Japanese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 9 of 12
Directions and transport
電車の乗り換えDensha no norikae
Find your way by train in Japan: platforms, changing trains, delays, ～てから, and must or don't have to with ～なければなりません and ～なくてもいいです.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Understand where to change trains and get off
- Put actions in order with ～てから (-te kara) and the te-form
- Say what you must and don't have to do
- Understand simple station announcements
Listen
At a JR station in Fukuoka, Murakami Nozomi asks a station attendant how to get to the airport. Then an announcement comes. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Murakami
すみません、福岡空港へ行きたいんですが。
Sumimasen, Fukuoka Kūkō e ikitai n desu ga.
Excuse me, I'd like to get to Fukuoka Airport.
Attendant
博多で地下鉄に乗り換えてください。
Hakata de chikatetsu ni norikaete kudasai.
Change to the subway at Hakata.
Murakami
博多まではどの電車ですか？
Hakata made wa dono densha desu ka?
Which train goes to Hakata?
Attendant
二番線の電車です。快速と各駅停車があります。
Nibansen no densha desu. Kaisoku to kakuekiteisha ga arimasu.
Trains from platform 2. There are rapid trains and local trains.
Murakami
どちらが早いですか？
Dochira ga hayai desu ka?
Which is quicker?
Attendant
快速のほうが早いです。博多で降りてから、地下鉄の福岡空港行きに乗ってください。空港は二つ目の駅です。
Kaisoku no hō ga hayai desu. Hakata de orite kara, chikatetsu no Fukuoka Kūkō yuki ni notte kudasai. Kūkō wa futatsume no eki desu.
The rapid is quicker. After you get off at Hakata, take a subway train bound for Fukuoka Airport. The airport is the second stop.
Murakami
地下鉄の切符も買わなければなりませんか？
Chikatetsu no kippu mo kawanakereba narimasen ka?
Do I have to buy a subway ticket as well?
Attendant
ICカードはありますか？
Aishī kādo wa arimasu ka?
Do you have an IC card?
Murakami
はい、あります。
Hai, arimasu.
Yes, I do.
Attendant
では、切符は買わなくてもいいです。改札でカードをタッチしてください。
De wa, kippu wa kawanakute mo ii desu. Kaisatsu de kādo o tatchi shite kudasai.
Then you don't need to buy a ticket. Just touch your card at the ticket gates.
Announcement
まもなく、二番線に各駅停車が参ります。次の快速は十分遅れております。
Mamonaku, nibansen ni kakuekiteisha ga mairimasu. Tsugi no kaisoku wa juppun okurete orimasu.
The local train will shortly arrive at platform 2. The next rapid train is running ten minutes late.
Murakami
十分？じゃあ、各駅停車に乗ろう。
Juppun? Jā, kakuekiteisha ni norō.
(to herself) Ten minutes? I'll take the local train, then.
Understand
After, and then: ～てから and ～て、～て
Te-form + (kara) means “after doing, then”: (Hakata de orite kara, norikaete kudasai), after you get off at Hakata, change trains. The first action is finished before the second starts.
The te-form on its own also joins actions in the order they happen, like “and”: (Hakata de orite, chikatetsu ni notte, futatsume de orimasu). Only the last verb shows the tense and the politeness.
- 切符を買ってから、改札を通ってください。Kippu o katte kara, kaisatsu o tōtte kudasai.Buy a ticket first, then go through the ticket gates.
- 昨日は七時に起きて、朝ご飯を食べて、会社に行きました。Kinō wa shichiji ni okite, asagohan o tabete, kaisha ni ikimashita.Yesterday I got up at seven, had breakfast and went to work.
Must and don't have to
For “must, have to”, take the ない-form, drop the final -i and add -kereba narimasen: (kawanai) → (kawanakereba narimasen), I have to buy it. It's long, but it's the standard polite form.
For “don't have to”, change -nai to -nakute mo ii desu: (kawanakute mo ii desu), you don't have to buy it. Compare (kawanaide kudasai), please don't buy it, from chapter 3.
| Dictionary form | Must | Don't have to |
|---|---|---|
| (kau), buy | (kawanakereba narimasen) | (kawanakute mo ii desu) |
| (norikaeru), change trains | (norikaenakereba narimasen) | (norikaenakute mo ii desu) |
| (matsu), wait | (matanakereba narimasen) | (matanakute mo ii desu) |
| (suru), do | (shinakereba narimasen) | (shinakute mo ii desu) |
On and off, platforms and stops
You get on to a train with (ni), but you get off from it with (o): (densha ni noru), (densha o oriru). Platforms are -番線 (-bansen): (nibansen), platform 2. -行き (-yuki) means “bound for”: (Fukuoka Kūkō yuki). ～つ目 (-tsume) counts stops: (futatsume no eki), the second stop.
Station announcements use very polite language. You only need to recognise it: (mamonaku… mairimasu), … will arrive shortly; (okurete orimasu), is running late. It's the polite form of (okurete imasu).
More in the grammar: Advice and obligation · The te-form
New words
- 空港kūkōairport · くうこう
- 地下鉄chikatetsusubway, underground · ちかてつ
- 乗り換えるnorikaeruto change (trains) · のりかえる; ru-verb. The noun is (norikae).
- ～番線-bansenplatform … · ばんせん; (nanbansen), which platform?
- 快速kaisokurapid train · かいそく; stops only at bigger stations
- 各駅停車kakuekiteishalocal train · かくえきていしゃ; stops at every station
- 降りるoriruto get off · おりる; ru-verb; (densha o oriru)
- ～行き-yukibound for … · ゆき; also read いき (iki)
- 乗るnoruto get on, to ride · のる; u-verb; (densha ni noru)
- ～つ目-tsumethe …th (stop) · め; (hitotsume), (futatsume), (mittsume)
- 切符kipputicket · きっぷ
- まもなくmamonakushortly, in a moment · used in announcements
- 次tsuginext · つぎ; (tsugi no densha), the next train
- 遅れるokureruto be late, to be delayed · おくれる; ru-verb; (juppun okurete imasu), is ten minutes late
Practise
1.How do you say “I get on the subway”?
2.The attendant says you don't need to buy a ticket. Which sentence is it?
3.Put the words in order: tell someone to change trains after getting off at Hakata.
Tap the words below in the right order.After you get off at Hakata, change trains.
4.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.Which means “the third stop”?
6.Put the words in order: say the next train is late.
Tap the words below in the right order.The next train is running late.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
福岡空港へ行きたいんですが。
Fukuoka Kūkō e ikitai n desu ga.
I'd like to get to Fukuoka Airport.
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.