Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Hi, everyone.
Welcome to the Ultimate Japanese Particle Guide.
In this lesson, you'll learn the particle...
と (to)
This particle is often referred to as the connecting particle, because we use it to connect two or more elements.
と means “and.”
You can use this particle to make a complete list of two or more nouns. It comes after every noun in the list except the last one.
Let's illustrate it with some examples. How do you say "A and B"?
AとB。
Here, the particle was inserted between the two, just like “and” in English. Now, how would we say “A , B, and C”?
AとBとC。
Note that the particle was inserted between each word. Let’s keep going.
How do you say “A, B, C, and D”?
AとBとCとD。
So again, we put the particle between each word. This is different from English.
In English, we put the word “and” only between the last two nouns, but in Japanese, と comes after every noun except the last one. So can we hear a sample sentence?
ハンバーガーとポテトとコーラをください。(Hanbāgā to poteto to kōra o kudasai.)
This means "Could I have a hamburger, French fries, and a Coke, please?" Let's hear the list again.
ハンバーガーとポテトとコーラ (hanbāgā to poteto to kōra)
We just learned that the particle comes after every noun in the list except the last one.
Actually, in everyday life, many Japanese people omit it. It's very common to hear
ハンバーガーとポテト、コーラ (hanbāgā to poteto, kōra)
Let's take a look at a few more examples.
肉と魚が好きです。(Niku to sakana ga suki desu.)
“I like meat and fish.”
ケーキとチョコレートを買いました。(Kēki to chokorēto o kaimashita.)
"I bought a cake and chocolates."
牛乳とチーズは乳製品です。 (Gyūnyū to chīzu wa nyūseihin desu.)
“Milk and cheese are dairy products.”
This particle also has the meaning of “together” or “with.” It's used to show involvement - that an action was done together with someone.
Let's see some examples.
ジョンはよう子と映画を見ました。(Jon wa Yōko to eiga o mimashita.)
This means "John saw a movie with Yoko." Let's hear "with Yoko" again.
よう子と (Yōko to)
Let's take a look at a few more examples with the same particle when it means "with."
明日、南さんとデートをします。(Ashita, Minami-san to dēto o shimasu.)
"Tomorrow, I'll go on a date with Minami."
南さんはいつも猫と遊んでいます。(Minami-san wa itsumo neko to asonde imasu.)
"Minami is always playing with cats."
田中さんと食事をしました。(Tanaka-san to shokuji o shimashita.)
“I had a meal with Mr.Tanaka.”
Now, let's use what you learned in this lesson.
We learned how to say "Could I have a hamburger, French fries, and a Coke, please?"
ハンバーガーとポテトとコーラをください。(Hanbāgā to poteto to kōra o kudasai.)
Here the particle と (to) marks more elements to connect them. The structure is...
[element 1]
と(to)
[element 2]
と(to)
[element 3]
Now let's try with "I have a dog and a cat.”
You should already know the words for "dog" and "cat.”
犬 (inu)
猫 (neko)
"I have (a pet)” is...
飼っています(katte imasu)
Try to say ”I have a dog and a cat” in Japanese. [pause]
The answer is...
犬と猫を飼っています(Inu to neko o katte imasu)
Did you get it right? In this sentence, the particle と(to) means "and."
Let's try one more. We learned how to say "John saw a movie with Yoko."
ジョンはよう子と映画を見ました。(Jon wa Yōko to eiga o mimashita.)
Here the particle と (to) shows involvement - that the action was done together with someone. The structure is...
[someone or something]
と (to)
Now let's try with "I go shopping with my friends."
You should already know all the words...
“to go shopping" is...
買い物に行きます (kaimono ni ikimasu)
"friend" is...
友達 (tomodachi)
Try to say "I go shopping with my friends" in Japanese. [pause]
The answer is...
友達と買い物に行きます。(Tomodachi to kaimono ni ikimasu. )
Well done! In this case, the particle と (to) means "with."
In this lesson, you learned about the particle...
In the next lesson, you'll learn about the particle...
See you in the next lesson. Bye!
Bye~

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