Learn about transitive and intransitive verbs and how to use them
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Naomi: なおみです。(Naomi desu.) |
| Peter: Peter here. Opening New Doors in Japan. In this lesson, you will learn the usage of a verb meaning "to break" and "to begin" in Japanese. |
| Naomi: Right. Which are こわれる (kowareru) and 始まる (hajimaru). |
| Peter: Where does this conversation take place? |
| Naomi: 101テレビ局の前。(Ichi maru ichi terebikyoku no mae.) |
| Peter: In front of 101 TV Station. |
| Naomi: 男の人が歩に話しかけます。(Otoko no hito ga Ayumu ni hanashikakemasu.) |
| Peter: A man speaks to Ayumu. |
| Naomi: 二人は丁寧に話しています。(Futari wa teinei ni hanashite imasu.) |
| Peter: They're using formal Japanese. OK. Let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| （バス）(basu) |
| アナウンス (anaunsu) : 次は、101テレビ局前。101テレビ局前。(Tsugi wa, Ichi maru ichi terebikyoku mae. Ichi maru ichi terebikyoku mae.) |
| : ドアが あきます。(Doa ga akimasu.) |
| : ドアが 閉まります。(Doa ga shimarimasu.) |
| （外）(soto) |
| 男 (otoko) : あの、すみません。落としましたよ。(Ano, sumimasen. Otoshimashita yo.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？(E?) |
| 男 (otoko) : かばんから 財布が 落ちましたよ。はい、これ。(Kaban kara saifu ga ochimashita yo. Hai, kore.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あ、ありがとうございます。え？新？(A, arigatō gozaimasu. E? Shin?) |
| 男 (otoko) : はい？違いますけど。じゃ。(Hai? Chigaimasu kedo. Ja.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : おはよ。歩。歩？あゆむ！(Ohayo. Ayumu. Ayumu? Ayumu!) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？ああ、渡・・・おはよう。(E? Ā, Wataru... ohayō.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : 何しているの。(Nani shite iru no.) |
| : 会議が 始まるよ。急いで。(Kaigi ga hajimaru yo. Isoide.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あ・・・うん。(A… un.) |
| :（もしかして・・・あの人は 私が この前病院で見た人？）(Moshikashite... Ano hito wa watashi ga kono mae byōin de mita hito?) |
| Naomi: もう一度、お願いします。今度はゆっくりお願いします。(Mō ichi-do, onegai shimasu. Kondo wa yukkuri onegai shimasu.) |
| アナウンス (anaunsu) : 次は、101テレビ局前。101テレビ局前。(Tsugi wa, Ichi maru ichi terebikyoku mae. Ichi maru ichi terebikyoku mae.) |
| : ドアが あきます。(Doa ga akimasu.) |
| : ドアが 閉まります。(Doa ga shimarimasu.) |
| 男 (otoko) : あの、すみません。落としましたよ。(Ano, sumimasen. Otoshimashita yo.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？(E?) |
| 男 (otoko) : かばんから 財布が 落ちましたよ。はい、これ。(Kaban kara saifu ga ochimashita yo. Hai, kore.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あ、ありがとうございます。え？新？(A, arigatō gozaimasu. E? Shin?) |
| 男 (otoko) : はい？違いますけど。じゃ。(Hai? Chigaimasu kedo. Ja.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : おはよ。歩。歩？あゆむ！(Ohayo. Ayumu. Ayumu? Ayumu!) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？ああ、渡・・・おはよう。(E? Ā, Wataru... ohayō.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : 何しているの。(Nani shite iru no.) |
| : 会議が 始まるよ。急いで。(Kaigi ga hajimaru yo. Isoide.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あ・・・うん。(A… un.) |
| :（もしかして・・・あの人は 私が この前病院で見た人？）(Moshikashite... Ano hito wa watashi ga kono mae byōin de mita hito?) |
| Naomi: 今度は、英語が入ります。(Kondo wa, Eigo ga hairimasu.) |
| アナウンス (anaunsu) : 次は、101テレビ局前。101テレビ局前。(Tsugi wa, Ichi maru ichi terebikyoku mae. Ichi maru ichi terebikyoku mae.) |
| The next stop is 101 TV Station. 101 TV Station. |
| : ドアが あきます。(Doa ga akimasu.) |
| The doors will now open. |
| : ドアが 閉まります。(Doa ga shimarimasu.) |
| The doors will now close. |
| 男 (otoko) : あの、すみません。落としましたよ。(Ano, sumimasen. Otoshimashita yo.) |
| Um, excuse me. You dropped this. |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？(E?) |
| Huh? |
| 男 (otoko) : かばんから 財布が 落ちましたよ。(Kaban kara saifu ga ochimashita yo.) |
| You dropped this wallet out of your bag. |
| 男 (otoko) : はい、これ。(Hai, kore.) |
| Here you are. |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あ、ありがとうございます。(A, arigatō gozaimasu.) |
| Thank you very much! |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？新？(E? Shin?) |
| Huh? Shin?? |
| 男 (otoko) : はい？違いますけど。じゃ。(Hai? Chigaimasu kedo. Ja.) |
| I'm sorry? I think you're mistaken. If you'll excuse me. |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : おはよ。歩。(Ohayo. Ayumu.) |
| 'Morning, Ayumu. |
| : 歩？(Ayumu?) |
| Ayumu? |
| : あゆむ！(Ayumu!) |
| Ayumu! |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？ああ、渡・・・おはよう。(E? Ā, Wataru... ohayō.) |
