Man, I feel bad for not posting for this long. I had a crapshoot of a weekend and haven't had much time to do new lessons lately, beyond occasional vocab. My next meeting with 先生 is supposed to be more basic conversation where I ask her questions and try to hold any sort of conversation, so I'm slightly nervous about that. It's easier to go in with specific expectations, but this is more broad. I'm going to try to prepare with common conversation starters.
名前は何ですか。
What's your name?
お仕事は何ですか。
What's your job?
ご家族は、何人ですか。
How many people are in your family?
どんな音楽が好きですか。
What kind of music do you like?
どんな食べ物が好きですか。
What kind of foods do you like?
趣味は何ですか。
What are your hobbies?
旅は好きですか。
Do you like travel?
天気はどうですか。
How's the weather?
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Sentence Practice 6/23/2016 2.0
I'm going to practice with the の particle this time around, and maybe include stuff from other lessons along the way.
ケーキは好きなんじゃないですか。
You like cake, don't you?
犬じゃないんですか。
It wasn't a dog?
リーさんが先生じゃないんだから。
Because you're not a teacher, Lee-san.
お菓子が欲しくないの？
You don't want candy?
その授業は難しいんじゃないね。
That class is difficult, isn't it?
今日の天気は悪かったんじゃなかった？
Today's weather was bad, wasn't it?
それはくまだったの？
That was a bear?
リーさんはきれいなのに、もう好きじゃないの？
Even though Lee-san is pretty, you still don't like him?
母のご飯はおいしいんじゃない？
My mom's rice is delicious, isn't it?
リーさん、忙しくなかったんですか。
Lee-san, you weren't busy?
ケーキは好きなんじゃないですか。
You like cake, don't you?
犬じゃないんですか。
It wasn't a dog?
リーさんが先生じゃないんだから。
Because you're not a teacher, Lee-san.
お菓子が欲しくないの？
You don't want candy?
その授業は難しいんじゃないね。
That class is difficult, isn't it?
今日の天気は悪かったんじゃなかった？
Today's weather was bad, wasn't it?
それはくまだったの？
That was a bear?
リーさんはきれいなのに、もう好きじゃないの？
Even though Lee-san is pretty, you still don't like him?
母のご飯はおいしいんじゃない？
My mom's rice is delicious, isn't it?
リーさん、忙しくなかったんですか。
Lee-san, you weren't busy?
Sentence Practice 6/23/2016
I think I'm going to do two sets of sentence practice today. This first one will be for sentence-joining particles so I can keep those fresh in my mind.
犬は好きなのに、スミスさんの犬が好きじゃないよ。
Even though I like dogs, I don't like Smith-san's dog.
リーさんがかわいいのに・・・
Even though Lee-san is cute...
田中さんは上手な先生なのに、もう好きじゃないよ。
Even though Tanaka-san is a good teacher, I still don't like her.
その本が欲しいですが、高いです。
I want this book, but it's expensive.
リーさんはいつも静かだけど、もう楽しいよ。
Lee-san is always quiet, but he's still fun.
学校は難しいけど、また面白いね。
School is difficult, but it's also interesting.
お爺さんは王ですので、私は会いたいです。
Your grandfather is king, so I want to meet him.
リーさんがかっこいいから、大好きだよね。
Lee-san is handsome, so I love him.
この国はとてもきれいだから、好きだよ。
This country is really pretty, so I like it.
犬は好きなのに、スミスさんの犬が好きじゃないよ。
Even though I like dogs, I don't like Smith-san's dog.
リーさんがかわいいのに・・・
Even though Lee-san is cute...
田中さんは上手な先生なのに、もう好きじゃないよ。
Even though Tanaka-san is a good teacher, I still don't like her.
その本が欲しいですが、高いです。
I want this book, but it's expensive.
リーさんはいつも静かだけど、もう楽しいよ。
Lee-san is always quiet, but he's still fun.
学校は難しいけど、また面白いね。
School is difficult, but it's also interesting.
お爺さんは王ですので、私は会いたいです。
Your grandfather is king, so I want to meet him.
リーさんがかっこいいから、大好きだよね。
Lee-san is handsome, so I love him.
この国はとてもきれいだから、好きだよ。
This country is really pretty, so I like it.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Sentence Practice 6/21/2016
Time to practice some basic sentences to solidify the new の particle concepts I learned yesterday.
先生じゃないんですか。
You're not a teacher?
学生なんじゃないですか。
You're a student, aren't you?
それは犬なんじゃない？
That's a dog, isn't it?
