu, kariru,kariru-toki,karre-ba,kariro,kariyou,karita) okarisuru : very polite word of "kariru" o : a prefix to make the word polite suru : do o+kariru+suru : okarisuru Denwa o okarishitemo yoroshii desuka : May I use the telephone ? In spite of "kariru",you can use "tsukau" as "use". tsukau : use (tsukawa-nai,tsukai-masu,tsukau,tsukau-toki,tsukae-ba,tsukae,tsukaou,tsukatta) When "tsukau" is attached with "-temo", euphonic change is needed. tsukattemo : tsukai-temo Denwa o tsukattemo yoroshii desuka. : Can I use the telephone ? suwaru : sit down (suwara-nai,suwari-masu,suwaru,suwaru-toki,suware-ba,suware,suwarou,suwatta) Suwattemo yoroshii desuka : Can I sit down? suwattemo : suwari-temo tatsu : stand up (tata-nai,tachi-masu,tatsu,tatsu-toki,tate-ba,tate,tatou,tatta) Tattemo yoroshii desuka : Can I stand up ? tattemo : tachi-temo

Where are you from?

Dochira kara desuka . : Where are you from? dochira : where kara : from

desuka : is? Dochira kara desuka : where,from,is? : Where are you from? Dochira kara kimashitaka: Where did you come from? kuru : come (ko-nai,ki-masu,kuru,kuru-toki,kure-ba,koi,koyou,kita) kimashita : came (past pattern of "ki-masu") kimashita+ka : "ka" makes the word interrogative. Dochira kara kimashitaka.: where, from, came? : Where did you come from?

Don't do it.
Suruna : Don't do it. suru : do (shi-nai,shi-masu,suru,suru-toki,sure-ba,shiro,shiyou,shita) suru+na : don't do (imperative) shi-nai + de : don't do (imperative) PatternC of verb conjugation + "na" means negative imperative sentence. And patternA of verb conjugation +"nai"+"de" means same. Miruna : Don't look. miru : see, look, watch (mi-nai,mi-masu,miru,miru-toki,mire-ba,miro,miyou,mita) miru+na : don't look,don't watch mi-nai+de : don't look, don't watch "+na" pattern is very strong phrase. If you want to say more politely, "kudasai" should be added after "-nai+de" pattern. Minaide kudasai. : Don't look please. Shinaide kudasai : Don't do (it) please. In the case that the object word is needed, the object word is put at top of the sentense. Watashi o minaide kudasai. : me, don't look ,please : Don't look at me ,please. Hon o yomanaide kudasai. : book , don't read,please : Don't read a book, please.

conjunction ; but
ga/shikashi / shikashinagara : but demo / kedo : but "shikashi" means "but". In our usual conversation (colloquial),"demo" is usually used istead of "shikashi/ shikashinagara". "shikashi" is rather offcial. Tsurai kedo arukanakerebanaranai : It is hard but I have to walk. Tsurai . Demo arukanakerebanaranai : It is hard. But I have to walk. Tsurai . Kedo arukanakerebanaranai : It is hard. But I have to walk. tsurai : hard

aruku : walk (aruka-nai,aruki-masu,aruku,aruku-toki,aruke-ba,aruke,arukou,aruita) -shinakerebanaranai : have to , must arukanakerebanaranai : have to walk, must walk "demo" is usually put at the begining but middle of the sentence. "shikashi" and " shikashinagara" should be put at the begining of the sentence not in the middle. "ga" can be put in the middle. Watashi wa totemo tsukareteiru.Shikashi hatarakanakerebanaranai. : I'm very tired. But I have to work. Watashi wa totemo tsukareteiru ga hatarakanakerebanaranai. : I'm very tired but I have to work. totemo : very tsukareteiru : be tired hataraku : work (hataraka-nai,hataraki-masu,hataraku,hataraku-toki,hatarakeba,hatarake,hatarakou,hataraita) hatarakanakerebanaranai: have to work / must work

conjunction ; and, or
We use ,in a sentence, conjunction words to connect word and word, sentence and sentence and so on. 1.noun and noun to : and ka / aruiwa: or koohii to ocha : coffee and tea koohii : coffee ocha : tea anata to watashi : you and I anata ka watashi : you or I 2.sentence and sentence soshite / sorede : and ka / aruiwa : or Anata ga kita. Soshite watashi wa itta: You came. And I went. Anata ga itta. Aruiwa kare ga itta. : You went. Or he went. iku: go (ika-nai,iki-masu,iku,iku-toki,ike-ba,ike,ikou,itta) 3.verb and verb In connecting verb and verb, the verb should be conjugated. Itte miru : Go and see. iku : go (ika-nai,iki-masu,iku,iku-toki,ike-ba,ike,ikou,itta) itte : euphonic change of "iki"(iki-masu)+te : iki -te : go and Kaite yomu : write and read kaku : write

(kaka-nai,kaki-masu,kaku,kaku-toki,kake-ba,kake,kakou,kaita) kaite : euphonic change of "kaki"(kaki-masu)+te : kaki-te : write and If you forgot to make euphonic change and say " kakite miru", it is not wrong but old Japanese which samurai used. Totte nageru : Catch and throw toru : catch (tora-nai, tori-masu,toru,toru-toki,tore-ba,tore,torou,totta) totte : tori+te : catch and nageru : throw (nage-nai,nage-masu,nageru,nageru-toki,nagere-ba,nagero,nageyou,nageta) Nagete toru : Throw and catch nagete : nage-te : catch and (Above case, there is no euphonic change)

This is not what I ordered.

