Dialogue

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Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to ask about place of origin in Japanese?
You'll learn how in just a moment.
Hi, my name is Emiri, and this is Three Step Japanese by JapanesePod101.com.
In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask about place of origin through a quick conversation.
Let's look at the dialogue.
As you listen, pay attention to how they ask about the topic and how the other person responds.
すみません。そのえはいくらですか。
Sumimasen, sono e wa ikura desu ka.
これですか。
Kore desu ka.
はい、それです。
Hai, sore desu.
このえは 50,000えんです。
Kono e wa go-man en desu.
どこの がかですか。
Doko no gaka desu ka.
フランスの がかです。
Furansu no gaka desu.
Let's break it down.
すみません。そのえはいくらですか。
Sumimasen, sono e wa ikura desu ka.
Excuse me. How much is that painting?
これですか。
Kore desu ka.
This one?
はい、それです。
Hai, sore desu.
Yes, that one.
このえは 50,000えんです。
Kono e wa go-man en desu.
This painting is 50,000 yen.
どこの がかですか。
Doko no gaka desu ka.
Where is the artist from?
The phrase どこのがかですか (doko no gaka desu ka), or "Where is the artist from?", is an expression you might use to ask about place of origin.
First is どこ (doko), which means "where." どこ (enunciated). どこ。
Next is the particle の (no), the possessive particle meaning "of" or "from." の (enunciated). の。
Together, どこの (doko no) means "from where" or "of which place." どこの。
After that is がか (gaka), meaning "artist." がか (enunciated). がか。
Then comes です (desu), which is the polite copula "is." です (enunciated). です。
Finally, we have か (ka), the question particle that turns the sentence into a question. か (enunciated). か。
All together, it's どこの がかですか。(Doko no gaka desu ka.) This literally means "From where's artist is?" but translates as "Where is the artist from?"
どこの がかですか。 (Doko no gaka desu ka.)
フランスの がかです。
Furansu no gaka desu.
It’s by a French artist.
First is フランス (Furansu), which means "France." フランス (enunciated). フランス。
Next is the particle の (no), the possessive particle meaning "of." の (enunciated). の。
Together, フランスの (Furansu no) means "French" or "of France." フランスの。
After that is がか (gaka), meaning "artist." がか (enunciated). がか。
Then comes です (desu), which is the polite copula "is." です (enunciated). です。
All together, it's フランスの がかです。(Furansu no gaka desu.) This literally means "France's artist is," but translates as "It's a French artist."
フランスの がかです。(Furansu no gaka desu.)
Let's look at the sentence pattern.
This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow.
これは　どこの　[ITEM]ですか。
Kore wa doko no [ITEM] desu ka?
Where is this [ITEM] from?
First, これ (kore) means 'this' and refers to something close to the speaker. The particle は (wa) is the topic marker, indicating that 'this' is the topic of the sentence.
Next is どこの (doko no), where どこ (doko) means 'where' and の (no) is the possessive particle, combining to mean 'from where' or 'of which place'.
After that comes [ITEM], which is the noun or item you're asking about.
Finally, ですか (desu ka) is the polite question ending used to turn the sentence into a question.
Let’s see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern.
どこの　がかですか。
In this sentence:
どこの (doko no) means 'from where'.
がか (gaka) is the noun meaning 'artist'.
ですか (desu ka) is the polite question ending.
So, どこの がかですか translates to 'Where is the artist from?'
Now you can use this structure to ask where someone or something is from in Japanese!
Now let's look at some speaking examples.
The character is in a store and asks:
これは　どこの　とけいですか。
(Kore wa doko no tokei desu ka.)
"Where is this watch from?"
Can you see how the pattern applies here?
Let's break it down:
Here, これは (Kore wa) is the topic, meaning "this." The particle は (wa) marks "this" as the topic of the sentence.
どこの (doko no) means "from where" or "of which place."
とけい (tokei) is the item, meaning "watch."
ですか (desu ka) is the polite question ending that turns the sentence into a question.
So, これは　どこの　とけいですか。 fits the pattern これは　どこの　[ITEM]ですか。 by using これは as the topic, どこの to ask "from where," and とけい as the item in question.
Let's try one more,
Megumi Sasaki: これは　どこの　かばんですか。 (Kore wa doko no kaban desu ka.)
"Where is this bag from?"
これは　どこの　かばんですか。
[slowly] Megumi Sasaki: これは　どこの　かばんですか。 (Kore wa doko no kaban desu ka.)
"Where is this bag from?"
これは　どこの　かばんですか。
Another one.
Megumi Sasaki: これはどこ の テレビ です か。(Kore wa doko no terebi desu ka.)
"Where is this TV from?"
これはどこ の テレビ です か。
[slowly] Megumi Sasaki: これはどこ の テレビ です か。(Kore wa doko no terebi desu ka.)
"Where is this TV from?"
これはどこ の テレビ です か。
One last example.
Megumi Sasaki: これは　どこの　ほんですか。 (Kore wa doko no hon desu ka.)
"Where is this book from?"
これは　どこの　ほんですか。
[slowly] Megumi Sasaki: これは　どこの　ほんですか。 (Kore wa doko no hon desu ka.)
"Where is this book from?"
これは　どこの　ほんですか。
Let's review.
Do you remember how to say "from where"?
どこの (doko no)
どこの (doko no)
And how to say "artist"?
がか (gaka)
がか (gaka)
Do you remember how to say
"Where is the artist from?"
どこの がかですか。 (Doko no gaka desu ka.)
どこの がかですか。 (Doko no gaka desu ka.)
Now you know how to ask about place of origin in Japanese. またね (mata ne)!
Thank you for watching.
Now you know how to ask about place of origin in Japanese.
...and now you can move on to the practice.
Download the practice PDF in the PDF section of this lesson.

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