Beginning Japanese for Professionals: Book 1

 
 
 

 
 
Lesson 4 – Project Team
Author: Emiko Konomi, Portland State University 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  This chapter is licensed with a Crea ve Commons  
A ribu on-NonCommercial 4.0 Interna onal License Download this book for free at: 
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Lesson 4 - Project Team

Dialogue 1
Michael is on the project team headed by Ms. Tanaka. He has been given an
assignment.

Honda : Taihen desu ne. That’s a lot of work, isn’t it.

たいへん
大変ですね。
Tetsudaimashou ka Shall I help you?
てつだ
手伝いましょうか。
Michael: Ie, daijoubu desu. No, I’m fine.
だいじょうぶ
いえ、大丈夫です。
Ekuseru o tsukaimasu kara. I’ll use Excel, so...
つか
エクセルを使いますから。
Honda: Sou desu ka? Ja, ganbattekudasai. Are you sure? Well, then, good luck.
そうですか。じゃ、がんばってください。
Michael: Hai, ganbarimasu. Thanks (I’ll try hard.)
はい、がんばります。
…….
Michael: Zenbu dekimashita! All Done!
ぜんぶ
全部、できました。
Tanaka : Hayai desu nee! So fast!
はやい
速いですねえ。

Vocabulary

taihen(na) たいへん（な） 大変 difficult, challenging

tetsudaimasu てつだいます 手伝います help
tetsudaimashou ka てつだいましょうか手伝いましょうか shall I help?
ekuseru えくせる エクセル (Microsoft) Excel
o を Object marking particle
kara から because, so
ganbatte kudasai がんばってください Good luck!
banbarimasu がんばります I’ll do my best
zennbu ぜんぶ 全部 all, the whole thing
hayai はやい 早い fast, early
＋osoi おそい 遅い slow, late
＋dou shite どうして why
＋naze なぜ why (formal)
＋nan de なんで why (casual)
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＋waado わあど ワード (Microsoft) Word

＋apuri あぷり アプリ app, application
＋intaanetto いんたあねっと インターネット internet
＋netto ねっと ネット internet
＋pawaapointo ぱわあぽいんと パワーポイント PowerPoint
＋fairu ふぁいる ファイル file
+waifai わいふぁい Wi-Fi Wi-Fi

Grammar Notes

4-1-1 ~mashou, Suggesting or Offering to Do Something

The –mashou form is made by changing -masu to -mashou. A verb in the -

mashou form means ‘let’s do X’ or ‘why don’t I do X’. It is used to make a suggestion or
offer to do something.

Kaerimashou. Let’s go home.

Tetsudaimashou ka? Shall I help you?

While the speaker is always included as a doer of the action, the addressee might
not be included depending on the context.

Ekuseru o tsukai mashou. Let’s use Excel. Or, Why don’t I use Excel.

Now, how do you respond to a suggestion or an offer made to you?

• When suggested to do something:

To accept -Sou shimashou. Let’s do that.
To disagree politely -Iya, chotto…. No, just….
• When someone has offered to do something for you:
To accept it -Hai, onegai-shimasu. Yes, please.
To turn it down -Ie, daijoubu desu. No thank you (I’m fine.)

Note that the question form -mashou ka typically has a falling intonation. It is
more polite than -mashou alone because the addressee can say no to the question.

Verbs such as arimasu, dekimasu, and wakarimasu do not occur in the -mashou
form because they all indicate something beyond one’s control.

4-1-2 Particle O Marking the Object

Every Japanese sentence has a subject, although it is not always explicitly stated.
On the other hand, the occurrence of an object is more limited. This only occurs with
certain verbs (transitive verbs, explained later) and usually does not occur in an adjective
 3

or noun sentence. In Lesson 1, it was explained that the object of the verb is placed
before the verb with or without the particles wa (contrast) or mo (addition). In this lesson,
the particle o is added. Consider the following.

Kore tabemasu. I’ll eat this.

Kore wa tabemasu. This, I’ll eat (while I won’t eat that).
Kore mo tabemasu. I’ll eat this, too.
Kore o tabemasu. It’s this that I’ll eat.

In all these sentences, kore is the object of the verb tabemasu. When the object is
marked by the particle o, the focus is on this item and this item only as the one that you
eat. So the last sentence above is typically the answer to the question of ‘what will you
eat.’

Depending on the context, what is focused on may be 1) the o-marked object

alone or 2) the entire sentence, which presents new information that has not yet been
mentioned in the conversation. A very common situation for 1) is in combination with
question words (what, who, which, etc.) Question words are inherently focused and thus
followed by the particle o (not wa or mo.) Similarly in a yes-no question, the object,
when focused, is marked by the particle o.

1) The object noun is focused.

Dore o tabemasu ka. Which one will you eat?

-Kore desu. It’s this.
-Kore o tabemasu. I’ll eat this. (This is the one I’ll eat.)

Now let’s see how yes-no questions are answered when the wrong object is
presented. The following are two typical answers.

Pasokon o tsukaimasu ka. Is it a laptop that you use?

