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Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com! You are going with a Japanese relative to his home in Japan. Although you’re excited to do more traveling in Japan, you did not realize it would be such a long trip. It’s not that the distance is so far; it’s that you must use several different modes of transportation to get to our Japanese destination, including walking. You aren’t sure you were ready to sightsee so much of Japan on foot when you told him you’d come along! In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say a means of transportation in Japanese. Our Japanese conversation takes place in an airport and is between relatives.  Because the speakers are relatives, they will be speaking formal Japanese. You’ll also learn how to ask in Japanese how someone gets somewhere. Visit us at JapanesePod101.com, where you will find many more fantastic Japanese lessons and learning resources! Leave us a message while you are there!


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This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2012 at 6:30 pm and is filed under Absolute Beginner Season 2 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

37 Responses to “Absolute Beginner S2 #16 - Spending Time on Japanese Public Transportation”

JapanesePod101.com says:

みなさんは、なにで しごと ・ がっこう に いきますか? How do you get to work / school? Let us know in English or Japanese below!

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Jonathan says:

僕は歩きでいきます
Hope this was ok,I don’t feel well at the moment so I didn’t listen that well :/

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Jonathan-san,
Yes, you wrote it correct!! :smile:
You can also say,
僕は歩いて行きます。 :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子)
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Hannah says:

私はバスそれから電車で学校に行きます。
I take the bus, then train to school.

I tried to use それから. I’m not sure if it is used correctly.

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Hannahさん

Great try! That use of それから IS correct, and your meaning gets across, but there are even more natural ways to say this in Japanese:

1. By using the particle と (”and”) alone:
私はバスと電車で学校に行きます。

2. By using the particle と (”and”) and それから (”and then”):
私はバスと電車、それから自転車で学校に行きます。

3. By just using それから (”and then”) alone but adding a comma/pause to make the sentence clearer:
私はバス、それから電車で学校に行きます。

Hope this helps! :)

Kat/JapanesePod101.com

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Jolene says:

せんせい、こんにちは。
Hello, Teacher.

私は家から駅まで歩いてです。
I walk from my house to the station.
それから、電車と歩いて学校にいきます。
After that I took the train and walk to school.

正ですか。
Are my sentences correct?

すみません、質問があります。
Sorry, I have a question.
ちょっと紛らわしいです。
I’m a little confused.

1.松本さんはなんで会社に行きますか。
2.松本さんはなにで会社に行きますか。
How does Matsumoto-san go to his company?

どれでも正ですか。
Are both correct?

1年ぐらい前に私の学校で1番を習えました。
I learnt no. 1 in school about a year ago.

ありがとうございます。
Thank you.

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Joleneさん、

1. I walk from my house to the station.
 ⇒ 私は家から駅まで歩きます。

2. After that I take the train and walk to school.
 ⇒ それから、電車で学校にいきます。
Maybe in this sentence, you don’t necessarily have to say “and walk to”.
If you want to say both “take the train” and “walk” to get to the school,
それから電車に乗って、駅から学校まで歩いていきます。
(after that I take the train, and walk from the station to the school)

Regarding “How does Matsumoto-san go to his company?” sentence,…
Yes, it is confusing… :sad:
1.松本さんはなんで会社に行きますか。
2.松本さんはなにで会社に行きますか。

はい、どちらも正しいです。
でも、
2.松本さんはなにで会社に行きますか。
の方がいいです。(No.2 is better)
No.1 is more colloquial than No.2 and that’s why なに became なん.
Please try to use No.2 :wink:

Hope this helps!

Natsuko(奈津子),
JapanesePod101.com

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Pearl says:

Watashi wa basu de uchi ni ikimasu. Sorekara aruki de ikimasu.

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Pearl-san,
basu de uchi ni kaerimasu ka. sorekara aruite doko e ikimasu ka? :wink:
(so, you go back home by bus. Then, where are you going?)

Natsuko(奈津子)
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Pearl says:

Nani de watashi no gakkou ni ikimasu ka?
How do I get to my school?
Basu de ikimasu. Sorekara aruki de ikimasu.

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Pearl-san,
Very good!! Perfect desu! :grin:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Haru says:

watashi wa chikatetsu de shigoto ni ikimasu
わたしわてつでしごとにいきます

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Haru-san,
Good!! Please note the hiragana version below:
わたしは、ちかてつ で しごと に いきます。

Your roma-ji version is perfect! :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Anthony says:

わたしは、 カルマ で しごと に いきます。

I go to work in my car.

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Tekkuro says:

Sensei, konnichiwa,

毎日自転車で仕事に行きます。
(I go to work by bike everyday.)

Is there a difference (in meaning or use) between “aruki de” and “aruite”?

