Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Intro

Risa: Imagine your friend asks you about your future. Can you talk about your plan?こんにちは。りさです. Risa here.Discussing future plans in Japanese is easy. Mark's having lunch with Yoshi and talking about his family who is coming to Japan soon. Let's watch!
Dialogue
Yoshi: かぞくは、いつ日本に来ますか。
Mark: カレンとこどもたちは、金ようびに来ます。
Yoshi: おくさんは、日本でしごとをしますか。
Mark: カレンは、ライターのしごとをつづけます。
Yoshi: それは、いいですね。こどもたちは?
Mark: サーシャは、インターナショナルスクールに行きます。
Yoshi: サーシャは、すぐに日本語をおぼえますよ。
Mark: そうですね。ベンは、日本の高校に行きます。
Yoshi: それはたいへんですね。だいじょうぶですか?
Mark: だいじょうぶですよ。でも、さいしょは、たいへんでしょう。
Risa: Now with English.
Yoshi: When will your family come to Japan?
Mark: Karen and the kids will come on Friday.
Yoshi: Is your wife going to work in Japan?
Mark: Karen will continue doing her writing job.
Yoshi: That's great! How about the kids?
Mark: Sasha will go to an international school.
Yoshi: She'll learn Japanese quickly.
Mark: Yeah. But Ben will to go to a Japanese high school.
Yoshi: Whoa, that will be tough! Will he be okay?
Mark: It’ll be OK. But the beginning will be probably difficult, I think...
Vocab
Risa: Here are the keywords from the scene.
Mark: 日本
Kyoko: 日本
Alisha: Japan
Kyoko: 日本, 日本
Mark: 来ます
Kyoko: 来ます
Alisha: come
Kyoko: 来ます, 来ます
Mark: こどもたち
Kyoko: こどもたち
Alisha: children
Kyoko: こどもたち, こどもたち
Mark: します
Kyoko: します
Alisha: do
Kyoko: します, します
Mark: ライター
Kyoko: ライター
Alisha: writer
Kyoko: ライター, ライター
Mark: つづけます
Kyoko: つづけます
Alisha: continue
Kyoko: つづけます, つづけます
Mark: インターナショナルスクール
Kyoko: インターナショナルスクール
Alisha: international school
Kyoko: インターナショナルスクール, インターナショナルスクール
Mark: いきます
Kyoko: いきます
Alisha: go
Kyoko: いきます, いきます
Mark: すぐに
Kyoko: すぐに
Alisha: soon
Kyoko: すぐに, すぐに
Mark: 日本語
Kyoko: 日本語
Alisha: Japanese
Kyoko: 日本語, 日本語
Mark: おぼえます
Kyoko: おぼえます
Alisha: learn
Kyoko: おぼえます, おぼえます
Mark: 高校
Kyoko: 高校
Alisha: high school
Kyoko: 高校, 高校
Key Phrases
Risa: Here are the key phrases from the scene.
Alisha: In the scene, what word did Yoshi use for Mark's wife?
Yoshi: おくさんは、日本でしごとをしますか。
Alisha: Yoshi called Mark's wife…
Kaori: おくさん。
Alisha: First is a word originally meaning "back" or "far from the entrance"
Kaori: おく。
Alisha: This word by itself was used in Classical Japanese to mean "wife," as they were expected to mostly spend their time in the back of the house. In modern Japanese, you add a suffix meaning something like "Mr." "Ms." or "Mrs.”…
Kaori: さん
Alisha: to mean "your wife" or "someone's else's wife." Together it’s…
Kaori: おくさん、おくさん, おくさん。
Alisha: To show more respect, you can say…
Kaori: おくさま。
Alisha: This uses the more polite suffix...
Kaori: さま
Alisha: …which shows more respect than…
Kaori: さん。
Alisha: Together it's
Kaori: おくさま。
Alisha: Now, when you talk about your own wife to another person, you should say…
Kaori: つま、つま、つま
Alisha: …instead of…
Kaori: おくさん。
Alisha: It's actually more common for Japanese people to use
Kaori: つま
Alisha: …instead of the names of their wives when talking about them to other people. In the scene, what did Yoshi say when Mark told him about his son taking on the challenge of an all-Japanese high school?
Yoshi:それはたいへんですね。
Alisha: First is the word for "that."
Kaori: それ
Alisha: In this context, it indicates something just mentioned in the conversation. Next is the topic marking particle.
Kaori: は
Alisha: After this is the word for "tough" or "difficult."
Kaori: たいへん
Alisha: Next is the linking verb, here meaning something like "is."
Kaori: です
Alisha: The sentence ends with a particle seeking confirmation or agreement.
Kaori: ね
Alisha: It's not unlike a tag question in English. Together it's
Kaori: それはたいへんですね。
Alisha: “That'll be tough, won't it?” Or, “That's tough, isn't it?” When you hear that someone will be or is in a difficult or tough situation, this expression is an appropriate reaction.
Kaori: それはたいへんですね。
Alisha: Now you try! Say Yoshi's line after Mark speaks
Mark: ベンは、日本の高校に行きます。
Yoshi: それはたいへんですね。
Alisha: In the scene, how did Yoshi further express his concern about Mark's son entering a Japanese high school?
Yoshi: だいじょうぶですか。
Alisha: First is the word for "OK" or "fine."
Kaori: だいじょうぶ
Alisha: After this is the linking verb…
Kaori: です
Alisha: …and the question marking particle…
Kaori: か.
Alisha: Together, it becomes a question like "Is it OK?" or "Will it be OK?"
Kaori: だいじょうぶですか
Alisha: Now you try! Say Yoshi's next line.
Yoshi: それはたいへんですね。
Yoshi: だいじょうぶですか。