-Iya, pasokon ja nai desu. Sumaho desu.
No, it’s not a laptop. It’s a smartphone (that I use.)
-Iya, pasokon wa tsukaimasen. Sumaho o tsukaimasu.
No, I don’t use a laptop. I use a smartphone.

Note that in the second answer pasokon takes the particle wa, while sumaho takes
the particle o. This is because sumaho is the focused item being newly presented. On the
other hand, pasokon has been already mentioned and the particle wa here indicates that
pasokon is in contrast to sumaho.

2) The entire sentence presents new information.

For example, in the dialogue above, the fact that Michael will use Excel is new
information and explains why he does not need help. Here are more examples of this
type.
 4

Dekakemasen ka? Won’t you go out?

-Iya, nihongo o benkyou-shimasu. No, I’ll study Japanese.

Purezen desu yo. It’s a presentation.

-Ja, pawaapointo o tsukurimashou. Well then, let’s make PPT.

4-1-3 Reason + Kara

The clause particle kara connects two sentences together to make one. In the
sequence of /Sentence A kara, Sentence B/, Sentence A represents the cause and
Sentence B the effect.

Takai desu kara, kaimasen. Because it’s expensive, I’ll not buy it.
Wakarimasen kara kikimasu. Because I don’t understand it, I’ll ask.

Sentence B can be left unsaid when it is understood from the context.

Ikimasen ka. You are not going?

-Ee, ame desu kara. Right, because it’s raining.

The clause particles kara and kedo are opposites of each other. Compare the following.

Takai desu kara, kaimasen. It’s expensive, so I’ll not buy it.
Takai desu kedo, kaimasu. It’s expensive, but I’ll buy it.

There are three Japanese words for ‘why.’ Dou shite is most common, naze more
formal, and nan de is casual. Desu ka can directly follow them if the rest of the sentence
is understood from the context.

Dou shite kaimasen ka? Why don’t you buy it?

Dou shite desu ka? Why is it (that you don’t buy it)?

Drills and Exercises

A. Listen to the audio. Following the first two model exchanges, respond to each cue.

Cue: Tetsudaimasu ka. Are you going to help?

てつだ
手伝いますか。
Response: Mochiron desu. Itsu tetsudaimashou ka. Of course. When shall I help?
てつだ
もちろんです。いつ手伝いましょうか。
Cue: Shimasu ka. Are you going to do it?
しますか。
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Response: Mochiron desu. Itsu shimashou ka. Of course. When shall I do it?
もちろんです。いつしましょうか。

B. Cue: Apuri, tsukaimasu ka? Do you use apps?

つか
アプリ、使いますか。
Response: Hai, kono apuri o tsukaimasu. Yes, I use this app.
つか
はい、このアプリを使います。
Cue: Terebi, kaimasu ka? Will you buy a TV?
か
テレビ、買いますか。
Response: Hai, kono terebi o kaimasu. Yes, I’ll buy this TV.
か
はい、このテレビを買います。

C. Cue: Are, takai desu ka? Is that expensive?

たか
あれ、高いですか
Response: Hai, takai desu kara, kaimasen. Right. It’s expensive, so I won’t buy it.
たか か
はい、高いですから、買いません.

Cue: Are, tsukaimasen ka? You don’t use that?

つか
あれ、使いませんか。
Response: Hai, tukaimasen kara, kaimasen. Right. I don't use it, so I won’t buy it.
つか か
はい、使いませんから、買いません。

D. Say it in Japanese.

You’ve been asked if you are busy today.

1. Yes, because I’m going to do my homework.

2. Of course. Because I’ll practice Japanese.
3. Why? It’s Sunday today, so I have no work.
4. Yes, because I’m going to copy my old computer files.
5. Yes, because I’m going to make slides for a PowerPoint presentation.

You’ve been asked to help set up a meeting for your group. Ask your supervisor the
following questions:

6. Which room should we use?

7. Shall I write down everyone’s names?
8. Whom shall I help?
9. Shall I use this new app?
10. When shall I email the file?

E. Act these roles in Japanese with a partner.

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1. A co-worker is swamped by work. a) Offer to help. b) Wish him luck.

2. At a restaurant, ask Ms. Honda what she is going to drink.
3. You’ve been asked to email a file. Ask which file to email.
4. At a restaurant, you ordered a while ago. Mention to your companions that it’s
taking a long time. Get the attention of a waiter and ask if it’s ready yet.
5. Ask each other what you do on your day off. Reply. (e.g., read books; watch TV;
play sports like tennis, soccer; write blog entries; make cookies; practice Yoga, )

Dialogue 2
The team has been working hard all morning.

Tanaka: Minasan, sukoshi yasumimashou. Everyone, Let’s just take a break.

やす
みなさん、すこし休みましょう。
Michael: Ja, ocha, iremashou ka. Then, shall we make tea?
ちゃ い
じゃ、お茶、入れましょうか。
Honda: Watashi ga iremasu yo. I’ll do it.
わたし い
私 が入れますよ。
Michael: Ja, tetsudaimasu. Well then, I’ll help.
てつだ
じゃ、手伝います。

Beverages have been brought in.

