Japanese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 2 of 12
Travel and hotels
ホテルでHoteru de
Check in at a Japanese hotel, leave your luggage and report a problem: the te-form, ～てください and ～てもいいですか, nights and floors.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Make the te-form of any verb
- Ask politely with ～てください (-te kudasai) and ～てもいいですか (-te mo ii desu ka)
- Say how many nights and which floor
- Report a problem in your room
Listen
Ota Yuki arrives early at a small hotel in Takayama and leaves her luggage. That evening she phones the front desk from her room. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Ota
こんにちは。予約の太田です。
Konnichiwa. Yoyaku no Ōta desu.
Hello. I have a reservation. My name is Ota.
Receptionist
太田様、二泊ですね。すみません、チェックインは三時からです。
Ōta-sama, nihaku desu ne. Sumimasen, chekkuin wa sanji kara desu.
Ms Ota, for two nights. I'm sorry, check-in is from three o'clock.
Ota
そうですか。では、荷物を預けてもいいですか？
Sō desu ka. De wa, nimotsu o azukete mo ii desu ka?
I see. Then may I leave my luggage here?
Receptionist
はい、お預かりします。三時に、この番号を見せてください。
Hai, oazukari shimasu. Sanji ni, kono bangō o misete kudasai.
Certainly, we'll look after it. At three, please show this number.
Ota
朝食は何時からですか？
Chōshoku wa nanji kara desu ka?
What time is breakfast from?
Receptionist
七時からです。九時までに二階のレストランに来てください。
Shichiji kara desu. Kuji made ni nikai no resutoran ni kite kudasai.
From seven. Please come to the restaurant on the second floor by nine.
Ota
わかりました。ありがとうございます。
Wakarimashita. Arigatō gozaimasu.
All right. Thank you.
Receptionist
はい、フロントです。
Hai, furonto desu.
(That evening, on the phone) Front desk, hello.
Ota
305号室の太田です。すみません、部屋のエアコンがつきません。
Sanbyaku gogōshitsu no Ōta desu. Sumimasen, heya no eakon ga tsukimasen.
This is Ota in room 305. Excuse me, the air conditioner in my room won't come on.
Receptionist
申し訳ありません。すぐ伺います。
Mōshiwake arimasen. Sugu ukagaimasu.
I'm very sorry. I'll come right away.
Ota
それから、タオルも持ってきてください。
Sorekara, taoru mo motte kite kudasai.
And please bring some towels too.
Receptionist
かしこまりました。タオルもお持ちします。
Kashikomarimashita. Taoru mo omochi shimasu.
Certainly. I'll bring towels too.
Understand
The dictionary form and the three verb groups
Every verb has a dictionary form, the plain form you find in dictionaries. From now on new verbs are usually given in this form, and most verb forms are built from it. How a verb changes depends on its group, which you met in A1: ru-verbs, u-verbs and the two irregular verbs.
Ru-verbs end in -eru or -iru and just drop -ru before ます: (taberu) → (tabemasu). U-verbs end in any -u sound and change it to -i before ます: (nomu) → (nomimasu). A few verbs ending in -eru or -iru are u-verbs all the same, such as (kaeru), go home, and (hairu), go in: learn them as you meet them. Going the other way, a ます form with an -e sound before ます, like (misemasu), always belongs to a ru-verb.
| Group | Dictionary form | ます form | How it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| ru-verb | (taberu), eat; (miseru), show | (tabemasu), (misemasu) | drop -ru |
| u-verb | (nomu), drink; (iku), go; (kau), buy | (nomimasu), (ikimasu), (kaimasu) | last -u → -i |
| u-verb ending in -eru or -iru | (kaeru), go home; (hairu), go in | (kaerimasu), (hairimasu) | last -u → -i, like other u-verbs |
| irregular | (suru), do; (kuru), come | (shimasu), (kimasu) | learn by heart |
The te-form
The te-form is the most useful verb form in Japanese: many patterns are built on it. You make it from the dictionary form, and how you make it depends on the verb group.