Kore wa watashi ga chuumonshita mono dewa arimasen. : This is not what I ordered. kore : this watashi : I chuumon : order(noun) suru : do (shi-nai,shi-masu,suru,suru-toki,sure-ba,shi-ro,shiyou,shita) chuumonsuru : order(verb) mono : thing arimasu : is / are arimasen : is not / are not ...dewa arimasen : is not..../ are not.... Watashi ga chuumonshita : I ordered. watashi ga chuumonshita mono : what I ordered, a thing which I ordered Kore wa watashi ga chuumonshita mono dewa arimasen. : this,I,ordered,thing,not : This is not what I ordered.

How old are you?

Phrases below are asking your age. Toshi wa ikutsu desuka. toshi : year, age ikutsu : how many, how old desu : is ka : makes the sentence interrogative with being attached at the end of the sentence Toshi wa ikutsu desuka : age, how many, is ? : How old are you ? Anata wa nansai desuka . anata : you nan : what sai : years old nansai : how old

Anata wa nansai desuka : you, how old, is ? : How old are you? Anata no nenrei wa ikutsu desuka . nenrei : age Anata no nenrei wa ikutsu desuka. : your age, how many, is? : What is your age? What is your name ? In English , there are several phrases to ask your name ,like What is your name?, May I have your name,please and so on. All the phrases below are sentences which ask your name. Anatano namae wa nan desuka ? : your ,name, what,is,? : What is your name? no : makes possessive case, A no B : A's B anata : you anatano : your namae : name nan / nani : what desu : is / are : "desu" makes the sentence end with affirmation. ka : "?" : "ka" makes the sentence interrogative Onamae wa ? : Your name? o- : makes the word polite Onamae wa nan to osshaimasuka . : May I have your name? ossharu : say(polite) (osshara-nai,osshari-masu,ossharu,ossharu-toki,osshareba,(osshare), (ossharou),osshatta) onamae wa nan to osshaimasuka : name, what,say : May I have your name? Dochirasama desuka. : Who are you? dochira : which sama / san : is usually attached to a name like "Mr" or "Mrs". eg ; Tanaka sama : Mr/Ms Tanaka Donata desuka. : Who are you? donata: who(polite) Dare desuka. : Who are you? dare : who

Where are you going to stay?

Dochira ni taizai saremasuka? : Where are you going to stay? dochira : which ni : at taizai : stay sareru : do (polite and admiring to a person to talk to, "sareru" can not be used for a speaker) (sare-nai,sare-masu,sareru,sareru-toki,sarere-ba,(sarero),(sareyou),sareta) "Dochira" literally means "which".

You can think that "no hoteru" is omitted . Dochira (no hoteru) ni taizai saremasuka?: Which hotel are you going to stay at ? hoteru : hotel no : is connecting "dochira" and a noun which comes after it. dochira no hotel : which hotel Dochira ni irasshaimasuka ? : Where are you going? irassharu : go (polite and admiring to a person to talk to) (irasshara-nai,irasshari-masu,irassharu,irassharu-toki,irasshare-ba,(irasshare), (irassharou),irasshatta) Dochira ni osumai desuka? : Where are you living?/ Whre do you live? osumai : to be living, live "Dochira" used for asking a place is very polite word. Below are examples in which "dochira" are used as just "which". Dochira ga yoi desuka ? : Which is good? yoi : good Dochira ga suki desuka ? : Which do you like? suki : like, love If you could hear the word "dochira" in the conversation, you may know "dochira" is used for a place or just as "which" in the context of the conversation.

How long are you going to stay in Japan?

Donokurai Nippon ni taizai shimasuka . : How long are you going to stay in Japan? donokurai / dorekurai : how long, how much, how many, how far dono : literally means "which" kurai : grade,degree, Nippon / Nihon : Japan ni : at, in, to taizai : stay(noun) taizai suru : stay (verb) suru : do (shi-nai,shi-masu,suru,suru-toki,sure-ba,shiro,shiyou,shita) "donokurai" is used for asking quantity, distance,degree,grade and so on in an interrogative sentence. To be precise, some other explanatory word should be added to "donokurai", but in our colloquial that kind of explanatory words are usually omitted. In above case, "donokurai" is questioning period you stay(days/months / years). So "Donokurai no nissuu" Nippon ni taizai shimasuka" is also correct. nissuu : the number of days no : in terms of Donokurai (no nissuu) Nippon ni taizai shimasuka : how,in terms of days, Japan, in, stay, do you: How long are you going to stay in Japan? Koko kara toshin made wa donokurai desuka : How far is it from here to downtown? koko : hire

kara : from toshin : downtown made : to, upto donokurai : how far, how much Koko kara toshin made wa donokurai (no jikan) desuka : here, from, downtown, to , how far, is? : How far is it from here to downtown. jikan : time Koko kara toshin made wa donokurai (no jikan) kakarimasuka : How long will it take to get downtown from here? kakaru : take(time) (kakara-nai,kakari-masu,kakaru,kakaru-toki,kakare-ba,kakare,kakarou,kakatta) Koko kara toshin made wa donokurai kakarimasuka : here,from,downtown,to,how long,take?: How long will it take to get downtown from here? "donokurai no jikan " can be substituted for " donokurai jikan ga". Koko kara toshin made wa donokurai jikan ga kakarimasuka : How long will it take to get downtown from here?