Michael: Tanaka-san wa nani ga ii desu ka? What would you like, Ms. Tanaka?
たなか なに
田中さんは、何がいいですか。
Tanaka: Watashi wa koohii o onegai-shimasu. I’ll have Coffee, please.
わたし ねが
私 はコーヒーをお願いします。
…..
Aa, oishii desu nee! Ahh, it’s good, isn’t it!
ああ、おいしいですねえ！

Vocabulary

sukoshi すこし 少し a little

ocha おちゃ お茶 tea, green tea
ga subject marking particle
iremasu いれます 入れます make (tea, coffee), put in
Tanaka たなか 田中 Tanaka (family name)
koohii コーヒー coffee
oishii おいしい delicious, tasty
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＋mazui まずい not tasty

＋koucha こうちゃ 紅茶 black tea
＋mizu みず 水 cold water
＋juusu ジュース juice
＋gyuunyuu ぎゅうにゅう 牛乳 milk
＋okashi おかし お菓子 snacks, sweets
＋suiitsu すいいつ スイーツ sweets
＋pan パン bread
＋keeki ケーキ cake
＋kukkii クッキー cookie
＋kudamono くだもの 果物 fruit
＋ringo りんご apple
＋mikan みかん mandarin orange
＋ichigo いちご strawberry

Grammar Notes

4-2-1 Particle Ga Marking the Subject

Recall that the subject of a sentence can be placed in front of a verb, adjective or
noun + desu in spoken Japanese without any particle or with the particles wa or mo. In
this lesson, the particle ga is added.

Kono apaato, takai desu. This apartment is expensive

Kono apaato wa takai desu. This apartment is expensive (while others may not).
Kono apaato mo takai desu. This apartment is also expensive.
Kono apaato ga takai desu. It’s this apartment that is expensive.

The particle ga follows the subject noun in situations where 1) special focus is placed on
the subject, or 2) the entire sentence presents new information. Situation 1) commonly
occurs in combination with question words. In answering these questions, it is common
to use particle ga with the noun, or to just give the noun + desu.

1) The subject noun is focused.

Dare ga, ikimasu ka. Who is going?

-Honda-san desu. It is Honda-san (who is going).
-Honda-san ga ikimasu. Ms. Honda is going.

In Dialogue 2 above, when Michael suggests making tea, Ms. Honda says
Watashi ga iremasu ‘I will make tea (not Michael or anyone)’ putting a focus on her as
THE person to make tea. Another similar example in the dialogue is when Michael asks
what Ms. Tanaka wants. Michael says nani ga ii desu ka putting a focus on ‘what’.
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2) The entire sentence presents new information.

Kaerimasu ka? Are you going home?

-Hai, shukudai ga arimasu kara. Yes, because I have homework.

Here having homework is new information and explains why the speaker is going home.
It’s not shukudai alone that is focused here ( ‘it is homework that I have’) but rather the
sentence as a whole is focused ( ‘it’s that I have homework.’)

Drills and Exercises

A. Cue: Chotto yasumimasen ka. Would you like to take a break?

やす
休みませんか。
Response: Sou desu ne. Minasan yasumimashou. Right. Everyone, let’s take a break.
みな やす
そうですね。皆さん、休みましょう。
Cue: Kaerimasen ka. Would you like to go home?
帰りませんか。
Response: Sou desu ne. Minasan, kaerimashou. Right. Everyone, let’s go home.
みな
そうですね。皆さん、帰りましょう。

B. Cue: Koohii ya koucha, nomimasu ka? Do you drink things like coffee and tea?
こうちゃ の
コーヒーや紅茶、飲みますか。
Response: Iya, ko-hi-mokoucha mo nomimasen. No, I don’t drink either coffee or tea.
こうちゃ の
いや、コーヒーも紅茶も飲みません。
Cue: Keei ya kukkii, tabemasu ka? Do you eat things like cake and cookies?
た
ケーキやクッキー、食べますか。
Response: Iya, keeki mo kukkii mo tabemasen. No, I don’t eat either cake or cookies.
た
いや、ケーキもクッキーも食べません。

C. Cue: Keeki desu ka? Is it cake?

ケーキですか。
Response: Hai, ke-ki wo kaimasu. Yes, I’ll buy a cake.
か
はい、ケーキを買います。
Cue: Honda –san desu ka. Is it Ms. Honda?
ほんだ
本田さんですか。
Response: Hai, Honda-san ga kaimasu. Yes, Ms. Honda will buy it.
ほんだ か
はい、本田さんが買います。

D. Say it in Japanese.
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Offer to do the following for your group.

1. Shall I make tea?

2. Shall I make coffee, black tea, etc.?
3. Shall I buy apples and (mandarin) oranges?
4. Shall I buy a lot of water because it’s hot today
5. Shall I make a big strawberry cake?

You have questions about the project. Ask Ms. Tanaka.