Ru-verbs simply swap -ru for -te. U-verbs change according to their last sound, as in the table. Some verbs ending in -ru are u-verbs, like (kaeru), go home: (kaette). (iku), go, is the one exception among u-verbs: (itte).
| Dictionary form ends in | Example | te-form |
|---|---|---|
| -ru (ru-verbs) | (miseru), show | (misete) |
| -u, -tsu, -ru (u-verbs) | (kau), buy; (matsu), wait; (kaeru), go home | (katte), (matte), (kaette) |
| -mu, -bu, -nu | (nomu), drink; (asobu), play, go out | (nonde), (asonde) |
| -ku | (kaku), write; but (iku) | (kaite); but (itte) |
| -gu | (oyogu), swim | (oyoide) |
| -su | (hanasu), speak | (hanashite) |
| irregular | (suru), (kuru) | (shite), (kite) |
Please and may I: ～てください, ～てもいいですか
Te-form + (kudasai) is a polite request, “please do”: (misete kudasai), please show me. You met a few of these as fixed phrases in A1; now you can make them from any verb.
Te-form + (mo ii desu ka) asks for permission, “may I…?”: (azukete mo ii desu ka), may I leave it with you? The answer is (hai, dōzo), or a soft no: (sumimasen, chotto…).
(motte kite kudasai) means “please bring”: literally “hold it and come”. (motte ikimasu), “hold it and go”, means “I'll take it”. Staff use very polite forms like (mōshiwake arimasen), I'm very sorry; (ukagaimasu), I'll come; and (omochi shimasu), I'll bring it. You only need to recognise them.
- 荷物を預けてもいいですか？Nimotsu o azukete mo ii desu ka?May I leave my luggage with you?
- ここに名前を書いてください。Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai.Please write your name here.
- 部屋でWi-Fiを使ってもいいですか？Heya de Wi-Fi o tsukatte mo ii desu ka?May I use the Wi-Fi in my room?
- タオルを持ってきてください。Taoru o motte kite kudasai.Please bring some towels.
Nights, floors and “by”
Nights take -泊 (-haku) and floors take -階 (-kai), with sound changes you'll get used to. Japan counts the ground floor as (ikkai), so the British “first floor” is (nikai). A room number takes -号室 (-gōshitsu): (sanbyaku gogōshitsu), room 305.
(made) means “until”, but (made ni) means “by”, a deadline: (kuji made ni kite kudasai), please come by nine.
| Number | Nights | Floor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (ippaku) | (ikkai) |
| 2 | (nihaku) | (nikai) |
| 3 | (sanpaku) | (sangai) |
| 4 | (yonpaku) | (yonkai) |
| how many? | (nanpaku) | (nangai) |
More in the grammar: The ます form · Requests and permission · The te-form
New words
- ～泊-haku… night(s) (at a hotel) · はく; (ippaku), (nihaku), (sanpaku)
- チェックインchekkuincheck-in · (chekkuauto), check-out
- 荷物nimotsuluggage, bags · にもつ
- 預けるazukeruto leave (something) with someone · あずける; ru-verb, te-form (azukete)
- 見せるmiseruto show · みせる; ru-verb, te-form (misete)
- 朝食chōshokubreakfast · ちょうしょく; the word used in hotels; at home, (asagohan)
- ～階-kai… floor · かい; (ikkai), ground floor; (sangai)
- フロントfurontofront desk, reception
- ～号室-gōshitsuroom number … · ごうしつ
- エアコンeakonair conditioner · In Japan it heats as well as cools.
- つきませんtsukimasenwon't come on · from (tsuku), to come on (lights, machines)
- すぐsuguright away, soon
- 使うtsukauto use · つかう; u-verb, te-form (tsukatte): (tsukatte mo ii desu ka), may I use it?
- 持ってくるmotte kuruto bring · もってくる; (motte kite kudasai), please bring
Practise
1.What is the te-form of (matsu), to wait?
2.You'd like to leave your bags before check-in. What do you ask?
3.Put the words in order to ask about your luggage.
Tap the words below in the right order.May I leave my luggage with you?
4.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.Breakfast ends at nine. How does the receptionist say “Please come by nine”?
6.Put the words in order: ask for towels.
Tap the words below in the right order.Please bring some towels.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
チェックインをお願いします。
Chekkuin o onegai shimasu.
I'd like to check in, please.
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.