Japanese Beginner Phrases Podcast 11

Submitted by clay on Sun, 01/25/2009 - 23:23

Beginning Japanese Conversational Phrases #11: Languages & People Part II

Words heard in this podcast:

アメリカ amerika - America

アメリカ人 amerikajin - An American

英語 eigo - English (language)

英語が話せます。 Eigo ga hanasemasu. - I can speak English.

日本語 nihongo - Japanese

日本語が話せます。 nihongo ga hanasemasu - I can speak Japanese.

少し sukoshi - a little

日本語が少し話せます。 nihongo ga sukoshi hanasemasu. - I can speak a little Japanese

英語が話せますか？ eigo ga hanasemasu ka? - Can you speak English?

はい、英語が少し話せます。 hai, eigo ga sukoshi hanasemasu. - Yes, I can speak a little English.

you may want to listen to this episode a few times until that construction is learned. In the next podcast, we will learn a few important phrases useful in conversation.

For more on this, please see our Flash Countries, Languages, and People page with sound.

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No more?

Submitted by chrism213 on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 00:38.

Is there no more podcasts? I find these really useful listening to at work to learn and practice.

If not could anyone direct me to similar podcasts?

Thanks! I haven't made one

Submitted by clay on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 02:21.

Thanks! I haven't made one in years. I'll think about what else I can do.

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話せます

Submitted by Hurbret on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 06:27.

In this, you use 'hanase.' I have heard also 'hanashi.' Are these interchangeable, or is there some differences? The plain forms would be 'hanaseru' for 'hanasemasu' and 'hanasu' for 'hanashimasu,' right?

音楽が大好きです。

re: 話せます

Submitted by Dustin on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 10:21.

Hanashimasu to speak ( I speak )

Hanasemasu To be able to speak ( I can speak )

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that's right. Because the

Submitted by sato on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 13:59.

that's right. Because the first sentense is general truth, the last one is ability.

Re: 話せます

Submitted by chikara on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 10:22.

'hanasu' (話す) is the plain (dictionary) non-past form of the verb, "to speak". 'hanaseru' (話せる ) is the plain non-past potential form, ie "able to speak" or "can speak".

話す -> 話します
話せる -> 話せます

The above doesn't use 'hanase', it uses 'hanasemasu'.
'hanashi' (話) is a noun, not a verb, and it means speech or talk.
'hanase' and 'hanashi' are the ~masu stems of the verbs 'hanaseru' and 'hanasu' respectively. Maybe that is what you are referring to.

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