making passive voice

Kono hon wa ookuno hito ni yomareteimasu : This book is read by many people kono : this hon : book ooi :(adjective) many, much, ookuno: "ooku"is stem,"no" connects the adjective with noun hito : person, people,human ookuno hito : many people ni : by yomu : read (yoma-nai,yomi-masu,yomu,yomu-toki,yome-ba,yome,yomou,yonda) reru/rareru : is attached form a of verb-conjugation and makes it passive voice yoma+reru : is read Kono hon wa ookuno hito ni yomareru : this, book, many people, by , is read.:This book is read by many people. shiteiru : literaly means "is / are doing". Sometimes "shiteiru" describes not only the action but also situation When "shiteiru" attached to verb, the verb should be form b (-masu form). And sometimes verb should be with euphonic change. yomu +shiteiru : yomi+ -teiru : yondeiru : is reading yomu+rareru+shiteiru : yomareteiru : is been read, is read and , lastly, "masu" is attached and the sentense becomes polite. yomareteiru+masu : yomareteimasu. : is read Kono hon wa ookuno hito ni yomareteimasu : This book is read by many people.

For example, let us try with "miru(see)". miru: see, look,watch (mi-nai, mi-masu, miru, miru-toki, mire-ba, miro, miyou,mita) miru+rareru : mirareru mirareru+shiteiru : mirareteiru mirareteiru : mirareteimasu. Anata wa dareka ni mirareteimasu : You are watched by someone dareka : someone ni : by

About "verb conjugation"

A verb consists of a stem and auxiliary verb / particle. A stem of a verb should be changed depending on its meaning in the sentense. Basically "verbs" have 6 forms of conjugation. a : Imperfective form (mizenkei) : to be attached with ,for example, negative auxiliary "nai" b : Continuative form(ren'youkei) : to be attached with, for example,polite auxiliary " masu" c : Terminal form (shuushikei) : to be used at the end of the sentense.plain form. dictionary form d : Attributive form (rentaikei) : to be attached with mainly a noun,for example, "toki"(when) e : Hypothetical form (kateikei) : to be used for conditional foms with " reba/ eba". f : Imperative form (meireikei) : to be used to make verbs be commands. It is not important to know grammatical terms mentioned above, but when you learn a verb, you'd better see all the conjugation forms of the verb. I give you an instance the case of "kaku"(:write) form a :kaka(stem): kaka-nai : do not write form b : kaki(stem):kaki-masu : write (polite) form c : kaku(stem):kaku :write(plain) form d : kaku(stem):kaku-toki : write,when : when you write form e : kake (stem): kake-ba : write,if : if you write form f : kake(stem): kake : write : (You) Write. Sometimes we can see additional form g. form g : kakou : let's write. Moreover, in the case of past tense, "ta" / "da" / "ita"/"datta" and etc would be attaced to form b,but you should learn them as another form h. e.g. kaku :write (kaka-nai, kaki-masu, kaku,kaku-toki,kake-ba,kake,kakou,kaita)

miru : look, see (mi-nai,mi-masu,miru,miru-toki,mire-ba,miro,miyou,mita) yomu : read (yoma-nai,yomi-masu,yomu,yomu-toki,yome-ba,yome,yomou,yonda) hashiru : run (hashira-nai,hashiri-masu,hashiru,hashiru-toki,hashire-ba,hashire,hashirou,hashitta)

I have to go.
Watashi wa ikanakerebanaranai. : I have to go. watashi : I iku : go (ika-nai,iki-masu, iku,iku-toki,ike-ba, ike) ika-nakerebanaranai : must go, have to go/ has to go ika-kakerebaikenai : must go, have to go/ has to go Watashi wa repooto wo kakanakerebanaranai : I have to write a report. repooto : report kaku : write (kaka-nai, kaki-masu,kaku, kaku-toki, ka-keba,kake) kaka-nakerebanaranai : must write, have to write / has to write kaka-nakerebaikenai : must write, have to write / has to write Watashi wa kodomotachi no mendou o minakerebanaranai : I have to take care of children. kodomo : child kodomotachi : children mendou : matter miru : look, see (mi-nai, mi-masu, miru, miru-toki, mire-ba, mi-ro) mendou o miru : take care of mendou o mi-nakerebanaranai : must/have/has to take care of Anata wa ni ji madeni shigoto o katazukenakerebanaranai : You must finish your work by 2 o'clock. anata : you(single) ni : two ji : o'clock madeni : by shigoto : work, job, assignment,mission katazukeru : finish (katazuke-nai, katazuke-masu, katazukeru, katazukeru-toki, katazukere-ba, katazukero) katazuke-nakerebanaranai : must/have/has to finish Japanese word order : you,two,o'clock,work,must finish : You must finish your work by two o'clock.

My wallet was stolen!

Watashi no saifu ga nusumareta. : My wallet was stolen. watashi : I, my, me watashi no : my saifu : purse, wallet

nusumu : steal nusumareta : was stolen By attaching "-reru" or "-rareru" after a verb with conjugation, you can make a passive voice. nusumu : steal nusuma-reru : is stolen nusuma-reta : was stolen Many verbs in past tense have "-da" or "ta". Then we can think like this ; how to make a past tense sentense : verb+"da" / "ta" how to make a passive voice : verb + "reru" / "rareru" nusumu + "reru"+"ta" : nusumareta : was stolen Basic rules of making a past tense and a passive voice are mentioned above. In order to know the conjugation rule , you'd better meet actual sentenses as much as possible. But if you say just "nusumu (ra)reru ta/da" to Japanese people, maybe they can understand what you say.