| Huh? Ohh, Wataru...good morning. |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : 何しているの。(Nani shite iru no.) |
| What are you doing?! |
| : 会議が 始まるよ。急いで。(Kaigi ga hajimaru yo. Isoide.) |
| The meeting is going to start! Hurry up! |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あ・・・うん。(A… un.) |
| Oh...right. |
| :（もしかして・・・あの人は 私が この前病院で見た人？）(Moshikashite... Ano hito wa watashi ga kono mae byōin de mita hito?) |
| (Could it be...that that person is the person I saw at the hospital the other day?) |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Peter: なおみ先生、「ドアがあきます」？ (Naomi-sensei, “doa ga akimasu”?) Is that correct? It's not「ドアがひらきます」(“doa ga hirakimasu”)? |
| Naomi: ああ、両方正しいです。(Ā, ryōhō tadashii desu.) Both are correct. Both あきます (akimasu) and ひらきます (hirakimasu) mean "to open", and when they are used to talk about doors, they basically mean the same thing. |
| Peter: I see. See, what I usually hear in the announcement though is ドアがひらきます (doa ga hirakimasu). |
| Naomi: あー、そうですか。(Ā, sō desu ka.) Is that right? I’ve never noticed it. Speaking of announcements… 日本の電車やバスのアナウンスって聞きやすいですよね。(Nihon no densha ya basu no anaunsu tte kikiyasui desu yo ne.) |
| Peter: So you asked the announcements on trains and buses are pretty easy to understand? |
| Naomi: うん。(Un.) |
| Peter: Yeah, I guess so. Most of them are pre-recorded and they come with a translation in English. |
| Naomi: あぁ、そうそう。そうなんですよね、だから、ビギナーにはうれしいですよね。訳があって勉強できますからね。(Ā, sō sō. Sō nan desu yo ne. Dakara, biginā ni wa ureshii desu yo ne. Yaku ga atte benkyō dekimasu kara ne.) |
| Peter: So it's Japanese-beginner friendly? |
| Naomi: Hm. Don’t you think? |
| Peter: Yeah, I can see that - the translations can be useful for studying. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word is: |
| テレビ局 (terebikyoku) [natural native speed] |
| TV station |
| テレビ局 (terebikyoku) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| テレビ局 (terebikyoku) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| かばん (kaban) [natural native speed] |
| bag |
| かばん (kaban) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| かばん (kaban) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 会議 (kaigi) [natural native speed] |
| meeting, conference |
| 会議 (kaigi) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 会議 (kaigi) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 急ぐ (isogu) [natural native speed] |
| to hurry, to rush |
| 急ぐ (isogu) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 急ぐ (isogu) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| もしかして (moshikashite) [natural native speed] |
| perhaps, possibly |
| もしかして (moshikashite) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| もしかして (moshikashite) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Peter: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. Naomi-sensei. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: The first word we’re looking at is? |
| Naomi: かばん (kaban) |
| Peter: “Bag.” Now, Naomi-sensei, you can also say バッグ (baggu) for bag, right? |
| Naomi: うん、そうですね。(Un, sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: So would you say they're interchangeable? |
| Naomi: Ah… according to the dictionary, "yes". はい、そうです。 interchangeable です。(Hai, sō desu. Interchangeable desu.) |
| でも...でも (demo… demo), my image of バッグ (baggu) is rather small and fashionable. なんか...。(Nanka…) People usually use かばん (kaban) for a bag that is relatively big and heavy....you know, maybe one made of leather and has a kind of classic design. I don't know. Anyway, that's my image. |
| Peter: Yeah. I have no idea what it comes to bags. |
| Naomi: あはは。そうね。(Ahaha. Sō ne.) You have no interest in bags or かばん (kaban). |
| Peter: あんまり。(Anmari.) But we’ll take your word for it. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: OK. Next. |
| Naomi: 会議 (kaigi) |
| Peter: “meeting" "conference” |
| Naomi: The katakana word ミーティング (mītingu) is also used to mean "meeting". To me 会議 (kaigi) sounds more formal and serious than ミーティング (mītingu). |
| Peter: I agree. Generally speaking, the word 会議 (kaigi) refers to a relatively big meeting, right? |
| Naomi: うん。(Un.) |
| Peter: Where people have a discussion to decide something. |