6. Who writes the schedule?

7. When will the schedule be ready?
8. What shall I do?
9. What work will be most difficult?
10. Whom shall I help?

E. Act out these roles in Japanese with a partner.

1. Your group has been working very hard. Suggest that 1) you take a short break, 2) go
home because it’s late, 3) keep trying hard a little longer.
2. Your supervisor will not make it to the meeting. Offer to go in her place.
3. The email that you were waiting for has finally come. Announce it to your co-
workers.
4. Your group is going to rent a car. Ask who is going to drive.
5. Check the coffee shop menu, and ask each other what you are going to have.

Dialogue 3
It’s almost lunchtime.

Michael: Ohiru wa obentou desu ka? Do you have Bento for lunch?
ひる べんとう
お昼はお弁当ですか。
Honda : Ie, gaishoku desu. No, I eat out.
がいしょく
いえ、 外 食 です。

Michael and Ms. Honda are deciding on a restaurant.

Honda: Nani ga suki desu ka? What do you like?

なに す
何が好きですか。
Michael: Boku wa raamen ga tabetai desu kedo… I want to eat ramen, but….
た
ぼくはラーメンが食べたいですけど。
Honda: Ii, raamen-ya-san ga arimasu yo. There is a good ramen shop.
や
いいラーメン屋さんが、ありますよ。
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At a Ramen shop

Honda: Ohashi, daijoubu desu ka? Are you okay with chopsticks?
だいじょうぶ
おはし、大丈夫ですか。
Michael: Mochiron desu. Of course.
もちろんです。

Vocabulary

hiru ひる 昼 noon, lunch

(o)bentou おべんとう お弁当 boxed lunch
gaishoku がいしょく 外食 eating out
nani なに 何 what
ga が particle
suki(na) すき（な） 好き like, be fond of
raamen ラーメン ramen
tabetai たべたい 食べたい want to eat
~ya 〜や 屋 shop
~ya refers to the business establishment that sells the item to
which ~ya is attached. (pan-ya, obentou-ya, hon-ya, etc.)

raamen-ya ラーメンや ラーメン屋 ramen shop

raamen-ya-san ラーメンやさん ラーメン屋さん ramen shop (polite)
ohashi おはし お箸 chopsticks
＋gohan ごはん ご飯 cooked rice, a meal
＋hirugohan ひるごはん 昼ご飯 lunch
＋asa あさ 朝 morning
＋asagohan あさごはん 朝ご飯 breakfast
＋ban ばん 晩 evening
＋bangohan ばんごはん 晩ご飯 dinner
＋washoku わしょく 和食 Japanese food
＋youshoku ようしょく 洋食 Western food
＋chuuka ちゅうか 中華 Chinese food
＋furenchi ふれんち フレンチ French food
＋itarian いたりあん イタリアン Italian
＋kirai (na) きらい（な） dislike, hate
＋daisuki(na) だいすき（な） 大好き like very much
＋daikirai(na) だいきらい（な） dislike very much, detest
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Additional Lunch Items

teishou ていしょく 定食 set meal

udon うどん udon
soba そば soba, buckwheat noodles
onigiri おにぎり onigiri
hanbaagaa ハンバーガー hamburger
sarada サラダ salad
sando サンド sandwich

Tableware

supuun すぷうん スプーン poon

fooku ふぉおく フォーク fork
naifu ないふ ナイフ knife

osara おさら お皿 plate, dish

chawan ちゃわん 茶碗 rice bowl, tea cup
owan おわん お椀 small bowl
donburi どんぶり 丼 bowl, bowl of rice with food on top
koppu こっぷ コップ glass
kappu かっぷ カップ cup

Grammar Notes

4-3-1 Double-Subject Structures

A Japanese sentence can have more than one subject phrase. This is called a
double-subject sentence.

Maikeru-san wa [ohashi daijoubu desu.] Michael is fine with chopsticks.

In the sentence above, ohashi is the subject of the bracketed sentence, and Maikeru-san is
the subject of the entire sentence. In other words, the bracketed sentence ‘chopsticks are
fine’ is an attribute of or a description about Michael. Similarly, in the examples below,
the bracketed sentences are facts about the preceding nouns.

Furansu wa [keeki ga oisii desu] . France has good cake.

Honda-san wa [eigo wa jouzu desu] kedo… Honda-san is good at English, but….
Dare ga [eigo ga dekimasu] ka. Who can speak English?
Watashi mo [sushi ga suki desu] kedo. I like sushi, too.
 12

As shown above, both of the subject nouns (inside and outside of the brackets)
can take the particles ga, wa, mo, or no particle. Depending on which particle is used,
there is a shift in meaning (ga=new information, wa=contrast, mo=addition, or no
particle= neutral).

Special note should be taken of nouns such as suki ‘like’, and kirai ‘dislike’, and
the verbs such as wakarimasu ‘understand’, dekimasu ‘can do’, arimasu ‘have’, and
irimasu ‘need.’ These all indicate a state rather than an action in Japanese. Therefore,
unlike their English translations, they do not take an object. What you like, what you
understand, etc., can be marked by the particles ga, wa, or mo, or no particle, but not by
the particle o.

