phrasing.
| Kōhii o / kudasai. | コーヒーを/ ください。 | Please give me a cup of coffee. |
| Sukiyaki ga /tabetai desu. | すきやきが/ たべたいです。 | I want to eat sukiyaki. |
| Nara e / ikitai desu. | ならへ/いきたいです。 | I want to go to Nara. |
If you get used to this phrasing, you can perceive each of the three sentence above as comprising two units rather than three—which makes your learning much easier. (Think how easy it is to learn telephone numbers when you think of them not as seven separate digits but as two units—three digits plus four digits, as in 555-3561.)
This phrasing rule is one of the most important in Japanese. In the numbered sentence-pattern models you will be studying, the phrasing is clearly marked with a slash. You need not always pause while speaking, but if you do, make sure that the pause comes where it is marked in the sentence patterns in this book. Your Japanese will sound much more natural to Japanese ears.
Chapter 1
(Lessons 1 – 4)
| Sentence Patterns Covered in Chapter 1 | ||
| Sentence Pattern 1 | NOUN + o / kudasai. | 〜を ください。 |
| Sentence Pattern 1A | NOUN + to + NOUN + o / kudasai. | 〜と 〜を ください。 |
| NOUN + to + NOUN + to + NOUN + o / kudasai. | 〜と 〜と 〜を ください。 | |
| Sentence Pattern 1B | Kore o / kudasai. | これを ください。 |
| Sore o / kudasai. | それを ください。 | |
| Are o / kudasai. | あれを ください。 | |
| Kono + NOUN + o / kudasai. | この〜を ください。 | |
| Sono + NOUN + o / kudasai. | その〜を ください。 | |
| Ano + NOUN + o / kudasai. | あの〜を ください。 |
Many words borrowed from other languages (mostly English) are used frequently in Japanese. Several of these will be introduced in this chapter to give you an immediate working vocabulary that you can easily retain and use with confidence in many situations. These borrowed words will also give you practice in Japanese pronunciation.
It is absolutely essential to practice these Japanese borrowed words with the correct Japanese pronunciation. As Jack Seward1 points out, the average citizen of Japan, upon hearing a Westerner (who is usually presumed to be an American) having difficulty speaking Japanese, often attempts to give that foreigner a helping hand by injecting as many borrowed words as he can into his own speech. The result is generally disastrous.
This kindness would be beneficial if the borrowed words were used and pronounced in Japanese as they are used and pronounced in the language from which they were borrowed. Unfortunately, they seldom are, and the Westerner is more confused than ever. Let’s look at some situations in which these borrowed words are frequently used.
Dialogue
Waitress : 何にしましょうか？
田中 : コーヒーをください。
山田 : アップルジュースとパンをください。
田中 : 私もパンをください。
山田 : それは何ですか？
Waitress : これはブルベリチーズケーキです。
山田 : それをください。
田中 : あの赤いケーキは何ですか？
Waitress : あれはラズベリーチーズケーキです。
田中 : じゃあ、あのケーキをください。
| Waitress | : | Nani ni shimashō ka? | What shall I bring you? |
| Tanaka | : | Kōhii o kudasai. | Please bring me coffee. |
| Yamada | : | Appuru jūsu to pan o kudasai. | Please bring me apple juice and bread. |
| Tanaka | : | Watashi mo pan o kudasai. | Please bring bread to me too. |
| Yamada | : | Sore wa nan desuka? | What is that (close to you)? |
| Waitress | : | Kore wa buruberii chiizukēki desu. | This (close to me) is blueberry cheesecake. |
| Yamada | : | Sore o kudasai. | Please give me that (close to you). |
| Tanaka | : | Ano akai kēki wa nan desuka? | What is that red cake (over there)? |
| Waitress | : | Are wa razuberii chiizukēki desu. | That (over there) is raspberry cheesecake. |
| Tanaka | : | Jā, ano kēki o kudasai. | Well, then, please bring me that cake (over there). |
Dialogue vocabulary
| akai | 赤い | red |
| ano/are | あの/あれ | that (over there) |
| appuru jūsu | アップルジュース | apple juice |
| buruberi chiizukēki | ブルベリチーズ ケーキ | blueberry cheesecake |
| desu | です | is/are |
| jā | じゃあ | Well, then … |
| kēki | ケーキ | cake |
| kōhii | コーヒー | coffee |
| kono/kore | この/これ | this (by me) |
| mo | も | too |
| nani/nan | 何 | What? |
| pan (from Portuguese pão) | パン | bread |
| ~ o kudasai. | 〜 を ください。 | Please give/bring me ~. |
| razuberii chiizukēki | ラズベリーチーズケーキ | raspberry cheesecake |
| shimashō ka? | しましょうか | will you have/will you do? |
| sono/sore | その/それ | that (by you) |
| watashi | 私 | I |
Culture and vocabulary notes
Jā is often used at the beginning of sentence in the same way that “well” or “well then” is used in English. Watakushi is a more formal word for “I” or “me” than watashi. The particle mo adds the meaning too or also.
