LESSON 8

Submitted by : FROILAN A. BANDULA

1) Adjectives as predicates
Adjectives as predicates are used to say something is so-and-so. They are divided into two groups, い-adjectives and な-adjectives,
according to the inflection. な-adjectives loose their な-ending when used as predicates.
ワットさんは しんせつ です。 Mr.Watt is kind. (Watto-san wa shinsetsu desu.)
ふじさんは たかい です。 Mt. Fuji is high. (Fujisan wa takai desu.)

2) Negative adjectives
The negative form of な-adjectives as predicates is じゃ ありません. (Ja aramasen)
あそこは しずか じゃ ありません。 It's not quiet there. ( Asoko wa shizuka ja aramasen)
To make the negative form of an い- adjective, い at the end of the adjective is altered to くない. (Kunai)
この ほんは おもしろくない。 This book is not interesting. (Kono hon wa omoshirokunai)
3) Questions
Questions using adjective sentences are made in the same way as those using noun or verb sentences.
ペキンは さむい ですか。 Is it cold in Beijing? (Pekin wa samui desu ka.)
4) Adjectives as modifiers
An adjective can be put before a noun to modify it. In this case, な-adjectives do not ommit the な-character.
ワットさんは しんせつな せんせいです。 Mr.Watt is a kind teacher. ( Watto-san wa shinsetsuna sensei
desu.)
ふじさんは たかい やま です。 Mt. Fuji is a high mountain. ( Fujisan wa takai yama desu.)
5) とても/あまり ( todemo/amara)
とても and あまりare adverbs of degree. Both come before the adjectives they are modifying. とても means
"very", あまり means "not very."
ペキンは とても さむい です。Beijing is very cold. (Pekin wa todemo samui desu.)
シャンハイは あまり さむくない です。 Shanghai is not very cold. (shanhai wa amara samukunai desu
ka.)
6) どう ですか
This question is used to ask an impression or an opinion about a thing, place or person, etc., that the listener has
experienced, visited or met.
にほんの せいかつは どう ですか。How is the life in Japan? ( Nihonno seikatsu wa dou desu ka.)
7) Aは どんな B ですか ( wa donna) ( desu ka)
When the speaker wants the listener to describe or explain A, this question pattern is used. B denotes
the category A belongs to.
ならは どんな まち ですか。What kind of town is Nara? ( nara wa donna machi desu ka.)
ふるい まち です。 It's an old town. ( Furui machi desu.)
8) が (ga)
が is a conjunctive particle, meaning "but." It is used to link sentences.
にほんの たべものは おいしい ですが、 たきい です。Japanese food is tasty, but
expensive. ( nihonno tabemono wa oishii desu ga, takai desu.)
9) どれ ( dore)
This interrogative is used to ask the listener to choose or designate one from more than two things
concretely shown or named.
ミラーさんの かさは どれ ですか。 Which is Mr. Miller's umbrella? ( mira-san no kasa wa
dore desu ka.)
あの あおい かさ です。That blue one is. (ano aoi kasa desu.)
LESSON 9
1) Nが あります / わかります ( ga arimasu/ wakarimasu)
Nが すき です / きらい です /じょうず です / へた です ( ga suki desu/ kirai desu/ jouzu
desu/ heta desu)
The object of a transitive verb (a verb that requires one or more objects) is marked with を.
However, objects of the verbs あります and わかります are marked with が. Such adjectives as す
き です / きらい です / じょうず です / へた です require objects, and these are marked
with が too. The verbs and adjectives whose objects are marked with が are those kinds that describe
preference, ability, possession and the like.
わたしは イタリア りょうりが すき です。 I like Italian food. ( Watashiwa itarya ryouriga
suki desu.)
わたしは にほんご が わかります。 I understand Japanese. ( Watashiwa nihongo ga
wakarimasu.)
わたしは くるまが あります。 I have a car. ( Watashiwa kurumaga arimasu.)
2) どんな N ( donna)
Other than the usage you learned in Lesson 8, どんな is also used to ask the listener to name one from
a group which the noun after どんな denotes.
どんな スポーツが すき ですか What sports do you like? ( donna supo-shiga suki desu ka.)
3) よく / だいたい / たくさん / すこし / あまり / ぜんぜん ( yoku/daitai/ takusan/ sukoshi/ Amari/ zenzen.
These adverbs are put before verbs to modify them. The following is a summary of their usage:
• えいごが よく わかります。I understand English very well. ( eigo ga yoku
wakarimasu.)
• えいごが だいたい わかります。I mostly understand English. ( eigo ga daitai
wakarimasu.)
• えいごが すこし わかります。I understand English a little. ( eigo ga sukoshi
wakarimasu.)
• えいごが あまり わかりません。I don't understand English so well. ( eigo ga amare
wakarimasu.)
• おかねが たくさん あります。 I have a lot of money. ( okane ga takusan arimasu.)
• おかねが ぜんぜん ありません。 I don't have any money. ( okane ga zenzen arimasu.)
• Noted: すこし and ぜんぜん can also modify adjectives. ( sukoshi and zenzen)
• ここは すこし さむいです。 It's a little cold here. ( gogo wa sukoshi samui desu.)