だけど猫じゃないんだよ、リーさん。
But you're not a cat, Lee-san.
野菜が好きじゃないの？
You don't like vegetables?
忙しいんじゃない？
You're busy, aren't you?
バスケットボールが上手じゃないんですか。
You're not good at basketball?
旅は好きじゃなかったの？
You didn't like traveling?
その本は面白かったの？
That book was interesting?
リーさんの友達はくまだったんですか。
Lee-san's friend was a bear?
先生じゃないんですか。
You're not a teacher?
学生なんじゃないですか。
You're a student, aren't you?
それは犬なんじゃない？
That's a dog, isn't it?
だけど猫じゃないんだよ、リーさん。
But you're not a cat, Lee-san.
野菜が好きじゃないの？
You don't like vegetables?
忙しいんじゃない？
You're busy, aren't you?
バスケットボールが上手じゃないんですか。
You're not good at basketball?
旅は好きじゃなかったの？
You didn't like traveling?
その本は面白かったの？
That book was interesting?
リーさんの友達はくまだったんですか。
Lee-san's friend was a bear?
Monday, June 20, 2016
More on Explanations - Conjugated Forms
This is a more difficult lesson for me because it contains a lot of condensed info. It goes over using the の particle with conjugated nouns and adjectives, as well as conjugating the particle itself to mean different things. I'm going to write an explanation for myself as best I can.
For nouns and adjectives, I can conjugate them to negative or past form and just add の onto the end to achieve the same effect as before. 歌手 means singer, so I'll use that in my examples.
歌手なの？
You're a singer?
歌手じゃないの？
You're not a singer?
歌手だったの？
You were a singer?
歌手じゃなかったの？
You weren't a singer?
If I want to make them declarative (aka, non-questions) with だ or です, the の will be shortened to ん just like before. These examples are intended to carry an explanatory tone. When I say "I'm a singer" it's not a mere statement of fact - it's explaining that I am one due to someone's potential expectation that I wasn't.
歌手なんだよ。
I'm a singer, you know.
歌手じゃないんだ。
I'm not a singer.
歌手だったんだ。
I was a singer.
歌手じゃなかったんだ。
I wasn't a singer.
I can also conjugate の like a noun to add a new type of "confirmation-seeking" to sentences. I'll do the past and negative past tense forms for completeness' sake, but they don't make much sense here.
歌手なの？
You're a singer?
歌手なんじゃない？
You're a singer, aren't you?
歌手なんだった？
You're a singer, were you?
歌手なんじゃなかった？
You're a singer, weren't you?
Basically, conjugating the の here (which becomes ん, as usual) adds the "aren't you" portion onto the end. You think that person is a singer, but you want to confirm.
It gets more complex because conjugation can occur on both sides. For example:
歌手じゃなかったんだった？
You weren't a singer, were you?
This is possible with the various combinations of conjugations, though not all of them make sense together. (You aren't a singer, weren't you? - that's nonsensical)
That's about it for now, and this is officially the last lesson before I move on to verbs. I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of practice for this one though, because it's a bit mind-bending at first.
Credit goes to Tae Kim's lesson seen here.
For nouns and adjectives, I can conjugate them to negative or past form and just add の onto the end to achieve the same effect as before. 歌手 means singer, so I'll use that in my examples.
歌手なの？
You're a singer?
歌手じゃないの？
You're not a singer?
歌手だったの？
You were a singer?
歌手じゃなかったの？
You weren't a singer?
If I want to make them declarative (aka, non-questions) with だ or です, the の will be shortened to ん just like before. These examples are intended to carry an explanatory tone. When I say "I'm a singer" it's not a mere statement of fact - it's explaining that I am one due to someone's potential expectation that I wasn't.
歌手なんだよ。
I'm a singer, you know.
歌手じゃないんだ。
I'm not a singer.
歌手だったんだ。
I was a singer.
歌手じゃなかったんだ。
I wasn't a singer.
I can also conjugate の like a noun to add a new type of "confirmation-seeking" to sentences. I'll do the past and negative past tense forms for completeness' sake, but they don't make much sense here.
歌手なの？
You're a singer?
歌手なんじゃない？
You're a singer, aren't you?
歌手なんだった？
You're a singer, were you?
歌手なんじゃなかった？
You're a singer, weren't you?
Basically, conjugating the の here (which becomes ん, as usual) adds the "aren't you" portion onto the end. You think that person is a singer, but you want to confirm.
