Speak Japanese in 90 Days, volume 2

Day 16: Noun Modifying Clauses

Let’s review some English grammar. Sentences are made of clauses. A clause
contains a subject and a verb. Some sentences have more than one clause. These
can be called main, coordinating, subordinating, and noun modifying clauses.
Let’s look at an example:

The person that I know is called Jack.

In this sentence, The man is called Jack is the main clause, that I know is the
noun modifying clause (modifying person). In English, these clauses follow the
noun they modify, but in Japanese, they come before the noun they modify. If
we write this same sentence using Japanese grammar it would read:

That I know the person Jack is called.

This is all you really need to know about noun modifying clauses in Japanese. In
English we usually have to add a relative pronoun, such as that / which / who,
but in Japanese, there are no relative pronouns, you don't have to add anything!

The person that I know is called Jack.


If our subordinating clause is in the past, we simply change the verb to the past
tense.

The fruit that I ate was a banana.


The person who I met is famous.


We can also make continuous subordinating clauses by changing the verb tense
to continuous.

The person who is singing is my friend.

The bus I was riding got into an accident!


Question clauses in Japanese have the opposite clause order as well. The
question clause itself will always be said in the casual form, and will keep the
question marker . Even though casual questions use in place of , and change to ,
with this grammar you will use and .

Do you know where that is?


Do you know when the bus left?


Does she know where to go?


Do you know why he did that?


One idiomatic usage is when asking questions with the word anyone. In
Japanese, these types of questions are often made with a noun modifying clause,
using [] as the person, and asking if they exist.

Does anyone want to go to the beach?


Was anyone hurt in the accident?


Day 16 Grammar Cards:
1. Noun modifying clauses
Opposite clause order

No that / which / who
2. Question clauses
Opposite clause order
Question clause is casual
Keep
doesn't change to
3. Anyone questions
Noun modifying clause with []

Day 17: That


When that is used to say phrases like I think that or He said that in Japanese, we
will use the particle after our phrase. This is often called the quotation particle,
but it can be used for more than just spoken quotations. It will be used in cases
where that is not being used as a relative pronoun. In spoken English, we usually
put these clauses before the phrases they modify, but in Japanese, as well as
written English, we put them after the phrase they modify. For example, “I like
studying,” he said.

Verb phrases have no special rules, simply rearrange the sentence like written
English:

You said that he will come.


I know that he will come.


As we learned in Volume One, I-adjectives do not require the copula, so we can
just add to the end of the clause.

I think that it is good.


She said that it was fun.


Noun or Na-Adjective phrases using to be in English will keep , and like noun
modifying clauses, will change to , with the final verb controlling the politeness
level.

It's the truth.

I know that it's the truth.


Sometimes in written Japanese, you may encounter sentences that replace with .
This grammar is very restrictive, so don't worry about trying to make your own
sentences like this, but just know that it is a possible replacement.

I know that it's the truth.


is often shorted to , especially when using this grammar with [] (to say). More
often that not, people will also drop the [] from the sentence as well.

He said that he will come.


He said that he will come.


Quotations that mention the speaker, things like he said, she said, can be written
both with and without using the particle. Without the particle is more casual, of
course.

"Today is Monday," he said.


"Today is Monday," he said.


Quoting is often used in the passive voice, when the speaker doesn't want to
mention the person being quoted, which is polite. The literal translation of this
would be it is said that, but because the subject is understood in context, we can
translate it the same way:

"Today is Monday," he said.

Day 17 Grammar Card:
1. that (connecting phrases)
(phrase) + + (verb)
Nouns and Na-adjectives keep
2. (casual)

Day 18: Giving More Information With

We learned yesterday that [] is used for say that. Today we will learn another
usage that uses only kana. When we want to give more information about words
or entire clauses, we will follow them with or . These literally mean that is to
say. In casual conversation, and are often dropped, and like we learned
yesterday, will become . Let's look at an example:

A: Do you like takoyaki?
B: What is “takoyaki”?
A: It is a Japanese dish.

