Japanese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 12 of 12
Your first conversation
初めての会話Hajimete no kaiwa
A longer conversation on the shinkansen that brings A1 together: particles, question words, the ます form, and talking about work, home and travel.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Hold a short conversation with a stranger
- Talk about your job, where you're from and where you live
- Ask questions with the main question words
- Use the particles は, が, を, に, で, と, も and の with confidence
Listen
On the shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto, Sophie Martin, an engineer from Leeds on a business trip, chats with an older woman, Yoshida Kazuko. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Sophie
すみません、ここは空いていますか？
Sumimasen, koko wa aite imasu ka?
Excuse me, is this seat free?
Yoshida
はい、どうぞ。ご旅行ですか？
Hai, dōzo. Goryokō desu ka?
Yes, go ahead. Are you on holiday?
Sophie
いいえ、出張です。京都は初めてです。
Iie, shutchō desu. Kyōto wa hajimete desu.
No, I'm on a business trip. It's my first time in Kyoto.
Yoshida
そうですか。お仕事は？
Sō desu ka. Oshigoto wa?
I see. What do you do?
Sophie
エンジニアです。イギリスのリーズから来ました。どちらに住んでいますか？
Enjinia desu. Igirisu no Rīzu kara kimashita. Dochira ni sunde imasu ka?
I'm an engineer. I'm from Leeds, in England. Where do you live?
Yoshida
京都に住んでいます。出身は大阪です。
Kyōto ni sunde imasu. Shusshin wa Ōsaka desu.
I live in Kyoto. I'm originally from Osaka.
Sophie
土曜日に観光をします。どんなお寺がいいですか？
Doyōbi ni kankō o shimasu. Donna otera ga ii desu ka?
I'm going sightseeing on Saturday. What temples would you recommend?
Yoshida
清水寺はどうですか？とてもきれいです。近くのお店も楽しいです。
Kiyomizudera wa dō desu ka? Totemo kirei desu. Chikaku no omise mo tanoshii desu.
How about Kiyomizu-dera? It's very beautiful. The shops nearby are fun too.
Sophie
清水寺ですね。ありがとうございます。
Kiyomizudera desu ne. Arigatō gozaimasu.
Kiyomizu-dera. Thank you very much.
Yoshida
京都駅ですね。では、気をつけて。
Kyōto eki desu ne. De wa, ki o tsukete.
Here's Kyoto station. Well, take care.
Understand
The particles you know
Particles are the small words that come after a word and show its job in the sentence. Because they do the work, the order of the other words can change a little, but the verb or (desu) always comes last. Here are all the particles from A1 in one place.
| Particle | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| は (wa) | the topic, something already known; contrast | (shusshin wa Ōsaka desu), I'm from Osaka |
| (ga) | something new; what exists, is liked or can be done; “but” | (otera ga suki desu), I like temples |
| (o) | the object | (kankō o shimasu), I go sightseeing |
| (ni) | a time; where something is; where you go | (Kyōto ni sunde imasu), I live in Kyoto |
| へ (e) | where you go (like (ni)) | (otera e ikimasu), I go to a temple |
| (de) | where you do something; by what means | (shinkansen de ikimasu), I go by shinkansen |
| (to) | and (a complete list of nouns); with | (Okada-san to issho ni), with Ms Okada |
| (ya) | and (some examples from a longer list) | (otera ya omise), temples, shops and so on |
| (mo) | too, also | (omise mo tanoshii desu), the shops are fun too |
| (no) | whose; joins two nouns | (Igirisu no Rīzu), Leeds in England |
| (kara), (made) | from, until | (kuji kara goji made), from nine to five |
| (ka) | makes a question | (Kyōto wa hajimete desu ka?), is it your first time in Kyoto? |
Question words
As in chapter 4, a question word goes where the answer would go, and the sentence ends in (ka), just like a yes-or-no question: (Kyōto ni sunde imasu) becomes (doko ni sunde imasu ka?), where do you live? (dochira) is a more polite (doko), good with people you've just met.
| Question word | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (nan, nani), what | (shumi wa nan desu ka?) | What are your hobbies? |
| (dare), who | (kore wa dare desu ka?) | Who's this? |
| (doko), (dochira), where | (dochira ni sunde imasu ka?) | Where do you live? |
| (itsu), when | (itsu Kyōto ni ikimasu ka?) | When are you going to Kyoto? |
| (ikura), how much | (kore wa ikura desu ka?) | How much is this? |
| (nanji), what time | (nanji ni kaerimasu ka?) | What time are you going home? |
| (dō), how | (doyōbi wa dō desu ka?) | How about Saturday? |
| (donna), what kind of | (donna otera ga ii desu ka?) | What temples would you recommend? |
| (dōshite), why | (dōshite desu ka?) | Why is that? |
Leaving things out, and ～に住んでいます
Japanese leaves out whatever is clear. (oshigoto wa?), literally “your job?”, is a complete, polite question: the topic + は (wa) with a rising voice. You've used the same trick with (Ishida-san wa?), and you? The (o) and (go) in (oshigoto) and (goryokō) are polite prefixes for the other person's things.
To say where you live, use the place + (ni) + (sunde imasu): (Rīzu ni sunde imasu), I live in Leeds. Learn it as a fixed phrase; the form behind it comes in A2. Where you grew up is your (shusshin): (shusshin wa Rīzu desu), I'm from Leeds.
- お仕事は？Oshigoto wa?What do you do?
- ご出身はどちらですか？Goshusshin wa dochira desu ka?Where are you from?
- 東京に住んでいます。Tōkyō ni sunde imasu.I live in Tokyo.
More in the grammar: Questions and か
New words
- 旅行ryokōtrip, holiday, travel · りょこう; about someone else's trip: (goryokō)
- 出張shutchōbusiness trip · しゅっちょう
- 初めてhajimetefor the first time · はじめて; (Kyōto wa hajimete desu), it's my first time in Kyoto
- お仕事は？Oshigoto wa?What do you do? (polite) · おしごとは; your own job is (shigoto).
- エンジニアenjiniaengineer
- どちらdochirawhere (polite); which · A polite (doko)
- ～に住んでいます… ni sunde imasuI live in … · ～にすんでいます; (Kyōto ni sunde imasu)
- 出身shusshinwhere you're from, hometown · しゅっしん; someone else's: (goshusshin)
- 観光kankōsightseeing · かんこう; (kankō o shimasu), to go sightseeing
- どんなdonnawhat kind of · Always before a noun: (donna otera)
- お寺otera(Buddhist) temple · おてら; temple names end in 寺 (-ji or -dera): (Kiyomizudera)
- お店omiseshop · おみせ; (mise) with the polite (o)
- 楽しいtanoshiifun, enjoyable · たのしい
- 気をつけてki o tsuketetake care · きをつけて; said when someone leaves or sets off on a journey
Practise
1.How do you ask politely where someone lives?
2.Put the words in order: say you live in Kyoto.
Tap the words below in the right order.I live in Kyoto.
3.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.Which question word means “what kind of”?
5.Which particle means “by” in “I go to Kyoto by shinkansen”?
6.Put the words in order: say you're going to a temple on Saturday.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'm going to a temple on Saturday.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
すみません、ここは空いていますか？
Sumimasen, koko wa aite imasu ka?
Excuse me, is this seat free?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.