imasu ka.
Where are you employed?
3.14. Verbal nouns (…する …suru)
There are some nouns, like shutchō ‘a business trip,’ shōkai ‘introduction,’ and benkyō ‘study,’ that can be followed directly by a form of the verb suru/shimasu ‘does.’ These constitute a class of nouns we call “verbal nouns.” (They are also called suru-verbs more commonly.) Sometimes the particle o is inserted with expressions of this type, especially if the noun has something modifying it:
先月大阪に出張しました。
Sengetsu Ōsaka ni shutchō shimashita.
Last month I went to Osaka for a business trip.
友達に紹介しましょう。
Tomodachi ni shōkai shimashō.
Let me introduce you to a friend.
日本語を勉強しました。
Nihongo o benkyō shimashita.
I studied Japanese.
その勉強をしました。
Sono benkyō o shimashita.
I did that study.
The following are additional examples of verbal nouns followed by suru:
| 料理 ryōri cooking | 料理する ryōri suru cooks |
| 掃除 sōji (room) cleaning | 掃除する sōji suru cleans |
| 洗濯 sentaku laundry | 洗濯する sentaku suru does laundry |
| 予約 yoyaku reservation | 予約する yoyaku suru reserves |
| 契約 keiyaku contract | 契約する keiyaku suru signs a contract |
| 研究 kenkyū research | 研究する kenkyū suru conducts research |
| 卒業 sotsugyō graduation | 卒業する sotsugyō suru graduates |
| 準備 junbi preparation | 準備する junbi suru prepares |
| 旅行 ryokō trip | 旅行する ryokō suru travels |
| 結婚 kekkon marriage | 結婚する kekkon suru marries |
| 失礼 shitsurei rudeness | 失礼する shitsurei suru is excused |
| メール mēru email, text | メールする mēru suru emails, texts |
| ツイート tsuīto tweet | ツイートする tsuīto suru tweets |
| チャット chatto chat | チャットする chatto suru chats |
| ログイン rogu in log on | ログインする rogu in suru logs on |
| ログアウト rogu auto log out | ログアウトする rogu auto suru logs out |
3.15. Going in vehicles
To say ‘I went by train,’ you can say either of the following sentences:
電車で行きました。
Densha de ikimashita.
I went there by train.
電車に乗って行きました。
Densha ni notte ikimashita.
I went riding on a train.
The verb norimasu ‘gets on board, rides,’ like the verbs imasu, arimasu, and sunde imasu, takes the particle ni, here implying a change of position. Doko de fune ni norimashita ka ‘Where did you board the ship?’ Notice the difference between Mainichi densha ni norimasu ‘He rides the train every day,’ and Mainichi densha ni notte ikimasu ‘He goes (there) on the train every day.’ To get off (or out of) a vehicle, you use the verb orimasu (orite): Kuruma o orimashita ‘I got out of the car.’ (Basu o) doko de orimashō ka ‘Where shall we get off (the bus)?’ Orimasu! ‘Coming out! Getting off!’
3.16 ‘As soon as’
A common way to say ‘as soon as’ is to use the gerund followed by kara ‘after …ing,’ and then begin the next clause with sugu ‘right away, immediately.’ Go-han o tabete kara sugu sanpo ni ikimashita ‘I went for a walk as soon as (right after) I ate dinner.’ Sometimes the gerund is followed directly by the next clause without the particle kara. Heya ni haitte sugu sensei ni hanashimashita ‘As soon as I entered the room, I spoke to the teacher.’
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Conversation
Takeshi (T) and Shizuka (S) are talking.
T: 昨日は仕事をしましたか。
Kinō wa shigoto o shimashita ka.
Did you work yesterday?
S: いいえ, 休みでした。
Īe, yasumi deshita.
No, I didn’t have to work.
T: ああ，そうですか。
Ā, sō desu ka.
Oh, really.
S: ええ。仕事は月曜日から木曜日までなんです。
Ē. Shigoto wa Getsuyōbi kara Mokuyōbi made na n desu.
Right. My job is from Monday to Thursday.
T: ああ，いいですね。じゃあ，家にいたんですか。
Ā, ii desu ne. Jā, ie ni ita n desu ka.
That’s nice! Then, were you at home?
S:
