Japanese grammar

Japanese word order

I like you = Wtashi wa anata ga suki desu

( subject-verb-object for English, but subject-object-verb for Japanese. )

I am Tom = Watashi wa Tom desu

( subject-verb-noun for English, but subject-noun-verb for Japanese )

Verb

( present )

Am
Are = dearu / desu / aru / iru
Is

I am Tom
Watashi wa Tom desu

He is a student
Kare wa gakusei desu

There is a cat in my room
Watashi no heya ni neko ga imasu


( past )

Was
Were = deatta / datta / atta / ita

I was sick
Watashi wa byouki datta

There was a book on the desk
tsukue no ue ni hon ga atta


( present )

Meet = au
Do = suru
Write = kaku

If you want to make those words formal, they would be

Meet = aimasu
Do = simasu
Write = kakimasu


( past )

Met = atta
Did = shita
Wrote = kaita

If you want to make those words formal, they would be

Met = aimashita
Did = shmashita
Wrote = kakimashita


Be + --- ing

( present )

be writing = kaiteimasu

I am writing a letter
Watashi wa tegami o kaiteimasu

be singing = utatteimasu

She is singing a song
Kanojo wa uta o utatteimasu


( past )

was writing = kaiteimashita

I was writing a letter
Watashi wa tegami o kaiteimashita

was singing = utatteimashita

She was singing a song
Kanojo wa uta o utatteimashita

negative

(present )

Am not
Are not = dewnai / nai / inai
Is not

I am not Tom
Watashi wa Tom dewa arimasen


He is not a student
Kare wa gakusei dewa arimasen

There is not any cat in my room
Watashi no heya ni neko wa imasen


( past )

Was
Were = dewa nakatta / nakatta / inakatta

I was not sick
Watashi wa byouki dewa nakatta

There was not any book on the desk
tsukue no ue ni hon wa nakatta




( present )

do not meet = awanai
do not do = shinai
do not write = kakanai

If you want to make those words formal, they would be

do not meet = aimasen
do not do = simasen
do not write = kakimasen


( past )

did not meet = awanakatta
did not do = shitakatta
did not write = kakanakatta

If you want to make those words formal, they would be

did not meet = aimasendeshita
did not do = shimasendeshita
did not write = kakimasendeshita

Personal pronoun

I = Watashi wa/ ga

You = Anata wa / ga

He = Kare wa / ga

She = Kanojo wa / ga

It = Sore wa / ga

We = Watashitachi wa / ga

You = ( the plural ) Anatatachi wa / ga

They = Karera / Kanojotachi / sorera wa / ga


my = Watashi no

your = Anata no

his = Kare no

her = Kanojo no

its = Sore no

our = Watashitachi no

your = ( the plural ) Anatatachi no

their = Karera / Kanojotachi / Sorera no


me = Watashi ni / o

you = Anata ni / o

him = Kare ni / o

her = Kanojo ni / o

it = Sore ni / o

us = Watashitachi ni / o

you ( the plural ) = Anatatachi ni / o

them = Karera / Kanojotachi / Sorera ni / o


mine = Watashi nomono

yours = Anata nomono

his = Kare nomono

hers = Kanojo nomono

ours = Watashitachi nomono

yours ( the plural ) = Anatatachi nomono

theirs = Karera / Kanojotachi / Sorera nomono


myself = Watashi jishin

yourself = Anata jishin

himself = Kare jishin

herself = Kanojo jishin

itself = Sore jishin

ourselves = Watashitachi jishin

yourselves = Anatatachi jishin

themselves = Karera / Kanojotachi / Sorera jishin

Vocabulary

Hello = Konnichiwa

Good Bye = Sayonara

Yes = Hai

No = Iie

Thank You = Arigatou

I'm sorry = Sumimasen / Gomennasai

Good Morning = Ohayou

Good Night = Oyasumi

How are you ? = Ogenki desuka ?

I don't know = Wakarimasen

I'm glad = Ureshii

I'm sad = Kanashii

I'm sleepy = Nemui

I'm hungry = Onaka ga suita

You can post questions and comments here if you have

OK. My first question will be:
- there is one word in my textbook for he/she/is. It's "anohito". When should I use it?

anohito means that man.
So you can use Anohito when you want to say something about the man who you see in distance. Or you can use Anohito when you want to say about a man who you know.

in my textbook there are 2 examples:
大学に行きます
大学へ行きます
So, what is the difference? Or both are correct?
If both are correct, why do they have different endings?

隼 both of them are a preposition which has the same meaning so you can use both へ and　に　in the sentence.

different endings ? What different endings do you mean ?

Oh, I meant this "に, へ" like endings. Sorry my ignorance)

Thank you for the lessons!

I would like to ask... with dearu / desu / aru / iru, how do you use dearu?


And are these the correct usage of the other words?

Watashi wa gakusei desu - I am a student
Kore wa neko iru - This is a cat
Ano wa watashi no ie aru - Over there is my house

chia wrote:Thank you for the lessons!

I would like to ask... with dearu / desu / aru / iru, how do you use dearu?


And are these the correct usage of the other words?

Watashi wa gakusei desu - I am a student
Kore wa neko iru - This is a cat
Ano wa watashi no ie aru - Over there is my house

You can use dearu as you use desu.

This is a cat = kore wa neko desu.
Over there is my house = soko ga watashi no ie desu.

Admin wrote:

You can use dearu as you use desu.

This is a cat = kore wa neko desu.
Over there is my house = soko ga watashi no ie desu.

Thanks for the info and corrections!

so.. dearu - formal, desu - polite, da - informal

Ahh, soko is used for places ^^ Is it always ga that follows, rather than wa?

sore means 'that'. sono means 'that (noun)' ?

sono kuruma wa atarashii desu - that car is new
soko ga honya desu - that there is a bookshop


Sorry for so many questions!

chia wrote:

Admin wrote:

You can use dearu as you use desu.

This is a cat = kore wa neko desu.
Over there is my house = soko ga watashi no ie desu.

Thanks for the info and corrections!

so.. dearu - formal, desu - polite, da - informal

Ahh, soko is used for places ^^ Is it always ga that follows, rather than wa?

sore means 'that'. sono means 'that (noun)' ?

sono kuruma wa atarashii desu - that car is new
soko ga honya desu - that there is a bookshop


Sorry for so many questions!

dearu = formal, desu = polite, da = informal
Yes you can think like that. That's good !

Wa and Ga..... you can use them thinking situation in a sentence.

For example

Teacher says..... who broke this window ?
1 student says.... watashi wa watte imasen.
2 student says... watashi mo watte imasen.
3 student says... watashi ga warimashita sumimasen.

You can use Ga when you say a thing strongly.

By the way... watte imasen = didn't break
break = waru, broke = watta

That of sono means an adjective not a noun. If there is that before a noun it is adjective and if there is not a noun after that it is a demonstrative pronoun.

sono neko = that cat

sorewa = that

I understand a lot better, now. ^_^

ありがとうございました！

Where are adverbs like 一番 and phrases like 英語で placed in a Japanese sentence? Is it like in English where you can place them almost anywhere in a sentence?

英語を作ってすみません。僕は英語でその分を書けないです。:(

映画人 wrote:Where are adverbs like 一番 and phrases like 英語で placed in a Japanese sentence? Is it like in English where you can place them almost anywhere in a sentence?

英語を作ってすみません。僕は英語でその分を書けないです。

In English adverb　副詞は動詞の後に来る。
In Japanese adverb 副詞は動詞の前に来る。
英語とは反対ですね。

Admin wrote:

映画人 wrote:Where are adverbs like 一番 and phrases like 英語で placed in a Japanese sentence? Is it like in English where you can place them almost anywhere in a sentence?

英語を作ってすみません。僕は英語でその分を書けないです。

In English adverb　副詞は動詞の後に来る。
In Japanese adverb 副詞は動詞の前に来る。
英語とは反対ですね。

　For example

私はそれを英語で答えた。
彼は手紙を英語で書いた。

私はそれが一番すきだ。

Admin wrote:

Admin wrote:

映画人 wrote:Where are adverbs like 一番 and phrases like 英語で placed in a Japanese sentence? Is it like in English where you can place them almost anywhere in a sentence?

英語を作ってすみません。僕は英語でその分を書けないです。

In English adverb　副詞は動詞の後に来る。
In Japanese adverb 副詞は動詞の前に来る。
英語とは反対ですね。

　For example

私はそれを英語で答えた。
彼は手紙を英語で書いた。

私はそれが一番すきだ。

あ！今分かります！手伝ってありがとうございます。

y 隼 on Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:27 am

in my textbook there are 2 examples: 大学に行きます 大学へ行きます So, what is the difference? Or both are correct? If both are correct, why do they have different endings?
__________________
へ、shows direction, like towards. I'm headed towards the mall.
に、in this case shows a place you are going to. I'm going to the mall.
with へ　you might not arrive there at all. or you might go other places first. its unclear.

JerryTheTexan wrote:y 隼 on Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:27 am

in my textbook there are 2 examples: 大学に行きます 大学へ行きます So, what is the difference? Or both are correct? If both are correct, why do they have different endings?
__________________
へ、shows direction,  like towards.  I'm headed towards the mall.
に、in this case shows a place you are going to.  I'm going to the mall.
with へ　you might not arrive there at all.  or you might go other places first.  its unclear.  

both are correct. they have different endings ?? How ?

oh, I was quoting "y 隼 on Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:27 am"
sorry.