It gets more complex because conjugation can occur on both sides. For example:
歌手じゃなかったんだった？
You weren't a singer, were you?
This is possible with the various combinations of conjugations, though not all of them make sense together. (You aren't a singer, weren't you? - that's nonsensical)
That's about it for now, and this is officially the last lesson before I move on to verbs. I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of practice for this one though, because it's a bit mind-bending at first.
Credit goes to Tae Kim's lesson seen here.
Sentence Practice 6/20/2016
I'm going to practice some sentences that incorporate the new vocab from my last lesson.
リーさんは、朝方か夜型ですか。
Lee, are you a morning person or a night person?
甥は、三人います。 姪は、一人います。
I have three nephews. I have one niece.
旅は好きですか。
Do you like travel?
珍しい名前ですね。
What a unique name.
私の友達はとても上手な先生ですよ。
My friend is a really skilled teacher.
リーさん，バスケットボールが上手ですか。
Lee, are you good at basketball?
この音楽はとてもいいですね。
This music is really good.
リーさん、お姉さんが迷惑だよ。
Lee, your older sister is a nuisance.
彼は上手な学生なんだ？
He's a good student?
I pick on Lee-san a lot. I think he's going to develop as a character on here, with a life of his own.
リーさんは、朝方か夜型ですか。
Lee, are you a morning person or a night person?
甥は、三人います。 姪は、一人います。
I have three nephews. I have one niece.
旅は好きですか。
Do you like travel?
珍しい名前ですね。
What a unique name.
私の友達はとても上手な先生ですよ。
My friend is a really skilled teacher.
リーさん，バスケットボールが上手ですか。
Lee, are you good at basketball?
この音楽はとてもいいですね。
This music is really good.
リーさん、お姉さんが迷惑だよ。
Lee, your older sister is a nuisance.
彼は上手な学生なんだ？
He's a good student?
I pick on Lee-san a lot. I think he's going to develop as a character on here, with a life of his own.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Lesson 6/18/2016
For some reason, it felt like last night's lesson with 先生 jumped a decent amount in difficulty. I had to do a LOT of listening to be able to answer her questions, and a lot of quick thinking to respond to unexpected cues. Even though I had plenty of mistakes, I'm feeling better about my listening and speaking skills very gradually. I'm going to list some mistakes from sentences I previously wrote (along with their corrections), then I'll list some new vocab she taught me.
父は面白かったひとです。
My father was an interesting person.
I have to conjugate the adjective to the past with かった, rather than saying でした.
大学で情報科学を勉強しました。
At college, I studied computer science.
大学で is flexible in its placement, so I chose to put it at the beginning of the sentence. I have to use を instead of が because it's the direct object of my "studied" verb.
私はいろんな人に会いたいです。
I want to meet lots of people.
Without the いろんな, my other sentence sounded like I was saying I wanted to meet a single person, which is awkward. Adding that makes it sound like I want to meet a variety of people.
New Vocab:
いっぱんてき or 一般的 = general
じかん = time
Example: 八じかん = 8 hours
あさがた = morning person
よるがた = night owl
おい or 甥 = nephew
めい or 姪 = niece
めいわく = nuisance
めんどくさい = troublesome
たび or 旅 = travel
じょうず or 上手 = good at
うまい = good
きいた こと が ありません = I haven't heard of it.
みた こと が ありません = I haven't seen it.
おしょうがつ = New Year
めずらしい = rare, not common (can be used to reference an unusual name)
いいません or ひみつ = I'd prefer not to say. (it's a secret)
ところ = place
しぜん = nature
たいへん = Not very translatable, but a way of showing sympathy.
There's more vocab in our chat, but I think I'll have to ask her to clarify a couple meanings for it. From our conversation, it's obvious that I need to practice speaking about travel, which is something I haven't done much of. I was holding back on it because it's apt to be more verb-heavy, but I'll see what I can do. Other than that, I'll have to get her feedback on what else I should practice more.
父は面白かったひとです。
My father was an interesting person.
I have to conjugate the adjective to the past with かった, rather than saying でした.
大学で情報科学を勉強しました。
At college, I studied computer science.
大学で is flexible in its placement, so I chose to put it at the beginning of the sentence. I have to use を instead of が because it's the direct object of my "studied" verb.
私はいろんな人に会いたいです。
I want to meet lots of people.
Without the いろんな, my other sentence sounded like I was saying I wanted to meet a single person, which is awkward. Adding that makes it sound like I want to meet a variety of people.