A:
B:
A:

A:
B:
A:

You may be asking yourself, why did we need to use at all in this conversation,
wouldn't it been okay just to leave it out, and person B could simply say the
sentence without it? When we add , it changes takoyaki to “takoyaki” with
quotations. We are asking the speaker to give us more information about the
quoted phrase, to describe it better. We are saying Give me more information
about this phrase, instead of, What is this? In English, this nuance can only be
seen in written form, but in Japanese, we need to say it directly. Let's look at
another example:

That guy isn't really a “singer”, is he?


In this sentence we combined two clauses, one clause said That guy is a singer,
the second clause said It's a lie right? We combined these clauses using to make
our new sentence, the literal translation of which would sound more like: The
thing about that guy being a singer, it's a lie, right?

You can use this to ask for clarification on the meaning of words. Compare the

following examples:

What is love?


What is "ai suru"?


In the first example we are asking a philosophical question about what love
really is, whereas in the second example we are simply asking for the meaning
of the word. It's a pretty important distinction! Additionally, if you want to ask
for the meaning of words, a more natural way is to replace [] with [].

What does "ai suru" mean?


Day 18 Grammar Card:
1. Give more information
(clause) + [] (UK)
(clause) + [] (UK)
2. (casual) Give more information
(clause) +
3. What does ~ mean?

Day 19: Idiomatic Expressions With

can combine with , , , or to say things like: this kind of thing, that kind of thing,
what kind of thing. However, in most contexts, a better translation is: oh, that's
what you're talking about, or, what are you talking about?

First, let's talk about the most common usage: . This is often used similarly to to
confirm information, the difference is that the information was recently clarified.
Let's look at an example:

A: Mr. Tanaka is late.
B: Oh, I see.
A:
B:
A:
B:

A: Mr. Tanaka is late.
B: Oh, I see, that's what you're saying.
A:
B:
A:
B:

In our second example, you can see the translation is slightly different. Maybe
Person B was confused about what happened to Mr. Tanaka, and so Person A
clarified the situation, and this is why Person B said instead of .

The other common way we will see this is , which is best used to ask someone
what exactly it is that they are talking about.

A: This will make me rich!
B: What are you talking about? / What is that supposed to mean? / What
will make you rich?
A: It's a secret!

A:
B: ?
A:

A:
B: ?
A:

You will probably hear the phrase with adjectives quite often. It is a shortened
version of and is often used like What a ~ in English. You use this when you are
so amazed that you can't describe how you feel.

What a giant house!


How terrible!

Because of your amazement, you may need some time to think of what to say.
We can change to a question by adding , which literally means what to say. In
English we usually use phrases like how do I put it.

He is a uhh, how do I put it, a bad person.


That's uhh, not a good plan.


Similar to this, we can start a clause with if we want to rephrase what we
previously said. In English we say things like how should I put it, or perhaps I
should say:

He wasn't injured. How should I put it, he totally fine.


Day 19 Grammar Cards:
1. Oh, that's what you were saying.
[] (UK)
2. What are you talking about?
[] (UK)

3. What a / uhh / How do I put it?
(casual) [] (UK)
[] (UK)
4. How should I put it? / Perhaps I should say.
[] (UK)

Day 20: Reading 4

Reading 4 Vocabulary:
1) [] Shibuya
2) [] usually
2) [] holiday
2) [] abundantly / excessively
3) [] to go past / to pass by
5) [] to look around
8) [] (UK) stylish / fashionable / cool
10) [] suddenly
11) [] screen
14) [] (UK) It can't be helped. / Nothing can be done.
14) [] this time
15) [] English sentence
16) [] (UK) attractive / cool
22) [] lover / sweetheart
24) [] boyfriend

Reading 4:



1)



2)



3)



4)



5)



6)



7)



8)



9)



10)



11)

12)



13)



14)



15)



16)



17)



18)
Forever Alone
19) Forever Alone

Forever Alone

20) ForeverAlone



21)



22)



23)



24)



25)



26)

Day 21: If Part 1

Before we cover the ways to say if, let's do a little review of English grammar.
Let's look at the three English constructions:

1. (If / when) I have money, I will go.
2. If I (had / were to have) money, I would go.
3. If I had had money, I would have gone.

