laughter is the best medicine
A late-20s university grad living in the Bay Area with hopes of returning to the world of academia for Japanese or linguistics, or I'll run off to law school.
My obsessive-compulsions include stopping the microwave only when the time remaining is divisible by five and reading the fine print on commercials.
My first sip of tea was out of my baby bottle. I make one of the best cuppas you’ll ever taste.
(plain/dictionary form)+と思っているtoomotteiru: ”I think/someone thinks that…”
If it is my opinion of something or yours (and only the direct ‘you’) then “と思います toomoimasu” is used; everyone else’s opinion are expressed with “と思っています toomotteimasu”. However; if “I” have had my opinion for a long time and I’ve really thought it over I can use ”と思っています toomotteimasu”.
example:
私watashi はwa あのano やきそば屋yakisobaya はwa おいしいoishii と思いますtoomoimasu がga, 友達tomodachi はwa まずいmazui と思っていますtoomotteimasu.
私はあのやきそば屋はおいしいと思いますが、友達はまずいと思っています。
I think that the yakisoba shop has delicious food, but my friend thought it wasn’t [delicious].
(1) volitional (let’s…)
(casual)
るru-verbs: replace ーる with よう
うu-verbs: go down the column from the “u” ending to the “o”, so vowel endings go from うu to おo, すsu becomes そso, つtsu becomes とto, ぬnu becomes のno, etc.; and then tack on うu again.
examples:
食べる / たべる / taberu (to eat) in volitional form: 食べよう / たべよう / tabeyou (let’s eat!)
歌う / うたう / utau (to sing): 歌おう / うたおう / utaou (let’s sing)
泳ぐ / およぐ / oyogu (to swim): 泳ごう / およごう / oyogou (let’s swim)
話す / はなす/ hanasu (to talk): 話そう / はなそう / hanasou (let’s talk)
- polite version of all this? ーましょうmashou is used in ーますmasu form.
Great website from Dr. Shoko Hamano of The East Asian Languages and Literatures Department (EALL) at The George Washington University.
Nice little “versus” summary of suppose and supposed.
The -te form is (1) used to request something : -te + kudasai; [for obtaining or denying permission] -te + mo iidesu/wa ikemasen; (2) continuous tense : -te + -imasu; (3) to connect two sentences together : ..-te, ….
The conjugations work off of the dictionary form as shown below:
-u,-tsu, and (some -ru) verbs become -ite
[all other] -ru verbs become -te
-nu, -mu, and -bu verbs become -nde
-ku (-gu) verbs become -ite (-ide)
-su verbs become -shite; suru becomes shite
kuru becomes kite; and -iku becomes -itte.
Examples:
(1) Please close the window.
まどmado をo しめてshimete くださいkudasai.
— translating literally to “window close please”.
(a) Can I eat breakfast now?
いまima あさごはんasagohan を o たべてtabete もmo いいですiidesu かka.
— translating literally to “now breakfast eat is ok?”
(b) No, you cannot eat it.
いいえiie , (あなたanata はwa) たべて tabete は wa いけませんikemasen .
— translating literally to “no, (you) eat cannot”.
(2) I am drinking coffee : (わたしwatashi は wa) コーヒーko-hi- をo のんでnonde いますimasu .— translating literally to “(I) coffee drinking”.
(3) I woke up this morning, took a shower, then went for a jug. けさkesa ( わたしwatashi はwa)おきて okite 、シャワーshawa- にni はいてhaite、ジョギングjogingu をo しましたshimashita.— translating literally to “this morning (I) woke up, entered the shower, jogged”.
Want to [verb]:
Positive present tense: [verb minus masu] +tai desu.
1. iわたしWatashiはwaばんごはんbangohan をo たべたいtabetai ですdesu.
I (subject marker) dinner (particle indicating an action) want to eat.
I want to eat dinner.
Negative present tense: [verb minus masu] +takunai desu.
2. iわたしWatashはwa日本語Nihongo をo べんきょしたくないbenkyôshitakunai ですdesu.
I (subject marker) Japanese [language] (particle indicating an action) don’t want to study.
I don’t want to study Japanese [language].