| But the word ミーティング (mītingu) tends to be used for a relatively small meeting. I guess in some cases, sharing information with workers. |
| Naomi: あ、そうね。上手な説明ですね。(A, sō ne. Jōzu na setsumei desu ne.) Good explanation. その通りだと思います。(Sono tōri da to omoimasu.) I think you're exactly right. |
| Peter: まぁね。(Mā ne.) I agree. OK. What's the last one? |
| Naomi: もしかして (moshikashite) |
| Peter: “Perhaps”, “could it be…”, “by any chance”, “maybe.” This is often used as a prelude before presenting one's guess. |
| Naomi: うん、そうですね。(Un, sō desu ne.) Here's a sample sentence. もしかして、ピーターさんですか。(Moshikashite, Pītā-san desu ka.) |
| Peter: I maybe wrong but, are you Peter? |
| On to the grammar point. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Peter: The focus of this lesson is the usage of the 2 verbs 始まる (hajimaru), meaning "to begin" or "to start", and こわれる (kowareru), meaning "to break". |
| Naomi: You must memorize these two verbs, right now! |
| Peter: I like that. Right now! Now, can we hear them one more time? "To begin" is? |
| Naomi: 始まる (hajimaru) |
| Peter: "To break" is? |
| Naomi: こわれる (kowareru) |
| Peter: Now, here's a sample sentence for 始まる (hajimaru). |
| Naomi: 会議が始まる。(Kaigi ga hajimaru.) |
| Peter: “The meeting begins.” “The meeting is going to begin.” |
| Naomi: In this case, who starts the meeting is not important. We are just focusing on the fact that the meeting begins. |
| Peter: Notice that the thing that begins, the thing that starts - in this case 会議 (kaigi), meeting was marked by the particle が (ga). |
| Naomi: Right. 会議「が」始まる。(Kaigi “ga” hajimaru) |
| Peter: "The meeting begins.” “The meeting is going to begin." Now, how do you say "The summer vacation begins” or ”The summer vacation starts" as in "The summer vacation starts now"? |
| Naomi: OK. "Summer vacation" is 夏休み (natsuyasumi). |
| Peter: The thing that begins has to be marked by が (ga). So... |
| Naomi: 夏休みが始まる。(Natsuyasumi ga hajimaru.) |
| Peter: "Summer vacation starts." How do you say "School started"? |
| Naomi: "School" is 学校 (gakkō), and "started" is 始まった (hajimatta), so… 学校が始まった。(Gakkō ga hajimatta.) |
| Peter: OK, listeners listen and repeat in Japanese. "School started." |
| Naomi: 学校が始まった。(Gakkō ga hajimatta.) |
| Peter: [pause] Again, say "School started" in Japanese. |
| Naomi: [pause] 学校が始まった。(Gakkō ga hajimatta.) |
| Peter: On to the next word. |
| Naomi: こわれる (kowareru) |
| Peter: "To break." こわれる (kowareru) simply means something breaks. |
| Naomi: Right. Who broke it is not important, so it's not mentioned. |
| Peter: How do you say "The car breaks” or “The car is going to break"? |
| Naomi: 車がこわれる。(Kuruma ga kowareru.) |
| Peter: Notice that the thing that breaks is marked by the particle が (ga). Who or what breaks the car is not mentioned. OK. How do you say "The computer broke"? |
| Naomi: “Computer” is コンピューター (konpyūtā). |
| Peter: The thing that breaks is marked by が (ga). So... |
| Naomi: コンピューターが (konpyūtā ga) |
| Peter: The past form of |
| Naomi: こわれる (kowareru) |
| Peter: "to break" is |
| Naomi: こわれた (kowareta) |
| Peter: So... |
| Naomi: コンピューターがこわれた。(Konpyūtā ga kowareta.) |
| Peter: OK. Listen and repeat, "The computer broke." |
| Naomi: コンピューターがこわれた。(Konpyūtā ga kowareta.) |
| Peter: [pause] OK. Say "The computer broke" in Japanese. |
| Naomi: [pause] コンピューターがこわれた。(Konpyūtā ga kowareta.) |
| Peter: OK. For these lessons, some of you may have some really important questions. Now, I don't want to scare you with grammatical terms, but these verbs, 始まる (hajimaru) and こわれる (kowareru) are intransitive verbs. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) There's a detailed write up about what an intransitive verb is and how to use it, so… 読んでくださいね。(Yonde kudasai ne.) |
| Peter: Definitely take some time to read this because transitive and intransitive verbs are very important to Japanese. |
| Naomi: Right. |
| Peter: Japanese in particular. |
| Naomi: Hm. |
| Peter: So reading this will help you get a good understanding. And this will really help you in your studies. |
| Naomi: はい、そう思います。(Hai, sō omoimasu.) |
| Peter: That’s going to do it. |
| Naomi: じゃ、また。(Ja, mata.) |
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