Sentence 1 is an if/when-then type sentence.
Sentence 2 is a hypothetical if-then sentence.
Sentence 3 is a past hypothetical sentence.

There are four different constructions to make Japanese if sentences. Each
Japanese construction has its own specific rules that are different than the three
English constructions. The focus of the English rules is whether the sentence is
true or hypothetical. The focus in Japanese is our degree of certainty, and
whether or not the statement is a personal opinion. Though sentences can be
constructed both ways in Japanese, the condition usually comes first, and then
the result.


The most common construction of if is the Ta-Form + . If you are unsure about
which construction to use, just use this as your default:

Verbs
[] → []
Verbs
[] → []
Special Verbs

→

[] → []
Copula

→
→
→


The Ta-Form + can be used for all three of the English if sentences. The focus
of this grammar is that once certain conditions are met, the action is likely to
occur. In English, when we make hypothetical conditional sentences, we always

use the past tense for the condition, but in Japanese, the final verb controls the
tense of the whole sentence:

(If / When) I have money, then I will go.
If I (had / were to have) money, then I would go.


(If / When) I drink this, I will be sleepy.
If I (drank / were to drink) this, I would be sleepy.


For the past hypothetical if sentence, we change the final verb to the past tense:

If I had had money, I would have gone.


If I had drunk this, I would have been sleepy.


Just like in English, we can make a sentence with this grammar to show what
happened when a certain action occurred. This usage is interchangeable with []:

When I opened the door, I saw her face.


When I opened the door, I saw her face.


We can use this grammar when we discover or find out something. When we do
this, the discovery will be in the continuous tense, and also, we don't need to say
the verb discover, realize, or find out, it is implied in the grammar.

When I opened the door, (I found out that) she was sleeping.

and don't have a continuous tense, but we can use this for discoveries also:

When I opened the door, (I realized) it wasn't her.


We can also make if-want sentences using the past tense of the Tai-Form + .
Remember, conjugates just like an adjective. The past forms are and .

If you want to go, please call me.


If you don't want to go, please call me.



Ta-Form + sentences in Japanese are often used with (how), and [] (good), to
make suggestions or invitations.

How about going together?
(Lit. If we go together, how will it be?)


Why don't we go together?
(Lit. If we go together, it would be good.)



You will often hear people begin if sentences with . The definition of this word
is if. It is used to note a hypothetical emphasis, so it won't be used in sentences
where we want to say when. Remember, being vague is polite in Japanese, so
sometimes people will add this to be more polite.

If I had money, then I would go.


If I were to drink this, I would be sleepy.

Finally, let's learn a very common polite expression [], which literally means, if
it's good. This expression uses the Conditional-Form of the adjective [] and
combines it with (if). We will learn conditional adjectives later in the book, but
as you can see in this example, the conjugation of I-Adjectives is the same as
verbs. This expression is often added before suggestions or invitations to make
them more polite.

If it's okay, shall we go together?


Day 21 Grammar Cards:
1. if
Ta-Form + + (result)
2. when (discoveries)
Ta-Form + + (result) (continuous tense)
3. if-want
Past Tai-Form +
4. Make suggestions / Invitations
Ta-Form + + ()
Ta-Form + + ()
5. if (hypothetical emphasis)

6. If it's okay (polite suggestion / invitation)
[]

Day 22: If Part 2


The next way to make an if sentence is to use the E-Form + ( verbs) or ( verbs).
For the copula, we will use the E-Form of + : . Like the grammar we learned
yesterday, this grammar can be used for all three types of English sentences. The
Ta-Form + focuses more on the result. This grammar focuses more on the
condition. This grammar is usually used to talk about future actions, with an
emphasis on personal desires. Because of this, it will be often used with future
hypothetical situations.

Verbs
[] → []
Verbs
[] → []
Special Verbs

→

[] → []
Copula

→


If I eat cake, I will be happy.


If I go to the concert, it will be fun.


Since we use the E-form for this grammar, it's important not to confuse it with
the Can-Form, and especially confusing when we combine them together.
Remember, all Can-Form verbs become verbs that end in . So if we combine
this conditional grammar with the Can-Form, we get the endings for verbs and
for verbs:

Conditional Can-Form:
Verbs
[] → []
Verbs
[] → []

Special Verbs

→

[] → []

If I can eat cake, I will be happy.


If I can go to the concert, I'll call you.


In English, when we make a hypothetical if sentence, we use the past tense, even
if we are talking about the present, but in Japanese we don't, so remember to use
the present tense in Japanese.

If I have money, then I will go.
If I had money, then I would go.


For the third type of English if sentence, past hypothetical, we change the final
verb to the past tense:

If I had had money, then I would have gone.


Again, the main difference between this grammar and the one we learned
yesterday, is that this previous example is emphasizing having money. That is,
the conversation being discussed is focusing on money rather than going.
When we make a negative sentence with this grammar, we drop the final in the
Nai-Form and add , which becomes .

If I don't work hard, my salary will be small.
If I didn't work hard, my salary would be small.


If he doesn't come, we can't begin.

Do you recognize this negative version? We've actually been using this grammar
to say have to. If you remember from Volume One, when we say have to in
Japanese, we are actually saying if I don't do something, it will be bad. So if we
remember that this grammar emphasizes our desires, and the condition is
required, we can now see why this translates to have to. We have to do
something because we don't want something bad to happen.


We can use the result [] (good) to express what we feel would be a good
outcome, expressing our hopes and desires.

It would be nice to take a vacation this summer.


I hope it doesn't snow this month.
(Lit. I think it would be good if it doesn't snow this month)


There is also the idiomatic phrase, , which translates to What should I do? This
phrase is a good way to understand how this grammar works. What you are
literally saying in this sentence is: If I were to do something, how could I do it to
where the result would turn out to be good?

What should I do?


Said in the past tense, [], shows how we wish something would have been:

I wish I would have had money then.


You should have told me sooner.

What should I have done?



We've previously learned that means despite or even though. If you look up in
the dictionary, some of the definitions are if only and I wish. To express this in
English, we often use phrases like would have, should have, could have. We can
use at the end of conditional sentences to express things like this in Japanese.

If only I had had money, I would have gone.


If you had told me, I could have helped!


The should have translations will often combine with []:

You could have met him. You should have gone!


Day 22 Grammar Cards:
1. if ( verbs) (condition emphasis / implies desire)
E-Form + + (result)
2. if ( verbs) (condition emphasis / implies desire)
E-Form + + (result)
3. Desires / Hopes / Wishes
E-Form Conditional + []
E-Form Conditional + []
4. I wish / If only (would have / could have / should have)
End of sentence

Day 23: If Part 3


Today we will learn the simplest way to say if: the U-Form + . The is almost
always dropped, so you may want to remember it just as . This grammar is often
called the contextual condition, which means the statement is not necessarily
always true, but needs a certain context. It is most often used to speculate on a
topic, that is, give your opinion or idea. Because of this, it is often used to give
suggestions, advice, or make requests, assuming certain conditions are true. To
help you remember this grammar, just look at the dictionary definition: if it is the
case that, if it is true that.

If he has money, then he will go.


Because we use in this sentence, we are giving our opinion. We are speculating
on the man's behavior, making a statement about him, assuming he has money.
We could translate this more literally as If it is true that he has money, then he
will go. We could have said this same sentence with the previous two grammar
constructions that we learned. What would be the difference? If we had used the
Ta-Form conditional, it would be emphasizing the hypothetical, and stressing
our uncertainty about his behavior. If we had used the E-Form conditional, it
would be stressing the requirement of money for the man to go.

When we want to use this grammar with with the copula or , we have to drop
these before adding . However, can sometimes be written.

If that is the truth, she will be angry.


If that is the truth, she will be angry.


When saying if-want type sentences, this grammar is used more often than
others.

If you want to go, please call me.

If you don't want to go, please call me.



is often combined with to say, if that's the case:

If that's the case, I want to start my own business.


In that case, I'll sleep in tomorrow.