Positive past tense: [verb minus masu] +takatta desu.
3. きのうKinô, ウエインさんUein-san はwa こえんkoen にni いきたいかったikitakatta ですdesu.
Yesterday, Wayne (subject marker) park (particle indicating direction) wanted to go.
Yesterday, Wayne wanted to go to the park.
Negative past tense: [verb minus masu] +takunakatta desu.
4. めぐみさんMegumi-san はwa ふらんす語Furansugo のno 本hon をo よみたくなかったyomitakunakatta ですdesu.
Megumi (subject marker) French [language] book (particle indicating an action) didn’t want to read.
Megumi didn’t want to read the French book.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Vocabulary: 日本語Nihongo: Japanese language; こえんkoen: park; いきたいikitai (iku/ikmasu): to go; ふらんす語Furansugo: French language; よみたくなかったyomitakunakatta (yomu/yomimasu): to read.
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The dictionary form is used:
- during informal speech
- to list words in the dictionary
- for describing:
- (in)ability to do an action (dictionary form+koto ga dekimasu);
- talent or a lack there of (dictionary form+no ga jouzu/heta desu);
- (dis)liking an activity (dictionary form+no ga suki/kirai desu);
- or a want to do or not do an activity (dictionary form+no ga hoshii/hoshikunai desu).
To create the dictionary form of a word, you have to go from writing in hiragana to romaji in order to classify the verb appropriately. The three categories are -u verbs (majority of words), -ru verbs, and irregular verbs (only two: kuru and suru).
When a verb is written in romaji and ends in a/u/o + -imasu, then the verb is always going to be a -u verb. The other words (ending in i/e+ -masu) typically fall under the -ru umbrella.
Examples:
To write - kakimasu becomes kaku
To sing - utaimasu becomes utau
To eat - tabemasu becomes taberu
To come - kimasu becomes kuru
To do - shimasu becomes suru
San Francisco tiene más inhabitantes que Sacramento.
San Francisco has more inhabitants than Sacramento.
…. tiene tantos restaurantes como….
… has as many restaurants as….
María es tan industrioso como Miguel.
Mary is as diligent as Michael.
It is worse to live in the city.
Es peor vivir en la ciudad.
It is better to live ….
Es mejor vivir….
This is a place in which people live very well.
Es una ciudad en la que se vive muy bien.
New York is the biggest city in The United States.
Nueva York es la ciudad más grande de Los Estados Unidos.
Anna is older than my mum.
Ana es mayor que mi mama.
… is younger than…
… es menor que…
Some of the sentences above were a bit more complex than others, but if we sit and identify some of the more common words it’ll make the lessons flow smoothly.
Take the middle portion for example:
It is worse to live in the city.
Es peor vivir en la ciudad.
It is better to live ….
Es mejor vivir….
This is a place in which people live very well.
Es una ciudad en la que se vive muy bien.
New York is the biggest city in The United States.
Nueva York es la ciudad más grande de Los Estados Unidos.
“In the city” or a variation of those words are used in the four sentences. Next, we’ll remove the grey area and comment on each example:
It is worse to live….
Es peor vivir…
** Vivir is the verb “to live” without being conjugated, leaving us with “it is worse” or es peor - now remember, translations are hardly literal (word-for-word). Es peor vivir en la ciudad literally translates to “is worse to live in the city”. Obviously for the next sentence we merely change worse to better (mejor).
It is better to live ….
Es mejor vivir….
… in which people live very well.
… en la que se vive muy bien.
** This is the most complex sentence: Es una ciudad en la que se vive muy bien literally means “Is a city in the that ‘you (proper)/him/her/you (generic)’ live (conjugated in the usted/él/ella form) very good/well”. The literal translation and what is understood are quite different but the message is the same: This is a city where you can live well. There a more grammar rules being used than what has been covered, so be patient.
New York… biggest… in The United States.
Nueva York… más grande de Los Estados Unidos.
** Now that we know we can place any adjective after the noun (this is the typical rule but there are exceptions), it makes Spanish and most of the other Romanic languages easier to comprehend.