New Vocab:
いっぱんてき or 一般的 = general
じかん = time
Example: 八じかん = 8 hours
あさがた = morning person
よるがた = night owl
おい or 甥 = nephew
めい or 姪 = niece
めいわく = nuisance
めんどくさい = troublesome
たび or 旅 = travel
じょうず or 上手 = good at
うまい = good
きいた こと が ありません = I haven't heard of it.
みた こと が ありません = I haven't seen it.
おしょうがつ = New Year
めずらしい = rare, not common (can be used to reference an unusual name)
いいません or ひみつ = I'd prefer not to say. (it's a secret)
ところ = place
しぜん = nature
たいへん = Not very translatable, but a way of showing sympathy.
There's more vocab in our chat, but I think I'll have to ask her to clarify a couple meanings for it. From our conversation, it's obvious that I need to practice speaking about travel, which is something I haven't done much of. I was holding back on it because it's apt to be more verb-heavy, but I'll see what I can do. Other than that, I'll have to get her feedback on what else I should practice more.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Expressing Desire (And Sentence Practice 6/16/2016)
I know this is strange since I technically haven't even done my first verb lesson on here yet, but when researching how to speak certain phrases, a lot of the things I wanted to say used the たい form to express desire. It's fairly easy to use if you know the dictionary form of the verb, so I thought I'd try it a bit as I practice my sentences tonight.
To say you want to do something, you conjugate the verb to its stem and simply add たい onto the end. Taking the verb to its stem depends on the verb type. For ichidan verbs, you simply drop the る. For godan verbs, you change the う character to its い equivalent. Once it's in that form, you add the たい, like I said.
食べる --> 食べたい (I eat --> I want to eat)
行く --> 行きたい (I go --> I want to go)
This fits in with my desire to explain why I want to learn Japanese and visit Japan.
私は人に会いたいです。
I want to meet people.
That sentence uses に as a target particle, which I haven't studied as thoroughly yet, but I can usually understand it when I read it. I want to change the above sentence to say "I want to meet people in Japan." I'm guessing it would read something like:
日本に私は人に会いたいです。
In Japan, I want to meet people.
Again it uses に as a target particle since Japan is my target or destination, but I'm not positive if that's wrong with the placement of 私. Usually in any example sentences I've seen, the location is expressed first and foremost.
Anyway, with that taken care of, I'm going to practice some new vocab related to music and weather so I can talk about that.
今日はいい天気です。
Today is good weather.
昨日は雨でした。
Yesterday it was rainy.
今日はとても暑いです。
Today it's really hot.
今日は蒸し暑いです。
Today it's humid.
この午後は雨です。
This afternoon is rain. (very literal)
どんな音楽が好きですか。
What kind of music do you like?
どの歌手が好きですか。
Who's your favorite singer?
ロックが好きです。
I like rock music.
クラシックも好きです。
I also like classical.
To say you want to do something, you conjugate the verb to its stem and simply add たい onto the end. Taking the verb to its stem depends on the verb type. For ichidan verbs, you simply drop the る. For godan verbs, you change the う character to its い equivalent. Once it's in that form, you add the たい, like I said.
食べる --> 食べたい (I eat --> I want to eat)
行く --> 行きたい (I go --> I want to go)
This fits in with my desire to explain why I want to learn Japanese and visit Japan.
私は人に会いたいです。
I want to meet people.
That sentence uses に as a target particle, which I haven't studied as thoroughly yet, but I can usually understand it when I read it. I want to change the above sentence to say "I want to meet people in Japan." I'm guessing it would read something like:
日本に私は人に会いたいです。
In Japan, I want to meet people.
Again it uses に as a target particle since Japan is my target or destination, but I'm not positive if that's wrong with the placement of 私. Usually in any example sentences I've seen, the location is expressed first and foremost.
Anyway, with that taken care of, I'm going to practice some new vocab related to music and weather so I can talk about that.
今日はいい天気です。
Today is good weather.
昨日は雨でした。
Yesterday it was rainy.
今日はとても暑いです。
Today it's really hot.
今日は蒸し暑いです。
Today it's humid.
この午後は雨です。
This afternoon is rain. (very literal)
どんな音楽が好きですか。
What kind of music do you like?
どの歌手が好きですか。
Who's your favorite singer?
ロックが好きです。
I like rock music.
クラシックも好きです。
I also like classical.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Sentence Practice 6/15/16
I have a lesson with 先生 on Friday where I'm going to learn how to talk about family, traveling, education, and motivation for learning Japanese. I'm semi-familiar with some of the necessary vocabulary, but traveling is going to be the tough topic here. For now I'm going to practice what I know.