Honda-san wa sushi ga suki desu. Ms. Honda likes sushi.

Watashi wa terebi wa irimasen. I don't need a TV.
Kono daigaku wa arabiago no jyugyou mo arimasu.
This university has an Arabic class, too.

By the way, there is no such thing as a double-object structure in Japanese. Whew!

4-3-2 Verb Stem + tai ‘ want to do x’

Tabetai desu means ‘ I want to eat’. To make the tai form of a verb, replace
~masu with ~tai desu.

Tabemasu Tabetai desu I want to eat it.

Mimasu  Mitai desu I want to see it.

A ~tai form is an adjective. All of its forms follow the adjective patterns.

Affirmative Negative
Non-past tabetai desu Tabetaku nai desu
Tabetaku arimasen
Past tabetakatta desu Tabetaku nakatta desu
Tabetaku arimasen deshita

X-tai desu is typically used to express the speaker’s desire (‘I want to …’) and to
ask the addressee’s desire (‘Do you want to…?’) but not a third person’s desire ( ‘He
wants to ….’) Describing other people’s wants will be discussed later.
 13

With the ~tai form, the object of the verb can be marked either by the particle ga
or o (ga/o conversion). Both of the following sentences are possible and mean ‘I want to
study Japanese.’1

Nihongo o benkyou-shitai desu. What I want to do is to study Japanese.

Nihongo ga benkyou-shitai desu. What I want to study is Japanese.

Unlike the English forms such as ‘do you want to’ or ‘would you like to’, which
can be used to invite someone to do something, the ~tai forms are not generally used as
invitations or suggestions in Japanese. For invitations and suggestions, negative questions
are more commonly used.

Tabemasen ka? Would you like to eat it? (Invitation)

Tabetai desu ka? Do you want to eat it? (Question)

The verbs that do not occur in the ~mashou form also do not occur in the ~tai
form. These include wakarimasu, irimasu, arimasu and dekimasu.

Drills and Exercises

A. Cue: Kaimasu. I’m going to buy it.

か
買います。
Response: Nani o kaimasu ka. What are you going to buy?
なに か
何を買いますか。
Cue: Irimasu. I’m going to need it.
いります。
Response: Nani ga irimasu ka. What are you going to need?
なに
何がいりますか。

B. Cue: Udon, yoku tabemasu nee. You eat udon a lot, don’t you!
た
うどん、よく食べますねえ。
Response: Ee, watashi wa udon ga suki desu kara. Yes, because I like udon.
わたし す
ええ、 私 はうどんが好きですから。
Cue: Geimu, yoku shimasu nee. You play a lot of games, don’t you!
ゲーム、よくしますねえ。
Response:
Ee, watashi wa geimu ga suki desu kara. Yes, because I like games.

1 This o/ga conversion occurs commonly with ~tai form. Precisely speaking, there is a difference between
the two. The particle を connects the noun sumo to the verb mi (masu), while the particle が connects
the noun to the adjective mitai. So, the first sentence would answer the question of what you want to do
while the second would answer the question of what you want to see.
 14

わたし す
ええ、 私 はゲームが好きですから。

C. Cue: Zenbu mitai desu ka. Do you want to see all?

ぜんぶ み
全部、見たいですか.
Response: Ie, kore wa mitai desu kedo, No, I want to see this,
are wa mitaku nai desu. but I don’t want to see that.
み み
いえ、これは見たいですけど、あれは見たくないです．
Cue: Zenbu yomitai desu ka? Do you want to read all?
ぜんぶ よ
全部, 読みたいですか．
Response: Ie, kore wa yomitai desu kedo, No, I want to read this,
are wa yomitaku nai desu. but I don’t want to see that.
よ よ
いえ、これは読みたいですけど、あれは読みたくないです。

D. Say it in Japanese.

You’ve been asked if you like Japanese food.

1. Yes, I like it. My favorite is ramen.

2. Well, I do not hate it, but my favorite is Chinese.
3. Of course I love it. I want to eat it everyday.

You’ve been asked why you go to a particular restaurant so often.

4. Because their ramen is famous.

5. Because they have Wi-Fi.
6. Because I want to each good western-style food.

A co-worker has asked you what you want to do this weekend.

7. I’d like to play the new game.

8. I’d like to do shopping.
9. I’d like to study because there will be an exam.
10. I’d like to clean my apartment. I’d like to do laundry, too.

E. Act these roles in Japanese with a partner.

1. At a restaurant, you’ve been asked if you need a fork. State that you don’t; you
prefer chopsticks.
2. You’ve been asked if you cook a lot. You make breakfast, but buy bento, a
sandwich, etc. for lunch. For dinner, you eat out a lot.
3. Ask a taxi driver if there is a good ramen shop.
4. Ms. Honda invited you to her favorite restaurant. Find out what (dish) is good at
the restaurant.
 15

5. Ask each other about your favorite fruit, book, sports, and class.

Dialogue 4
Co-workers go out for a drink after a long day.