• あの えいがは ぜんぜん おもしろくない です。That movie is not interesting at
all.
(ano eiga wa zenzen.)
4 ) S から S (kara)
から connects two sentences together to denote a causal relationship. The first sentence is the reason for second one.
じかんが ありませんから、しんぶんを よみません。( jikan ga arimasen kara, shinbun o yomimasen.)
Because I don't have time, I don't read the newspaper.
Noted: You can also state the outcome first and add the reason after it.
しんぶんを よみません。じかんが ありませんから。( shinbun o yomimasen. Jikan ga arimasen kara.)
I don't read the newspaper. Because I have no time.
5) どうして ( doushide)
The interrogative どうして is used to ask a reason. The answer needs から at the end.
どうして しんぶんを よみませんか。Why don't you read a newspaper? (doushide shinbun o
yomimasen.)
じかんが ありませんから。Because I don't have time. ( jikan ga arimasen kara.)
Noted: The question どうして ですか is also used to ask the reason for what the other person has
said.
LESSON 10
• 1) Nが あります/います ( ga arimasu/ imasu)
• This sentence pattern is used to indicate the existence or presence of things or persons. They are treated as the
subject and marked with the particle が.
• あります is used when what is present is inanimate, e.g. things, plants and places. (arimasu)
• こうえんが あります。 There is a park. ( kouen ga arimasu.)
Noted: When what is present is animate, います is used.
• おそこに ひとが います There is a man over there. ( osoko ni hitoga aimasu.)
• 2) A(place)に Bが あります/います ( ni) ( ga arimasu/ imasu.)
• The place where B is present is indicated by に.
• わたしの へやに つくえが あります。 There is a desk in my room. ( watashi no heyani tsukuega
arimasu.)
• じむしょに ミラーさんが います。 Mr. Miller is in the office. ( jimasho ni mira-san ga aimasu.)
Noted: You can ask what or who is present at/in the place by using this pattern. なに is used for things and だれ is
used for persons.
• ちかに なにが ありますか。What is there in the basement? ( chika ni nani ga arimasu ka.)
• うけつけに だれが いますか。Who is at the reception desk? ( uketsuke ni daraga aimasu.)
4) A(thing/person/place) の B(position)
うえ、した、うしろ、みぎ、ひだり、なか、そと、となり、ちかく are nouns denoting position.
つくえの うえに しゃしんが あります。There is a picture on the desk.
5) AやB
Nouns are connected in coordinate relation by the particle や. While と enumerates all the items, や shows a few
representative items. Sometimes など is put after the last noun to explicitly express that there are also some other
things of the kind.
はこの なかに てがみや しゃしんが あります。There are letters and pictures in the box.
はこの なかに てがみや しゃしんなどが あります。There are letters, pictures and so on in the box.
6) ですか
か has the function to confirm. The speaker picks up a word or words he/she wants to confirm and confirms it
(them) using this pattern.
すみません。ストアは どこですか。 Excuse me, but where is the Store?
ストアですか？あの ビルの なかです。 The Store? It's in that building.
LESSON 11
1) Saying numbers
ひとつ、ふたつ。。。とお ( hidotsu, futatsu)
Noted: These words are used to count things up to ten. Eleven and higher are counted by using the numbers themselves.
2) Counter Suffixes
When counting some sorts of things or expressing the quantity of things, counter suffixes are attached after the numbers.
-にん / -人 number of people except for one and two
ひとり and ふたり are used for one and two. (hidori and futari)
Noted: The number of days takes the counter suffix にち. However, from two to ten, the same words as used for
dates are used.
("One day" is いちにち, "two days" is ふつか, .... , "ten days" is とおか) ( ichinichi, futsuka,…. Tooka)
−しゅうかん / −週間 weeks (-shuukan)
−かげつ / −か月 months ( kazutsu)
−ねん / −年 years (nen)
3) Interrogatives
いくつ ( ikutsu)
いくつ is used to ask how many about things which are counted as ひとつ、ふたつ、....
みかんを いくつ かいましたか。How many mandarin oranges did you buy?
4つ(よっつ) かいました。I bought eight.
なん
なん is used with a counter suffix to ask how many.
この かいしゃに がいこくじんが なんにん いますか。How many foreigners are there in this company?
どのくらい
どのくらい is used to ask the length of time something takes.
どのくらい にほんごを べんきょうしましたか。How long did you study Japanese?
くらい
くらい is added after quantifiers to mean "about."
がっこうに せんせいが 三十くらい(さんじゅうくらい) います。There are about thirty teachers in our
school.
5) Quantifier だけ/ Nだけ ( dake)
だけ means "only." It is added after quantifiers or nouns to express that there is no more or nothing (no one) else.
やすみは にちようびだけ です。I only have Sundays off.
• 1) Past tense of noun sentences and な-adjective sentences

きのうは あめでした。( kinou wa amedeshita.)