Don't do that.
Sore wa shinaide kudasai. : Don't do that. sore : it, that shinai : don't do, doesn't do kudasai : give me shinai de kudasai : don't do please Here review the conjugation of verbs. suru : do shinai : do not shimasu : do (polite) suru : do (plain) surutoki : do when sureba : do if shiro : do (imperative) You can see that the head of the word changes to "su-" or "-shi". "suru" is a kind of a special word which has strange conjugation pattern. If you want to make a negative imperative sentense, you can make it by "do not" pattern + de + kudasai. tataku : beat (tatakanai, tatakimasu, tataku,tatakutoki,tatakeba, tatake) Tatakanai de kudasai. : beat not, please : Don't beat. Watashio tatakanai de kudasai : me, beat not, please : Don't beat me.

miru : look (minai, mimasu, miru, mirutoki, mireba, miro) Minai de kudasai : look not, please : Don't look. Watashi o minai de kudasai. : me, look not, please : Don't look at me.

Show me please.
Misete kudasai. : Show me ,please. (verb)shite kudasai : (verb), please miseru : show miseru+shite kudasai : misete kudasai Misete kudasai masenka? : Could you show me, please. Misete. : Show me. Misete itadaitemo yoroshiidesuka? : Is it OK for you to show me? Misete itadaitemo kamawanaidesuka ? : Would you mind showing it to me ? In any case mentioned above, the parts of verb "Misete" are the same. "kudasai" literaly means " give me, please". So if you say just "Kudasai", it means you say " Give me please.". Kore kudasai. Give me this. / I take this./ I want this. At restaurant, at shops, you can use this phrase " kore kudasai".

Can I use this?

Kore tsukattemo iidesuka? : Can I use this? / May I use this ? kore : this tsukau : use ii / yoi : good ii desuka : is it good? tsukattemo : in terms of using , using kore tsukattemo iidesuka? : this, in terms of using, is it good? : Can I use this? May I use this? Kono kuruma untenshitemo iidesuka ? : Can I drive this car? / May I drive this car? kono : this kuruma : car untensuru : drive Ano hon yondemo iidesuka? : Can I read that book ? ano : that hon : book yomu : read Anata o aishitemo iidesuka? : Can I love you ? / May I love you? anata : you aisuru : love

Sometimes " mo " would be omitted. Anata o aishite iidesuka ? : Can I love you? Denwa o tsukatte iidesuka ? : Can I use the phone? denwa : telephone tsukau : use When you ask for using a someone's thing, "kariru(borrow)"can be used. Denwa o karitemo iidesuka ? : Can I use the phone? kariru : borrow ( in this case, use) Okane o karitemo iidesuka ? : Can I borrow money? kariru : borrow Toire o karitemo iidesuka? : Can I use a bathroom? toire : toilet, W.C, restroom, bathroom

No one knows.
Dare mo shiranai. : No one knows. dare : who dare mo ...nai : no one .... shiru / shitteiru : know (conjugation : shiranai, shirimasu, shiru, shirutoki,shireba,shire) (conjugation : shitteinai, shitteimasu, shitteiru, shitteirutoki, shitteireba, shitteiro) In above case, " mo " is important. You should better learn it as a phrase. If " mo " changed to "ga", the meaning would change. Dare ga shiranai : who, does not know : Who doesn't know?( I think everyone knows it.) Nani mo shiranai : I know nothing. nani : what In this case, "nani" is an objective word. This sentense should be learnt as one phrase, too. Dare mo utawanai : No one sings. Nani mo utawanai : I sing nothing. utau : sing (conjugation : utawanai,utaimasu, utau,utautoki,utaeba,utae)

Comparative degree
Kore wa are yori ookii : This is bigger than that. In English, adjective words will be conjugated when making comparative sentenses, like " big", " bigger","biggest". But in Japanese, adjective words will not be conjugated but attached some words.

ookii : big ...yori : than... mottomo : (most) , -est chiisai : small Kore wa are yori chiisai : this, that, than, small : This is smaller than that. sega takai : tall sega hikui : short ...no nakade : among karera : they, them Kare wa karera no nakade mottomo sega takai.: he, them , among, tallest : He is the tallest among them. Kanojo wa kare yori sega hikui : she, he/him, than, short : She is shorter than he.

Let's go to the park!

Kouen ni ikimashou : Let's go to the park. kouen : park ni : to , on, at iku : go (ika-nai, iki-masu,iku,iku-toki,ike-ba,ike) -mashou : let's do hashiru : run (hashir-anai,hashiri-masu,hashiru,hashiru-toki,hashir-eba,hashire) made : upto, to Kouen made hashirimashou. : the park, upto, let's run: Let's run to the park. saa : (accost word when tempting someone to do something) hajimeru : start (hajime-nai,hajime-masu,hajimeru,hajimeru-toki,hajimer-eba,hajimero) Saa, hajimemashou.: Hey, let's start.

Somethng to drink
nanika nomumono : something to drink nanika : some nomu : drink(plain) -mono : thing verb(plain)+mono : thing to verb When " mono " added behind a verb, the verb changes to a noun. taberu : eat nanika taberumono : something to eat

yomu : read nanika yomumono : something to read tataku : beat nanika tatakumono : something to beat kudasai : please give Nanika nomumono o kudasai. : something to drink , please give : Please give me something to drink.