ご家族は何人ですか？
How many people are in your family?
私の家族は、四人です。
There are four people in my family.
私の母は優しい人です。
My mom is a kind person.
父はとても面白い人でした。
My dad was a very interesting person.
姉はとても忙しい人です。
My older sister is a very busy person.
結婚しています。
She's married.
四人子供がいます。
She has four kids.
情報工学が勉強しました。
I studied computer science. (How to say "at college"?)
日本に行きたいです。
I want to go to Japan.
日本のゲームと漫画が大好きです。
I really like Japanese games and manga.
ご家族は何人ですか？
How many people are in your family?
私の家族は、四人です。
There are four people in my family.
私の母は優しい人です。
My mom is a kind person.
父はとても面白い人でした。
My dad was a very interesting person.
姉はとても忙しい人です。
My older sister is a very busy person.
結婚しています。
She's married.
四人子供がいます。
She has four kids.
情報工学が勉強しました。
I studied computer science. (How to say "at college"?)
日本に行きたいです。
I want to go to Japan.
日本のゲームと漫画が大好きです。
I really like Japanese games and manga.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Sentence Practice 6/13/2016
I think this practice session will be a mix of the three big concepts I've learned in the past month: sentence-joining, explanations, and lists. I think I'm getting the hang of them now so I don't stumble as much in my writing. At first I sometimes missed the required だ or な for certain scenarios, but now it sounds wrong without it. Same with the の to ん transformation.
猫と犬は好きですが、猫は静かですので、大好きです。
I like cats and dogs, but because cats are quiet, I really like them.
私の先生が好きじゃないですのに、授業がもう大好きです。
Even though my teacher doesn't like me, I still really like his classes.
友達の車は赤いと黄色だから、嫌いだよ。
My friend's car is red and yellow, so I hate it.
私の母と姉はとても優しい。
My mom and older sister are very kind.
宿題が大嫌いだから、この授業も嫌いなんだよ。
I really hate homework, so I also hate this class.
リーさんの短所美はとても楽しいでしたので、嬉しいんです。
Lee's birthday was a lot of fun, so I'm glad.
君と鳥が大好きですのに・・・
Even though I really like you and your bird...
この林檎がどうして欲しいんじゃない？
Why don't you want this apple?
猫と犬は好きですが、猫は静かですので、大好きです。
I like cats and dogs, but because cats are quiet, I really like them.
私の先生が好きじゃないですのに、授業がもう大好きです。
Even though my teacher doesn't like me, I still really like his classes.
友達の車は赤いと黄色だから、嫌いだよ。
My friend's car is red and yellow, so I hate it.
私の母と姉はとても優しい。
My mom and older sister are very kind.
宿題が大嫌いだから、この授業も嫌いなんだよ。
I really hate homework, so I also hate this class.
リーさんの短所美はとても楽しいでしたので、嬉しいんです。
Lee's birthday was a lot of fun, so I'm glad.
君と鳥が大好きですのに・・・
Even though I really like you and your bird...
この林檎がどうして欲しいんじゃない？
Why don't you want this apple?
Friday, June 10, 2016
Sentence Practice 6/10/2016
For my sentence practice today, I'm going to try to write them quickly, as they come to mind. The drilling process over time will help in speaking and writing - general regurgitation of the material.
今日は、忙しいんだよ。
I'm busy today, you know.
明日は、暇なんです。
I'm free tomorrow.
その犬がりーさんのなんだ？
That dog is Lee's?
だからばかだよ。
So you're an idiot.
ですがとてもきれいですね。
But she's really pretty, isn't she?
猫は静かなので、大好きです。
Cats are quiet, so I really like them.
先生はとても気長なのに、私はもう分からない。
Even though the teacher is really patient, I still don't understand.
私の仕事は時々忙しいです。
My job is really busy sometimes.
彼は格好いいよね。
He's cool, you know?
明日はアリスの短所美だから。
Because tomorrow is Alice's birthday.
今日は、忙しいんだよ。
I'm busy today, you know.
明日は、暇なんです。
I'm free tomorrow.
その犬がりーさんのなんだ？
That dog is Lee's?
だからばかだよ。
So you're an idiot.
ですがとてもきれいですね。
But she's really pretty, isn't she?
猫は静かなので、大好きです。
Cats are quiet, so I really like them.
先生はとても気長なのに、私はもう分からない。
Even though the teacher is really patient, I still don't understand.