Waitress：Go-chuumon wa? May I take your order?

ちゅうもん
ご 注 文 は？
Tanaka：Toriaezu, biiru, san-bon kudasai. For starters, three beers, please
さんぼん
とりあえず、ビール、三本ください。
Michael：Sore kara sashimi o futa-tsu to And two orders of sashimi and
yakitori o hito-tsu onegai-shimasu. one order of yakitorti, please.
ふた や とりひと ねが
それから、さしみを二つと焼き鳥一つ、お願いします。

Beer has been poured for everyone.

Tanaka: Kyou wa otsukare-sama deshita. Thanks for all your hard work today.
きょう つか
今日はお疲れさまでした。
Ja, kanpai! Well, cheers!
かんぱい
じゃ、乾杯！
Everyone：Kanpai! Cheers!
かんぱい
乾杯！

Vocabulary

chuumon ちゅうもん 注文 order (at a restaurant)

gochuumon ごちゅうもん ご注文 order (at a restaurant) (polite)
toriaezu とりあえず first off, for the moment
biiru びいる ビール beer
san-bon さんぼん 三本 three bottles, See 4-1-1
sorekara それから and, then
sashimi さしみ sashimi
futa-tsu ふたつ 二つ three items See 4-1-1
yokitori やきとり 焼き鳥 skewered BBQ chicken
hito-tsu ひとつ 一つ one item See 4-1-1
kanpai かんぱい 乾杯 cheers, a toast
＋chuumon-shimasu ちゅうもんします 注文します place an order
＋ryouri りょうり 料理 cuisine, cooking
＋menyuu めにゅう メニュー menu
＋sushi すし 寿司 sushi
＋tempura てんぷら 天ぷら tempura
 16

＋tabemono たべもの 食べ物 food

＋nomimono のみもの 飲み物 drink(s)
＋nama なま 生 draft beer, raw
＋wain わいん ワイン wine
＋sake さけ 酒 sake
＋uuron-cha ううろんちゃ ウーロン茶 oolong tea
＋niku にく 肉 meat
＋sakana さかな 魚 fish
＋yasai やさい 野菜 vegetables

Additional Food and Condiments

misoshiru みそしる みそ汁 miso soup

tamago たまご 卵、玉子 egg
nori のり seaweed
ebi えび shrimp
sake さけ 鮭 salmon
gyuuniku ぎゅうにく 牛肉 beef
butaniku ぶたにく 豚肉 pork
toriniku とりにく 鶏肉 chicken
suteeki すていき ステーキ steak
karee かれい カレー curry
yakiniku やきにく 焼き肉 yakiniku (Korean BBQ beef)
yakisoba やきそば 焼きそば yakisoba (Stir-fried noodles)

shouyu しょうゆ 醤油 soy sauce

miso みそ 味噌 miso
shio しお 塩 salt
koshou こしょう 胡椒 pepper
satou さとう 砂糖 sugar

Grammar Notes

4-4-1 More Classifiers: ~hon、~tsu

In Lesson 3, it was explained that when counting things in Japanese, numbers are
combined with specific classifiers that are conventionally used for the nouns being
counted. We add two classifiers, ~hon、~tsu, in this lesson.

The classifier ~hon is used to count long cylindrical objects such as bottles, pens,
umbrellas, bananas, etc. The classifier ~tsu is the most generic classifier, which can be
used for both tangible and intangible items such as opinions, meetings, etc. It is also used
 17

for items that do not have a special classifier. So, it may be a safe choice when you are
not sure what classifier to use.

There are two numerical systems in Japanese: one of Chinese origin, which was
introduced in Lesson 3, and another system of Japanese origin. The latter only goes up to
the number ten.

1 hito, 2 futa, 3 mi, 4 yo, 5 itsu, 6 mu, 7 nana, 8 ya, 9 kokono, 10 tou

The classifier ~hon is combined with Chinese numerals. Note that alternatives for ~hon
are ~pon (for 1, 6, 8, 10) and ~bon (for 3 and how many). The classifier ~tsu is combined
with Japanese numerals and for quantities over ten Chinese numerals without a classifier
are used: juu-iti, juu-ni, juu-san, etc.

~tsu ~hon/pon/bon
1 hito-tsu 一つ ip-pon 一本
2 futa-tsu 二つ ni-hon 二本
3 mit-tsu 三つ san-bon 三本
4 yot-tsu 四つ yon-hon 四本
5 itsu-tsu 五つ go-hon 五本
6 mut-tsu 六つ rop-pon 六本
7 nana-tsu 七つ nana-hon 七本
8 yat-tsu 八つ hap-pon 八本
9 kokono-tsu 九つ kyuu-hon 九本
10 tou 十 jup-pon or jip-pon 十本
11 juuichi 十一 juuip-pon 十一本
? ikutsu/oikutsu いくつ nan-bon 何本

4-4-2 Quantity Expressions

There are two kinds of quantity expressions in Japanese. One is comprised of a

number and classifier (san-bon, hito-tsu, etc.) and the other is a general quantity
expression (chotto, suskoshi, takusan, zenbu, minna, etc.) Within a sentence they both
usually occur right before the verb, adjective, or noun +desu. Unlike English, the noun
usually comes before the amount in Japanese.