I love you.
Watashi wa anata o aishiteimasu. : I , you, be loving : I love you. aisuru : love(verb) aishiteiru : be loving aishiteimasu : be loving (polite) " verb+-shiteiru" means " be+-ing". A verb is to explain the action. The function of "-shiteiru" is to explain the current situation of the "verb". There exists a little bit diffrence between " verb+-shiteiru" and " be+-ing". Aishiteimasu : ( I ), be loving : I love you / I'm loving you. Watashi wa anata o eienni aishimasu. : I, you, forever, love : I love you forever. In above case, "aishimasu" is right. If "aishiteimasu" is used, the meaning of sentense will chang to " I'll be loving you forever.". Similar case; shiru : know shitteiru : (literaly means " be knowing" ) know Watashi wa sore o shitteimasu. : I, it, know : I know it.

I don't know.
When you are asked something but don't know the answer, you can use this phrase. Shirimasen : ( I ), know,not : I don't know shiru : know shirimasu : know(polite) shiranai : know not shirimasen : know not (polite) Wakarimasen : ( I ), understan,not : I don't understand. wakaru : understand wakarimasu : understand ( polite)

wakaranai : understand not wakarimasen : understand not ( polite)

"wa" or "ga"
"wa" or " ga" makes a noun a subjective word by being attached in a sentense. But ,we, Japanese, use them properly case by case. Then , what is the difference between "wa" and "ga". One thing Ican say is that "ga" is used in the case where something is specified or emphasized. For example, A teacher found that window glass of classroom is broken, and he thought someone of students did it. Then he asked the students "Who broke the window?" in front of all of the students. A student stands up and say "I did." In this case, "Watashi ga yarimashita." (I did) is right , because the speaker emphasizing who did it. On the contrary, assuming that there is a man whose work is to break glass everyday, , he would say " Watashi wa garasu o mainichi warimasu."( I break glass everyday) In this case, he needs not to specify anything. I think it is better for you to learn "wa" and "ga" by encountering as much as possible.

Who did what?

Dare ga nani o shitanodesuka : who, what , did : Who did what ? dare : who nani : what shita : did desuka : ( "desuka" added at the end of the sentense make it interrogative.) no : ( which connect a verb and "desuka". when connecting a noun and "desuka", no need to put "no") eg. hashiru : run hashiru nodesuka : Do you run ? hashitta : ran hashitta nodesuka : Did you run? pen : pen pen desuka : Is this a pen? Dare ga nani o shitanodesuka . : Who did what? Dare ga nani o surunodesuka. : Who does what?

shita : did suru : do In the conversation, if you couldn' t catch some words, you can ask by substituting the word you caught for "who" or "what" in the above sentense. Mr. Tanaka ga nani o shitanodesuka. : Mr. Tanaka did what?/ What Mr.Tnaka did? Watashi wa nani o surunodesuka. : I do what? / What should I do? It is very difficult to explain difference between " wa" and "ga" .Next time I will .

I beg your pardon?

If you couldn't catch what someone said to you, you may say " I beg your pardon?" to request him/her to say once again. In Japanese, "Mou ichido itte kudasai.". mou : more ichi do : one time, once mou ichido : once again iu : say itte : (conjugation ) say kudasai : please Mou ichido itte kudasai. : once again, say , please, : Say it again please / I beg your pardon. sumimasen : excuse me Sumimasen, mou ichido itte kudasai : excuse me, once again, say, please. : Excuse me , please say again.

I can't do that
dekinai/ dekimasen ; can not ./ is(/are) not able to sore/are : that Watashi wa sore o dekimasen : I, that, cannot : I can not do that. Above sentense doesn't include a verb but a object word. Yesterday, I wrote in this blog about "can.."sentense, and explained that if a verb is included in the sentense, the verb should be conjugated. The case of "cannot "sentense is same. hanasu : speak hanas-eru : can speak hanas-enai: can't speak hanas-emasen : can't speak(polite)

Watashi wa nihongo o hanasemasen. : I, Japanese, can't speak: I can't speak Japanese. And also explained a easier way to make " can..." sentense with changing a verb into a noun. hanasu : speak hanasu koto : speaking, to speak Watashi wa nihongo o hanasukoto ga dekimasu.: I, Japanese, speaking,can: I can speak Japanese. A negative sentense is same. Watashi wa nihongo o hanasukoto ga dekimasen.; I, Japanese, speaking, can't : I can't speak Japanese. You may already know a basic structure of easy Japanese sentense, then you can try to make sentenses as much as possible for your prctice.

I can do that.
...dekiru : can... , be able to .... sore, are : that suru : do dekiru : can (conjugation : dekinai,dekimasu,dekiru,dekirutoki,dekireba,dekiro) Watashi wa sore o dekimasu : I, that, can : I can do that. hanasu : speak nihongo : Japanese -eru : can..., be able to... -emasu : (polite)can..., beable to... hanasemasu : hanasu+-emasu : can speak Watashi wa nihongo o hanasemasu. : I, Japanese, can speak : I can speak Japanese. if "-eru" or "-reru" is attached to a verb, it means " can...." with verb conjugation. More easier way to mean " can..." is ; 1. put "-koto" behind the verb(plain) , which makes the verb a noun. 2.put " -ga dekimasu" after the word. For example, Watashi wa nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu (hanasemasu).; I, Japanese, speaking, can : I can speak Japanese. yomu : read (conjugation : yomanai,yomimasu,yomu,yomutoki,yomeba,yome)

Watashi wa hon o yomu koto ga dekimasu (yomemasu). : I, book, reading, can, : I can read a book. Conjugaiton of verbs is difficult so you can use this easy way to make "can do " sentense.

Where can I wash my hands?