Day 23 Grammar Cards:
1. if (speculation / suggestion / request)
U-Form + + (result) (drop or )
2. if-want
Tai-Form +
3. If that is the case

Day 24: If Part 4


The final way to say if is to add to the U-Form of the condition. This grammar is
used to show that the result is a consequence of the condition, and the only
possible outcome, that is to say, 100% certain. For any if/when-then type
sentence that only has one outcome, this grammar will be used. Obviously, this
can't be used for hypothetical situations.

When you press this button, the alarm will sound.


If we lose this battle, we will also lose the war.


For the copula, will change to the casual .

He is a doctor.


If he is a doctor, he must be smart.


Because the result is 100% certain, if we are talking about habitual actions or
things that happen every time the condition is fulfilled, we can use this grammar
to express every time or whenever.

Whenever I talk to my mother, I get tired.


Every time I go to the supermarket, I will buy milk.


can also translate to then or as soon as. We can easily derive these translations
from when. Please note in this example, like all Japanese sentences, the final

verb controls the tense of the entire sentence:

I woke up, then he disappeared.
As soon as I woke up, he disappeared.


As we learned in Volume One, can also be used with a negative verb to express
have to:

I have to go to school.


Every time you read or hear a sentence with , try to remember that it can mean if,
when, whenever, as soon as, or, have to. The context of the sentence should
make it clear, but it may take you some time to get used to using it and quickly
translating.

So there you have it, the four different ways to say if in Japanese. The trick is to
not get too flustered thinking about which one to use. The rules are so different
from English that you are going to waste a lot of time thinking, and probably end
up choosing the wrong one. As you practice speaking and hear more native
Japanese conversations, you will naturally learn when to use each one. You'll
feel it. So don't worry if it seems overwhelming right now, having learned them
all for the first time. With time it will be like riding a [] (bicycle)!

Day 24 Grammar Card:
1. if/when-then / whenever / as soon as (100% certain)
U-Form + + (result)

Day 25: Wonder, Even If


can be translated as I wonder if, and I am (wondering/thinking) about. In
English, we often use the word wonder with if sentences. In Japanese, it is not
necessary to use if grammar to expresses this. To state that you are wondering or
simply thinking about something, place at the end of a sentence. and will be
dropped in conversation. The vowel in is often trailed off, and to note trailing
off in writing, Japanese will use small versions of the kana, so you may see it as .

I wonder if I should eat this.


I wonder if he is an enemy.


I'm thinking about what you are doing.


I wonder if she is a singer.



We can also use in place of , but this is used only by females.

I wonder if I should eat this.


I wonder if he is an enemy.



To say even if or even though in Japanese, we use the Te-Form + . Does this look
familiar? We've been using this followed by [] to say may. Another translation
for Te-Form + is assuming. So when we've been making requests, we are
literally saying something like Assuming I do this, is it good? If we compare the

English nuance of even if vs. even though, using even if implies a more
hypothetical situation, whereas though assumes the clause has actually taken
place. The Te-Form + implies the latter, that is, we are assuming the first clause
is true.

(Even if / even though / although) I have money, I won't go.


(Even if / even though / although) I study every day, I can't read kanji!


Another thing we need to look out for, is that the Te-Form of the copula is , so
when we combine it with it looks like (but).

Even though he is a doctor, he smokes.



We can add to the end of clauses to express even if for hypothetical situations.
One of the meanings of is to assume, which we will learn about in Day 81, so
we can think of this as saying, Even if we were to assume ~ is true.

Even if you were rich and handsome I wouldn't marry you.


Even if I were to study every day, I couldn't read kanji!



Similar to using or to emphasize if statements, we can use at the beginning of
sentences to emphasize even if.

Even if you die, I will love you forever.


Even if I fail, I won't give up.

Day 25 Grammar Cards:
1. Wonder if / Wonder if I should / Wonder about
End of sentence
End of sentence (female only)
2. even if / even though / although
Te-Form +
3. even if (hypothetical)
End of clause ()
4. even if (emphasis)
[] (UK)

Day 26: Whether or Not, Instead of


To express whether or not in Japanese is very easy. Simply add to the end of the
U-Form verb you are unsure about. This will almost always be paired with the
word [] (to know) to mean I (don't) know if / whether. This is only used for
sentences where you are uncertain about the result.