私の仕事は時々忙しいです。
My job is really busy sometimes.
彼は格好いいよね。
He's cool, you know?
明日はアリスの短所美だから。
Because tomorrow is Alice's birthday.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Sentence Practice 6/8/2016
I need more practice with compound sentences and explanations/expectations. I realize the sentences may get repetitive, but at this stage I need quantity over quality to drill this concept into my brain.
明日は、忙しいの？
You're busy tomorrow?
今日は、暇なの？
You're free today?
田中先生の授業は、簡単なの？
Tanaka-sensei's class is easy?
私は先生なんですから。
I'm a teacher, so.
ですが学生なんです。
But you're a student.
今日は寒いんですので。
Because it's cold today.
犬がかわいいのに・・・
Even though the dog is cute...
だけどとてもきれいだよ。
But you're really pretty.
その授業は、とても難しいんだよ。
That class is really difficult, you know.
だから明日は忙しいんだよ。
So that's why I'm busy tomorrow.
明日は、忙しいの？
You're busy tomorrow?
今日は、暇なの？
You're free today?
田中先生の授業は、簡単なの？
Tanaka-sensei's class is easy?
私は先生なんですから。
I'm a teacher, so.
ですが学生なんです。
But you're a student.
今日は寒いんですので。
Because it's cold today.
犬がかわいいのに・・・
Even though the dog is cute...
だけどとてもきれいだよ。
But you're really pretty.
その授業は、とても難しいんだよ。
That class is really difficult, you know.
だから明日は忙しいんだよ。
So that's why I'm busy tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Google Translate Pitfalls
Google Translate was my go-to in my college Spanish class, because one of our assignments was to write an entire essay in Spanish. It was only a 200-level course, which is still pretty basic for languages, if you ask me. But based on my professor's feedback, Google Translate didn't totally ruin my essay.
For Japanese it's alright for checking individual words (even then it can be wrong), but man, it absolutely wrecks entire sentences. I can't blame it really, because the sentence subject or topic is so frequently context-sensitive in Japanese that there's no way for Google to guess what you're possibly referring to. Still, for fun, I just put each of my previous sentence practices through the translator to see what it spit out. I'll list the correct translation, then the Google one.
ここは静かですので、好きです。
It's quiet here, so I like it.
Because here is quiet, I like.
彼はかっこういいから、大好きだよ。
He's handsome, so I really like him.
Because he is cool, I love.
その本が欲しいけど、友達の。
I want that book, but it's my friend's.
But the book you want, friend.
ケーキは嫌いだけど、お菓子はすきだ。
I don't like cake, but I like candy.
I cake hate, candy likes.
きれいなのに、もう大嫌いだよ。
Even though you're pretty, I still hate you.
To clean, I've had hate.
この本は面白いのに・・・
Even though this book is interesting...
This book is interesting to ...
ですが犬は好きじゃないです。
But you don't like dogs.
But the dog is not like.
だから学校があまり好きじゃないね。
So that's why you don't like school very much, huh?
So it is not very like school.
Okay, so the first two sentences aren't terrible. It just gave a very literal translation due to the word order. Then it kinda goes downhill, because I don't think it can understand particles very well. It doesn't recognize の for possession relating to my friend. In the cake/candy sentence, it thinks "candy" is the subject for the second clause, when really it's just the topic. It also doesn't seem to know what のに is at all, yet it's alright with から and が somewhat for so and but. Anyway, I just thought it was neat to compare.
For Japanese it's alright for checking individual words (even then it can be wrong), but man, it absolutely wrecks entire sentences. I can't blame it really, because the sentence subject or topic is so frequently context-sensitive in Japanese that there's no way for Google to guess what you're possibly referring to. Still, for fun, I just put each of my previous sentence practices through the translator to see what it spit out. I'll list the correct translation, then the Google one.
ここは静かですので、好きです。
It's quiet here, so I like it.
Because here is quiet, I like.
彼はかっこういいから、大好きだよ。
He's handsome, so I really like him.
Because he is cool, I love.
その本が欲しいけど、友達の。
I want that book, but it's my friend's.
But the book you want, friend.
ケーキは嫌いだけど、お菓子はすきだ。
I don't like cake, but I like candy.
I cake hate, candy likes.
きれいなのに、もう大嫌いだよ。
Even though you're pretty, I still hate you.
To clean, I've had hate.
この本は面白いのに・・・
Even though this book is interesting...
This book is interesting to ...
ですが犬は好きじゃないです。
But you don't like dogs.
