Japanese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 5 of 12
Work and studies
仕事と勉強Shigoto to benkyō
Talk about your job, your studies and your experience in Japanese: ～ています, ～ていました, how long, and ～たことがあります.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say where you work and live with ～ています (-te imasu)
- Talk about your old job and your studies with ～ていました (-te imashita)
- Say how long and since when
- Say what you have or haven't ever done
Listen
Over lunch at their office in Kobe, new colleague Ikeda Sota tells Mori Chika about his old job and his studies. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Mori
池田さん、前はどんな仕事をしていましたか？
Ikeda-san, mae wa donna shigoto o shite imashita ka?
Mr Ikeda, what kind of work did you do before?
Ikeda
大阪の会社で営業をしていました。
Ōsaka no kaisha de eigyō o shite imashita.
I worked in sales at a company in Osaka.
Mori
そうですか。何年間ですか？
Sō desu ka. Nannenkan desu ka?
I see. For how many years?
Ikeda
五年間です。仕事は楽しかったですが、残業が大変でした。
Gonenkan desu. Shigoto wa tanoshikatta desu ga, zangyō ga taihen deshita.
Five years. I enjoyed the work, but the overtime was hard.
Mori
大学では何を勉強しましたか？
Daigaku de wa nani o benkyō shimashita ka?
What did you study at university?
Ikeda
東京の大学で経済を勉強していました。卒業は六年前です。
Tōkyō no daigaku de keizai o benkyō shite imashita. Sotsugyō wa rokunen mae desu.
I studied economics at a university in Tokyo. I graduated six years ago.
Mori
海外に住んだことがありますか？
Kaigai ni sunda koto ga arimasu ka?
Have you ever lived abroad?
Ikeda
はい。学生の時、一年間カナダに住んでいました。森さんは？
Hai. Gakusei no toki, ichinenkan Kanada ni sunde imashita. Mori-san wa?
Yes. When I was a student, I lived in Canada for a year. And you, Ms Mori?
Mori
私は住んだことはありませんが、旅行で三回行きました。
Watashi wa sunda koto wa arimasen ga, ryokō de sankai ikimashita.
I've never lived abroad, but I've been three times on holiday.
Ikeda
森さんはいつからこの会社で働いていますか？
Mori-san wa itsu kara kono kaisha de hataraite imasu ka?
How long have you been working at this company, Ms Mori?
Mori
三年前に就職しました。ここが初めての会社です。
Sannen mae ni shūshoku shimashita. Koko ga hajimete no kaisha desu.
I joined three years ago. This is my first company.
Ikeda
そうですか。これからよろしくお願いします。
Sō desu ka. Korekara yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
I see. I look forward to working with you.
Understand
～ています: now, and lasting states
Te-form + (imasu) has two uses. With an action, it's something going on right now: (ima, benkyō shite imasu), I'm studying now. With verbs like work, live, be married and know, it's a lasting state that began earlier: (ginkō de hataraite imasu), I work at a bank.
Careful with (shiru), to get to know: “I know” is (shitte imasu), but “I don't know” is (shirimasen).
In the past it becomes ～ていました (-te imashita), for something that went on for a while: (eigyō o shite imashita), I worked in sales.
| Japanese | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| (ima, hirugohan o tabete imasu.) | I'm having lunch now. | going on now |
| (ginkō de hataraite imasu.) | I work at a bank. | lasting state |
| (kekkon shite imasu.) | I'm married. | lasting state |
| (Kōbe ni sunde imasu.) | I live in Kobe. | lasting state |
| (daigaku de keizai o benkyō shite imashita.) | I studied economics at university. | went on for a while in the past |
How long, since when, and “when I was…”
～年間 (-nenkan) gives a length of time: (gonenkan), for five years. ～年前から (-nen mae kara) says since when, with ～ています because it's still true: (sannen mae kara kono kaisha de hataraite imasu), I've been working at this company for three years.
～の時 (no toki) after a noun means “when I was …”: (gakusei no toki), when I was a student; (kodomo no toki), when I was a child.
- 五年間、大阪で働きました。Gonenkan, Ōsaka de hatarakimashita.I worked in Osaka for five years.
- 三年前からこの会社で働いています。Sannen mae kara kono kaisha de hataraite imasu.I've been working at this company for three years.
- 学生の時、レストランで働いていました。Gakusei no toki, resutoran de hataraite imashita.When I was a student, I worked in a restaurant.
Have you ever…? ～たことがあります
The た-form + (koto ga arimasu) says you have done something at least once in your life: (kaigai ni sunda koto ga arimasu), I have lived abroad. The negative is ～たことがありません (-ta koto ga arimasen), I've never…
Use it for experience, not for a particular time. With a time word, use the simple past: (kyonen Kanada ni ikimashita), I went to Canada last year. Answer a question about experience with (hai, arimasu) or (iie, arimasen).
- 海外に住んだことがありますか？Kaigai ni sunda koto ga arimasu ka?Have you ever lived abroad?
- 納豆を食べたことがありません。Nattō o tabeta koto ga arimasen.I've never eaten natto.
More in the grammar: ～ている and ～てある · Experience: ～たことがある
New words
- 前maebefore, previously · まえ; (mae no shigoto), my previous job
- 営業eigyōsales (department) · えいぎょう
- ～年間-nenkanfor … years · ねんかん; (nannenkan), for how many years
- 残業zangyōovertime · ざんぎょう; (zangyō o suru), to work overtime
- 大変taihenhard, tough · たいへん; な-adjective
- 大学daigakuuniversity · だいがく
- 経済keizaieconomics; the economy · けいざい
- 勉強していましたbenkyō shite imashitastudied, was studying · べんきょうしていました
- 卒業sotsugyōgraduation · そつぎょう; (daigaku o sotsugyō suru), to graduate from university
- 海外kaigaiabroad, overseas · かいがい
- 住んだことがありますsunda koto ga arimasuhave lived (somewhere) · すんだことがあります
- 学生の時gakusei no tokiwhen I was a student · がくせいのとき
- 就職shūshokugetting a job, joining a company · しゅうしょく; (shūshoku suru)
- これからkorekarafrom now on
Practise
1.Mr Ikeda wants to say “I live in Kobe.” Which sentence is right?
2.How do you say “I don't know”?
3.Put the words in order: ask if someone has ever lived abroad.
Tap the words below in the right order.Have you ever lived abroad?
4.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.Which sentence means “I worked in Osaka for five years”?
6.Put the words in order: say you've been working at this company for three years.
Tap the words below in the right order.I've been working at this company for three years.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
前はどんな仕事をしていましたか？
Mae wa donna shigoto o shite imashita ka?
What kind of work did you do before?
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.