Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Natsuko: こんにちは。夏子です。
Akihiro: あきひろです。
Sachiko: Sachiko here. Athletic Meet. 今日のテーマは運動会です。
Natsuko: 運動会か。
Sachiko: Yeah Athletic Meets that we have in school usually once a year. Now what kind of memories do we have of 運動会?
Natsuko: Not a good one unfortunately.
Sachiko: Why? What kind of memories do you have?
Natsuko: 運動音痴だったもん!
Sachiko: So we covered this in the previous lesson 運動 exercise 音痴 not good at.
Natsuko: Yes.
Sachiko: So you are not good at exercising as you say but I think you are pretty good at sports. You look very good at sports.
Natsuko: Holy look.
Sachiko: What about you Akihiro. What kind of memories do you have?
Akihiro: 運動より、なんかお弁当が楽しかった。
Sachiko: So you are looking more forward to eating lunch.
Akihiro: なんか給食じゃなくて、なんかおにぎりとか。そういうのが楽しかった。
Sachiko: あ~確かに確かに。 Because in Japanese public school, you usually have 給食 which is distributed food. It’s a lunch that’s prepared by the school.
Natsuko: Yes.
Sachiko: It’s all calculated nutrition wise and calorie wise and so – and they are very strict right. Teachers are very strict about you eating 給食 until the very last drop.
Natsuko: Yes.
Sachiko: And so 運動会 is one day a freedom away from the 給食.
Natsuko: Yeah usually mothers make lunch and bring it to you.
Sachiko: Yeah. Okay so today’s conversation is about?
Natsuko: 運動会
Sachiko: And how a little girl fared in it.
DIALOGUE
先生: 明日は運動会だ。みんな頑張るように。
アリサ: 先生、うちのクラスは何組ですか。
先生: うちのクラスは赤組だ。みんな、白のハチマキを巻いたらダメだぞー。
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
アリサの姉: アリサ、運動会はどうだった。
アリサ: 赤組は優勝したけど、私は徒競走で2位だったの。
アリサの姉: 優勝かあ。すごいじゃん。
アリサ: でも、一生懸命走ったのに徒競走で負けちゃったから、喜び半分って感じだわ。
次は、英語が入ります。
先生: 明日は運動会だ。みんな頑張るように。
TEACHER: Tomorrow is Sports Day. Everyone be sure you try hard!
アリサ: 先生、うちのクラスは何組ですか。
ALISA: Teacher, what color team are we going to be?
先生: うちのクラスは赤組だ。みんな、白のハチマキを巻いたらダメだぞー。
TEACHER: Our class is on the red team. Everyone, make sure you don't wear a white headband!
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
アリサの姉: アリサ、運動会はどうだった。
ALISA'S OLDER SISTER: How was Sports Day?
アリサ: 赤組は優勝したけど、私は徒競走で2位だったの。
ALISA: Red won it all, but I came in second place in the running race.
アリサの姉: 優勝かあ。すごいじゃん。
ALISA’S OLDER SISTER: You guys won it all! That's great!
アリサ: でも、一生懸命走ったのに徒競走で負けちゃったから、喜び半分って感じだわ。
ALISA: Yeah but I lost the race, even though I ran as hard as I could. So for me this victory is only half as sweet.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Sachiko: What did you think of the conversation?
Natsuko: 徒競走で二位はすごいと思うなぁ。
Sachiko: I think so too. Second place in a race is not bad.
Natsuko: Yes that’s a good job.
Sachiko: Yeah but what if there were only two people or three people.
Natsuko: Good point.
Sachiko: Ah you never know.
Natsuko: You never know.
Akihiro: アリサは二位で悔しいって言ってるからね。すごい、運動得意なのかな。
Sachiko: かもね。 She is probably very competitive and very athletic.
Natsuko: Yes.
Sachiko: Because she is very upset that she only came in second. Wow!
VOCAB LIST
Sachiko: Okay so let’s go over the vocabulary that came up today. First vocabulary please.
Natsuko: 運動会
Sachiko: Athletic meet.
Natsuko: (slow)うんどうかい (natural speed) 運動会
Sachiko: Now this can be broken down into two words. What are they?
Natsuko: 運動
Sachiko: Which means exercise.
Natsuko: 会
Sachiko: Which could be anything from a meeting or a meet or a game. We can use it for anything.
Natsuko: Yeah before the party.
Sachiko: Yeah events.
Natsuko: Yes.
Sachiko: Any kind of gathering 会 Okay next vocabulary please.
Akihiro: 頑張る
Sachiko: To try one’s best.
Akihiro: (slow)がんばる (natural speed) 頑張る
Sachiko: Now what is the more imperative form and a more masculine way of saying, do your best?
Akihiro: 頑張れ。
Sachiko: Oh yeah 頑張れ. That’s what your coach would say to you because he would be a little bit more strict. 頑張って is sort of warm support feeling behind it, doesn’t it but [*] is like, you better do your job or else, okay next vocabulary please.
Natsuko: 優勝
Sachiko: Victory.
Natsuko: (slow)ゆうしょう (natural speed) 優勝
Sachiko: So this would be for #1. What about someone who came in second place. What would that be?
Natsuko: 準優勝
Sachiko: Yes and the 準, the character for 準 stands for
Natsuko: Semi.
Sachiko: Semi sort of right. So you can use that for other things too. Yeah 決勝 is the final game. 準決勝 is the semi-finals. Okay next vocabulary please.
Akihiro: 一生懸命
Sachiko: Very hard.
Akihiro: (slow)いっしょうけんめい (natural speed) 一生懸命
Sachiko: So how would you say I work hard every day?
Akihiro: 一生懸命毎日働いてます。
Sachiko: Now can you say that about yourself? Yes.
Akihiro: 全然働いてません。すいません。
Sachiko: いやいや、頑張ってくれてます。 Now let’s breakdown this word 一生懸命. The first half 一生 what does that mean?
Akihiro: A lifetime.
Sachiko: Yeah lifetime and the latter half 懸命 that’s sort of like tried really hard. Is it?
Akihiro: Yeah I think so.
Sachiko: So altogether it means really, really hard. The next vocabulary please.
Natsuko: 徒競走
Sachiko: A race.
Natsuko: (slow)ときょうそう (natural speed) 徒競走
Sachiko: So this was just a running race right?
Natsuko: Yes.
Sachiko: Yeah it’s written with a weird kanji. So it kind of threw me off but it’s just かけっこ in casual form. Okay next vocabulary please.
Akihiro: 負ける
Sachiko: To lose.
Akihiro: (slow)まける (natural speed) 負ける
Sachiko: Now the opposite of that would be
Akihiro: 勝つ
Sachiko: To win and the kanji for 勝つ is the same as the second character in 優勝. Next vocabulary please.
Natsuko: 喜び
Sachiko: Joy.
Natsuko: (slow)よろこび (natural speed) 喜び
Sachiko: And the next vocabulary please.
Akihiro: 半分
Sachiko: Half.
Akihiro: (slow)はんぶん (natural speed) 半分
Sachiko: Now in our conversation today, the last line, it says 喜び半分 What does that mean?
Natsuko: Half glad, half sad.
Sachiko: Yeah but she wasn’t – her team won but she came in second personally. So her joy is sort of compromised.
Natsuko: Yeah.
Sachiko: Well, okay the last vocabulary please.
Natsuko: 鉢巻
Sachiko: Headband.
Natsuko: (slow)はちまき (natural speed) 鉢巻