But the dog is not like.
だから学校があまり好きじゃないね。
So that's why you don't like school very much, huh?
So it is not very like school.
Okay, so the first two sentences aren't terrible. It just gave a very literal translation due to the word order. Then it kinda goes downhill, because I don't think it can understand particles very well. It doesn't recognize の for possession relating to my friend. In the cake/candy sentence, it thinks "candy" is the subject for the second clause, when really it's just the topic. It also doesn't seem to know what のに is at all, yet it's alright with から and が somewhat for so and but. Anyway, I just thought it was neat to compare.
Sentence Practice 6/7/2016
Before moving on to verbs, I'm reviewing the most difficult recent lessons to ensure I have a thorough grasp of everything. I think compound sentences are probably the most difficult out of all of them, simply because there's a lot to remember. Their placement in sentences varies somewhat from English (like with putting から at the end of a clause for a "because" statement) so it's hard to think of these sentences on the fly. But I'm going to practice more with them so it starts to feel more natural.
ここは静かですので、好きです。
It's quiet here, so I like it.
彼はかっこういいから、大好きだよ。
He's handsome, so I really like him.
その本が欲しいけど、友達の。
I want that book, but it's my friend's.
ケーキは嫌いだけど、お菓子はすきだ。
I don't like cake, but I like candy.
きれいなのに、もう大嫌いだよ。
Even though you're pretty, I still hate you.
この本は面白いのに・・・
Even though this book is interesting...
ですが犬は好きじゃないです。
But you don't like dogs.
だから学校があまり好きじゃないね。
So that's why you don't like school very much, huh?
One thing to notice here is the usage of ・・・ instead of 。。。 for an ellipsis equivalent. I think in past posts I used the latter of the two assuming it was the same, but I recently read on a forum that ・・・ is far more common. It's made by pressing the ?/ key when you're in Japanese mode on your computer.
ここは静かですので、好きです。
It's quiet here, so I like it.
彼はかっこういいから、大好きだよ。
He's handsome, so I really like him.
その本が欲しいけど、友達の。
I want that book, but it's my friend's.
ケーキは嫌いだけど、お菓子はすきだ。
I don't like cake, but I like candy.
きれいなのに、もう大嫌いだよ。
Even though you're pretty, I still hate you.
この本は面白いのに・・・
Even though this book is interesting...
ですが犬は好きじゃないです。
But you don't like dogs.
だから学校があまり好きじゃないね。
So that's why you don't like school very much, huh?
One thing to notice here is the usage of ・・・ instead of 。。。 for an ellipsis equivalent. I think in past posts I used the latter of the two assuming it was the same, but I recently read on a forum that ・・・ is far more common. It's made by pressing the ?/ key when you're in Japanese mode on your computer.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Making Lists with And/Or
I believe this is one of the last lessons in Tae Kim's guide before moving on to verbs, so I'm excited! This is also a simpler one, which is odd to me because I was holding off on it due to its perceived difficulty. But after watching the video and practicing a bit, it's pretty easy to use the right form of "and/or" when constructing sentences in Japanese.
If I want to give a complete list, I can just use the particle と. For example:
猫と犬は好きです。
I like cats and dogs.
林檎とチキンが欲しいください。
I want apples and chicken, please.
If I want to give an incomplete list, I can use the particles や or とか depending on formality.
野菜やご飯が好きです。
I like things like vegetables and rice.
ゲームとか映画が好きだよ。
I like stuff like games and movies.
ハイキングとかが好きだね。
You like hiking and stuff, huh?
You can add とか after listing a single item to get the casual "and stuff" effect, which we do in English all the time.
Finally, there's か used to mean "or" when listing nouns.
枕か毛布が欲しいですください。
I want a pillow or a blanket, please.
知らない。手か足だよ。
I don't know. It's a hand or a foot.
Fun stuff! I'm really glad I did this lesson, because I can easily incorporate it into sentence practices now. I have one more section to learn for the の particle, then lots of review of these grammatical concepts, and it'll be time for verbs! I can finally do things!
Credit goes to Tae Kim's lesson seen here.
If I want to give a complete list, I can just use the particle と. For example:
猫と犬は好きです。
I like cats and dogs.
林檎とチキンが欲しいください。
I want apples and chicken, please.
If I want to give an incomplete list, I can use the particles や or とか depending on formality.
野菜やご飯が好きです。
I like things like vegetables and rice.
ゲームとか映画が好きだよ。
I like stuff like games and movies.
