Chapter Four: Explanation

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  • フランクさん、 何を　しています　か？ furanku san, nani o shiteimasu ka? - [Frank, what are you doing?] You can change the verb too!
    Example:
    nani o tabemasu ka? [What are you eating? or probably What do you want to eat.]
  • ともだちに　はなして います　よ。 tomodachi ni hanashite imasu yo - [I'm talking to my friend.] || The particle ni is used often when 'to' is used. amerika ni iku. [I am going to America.] and anata ni ageru. [I will give something to you.]
    ~te imasu when added to verbs makes the ~ing form:
    tabete imasu - eating (tabemasu) || mite imasu - seeing (mimasu)
  • ともだちは　だれ？ tomodachi wa dare? - [Who is the friend?] lit. 'friend who?' Very often words are dropped in Japanese if they are understood by the speaker and listener. Even the important desu verb isn't totally necessary. Of course the "correct" form would be, 'tomodachi wa dare desu ka?'
  • これ　です。 kore desu - [It's this] || there isn't an 'it'
  • それは　すし　です。　すしは　たべもの　です　よ。　ともだち　じゃない。 sore wa sushi desu. sushi wa tabemono desu yo. tomodachi janai - [That is sushi. Sushi is a food. Not a friend.] || Do you remember in Chapter 2 nomi mono (a drink)? Well tabe mono (a food) is related. Of course the tabe comes from the verb tabemasu (to eat) and nomi comes from the verb nomimasu (to drink), but what is mono? mono means 'thing.' So tabemono is 'eat thing.'
  • ああ！ ほんとう？ aa! hontou? - [Ah! Really?!] Again this is casual speech so the ver (desu) is dropped. hontou is very, very useful! hontou desu yo.
  • はい。 ほんとう です よ。 それは はなしません。 hai. hontou desu yo. sore wa hanashimasen. - [Yes, it's true. That doesn't talk.] || The yo is just added for stress, really it isn't necessary. hanashimasen means 'not speak' we will get to 'can't speak' soon... Stay tuned!

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