It was rainy yesterday.
きのうの しけんは かんたんじゃ ありませんでした。( kinou no shiken wa kantanja arimasen deshita.)
Yesterday's exam was not easy.
• 2) Past tense of い-adjective sentences

きのうは あつかったです。( kinou wa atsukatsuta desu.)

It was hot yesterday.
きのうの パーティーは あまり たのしくなかったです。( kinou no pa-te i-ke amare tanoshikonakatsuta
desu.)
I didn't enjoy yesterday's party very much.
3) AはBより adjective です ( desu)
より is roughly equivalent to "than" in English. When you want to compare some characteristic of one thing
against another, より marks the thing you are comparing against. You can think of it as meaning "compared to".
アジアは アフリカより おおきいです。Asia compared to Africa is big.
Translation: Asia is bigger than Africa.
4) AとBと どちら adjective ですか ( dochira)
···A/Bの ほうが adjective です
The question asks the listener to choose between two items. The interrogative used is always どちら if the comparison is made
between two items.
サッカーと やきゅうと どちらが おもしろいですか。(sashika-to yakyuuto dochira ga omoshiroi desu ka.)
Which is more interesting, baseball or football?
This question pattern is used to ask the listener to choose something that is the most
"adjective." The choice is made from the group or category denoted by N1. The
interrogative used is decided by the kind of category from which the choice is made.
にほんりょうり[のなか]で なにが いちばん おいしいですか。
Among Japanese dishes, what is the most delicious?
てんぷらが いちばん おいしいです。
Tempura is
LESSON 13
1) A が ほしい です。( ga hoshii)
This sentence pattern is used to express the speaker's desire to possess or have an object. It can also be used
to ask what the listener wants.
わたしは ともだちが ほしいです。 I want a friend. ( watashiwa tomodachi ga hoshii desu.)
いま なにが いちばん ほしいですか。What do you want most now? ( ima nani ka ichiban)
くるまが ほしいです。I want a car most.
こどもが ほしいですか。Do you want a child?
いいえ、ほしくないです。No, I don't.
2）ます-form たいです
The form of a verb when it is used with ます is called the ます-form. In the word かいます, かいis the ま
す-form.
2.2) ます-form たいです
This expresses the desire to do something. V-たい is used like an い-adjective.
おきなわへ いきたいです。 I want to go to Okinawa.
こべで なにを かいたいですか。 What do you want to buy in Kobe?
[Note 1] ほしいです or たいです cannot be used to describe the third person's desire.
[Note 2] You can neither use ほしいです nor たいです when you offer something or invite someone to do
something. Expressions such as コーヒーは いかがですか？ or コーヒーを のみませんか？ should be
used.
3)

The purpose for いきます, きます, かえります is expressed using this

pattern. The purpose is marked with the particle に.
こべへ インドりょうりを たべに いきます。I'm going to Kobe to eat
Indian food.
4) どこか/なにか
どこか means anywhere or somewhere. なにか means anything or something. The particles へ and を can be
omitted.
どこか[へ] いきますか。Did you go anywhere?
なにか[を] のみたいです。I want to drink something.
LESSON 14
1) て-form(Imperative)
The verb form which ends with て or で works as imperative. How to make the て-form of a verb depends on
which group the verb belongs to as explained below. This separation into groups will be highly relevant in later
chapters as well.
1.1) Group I verbs
The last sound of the ます-form is that of the い-line. Depending on the last sound of the ます-form, the て-form
of the verbs of this group is made as shown in the table. Note that theて-form of the verb いきます, いって, is an
exception.
1.2) Group II verbs
In most of the verbs of this group, the last sound of the ます-form is that of the え-line, but in some verbs the last
sound of the ます-form is that of the い-line.

1.3) Group III verbs

Group III consist only of きます, します and verbs that are variations of these two.
2) Vて-form います
This sentence pattern indicates that a certain action or motion is in progress.
ミラーさんは いま でんわを かきて います。
Mr. Miller is making a phone call now.
いま あめが ふって いますか。
Is it raining now?
3) Vます-form ましょうか - Shall I...?
This expression is used when the speaker is offering to do something for the listener.
あしたも きましょうか。
Shall I come tomorrow, too?
4) S が S - ..., but...
しつれいですが、おなまえは？
Excuse me, but may I have your name?
すみませんが、しおを とって ください。
Please pass me the salt.
5) NがN
When describing a natural phenomenon, the subject is indicated by が.
あめが ふって います。
It is raining.