I don't know (if / whether) he will go.


I'll check the weather report to see (if / whether) it rains or not.



If we are certain about the result, we can also say whether or not with the
following construction, O-Form + + Mai-Form + . Note that the translation is
slightly different in this case, because we are saying the verb twice.

I know (if / whether) he is going or not going.


I'm leaving (if / whether) it rains or doesn't rain!



We already learned one way to say instead of in Volume One, which is to use
the Naide-Form. But this has a few other translations, and so if the context is
uncertain, it can be hard to understand. That's why there is another word we can
use to explicitly say instead of: . As you may have guessed, with nouns we need
to add , and can often be dropped in conversation. This word comes from the
verb [] (to substitute).

Instead of wine I drank water.

Instead of watching TV, I went to sleep.


Day 26 Grammar Cards:
1. if / whether or not (uncertain)
U-Form +
2. if / whether or not (certain)
O-Form + + Mai-Form +
3. instead of / in place of
[] (UK)*
*When used with verbs this will be usually kana.

Day 27: Reading 5

Reading 5 Vocabulary:
1) [] to plan
14) [] to worry
15) [] to forgive
16) [] alcoholic / alcoholism
17) [] plans
17) [] to confirm
19) [] to think back on / to reflect on
21) [] hang over
23) [] to vomit
23) [] bathroom / lavatory
27) [] to do one's best

Reading 5:



1)



2)



3)



4)



5)



6)



7)



8)



9)



10)



11)



12)



13)



14)

15)



16)



17)



18)



19)



20)



21)



22)



23)



24)



25)



26)



27)

Day 28: Do Completely, Regret, Unintentionally


You may often hear people use the Te-Form plus the verb . There are two
reasons people use this verb, the first is to express that something has been done
completely or totally, and is usually used with verbs like end or finish. We don't
really have a translation for a word like this in English, so often, you will not
even translate it.

When I have completely finished my work, I'll sleep.


You may not sit until my speech is completely finished.


The more common usage of this word is when you want to express your regret.
You will use it to say that something happened, and it was bad.

I dropped my wallet. (And I feel bad)


I forgot my mom's birthday. (And I feel bad)


The nuance of this word is that you did something unintentionally. Since we feel
bad about it, it is only logical that we didn't do it on purpose.

I dropped my wallet. (on accident)


I bumped into him. (on accident)



is a casual pronunciation of the Te-Form + . If the Te-Form uses the voiced ,
then becomes . These slang versions are very often used by women, and because

of their popularity, won't always carry a negative or accidental nuance.

I dropped my wallet.


I bumped into him.


I drank all the water.


After the baseball game, the Ginza line was really crowded.



Similar to using and with if, we can use to emphasize that something was
unintentional, done without proper consideration, or done by mistake. Don't
confuse this with , which is a time phrase meaning finally, which you can find in
Day 89.

I dropped my wallet. (accident emphasis)


I bumped into him. (without thinking)


Day 28 Grammar Cards:
1. Do completely / Regret doing / Do accidentally
Te-Form + [] (UK)
2. (casual) Te-Form +

3. Unintentional / Without thinking / By mistake (emphasis)

Day 29: Coming and Going

You already know the verbs [] (to go) and [] (to come), and you also know that
many compound verbs use the Te-Form + [] and [], such as [] (to bring). There
is yet another grammar point using the Te-Form with [] and [], that shows
progression in time. These constructions, like the compound verbs, are usually
written with only kana.


Using the Te-Form + shows that an action will begin, or continue into the
future. This construction is often combined with time words such as [] (from
now) or (after this). In English we usually don't explicitly say this, so often you
won't translate it at all.

Let's start writing English sentences.


I’m planning to exercise starting today. (from now into the future)



The Te-Form + can be used to show that an action has happened in the past and
continued until now. This is often paired with and can be translated as have
been doing, because it is showing that an action which began in the past has
continued up until now.