Biiru, san-bon kudasai. Three (bottles of) beers, please.

Sashimi wa hito-tsu 1000-en desu. One sashimi is ¥ 1000.
Mizu o sukoshi nomitai desu. I want to drink a little bit of water.

As shown in the examples above, a quantity expression is typically marked by the lack of
a particle. It is not followed by the particle ga or o. However, it can be followed by the
particle wa or mo. When wa follows a quantity expression, it means ‘at least’ and when
mo follows it, it implies that the number is big (that much!)
 18

Mainichi, shukudai ga hito-tsu wa arimasu.

I have at least one HW assignment everyday.
Obentou o futatsu mo tabemashita. I ate all two bentos.

How are multiple items and numbers listed up in Japanese? Suppose we want to say
‘Three apples and four oranges, please.’ Combine the following two sentences into one.

Ringo o mit-tsu kudasai. Three apples, please.

Mikan o yot-tsu kudasai. Four oranges, please.
[Ringo o mit-tsu] to [mikan o yot-tsu] kudasai.
Three apples and four oranges, please.

There is no limit on how many things can be listed, but it is rare to list more than three
items.
Onigiri ga mit-tsu to sando ga itsu-tsu, sorekara mizu ga ni-hon arimasu.
There are three onigiri, five sandwiches, and two bottles of water.

Drills and Exercises

A. Listen to the audio. Following the first two model exchanges, respond to each cue.

Cue: Go-hon desu ne. Five, right? Response: Ie, rop-pon desu. No, six.
ごほん ろっほん
五本ですね。 いえ、六本です。
Cue: Mit-tsu desu ne. Three, right? Response: Ie, yot-tsu desu. No, four.
みっ よっ
三つですね。 いえ、四つです。

B. Cue: Sashimi to biiru desu ka. Sashimi and beer?

さしみとビールですか。
Response: Hai, sashimi o futa-tsu to Yes, two sashimi and
biiru o sdan-bon kudasai. three beers, please.
ふた さんぼん
はい、さしみを二つとビールを三本、ください。
Cue: Ringo to mikan desu ka. Apples and oranges?
リンゴとみかんですか。
Response: Hai, ringo o futa-tsu to Yes, two apples and
Mikan o mit-tsu kudasai. three oranges, please.
ふた みっ
はい、リンゴを二つと、みかんを三つください。

C. Say it in Japanese.

At a restaurant, order the following:

1. two draft beers to start

 19

2. three beers and one oolong tea

3. two black teas and one strawberry cake
4. three sashimi, five sake, and two orange juices
5. two orders of Today’s Fish and one vegetable tempura. No beverages． Just tea.

D. Act these roles in Japanese with a partner.

1. Ask Ms. Honda what her favorite food is.

2. At a restaurant, get the attention of the waiter and ask for a) a menu, b) more water.
3. You’ve been asked to get the following items. Find out how many are needed: chairs;
pencils; bottled water; bento; umbrella; bananas; apples.
4. The project is over. You want to propose a toast. Make sure that everyone has a drink,
acknowledge everyone’s hard work, and then propose a toast.
5. Discuss what people usually have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in Japan and in your
home country. Drinks?

Review

Grammar Review

A. What is the difference in meaning among the following? (4-1-1, 4-3-2)

1. Yasumimasen ka.
2. Yasumimashou.
3. Yasumimashou ka
4. Yasumitai desu ka.
C. What is the difference in meaning between the following? (4-1-3)
1. Yasai desu kedo tabemasen.
2. Yasai desu kara tabemasen.
D. Give two examples of classifiers and one example of things that each classifier is
used to count. (4-4-1)
E. What is the difference in meaning between the following sentences? (4-1-2, 4-2-1)
1. Honda-san o mimashita.
2. Honda -san ga mimashita.
F. What is the difference in meaning among the following sentences? (4-1-2)
1. Wain nomimasu ka.
2. Wain wa nomimasu ka.
3. Wain mo nomimasu ka.
4. Wain o nomimasu ka.
G. What are the two types of quantity expressions in Japanese? Where do they typically
occur in a sentence? (4-4-2)
H. What is a double-subject sentence? Give an example. (4-3-1)
I. How is a ~tai form made? What does it mean? (4-3-2)
J. What is the negative form of tabetai desu? The Past form? The Past negative form?
(4-3-2)
K. The typical word order in a Japanese sentence is as follows: (4-1-2, 4-2-1, 4-4-2)
 20

Time – Subject – Object – Quantity – Verb

The chart below summarizes what particle to choose for different parts (columns)
with the different discourse functions (rows). On the basis of the chart, pay close
attention to the particles and handle the following situations.