Links: Barbara Kuczun Nelson’s site; University of Texas, Austin; and Quia which has Spanish as one of its many shared courses available. I’m addicted to Quia! I love playing the games while learning about a given topic. I have always believed that the more fun an activity the more the information will be retained (it’s positive association).
Desu: copula indicating the way someone/thing is.
- Present (desu): desu / janai desu
1. わたしWatashi はwa 大学生daigakusei ですdesu.
I (subject marker) graduate college student am.
I am a graduate student.
2. アリンさんArin-san はwa 学生gakusei じゃないjanai ですdesu.
Alan (subject marker) college student is not.
Alan is not a student. - Past (desu): deshita / ja nai deshita
1. あきらさんAkira-san はwa アップルAppuru のno かいしゃいんkaishain でしたdeshita.
Akira (subject marker) Apple’s company was.
Akira was an Apple employee.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Vocabulary: Watashi: I/me; wa: subject marker in a sentence; (dai)gakusei: (graduate) college student; desu: copula usually associated with am/being; no: particle indicating ownership; kaishain: employee.
-masu: polite present tense conjugation of verbs.
- Present (verbs): -masu/ -masen
1.わたしWatashi はwa コーヒーkôhî をo のみますnomimasu.
I (subject marker) coffee (particle indicating an action) drink.
I drink coffee.
2. ばんごはんBangohan をo たべませんtabemasen.
Dinner (particle indicating an action) not eat.
I don’t eat dinner. - Past (verbs): -mashita / -masen deshita
1. ウエインさんUein-san はwa けいざい学keizaigaku のno しけんshiken をo べんきょうしましたbenkyôshimashita.
Wayne (subject marker) economics (particle indicating ownership) exam (particle indicating an action) studied.
Wayne studied for his economics exam. -
2.きのうKinô,パルさんParu-san はwa かけませんkakemasen でしたdeshita.
Yesterday Paul (subject marker) not run didn’t.
Yesterday, Paul did not run.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Vocabulary: コーヒーkôhî: coffee; をo: particle indicating an action; のみますnomimasu (nomu): to drink; ばんごはんbangohan: dinner; たべますtabemasu (taberu): to eat; けいざい学keizaigaku: economics; しけんshiken: exam; べんきょうしますbenkyôshimasu (benkyôsuru): to study; きのうkinô: yesterday; かけますkakemasu (kakeru): to run.
→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←
ここKoko: Here; そこSoko: There; あそこAsoko: Over there; どこDoko: Where?
さとうさんSatou-san のno うちuchi はwa あそこasoko にni ありますarimasu.
Satou (particle indicating ownership) house (subject marker) over there (particle indicating direction) exists.
Satou’s house is over there.
としょかんToshokan はwa どこdokoにni ありますarimasu かka.
Library (subject marker) where (particle indicating direction) to exist (question mark).
Where is the library?
このKono [noun]: This [noun]; そのSono: That [n]; あそのAsono: That [n] over there; どのDono: Which [noun]?
そのSono ねこneko はwa たんきなtankina ですdesu.
That cat (subject marker) short-tempered is.
That cat is short-tempered.
これKore: This; それSore: That; あそれAsore: That over there; どれDore: Which?
それSore はwa何nan ですdesu かka.
That (subject marker) what is (question mark).
What is that?
The prefixes:
Ko- refer to the immediate, So- the nearby, Aso- the farther away, and Do- is used as the interrogative form.
The postscripts:
-ko is location-based, -no [noun] is for direct object references, and -re is for indirect.
Questions pertaining to who would just place dochira in the position of the typical name/pronoun in a sentence.
このKono 本hon はwa どちらdochira のno ですdesu かka.
This book (subject marker) who (particle indicating ownership) is (question mark).
This book belongs to who?
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Vocabulary: うちuchi: house; にni: particle indicating direction; ありますarimasu: to exist/be; としょかんtoshokan: library; かka: particle indicating question/question mark; ねこneko: cat; たんき（な）tanki(na): short-tempered; 何nan: what; 本hon: book.
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I welcome any and all corrections but remember I’m working through a progressive syllabi for these lessions, so the grammar for each language or the vocabulary will not be as sophisticated now as it will be later.