He has been practicing, and gotten good.


She kept reading many books, and became very knowledgeable.


The Te-Form + can also be used to show the beginning of a process, which
usually takes some amount of time to complete. We sometimes say a similar
version of this in English, with phrases like It was difficult for a long time, but I
came to understand it eventually. This construction is very often paired with the
verb (to become), and also often used to talk about the changing weather.

The sky turned red. (began the process of turning red)


My friend explained it like this. (long explanation follows)


Day 29 Grammar Cards:
1. From now into the future
Te-Form +
2. From the past until now / Beginning of a process
Te-Form +

Day 30: Giving and Receiving

In Japanese, there are a few different words for giving and receiving. The words
you will use depend on who is receiving and the relationship of the parties
involved.


You can use for all types of giving, except things being given to you.

I'll give her a souvenir.


I gave my friend a toy.



is used when giving something to someone of a lower status, like a child or a
pet. This is a homonym of the word (to do), so pay close attention when you
hear it.

She will give the child an ice cream.


He gave the dog a toy.



If something is given to you, you will use . You can never use when something
is given to you, likewise you can never use the word to say that something is
given to someone else. Instead of to give, think of as to give to me.

Will you give me money?


He gave me a toy.

Because is used for all giving to you, it can sometimes be translated as receive,
which causes a lot of confusion for students of Japanese!

I received a toy from him.
(Lit. He gave a toy to me)

When giving someone a command to give you something, most people will
actually use the humble word []. This will simply be said by itself, without the
verb , and usually without any particles, just say the word you want plus [].

Please give me money. (humble)


Please give me that. (humble)



To say receive, we use []. This can be used for any subject.

She got an ice cream.


He received a toy from you.

The humble version of is []. You actually already know this word, it was one of
the first words learned in Volume One, you say [] before you begin to eat. Keep
in mind, humble speech can only be used when talking about yourself.

I got a free gift.

I received a toy from you.


It can sometimes be confusing to know when to use ,, and , so let's look at some
examples one more time to help us remember:

You gave him a toy.


He received a toy from you.


You gave me a toy.
I received a toy from you.


Day 30 Grammar Cards:
1. to give (everyone but yourself)
[] (UK)
2. to give (lower status)
[] (UK)
3. to give to me
[] (UK)
4. Please give me (humble)
[]
5. to receive
[] (UK)
6. to receive (humble)
[]

Day 31: Giving and Receiving Favors

You will often find that people use the Te-Form in combination with the verbs
for giving and receiving. When you use this grammar, it means the verb is being
done on someone else's behalf, or a favor for someone. From Japanese to
English, nothing usually needs to be translated. When translating from English
to Japanese, we must add , , or for favors, or actions done on behalf of someone
else. Culturally, almost everything anyone does on your behalf is a favor, no
matter how insignificant you may think it is, so Japanese people will use this
grammar a lot. Let's look at some examples:

I will help you.
(Lit. I will give you help)


Will you wash this for me?
(Lit. Please give me the favor of washing).


He was able to use the machine.
(Lit. He received the favor of using the machine.)


This last sentence is where we really need to use our thinking caps. In English,
we will never say something like He received the favor of using the machine. In
this context, the sentence could also be translated as He was allowed to use the
machine, or They let him use the machine, or He got to use the machine. When
you hear sentences like this in Japanese, try to understand what exactly is going
on and imagine an equivalent English sentence, without translating things word
for word.

When using the Te-Form + in place of when you are receiving a favor, the
translation is slightly different. Think about it for a second, if we use the Te-
Form + , the subject of the sentence is the person giving the favor, whereas if we
use Te-Form + , you are the subject of the sentence that is doing the receiving.
Because of this, the translation is slightly different:

You washed this for me.


I got you to wash this for me.


In this sentence, we used the past tense of the word get in place of received. This
is because in English we can't really say something like I received you to wash
this for me. Notice, the slight nuance of this sentence is that some action was
taken on your part to persuade this person to do the favor for you. This is why
we will use sometimes in place of . The favor may have not been volitionally
given, but you received it anyway.