ハイキングとかが好きだね。
You like hiking and stuff, huh?
You can add とか after listing a single item to get the casual "and stuff" effect, which we do in English all the time.
Finally, there's か used to mean "or" when listing nouns.
枕か毛布が欲しいですください。
I want a pillow or a blanket, please.
知らない。手か足だよ。
I don't know. It's a hand or a foot.
Fun stuff! I'm really glad I did this lesson, because I can easily incorporate it into sentence practices now. I have one more section to learn for the の particle, then lots of review of these grammatical concepts, and it'll be time for verbs! I can finally do things!
Credit goes to Tae Kim's lesson seen here.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Sentence Practice 6/5/2016
I'm going to practice some sentences using the の particle, intended for seeking or providing explanations in this case. Some of them may be very short, done in a drill-type manner, so I can better familiarize myself with the concept.
食べ物なの？
This is food? (the food on the table does NOT look edible)
学生なんだ。
I am indeed a student.
難しいんですか。
It's difficult?
犬なの？
It's a dog?
虫は好きなんですから。
Because I like bugs. (explaining why you have 50 pet ladybugs)
人なんですか。
That's a person? (looking at a blurry photograph)
簡単なの？
It's easy?
私は先生なんだ。
I am indeed a teacher. (maybe explaining it rudely to someone who didn't believe them)
食べ物なの？
This is food? (the food on the table does NOT look edible)
学生なんだ。
I am indeed a student.
難しいんですか。
It's difficult?
犬なの？
It's a dog?
虫は好きなんですから。
Because I like bugs. (explaining why you have 50 pet ladybugs)
人なんですか。
That's a person? (looking at a blurry photograph)
簡単なの？
It's easy?
私は先生なんだ。
I am indeed a teacher. (maybe explaining it rudely to someone who didn't believe them)
Lesson 6/4/2015
I had a lesson yesterday with 先生 to practice my self-introduction, and it went fairly well. Because it's so difficult to string words together while also following any grammar rules, I dropped a couple of particles that I shouldn't have, but it was good otherwise. I'll list a couple corrections she made.
好きな食べ物は、野菜やご飯です。
As for foods I like, vegetables and rice.
趣味は、ゲームです。
As for hobbies, games.
I've translated those very literally to give a better understanding of how they sound more natural in Japanese. I can say "As for food I like, ..." rather than saying "As for food, I like ..." because it sounds better. It also sounds strange to say "As for hobbies, I like ..." so I can merely say "As for hobbies, ..." and list them as normal nouns.
Eventually I was able to give my intro without those mistakes, so success! I still need to practice it more so I'm not pausing a ton between sentences to collect my thoughts, but I'm happy enough right now.
好きな食べ物は、野菜やご飯です。
As for foods I like, vegetables and rice.
趣味は、ゲームです。
As for hobbies, games.
I've translated those very literally to give a better understanding of how they sound more natural in Japanese. I can say "As for food I like, ..." rather than saying "As for food, I like ..." because it sounds better. It also sounds strange to say "As for hobbies, I like ..." so I can merely say "As for hobbies, ..." and list them as normal nouns.
Eventually I was able to give my intro without those mistakes, so success! I still need to practice it more so I'm not pausing a ton between sentences to collect my thoughts, but I'm happy enough right now.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Sentence Practice 6/2/2016
I'm going to practice using the conjunctions that I previously learned, because they're one of the more complex grammar topics in my studies so far.
私の仕事はエンジニアですから、プログラミングが大好きです。
My job is engineering, so I really like programming.
お前が大嫌いなのに、もう猫が嫌いじゃない。
Even though I really hate you, I still don't dislike your cat.
だがどんな食べ物がすきですか。
But what kind of food do you like?
明日はリーさんの短所美なので。。。
Tomorrow is Lee's birthday so...
ご飯や野菜がすきだけど、果物がすきじゃない。
I like things like rice and vegetables, but I don't like fruit.
だからばかだよね。
That's why you're an idiot, huh?
私の仕事はエンジニアですから、プログラミングが大好きです。
My job is engineering, so I really like programming.
お前が大嫌いなのに、もう猫が嫌いじゃない。
Even though I really hate you, I still don't dislike your cat.
だがどんな食べ物がすきですか。
But what kind of food do you like?
明日はリーさんの短所美なので。。。
Tomorrow is Lee's birthday so...
ご飯や野菜がすきだけど、果物がすきじゃない。
I like things like rice and vegetables, but I don't like fruit.
だからばかだよね。
That's why you're an idiot, huh?
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