Lesson focus

Sachiko: Okay. Let’s look at today’s grammar point which is 一生懸命 something, something のに. Now where does that pop up in our conversation.
Natsuko: 一生懸命走ったのに、徒競走で負けちゃった。
Sachiko: So despite running really, really hard, she lost. Now when you use のに, what usually precedes that?
Natsuko: A verb.
Sachiko: Okay. You would typically be talking about past events…
Natsuko: Yes.
Sachiko: When you are saying…
Natsuko: Something that already happened.
Sachiko: Right because you are saying oh I did this, yet this happened. So it’s usually the past tense. So in this case, 走った is the past tense of
Natsuko: 走る
Sachiko: Which is the dictionary form of to run. Here is an example coming from my life experience. 一生懸命勉強したのに、成績が悪かった。
Akihiro: 本当ですか。
Sachiko: すんごい悪かった、成績。 Don’t even talk about it. So despite studying really hard, I got bad grades in school. So 勉強する is the dictionary form of study and 勉強した is the past tense.
Natsuko: Yes.
Sachiko: 勉強したのに。
Natsuko: 一生懸命練習したのに、間違えちゃった。
Sachiko: I practiced really hard but I failed.
Akihiro: パソコンで一生懸命書いたのに消しちゃった、とか。
Natsuko: あ~よくあること。
Sachiko: あ~ある。
Akihiro: あ、思い出しちゃった?
Natsuko: 思い出しちゃった。
Sachiko: Oh she is having a panic attack. What shall we do? Call the doctor.
Akihiro: あるよね、そういうの。
Natsuko: あるある。
Sachiko: So the sentence was I was typing really hard on the computer but the data was erased. It is deleted.
Natsuko: It happens.
Akihiro: 一生懸命書いたのにね。
Sachiko: 一生懸命書いた which is to write. 書く is to write but we can use it for computers too right?
Sachiko: Yes.
Okay so Natsuko, why were you having a panic attack?
Natsuko: あ~想像したくない。
Sachiko: She doesn’t want to think about it, so we won’t go there.

Outro

Sachiko: Okay so see you next week.
Natsuko: じゃ、また来週。
Akihiro: また来週。

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