...wa doko desuka? : Where is ....? toire : W.C., restroom doko : where -wa : (attached after the subject word) desu : is,are -ka : (attached at the end of the interrogative sentense) Toire wa doko desuka ? : restroom, where, is ; Where is the restroom? denwa : telephone Denwa wa doko desuka ? : telephone, where, is : Where is a telephone? Where can I make a telephone call? ... wa doko ni arimasuka ? : (same with "...wa doko desuka ?") Where is .....? Toire wa doko ni arimasuka ? : Where is a restroom? Denwa wa doko ni arimasuka? : Where is a telephone?

on the phone
Every Japanese people , at the beginning of the telephone conversation, says " moshimoshi" as an accost word. "Moshi-moshi. Suzuki to moushimasu ga, Tanakasan ni tsunaide itadakemasuka ." (Hello, this is Suzuki speaking. May I speak to Mr. Tanaka.) ...to moushimasu : (literaly " I say") I am... ga : but -san : Mr. Mrs. Miss. Ms.etc tsunagu : connect -te/ -de : (conjunctive particle) this particle connects a verb to another verb. itadakemasuka : (literaly "Can I have..." , " May I have...") Could you please... moshi-moshi : (accost) hello Suzuki to moushimasu ga : Suzuki, I am, but : I am Suzuki Tsunaide itadakemasuka. : connect, could you please : Could you please connect me to.../ Can I speak to...

Introdece yourself
When you meet someone for the first time, you have to itroduce yourself.

hajimemashite : how do you do (learn it as a phrase) namae : name to moushimasu : (literaly means " I say...", but usually means "is") Hajimemashite; how do you do : How do you do. Watashino namae wa Suzuki to moushimasu. : my, name , Suzuki, is. : My name is Suzuki. It si OK to say " Watashino namae wa Suzuki desu(is)." Usually, "you" or " I " as a subject is omitted, then, you can say like this ; Suzuki to moushimasu. : Suzuki, is : ( I am ) Suzuki. / (My name) Suzuki. Remember that there are many cases in which a subject of the sentense is omitted. You should concentrate on listening ordinary nouns and proper nouns but " watashi ( I )" as a subject. Personal pronouns are not so important in our conversation because you can imagine them.

vocabulary : family
otousan , chichi : father okaasan , haha : mother ojiisan, sofu : grand father obaasan , sobo: grand mother oniisan , ani: elder brother otouto : younger brother oneesan , ane : elder sister imouto : younger sister ojisan , oji : uncle obasan , oba : aunt itoko : cousin musuko : son musume : daughter kodomo : child oya : parents mago : grandchild akachan : baby kazoku : family A no B : A's B, B of A sumu : live sumanai : live not sumimasu : live(polite) sumu : live sumutoki : live when sumeba : live if sume : live (imperative) sunda : lived sundeiru : be living

sundeimasu : be living (polite) "sumu" is usually used in progressive form. ima : now amerika : america, united states Watashi no imouto wa ima amerika ni sundeimasu. : my younger sister, now,america in , is living : My sister is living in US now. Oji no musuko wa itoko desu. : son of uncle, cousin, is : Son of uncle is cousin. kekkon : marriage kekkonsuru : marry, get married A noun "kekkon" plus a verb "suru" becomes a verb "kekkonsuru" . mou : already Watashi no imouto wa mou kekkonshimashita . My younger sister, already, got married.: My sister has already got married. shinu : die shinanai : die not shinimasu : die (polite) shinu : die shinutoki : die when shineba : die if shine : die (imperative) shinda : died, was/were dead If you have to say something about someone's death, you should better use more polite word in spite of using "shinu". That is " nakunaru". nakunaru : die nakunaranai : die not nakunarimasu : die (polite) nakunaru : die nakunarutoki : die when nakunareba : die if nakunare : die (imperative) nakunatta : died nakunarimashita : died, was/were dead (polite) Watashino ojiisan wa mou nakunarimashita. : my grandfather, alread, died. : My grandfather is dead. umareru : be born umarenai : be born not umaremasu : be born(polite) umareru : be born

umarerutoki : be born when umarereba : be born if umarero : be born(imperative) umareta : was/were born umare : birth , being born(noun) Akachan ga umareta : a baby, was born. : A baby was born. Watashi wa ku gatsu umare desu. : I, September, being born, is : I was born in September.

On the taxi
Many Japanese taxi drivers are not good at speaking English. This may be top level in the world. But once they got your destination, you will be satisfied with their driving tequnique. When you get on a taxi, the most important thing is to make a taxi driver understand where to go. iku : go shitai : want ikitai : want to go no desuga : literaly means "....,but..". When you ask for something, these words are added at the end of the sentense in many cases. Tokyo ni ikitai no desuga : Tokyo to, want to go, (I mean),: I want to go to Tokyo. Hotel ni ikitai no desuga : Hotel to, want to go,: I want to go to the hotel. or ...made : to..., up to ... onegaishimasu : please Tokyo made onegaishimasu.: Tokyo to, please. : Please go to Tokyo. Shinjuku made onegaishimasu. : Shinjuku to , please : Please go to Shinjuku. "onegaishimasu" is very useful word which means requesting something. At a shop; Kore onegaishimasu. : this, please : I want this. At a station counter; Shinjuku made onegaishimasu. : Shinjuku to , please : I want a ticket for shinjuku. At a movie theater ; otona : adult ichi : one mai : when you count thin thing , "mai" would be added after numbers

Otona ichi mai onegaishimasu. : adult, 1, please : I want 1 adult ticket. At a restaurant; mizu : water hanbaagu : humburg Mizu o onegaishimasu. : water, please : I want a glass of water. Hanbaagu o onegaishimasu. : humburg, please : I want a humburg.