Time Subject Object Quantity

Kinou watashi keeki hiyo-tsu
Neutral no particle no particle no particle no particle
Contrast wa wa wa wa tabemashita.
Addition mo mo mo mo
Focused/New no particle ga o no particle

1. Find out if a co-worker eats sushi.

2. You know he ordered sushi yesterday. Find out if he will have more today.
3. At the restaurant, you’ve been asked what you are going to eat. You’d like a little
sushi.
4. Ask Ms. Honda what she will eat.
5. The waiter brought you sushi. You didn’t order it. You ordered Sashimi.
6. Everyone in your group is drinking sake. You don't like sake and would rather
have beer. What offered sake, what would you do?
7. You usually do not drink beer, but today is a special day. You will have some.
8. You’ve been asked if you eat Japanese food often. Well, you do sometimes, but
not very often.

Practical Applications

A. Check menus from different kinds of restaurants, discuss what you will have and
how many, and then order them.
B. Your group is organizing an event. At an organizational meeting, choose volunteers
for each task below. Confirm who is in charge of each task and who can help.

1. make posters
2. make copies of posters
3. clean the room #101
4. order bento
5. buy beverages, snacks, etc.
6. buy cups, plates, and tableware
 21

Drill Tape Scripts

Dialogue 1
A. Cue: 手伝いますか。 Response: もちろんです。いつ手伝いましょうか。
Cue: しますか。 Response: もちろんです。いつしましょうか。
1. 行きますか。 4. 話しますか。
2. 会いますか。 5. 電話しますか。
3. 紹介しますか。
B. Cue: アプリ、使いますか。 Response: はい、このアプリを使います。
Cue: テレビ、買いますか。 Response: はい、このテレビを買います。
1. アパート、見ますか。 4. 仕事、手伝いますか。
2. バイト、しますか。 5. ファイル、コピーしますか。
3. まんが、読みますか。
C. Cue: あれ、高いですか。 Response: はい、高いですから、買いません。
Cue: あれ、使いませんか。 Response: はい、使いませんから、買いません。
1. あれ、不便ですか。 4. あれ、古いですか。
2. あれ、難しいですか。 5. あれ、できません。
3. あれ、ありますか。

Dialogue 2
A. Cue: ちょっと、休みませんか。 Response: そうですね。皆さん、ちょっと休みましょう。
Cue: 昼ご飯を帰りませんか。 Response: そうですね。皆さん、帰りましょう。
1. エクセルを使いませんか。 4. あした、出かけませんか。
2. 本田さんを手伝いませんか。 5. 教科書を読みませんか。
3. もっと、練習しませんか。
B. Cue: コーヒーや紅茶、飲みますか。Response: いや、コーヒーも紅茶も飲みません。
Cue: ケーキやクッキー、作りますか。Response: いや、ケーキもクーキーもつくりません。
1. パンやおにぎり、買いますか。 4. ジュースや牛乳、ありますか。
2. お茶や水、いりますか。 5. りんごやみかん、食べますか。
3. お菓子やパン、作りますか。
C. Cue: ケーキですか。 Response: はい、ケーキを買います。
Cue: 本田さんですか。 Response: はい、本田さんが買います。
1. 新しいスマホですか。 4. 先生の本ですか。
2. あの傘ですか。 5. 女の人ですか。
3. 大学のともだちですか。

Dialogue 3
A. Cue: 買います。 Response: 何を買いますか。
Cue: いります。 Response: 何がいりますか。
1. 見ます。 4. 書きます。
2. きらいです。 5. おいしいです.
3. わかりません。
B. Cue: うどん、よく食べますねえ。 Response: ええ、私はうどんが好きですから。
Cue: ゲーム、よくしますねえ。 Response: ええ、私はゲームが好きですから。
1. 日本語、よく勉強しますねえ。 4. 日本のアニメ、よく見ますねえ。
2. ワイン、よく飲みますねえ。 5. あのアプリ、よく使いますねえ。
3. リンゴやみかん、よく買いますねえ。
C. Cue: 全部、見たいですか. Response: いえ、これは見たいですけど、あれは見たくないです．
Cue: 全部読みたいですか Response: いえ、これは読みたいですけど、あれは読みたくないです。
1. 全部、使いたいですか． 3. 全部、聞きたいですか。
2. 全部、勉強したいですか． 4. 全部、手伝いますか。
 22

5. 全部、買いますか。

Dialogue 4
A. Cue: 五本ですね。 Response: いえ、六本です。
Cue: 三つですね。 Response: いえ、四つです。
1. 七本ですね。 4. 八つですね。
2. 六つですね。 5. 十です。
3. 十二本ですね。
B. Cue: さしみとてんぷらですか。Response: はい、刺身を二つと天ぷらを三つ、ください。
Cue: リンゴとみかんですか。 Response: はい、リンゴを二つと、みかんを三つください。
1. お弁当とサンドですか。 4. コーヒーとジュースですか。
2. パンとおにぎりですか。 5. リンゴのケーキと、イチゴのケーキ
3. 水とウーロン茶ですか。 ですか。