Lesson focus

Risa: Now, the lesson focus. Here’s how to talk about your plans. Ready?
Alisha: In the scene, do you remember how Yoshi asked Mark when his family would be coming to Japan?
Yoshi: かぞくは、いつ日本に来ますか。
Alisha: First is the word for "family."
Kaori: かぞく
Alisha: In this case, it means "your family" although "your”
Kaori: あなたの
Alisha: …is not mentioned in Japanese as it's clear from context. Next is the topic marking particle.
Kaori: は
Alisha: After this is the word for "when."
Kaori: いつ
Alisha: Next is the word for "Japan."
Kaori: 日本
Alisha: Attached to this is a particle indicating the place toward which someone moves.
Kaori: に
Alisha: It's equivalent to "to" in English, as in "come to." Next is the word for "to come."
Kaori: 来ます
Alisha: Together, "come to Japan" is
Kaori: 日本に来ます
Alisha: Last is the question marking particle.
Kaori: か
Alisha: Together it’s…
Kaori: かぞくは、いつ日本に来ますか。
Alisha: “As for your family - when - come to Japan.” More naturally, when will your family come to Japan?
Alisha: The verb…
Kaori: 来ます
Alisha: …is in the non-past tense in Japanese. This tense is used to refer to future, as well as present actions.
Kaori: かぞくは、いつ日本に来ますか。
Alisha: Here, the sentence is asking about "when" something is happening, so it is understood from context that it is asking about a future action.
Kaori: かぞくは、いつ日本に来ますか。
Alisha: The structure of the question "when will [someone] do [something]?” is…[someone] 
Kaori: は、いつ
Alisha: [non-past tense of a verb]
Kaori: か
Alisha: Now you try! Ask, ”When will your wife come to America?”
Kaori: おくさんは、いつアメリカに来ますか?
Alisha: Now ask, "When will the children eat lunch?"
Kaori: こどもたちは、いつ、ひるごはんをたべますか。
Alisha: In the scene, how did Mark describe what his daughter would be doing in Japan?
Mark: サーシャは、インターナショナルスクールにいきます。
Alisha: First is "Sasha", the name of Mark's daughter.
Kaori: サーシャ
Alisha: Next is the topic marking particle.
Kaori: は
Alisha: After this is the word for "international school."
Kaori: インターナショナルスクール
Alisha: Next is a particle indicating a place toward which someone moves.
Kaori: に
Alisha: This is the same as "to" in English as in "go to." Last is the word for "to go."
Kaori: いきます
Alisha: Together, "go to an international school" is…
Kaori: インターナショナルスクールにいきます。
Alisha: The verb…
Kaori: いきます
Alisha: …is the non-past tense of a verb, which refers to a future action in this context. “Sasha will go to an international school.”
Kaori: サーシャは、インターナショナルスクールにいきます。
Alisha: The sentence structure to say "[someone] will go to [place]" is… [someone] 
Kaori: は
Alisha: [place]
Kaori: に いきます。
Alisha: “[Someone] will go to [place].”
Alisha: You are asked what you will do tomorrow. Please answer "I'll go to New York."
Kaori: わたしは、ニューヨークにいきます。
Alisha: Do you remember how Mark said that he thinks it'll be difficult for Ben when he first starts school?
Mark: さいしょはたいへんでしょう。
Alisha: First is the word for "beginning."
Kaori: さいしょ, さいしょ、さいしょ
Alisha: Next is the topic marking particle.
Kaori: は
Alisha: After this is the word for "difficult."
Kaori: たいへん、たいへん、たいへん
Alisha: Last is a sentence ending phrase indicating probability, possibility, or a conjecture or guess on the part of the speaker.
Kaori: でしょう
Alisha: The beginning will probably be tough.
Kaori: さいしょはたいへんでしょう。
Alisha: Please say "Tomorrow will probably be tough."
Kaori: あしたは、たいへんでしょう。
Alisha: You think work is probably tough. What do you say?
Kaori: しごとはたいへんでしょう。
Practice
Alisha: You're talking with a co-worker at lunch about members of your family who will be coming to Japan soon. Ready? Here we go. You're asked when your family will come to Japan. Answer they will come on Saturday.
Yoshi:かぞくは、いつ日本にきますか。
Kaori: かぞくは、どようびにきます。
Alisha: You're asked what your wife will do in Japan. Answer your wife will work.
Kaori: つまは、しごとをします。
Alisha: You're asked about your children. Answer they will go to a Japanese high school.
Kaori: こどもたちは、日本の高校にいきます。
Yoshi: それは、たいへんですね。だいじょうぶですか。
Alisha: Responding to what your co-worker said just now, say it will be OK but that you think it'll probably be tough in the beginning.
Kaori: だいじょうぶですよ。でも、さいしょは、たいへんでしょう。
Alisha: Great job! You’ll follow the same pattern many times, so be sure to practice it.

Outro

Risa: よくできました! Now, watch the scene one more time. After that, talk with your friends about your hopes and reams. Or share them with us in the comments. じゃまたね!
Dialogue
Yoshi: かぞくは、いつ日本に来ますか。
Mark: カレンとこどもたちは、金ようびに来ます。
Yoshi: おくさんは、日本でしごとをしますか。
Mark: カレンは、ライターのしごとをつづけます。
Yoshi: それは、いいですね。こどもたちは?
Mark: サーシャは、インターナショナルスクールに行きます。
Yoshi: サーシャは、すぐに日本語をおぼえますよ。
Mark: そうですね。ベンは、日本の高校に行きます。
Yoshi: それはたいへんですね。だいじょうぶですか?
Mark: だいじょうぶですよ。でも、さいしょは、たいへんでしょう。

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