sentense-final particles
Japanese language sentenses consists of many kinds of particles. It is no exaggeration to say that you mastered Japanese if you've got full understanding of Japnese particles. Some particles are very important to make a sentense have a meaning, but some are not in our conversation. For example, "sentense-final particle" are not so important for non-native speakers, especially bigginers, I think. It is not a main purpose to explain grammar of Japanese on this blog, but I want to say that Japanese language has that kind of structural character. I hope you to feel the meaning of sentense-final particles when you meet it. okane : money otosu : yo : (sentense-final particle) Okane o otoshimashita yo. : money, dropped : (Hey) you dropped money. Okane o otoshimashita ne. : money, dropped : You dropped money(, didn't you). Okane o otoshita nosa. : money, dropped : (Ya,) I dropped money. otosu : drop otosanai : drop not otoshimasu : drop(polite) otosu : drop (plain) otosutoki : drop when otoseba : drop if otose : drop (imperative) otoshita : dropped otoshimashita : dropped(polite)

Conjunction words
A conjunction words like " and ", " but ", " or " and etc are to connect a word and a word , a sentense and a sentense. to, soshite : and demo, shikashi : but ka, aruiwa : or

(da)kara, nanode, ...(da)kara , ...no seide, ...no okagede , ..de : because,because of anata to watashi : you and me anata ka watashi : you or me hare : fine(weather)(noun) hareteiru : be fine samui : cold Kyou wa hareteiru demo samui : today, fine,but, cold : It is fine today but cold. ame : rain Kyou wa ame nanode samui : today, rain because, cold : It is cold today because of rain. kaze : a cold (flu) yasumu : be absent Kaze de gakkou o yasunda : a cold because of , school, absent : Because of a cold, I was absent from school. (The subject word is omitted) yasui : cheap kau : buy Yasui kara sore o katta.: cheap because, it , bought. : Because it is cheap, I bought it. Conjunction words widen your conversation. today's conjugation; yasumu : be absent yasumanai : be absent not yasumimasu : be absent (polite) yasumu : be absent (polite) yasumutoki : be absent when yasumeba : be absent if yasume : be absent(imperative) yasunda : was/were absent yasundeiru : being absent kau : buy kawanai : buy not kaimasu : buy (polite) kau : buy (plain) kautoki : buy when kaeba : buy if kae : buy(imperative) katta : bought

Passive voice
When you say a paasive voice in Englis, you use past participle. eg. You write a letter. : A letter is writen by you. In Japanese , " reru " or " rareru " is used. tegami : letter kaku : write kakareru : is/are writen ni (yotte ): by Kono tegami wa watashi ni yotte kakareru.: this , letter, me by, be writen.: This letter is writen by me. tataku : beat tatakareru : is/are beaten tatakareta : was/were beaten Watashi wa kare ni tatakareta : I, him by, was beaten : I was beaten by him. tazuneru : ask michi : way , road, street eki : station e : to no : on, in ...e no michi : a way to... Watashi wa eki e no michi o tazunerareta.: I,station, a way to ,was asked. : I was asked a way to a station. To turn a sentense into a passive voice,the basic points are; 1.The object word is changed to a subject. 2.The verb is attached with "reru" or "rareru". 3.The verb is conjugated.

You can have it.

ageru : give conjugation age-nai : give not age-masu : give (polite) ageru : give (plain) ageru -toki : give when ager-eba : give if ager-o : give(imperative) ageru darou : will give ageta : gave

anata : you ni :to kore : this Anata ni kore o agemasu. : (the subject "watashi wa" omitted) ,you to, this, give.: I give you this. When the recipient is "me", "kureru" should be used in spite of "ageru". Anata wa watashi ni kore o kuremasu. : you, me to, this, give.: You give me this. kare : he , his, him kanojo : she, her, her Kare wa kanojo ni kore o ageta. : he, her to, this, gave : He gave her this. Anata wa kare ni kore o ageta. : you , him to, this, gave : You gave him this. Kare wa watashi ni kore o kureta. : he, me to, this, gave : He gave me this. kureru : give conjugation kure-nai : give not kure-masu : give (polite) kureru : give (plain) kureru-toki : give when kurer-eba : give if kure : give (imperative) kureru darou : will give kureta : gave Kore o kanojo ni agero : this, her to, give(imperative).:Give her this. Kore o watashi ni kure : this, me to, give. : Give me this. When the recipient and "me"(the first person) is in the same group like family, "kureru" can be used. omocha : toy musuko : son watashi no : my Kare wa watashi no musuko ni omocha o kureta. : he, my son to, toy,gave : He gave a toy to my son. We can say that "ageru" has a nuance of "going out", "kureru" has "coming in".

Excuse me.
sumimasen / sumimasen ga : excuse me "sumimasen" is very useful word, you can catch it anytime,anywhere.

