This is a really interesting question, and one that Japanese people wonder about as well!

I read some Japanese message board discussions about this topic, and many of the posters seem to agree that calling a friend/boyfriend/girlfriend’s parents お父さん・お父様・お母さん・お母様 can sound overly forward at first, and could offend the parent in question. They recommend calling a friend’s father おじさま・おじさん, and a friend’s mother おばさま.

However some other posters say that they just go ahead and call their friend/boyfriend/girlfriend’s parents お母さん・お父さん, and that a friend’s mother in particular could be offended by being called おばさん・おばさま, especially if she is relatively young (in her 30s or 40s).

In conclusion, think it very much depends on your age and the age of the parent in question, as well as on how close a relationship you have. I hope this helps a little!

そういえば、ユーチューブで「ギャル曽根」の動画を見た。大変ですね！信じらない！どうやってそんなにたくさん食べてもなぜまだスマートですか。うらやましいだよ・・・

chiisakuku arimasen deshita

Is that an extra “ku”, or am I going koo-koo?

Arigato Gozaimashita,
Kenjhee

I just finished the last lesson of Newbie Series 3 last night, and I am going to start Beginner Season 4 today. I made so many mistakes , but maybe if I keep pushing forward I’ll reinforce the things I have learned.

ありがとうございま！

Something or someone exists are marked by “ga” and followed by verbs “imasu” or “arimasu” depending on the the object is animate or inanimate.
In your sentence case, “Gyarusone(a person)” is a topic of the sentence, but not talking about her existence right? What it’s talking about is her “Ninki” meaning “popularity” which is considered as inanimate that’s why it has to be followed by “arimasu”.

“Ninki ga arimasu” literally means “there’s popularity”.
So literal translation of “Gyarusone wa ninki ga arimasu” would be “As for Gyarusone, there’s popularity”. Of course it means “Gyarusone is popular.”

>> 二の難しいテスト “wo really hard tests”
→ This part should be… 二つの難しいテスト [futatsu no muzukashii tesuto ]

I hope this makes sense.

ギャル曽根は人気があります。

or

ギャル曽根は人気がいります。ギャル曽根 is “animate”, so wouldn’t you use いる? Or since 人気 has the が after it (which is the subject particle with emphasis yes?) that makes 人気 the subject that decides which verb to use?

I hope my question makes sense.
先週、私は二の難しいテストがありました。日本語を全然勉強をしませんでした。
Last week I had two really hard tests. I didn’t get to study Japanese at all. (Hahaha, I think I may have answered my own question when I wrote that last sentence.)

I am probably going to destroy this next sentence as it’s way beyond my Japanese language skills as they stand right now, but here it goes:

私の友達で話すでます、いつ、小さいレストランにあります。
I can talk with my friends when in a small restaurant.

Was that sentence even close? Hahahaha!

じゃ、また。

Thanks

じゃ、ね

Since particle “wa” can be used to show the comparison, I think “wa” should be used instead of “ga.”
And youniku does mean lamb or sheep meat however lamb is not as common as beef, chicken or pork in Japan, so I would say it is safe to call lamb as “ramu-niku” or “hituji-no-niku.”
So…
●Watashi wa gyuuniku to hitsujino niku wa tabemasen. Demo butaniku to toriniku wa daijoubu desu.
I don’t eat beef or lamb but I’m fine with pork and chicken.