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Anthony-san,
Good! Car in Japanese is actually クルマ :wink:

Tekkuro-san,
自転車ですか、健康的ですね!
No, there’s no difference in meanings between “aruki de” and “aruite”.
The former is [noun + de] and the latter is te-form of verb :smile:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Michelle says:

Watashi wa kurumu de gakoo ni ikimasu.
Aa, demo, tokidoki, basu de ikimasu. Sore kara, aruki de ikimasu.

Was that right? Tokidoki is ’sometimes’ isn’t it?

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Michelle says:

Also, if I want to say ‘I wonder how I should go to school today?’, should I say:

Watashi wa nani de gakoo ni kashira?

It doesn’t seem right…

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JapanesePod101.com says:

> Michelle-san,
yes, that’s right! “sometimes” in Japanese is “tokidoki” :smile:
One very little thing to fix: “car” in Japanese is “kuruma”. (was it typo?)
“watashi wa kuruma de gakkoo ni ikimasu” :wink:

Hmm…wondering how you should go to school…
With casual (informal) way,
“kyou wa nani de gakkoo ni ikou kashira” or “kyou wa nani de gakkoo ni ikou ga na”.
Since this is like talking to yourself, no need to use formal expressions,
nor refer to “watashi wa” :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Coco says:

Mainichi watashi wa kuruma de shigoto ni ikimasu! :grin:
Ima shigoto ni imasu.
Japanesepod101 ga suki o hanashimasu!

Everyday I go to work in my car.
I am at work n

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Coco-san,
Shigotoba de kono komento (= comment) o kaite kureta no desuka?
Arigatou gozaimasu! Shigoto wa daijoubu desuka? :mrgreen:
Coco-san wa, shigotoba de JapanesePod101 ga suki da to hanashite kurete iru
no desune. JapanesePod101 o susumete kurete arigatou!! :grin:

(You wrote this comment at your work? Thank you very much! Is your work going
fine? And, you’re telling that you like JapanesePod101 at work? Thank you for
recommending JapanesePod101 to the world!!)

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Edison says:

Watashi wa mainichi オートバイ de shigoto ni ikimasu.

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Edison-san,
オートバイ desu ka?
kakkoii desu ne! :cool:
(= that’s cool!)

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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パトリクン says:

ホームオフィスがあります. 私はベッドを抜け出す :mrgreen:

“I have a home office, (how do I get to work?) I roll out of bed :)

This lesson gave me a (good headache). gonna listen to this one a few times till I get it!

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JapanesePod101.com says:

パトリクンさん、
:lol: :lol: 「ベッドを抜け出す」ですか?「仕事を抜け出す」ではなくて??? :mrgreen:
ホームオフィスはいいですね!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us!! :grin:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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xoxoitany says:

anoooo… :oops: :oops:
In the lesson notes, the romaji version of the dialogue, it says
Nani de Masato-san no uchi ni ikimasu ka. Demo it doesnt say Kuruma de ikimasu ka. and in the actual conversation they do say it… :oops: :oops: just so that you guys nknow its not complete :oops: :oops:

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xoxoitany says:

kuruma de gakkou ni ikimasu :D

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JapanesePod101.com says:

xoxoitany-san,
oh, sorry!! I checked the PDF, and romaji version missed that sentence :oops:
We’ll fix it the soonest. Thank you very much for letting us know!

xoxoitany-san wa kuruma de gakkou ni ikimasu ka. Ii desu ne! :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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JapanesePod101.com says:

xoxoitany-san,
Thanks for pointing out! I’ve fixed that part.
Please have a look!

Motoko
Team JapanesePod101.com

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vivian says:

what is the difference between sono toki, sore kara, ano toki and sono ato??? :)

Arigato, senseis.

Vivian-san.

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JapanesePod101.com says:

vivian-san,
“sono toki” and “ano toki” can mean “that time” referring to certain time in the past. The usage is decided in a context (of conversation) or background.
“sorekara” and “sono ato” mean “after that”, but “sorekara” is closer to
“then” as usage.

Hope this helps :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Adonus says:

Watashi wa kuruma de shigoto ni ikimasu.

I go to work by car.

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Adonus-san,
paafekuto desu (= that’s perfect)!! :grin:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Adonus says:

Doumo arigatou gozaimasu Natsuko sensei!

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Adonus-san,
dou itashimashite :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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Rupen says:

かおりはなにでうちにいきますか?

でんしゃ で いきます

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JapanesePod101.com says:

Rupenさん、
パーフェクトですね!! :grin:

Only when it’s 「うち」にいく or similar place, we use the verb かえる too.
This かえる means “to go back where you belong”. Just as extra information :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

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