When you want to ask someone to do something for you, "sumimasen" is a starting word of conversation.

vocabulary : Months
It is very easy to say a montsh in Japanese. Number plus "gatsu", that's all. ichi-gatsu : January ni-gatsu : February san-gatsu : March shi-gatsu : April go-gatsu : May roku-gatsu : June shichi-gatsu : July hachi-gatsu : August ku-gatsu : September juu-gatsu : October juuichi-gatsu : November juuni-gatsu : December In case of date of the month, basicaly number+"nichi".But there are some exceptions. nichi : day tsuitachi : 1st(first day of the month) futsuka : 2nd mikka : 3rd yokka : 4th itsuka : 5th muika : 6th nanoka : 7th youka : 8th kokonoka : 9th touka : 10th Word above are specialized to use for days of month. juuichi-nichi : 11th juuni-nichi : 12th juusan-nichi :13th . . . kyou : today Kyou wa roku-gatsu futsuka desu.: today, June,2nd, is : It is June 2nd today.

vocabulary : day of the week

nichi-youbi : Sunday getsu-youbi : Monday ka-youbi : Tuesday sui-youbi : Wednesday

moku-youbi : Thursday kin-youbi : Friday do-youbi : Saturday hataraku : work(verb) ...kara : from ...made : to,up to Watashi wa getsu-youbi kara kin-youbi made hatarakimasu.:I,Monday from,Friday to,work.: I work from Monday to Friday. conjugation hatarakanai : work not hatarakimasu : work(polite) hataraku : work(plain) hatarakutoki : work when hatarakeba : work if hatarake : work(imperative) tense hataraku darou : will work hataraita : worked

vocabulary : colors
iro : color kuro : black(noun) aka : red(noun) ao : blue(noun) kiiro : yellow(noun) midori : green(noun) chairo : brown(noun) shiro : white(noun) when " -i" added,then adjective. kuroi : black(adjective) akai : red (adjective) aoi : blue(adjective) Kono iro wa kuro desu.: this, color , black, is : This color is black. Kore wa kuroi desu. : this, black, is : This is black.

word order
I said "word order is not important" before. But , today, I would like to say a key point to make a sentence with right word order. It is very easy. A subjective word should be put the beginning of a sentence and a verb at the end of a sentence.

That's all. eg: Watashi wa densha de ikimasu. : I, train,by,go : I go by train densha : (electric) train de : by iku : go (ika-nai, iki-masu,iku,iku-toki,ike-ba,ike, itta) Kore wa pen desu. : This, pen , is : This is a pen. kore : this pen : pen desu : is / are Ano hana wa totemo utsukushii (desu). : That , flower, very, beautiful (is) : That flower is very beautiful. ano : that hana : flower totemo : very utsukushii : beautiful (an adjective word have a function of be-verb)

can't , can not

Watashi wa nihongo o hanasenai. : I, Japanese, can't speak. : I can't speak Japanese. (I'm not able to speak Japanese, I don't have skills to speak Japanese) watashi : I , watashi wa : I (subject) nihongo : Japanese language hanasu : speak (hanasa-nai, hanashi-masu, hanasu, hanasu-toki, hanase-ba, hanase) hanasenai : can't speak Watashi wa nihongo o hanasanai : I, Japanese, don't speak : I don't speak Japanese. ( I can speak Japanese but I don't speak Japanese) hanasu : speak (hanasa-nai, hanashi-masu, hanasu, hanasu-toki, hanase-ba, hanase) Watashi wa hashirenai. : I , can't run. : I can't run. hashiru : run (hashira-nai, hashiri-masu, hashiru, hashiru-toki, hashire-ba, hashire) Watashi wa hashiranai. : I , don't run : I don't run. hashiru : run (hashira-nai, hashiri-masu, hashiru, hashiru-toki, hashire-ba, hashire) tobenai : can't fly tobu: fly (toba-nai, tobi-masu, tobu, tobu-toki , tobe-ba , tobe)

tobanai : don't fly tobu: fly (toba-nai, tobi-masu, tobu, tobu-toki , tobe-ba , tobe) nomenai : can't drink nomu : drink (noma-nai, nomi-masu, nomu, nomu-toki , nome-ba, nome) nomanai : don't drink nomu : drink (noma-nai, nomi-masu, nomu, nomu-toki , nome-ba, nome) exception; In Japanese, there are cases in which "noun"+"suru" makes it verb. suru : do (shi-nai, shi-masu, suru, suru-toki, sure-ba, shiro) benkyou : study(noun) benkyousuru : study(verb) unten : driving(noun) unten suru : drive(verb) Watashi wa benkyou shinai : I, study, don't : I don't study. Watashi wa benkyou dekinai : I , study, can't. : I can't study. dekiru(verb) : can, be able to (deki-nai, deki-masu, dekiru, dekiru-toki, dekire-ba, dekiro)

infinitive
Infinitives ( to+verb) are often seen in English conversation. eg. I go to bookshop to buy book. ("to buy" is infinitive in this case) In Japanese , "....suru tameni" , " ...no tameni " or " ...tameni " is very convinient word for infinitives. Watashi wa hon o kau tameni hon-ya ni ikimasu.( I, book, buy, to(infinitive), bookshop, to, go) kau : buy tameni : for the purpose of hon-ya: bookshop, ya : "ya" means shop iku : go (ika-nai, iki-masu, iku, iku-toki, ike-ba, ike) "tameni" comes just after a verb(plain) yomu tameni : to read au tameni : to meet, to see iu tameni : to say "no tameni" comes after noun dokusho(reading) no tameni : for reading unten(driving) no tameni : for driving "suru tameni" means " for doing..." ( same with " no tameni")

dokusho(reading) suru tameni : for reading unten(driving) suru tameni : for driving Pactice; Watashi wa anata ni au tameni koko ni kita. : I came here to see you. watashi : I " wa " of "watashi wa" makes "I" subject. anata : you ni : to, with "ni " of " anata ni" makes "you " objective. au : meet , see (awa-nai, ai-masu, au, au-toki, ae-ba ,ae) tameni : for koko : (noun) here ni: to kita : past tense of "kuru" , came kuru :come (ko-nai, ki-masu, kuru, kuru-toki, kure-ba, koi) ki + ta : came Watashi wa anata ni au tameni koko ni kita. : I, you , with, see, for , here, came : I came here to see you.