When we are asking for favors, we may want to be extra polite, so we can
substitute with [], and we need to use the Potential-Form, [].

Please wash this for me.


Would you please wash this for me?


If we are talking to someone we feel is lower status than us, or we want to be
insulting, use in place of .

I'll clean the room for you.


I'll show you!


I'll kill you!


This last sentence sounds a bit funny, right? Someone is doing us a favor and

killing us?! If you ever watch anime or read manga with fighting, you'll
definitely hear this usage a lot. Just remember, in Japanese, everything done on
someone else's behalf, no matter how silly the literal translation may sound, will
use this grammar.

Day 31 Grammar Card:
1. Doing favors / On behalf of someone else
Te-Form + []
Te-Form + (lower status / rude)
Te-Form +
Te-Form +

Day 32: Sorry For, Thank You For, It's a Good Thing

To apologize for something specific is very easy. Use Te-Form + or . If you
want to say sorry for something you didn't do, use the Nakute-Form instead of
the Te-Form.

Sorry for being late.
()
()

Sorry I didn't do my homework.


The grammar is the same for saying thank you, but usually you are thanking
someone for a favor they did for you, so don't forget to use .

Thank you for buying this for me.


Thank you for washing the dishes.


You will often see the Te-Form + , which just means that it is a good thing that
something happened:

It's a good thing she came!


It's a good thing I didn't forget.


Day 32 Grammar Cards:
1. Sorry for (verb)
Te-Form + ()
2. Thank you for (verb)
Te-Form +

3. It's a good thing that (verb)
Te-Form +

Day 33: Reading 6

Reading 6 Vocabulary:
3) [] to prepare
4) [] all day long
16) [] to mind / to care about / to worry
22) [] to be missing / to use up / to disappear
27) shining / sparkling
27) [] silver

Reading 6:



1)



2)



3)



4)



5)



6)



7)



8)



9)



10)



11)



12)



13)



14)

15)



16)



17)

18)



19)



20)



21)



22)



23)



24)



25)



26)



27)



28)



29)



30)

31)



32)



33)



34)



35)



36)

Day 34: Preparing for the Future


In Japanese, you can explicitly state that something you have done was in
preparation for the future by using the Te-Form + . In English, we don't have any
way to express this, and the translation of the Japanese sentence into English will
usually be the same whether it is implying preparation for the future or not. If we
translate from English into Japanese, we need to consider adding to indicate that
the action is in preparation for the future.

I studied for the test. (in preparation)


Let's get ready.



You may hear a casual version in speech that combines and , changing into
(which can be conjugated like a verb) or .

I studied for the test.


Let’s buy it.



We can sometimes show future preparation by using the Te-Form + . As
mentioned in Day 7, using the Te-Form + translates to the passive voice in
English. In English, as well as Japanese, the nuance of these sentences can show
preparation for the future.

Before the ceremony, origami cranes are folded.


The truck is loaded, let's go.

These two grammar points are quite easy to translate from Japanese to English,
but can be tricky when you are translating something from English to Japanese.
Every time you are talking about an action that you are doing or have completed,
try to think if this action was in preparation for the future, if it was, use this
grammar.

Day 34 Grammar Cards:
1. To prepare for the future
Te-Form + [] (UK)
2. (casual) Te-Form +

3. Completed action (nuance of preparation)
Te-Form +

Day 35: To Try, to Attempt

The words we will learn for try and attempt today are not used for things being
done over a long period of time. See Day 72 for that grammar.


When we use try in English to say that we are sampling something, making an
effort, or doing something for the first time, we will use the Te-Form + . We can
use this to help us understand how to use it, we are saying that we will do
something and see how it turns out. In English, we often use the phrase give it a
shot. In this way, you may hear Japanese people using the Te-Form + in
contexts where we wouldn't really say try in English. In English we often omit
the word try, or verb that we want to try, especially with food, but we don't in
Japanese. Compare the multiple translations of the following examples:

I want to try that cake.
I want to try eating that cake.


Let's play baseball.
Let's try playing baseball.


I will run a marathon today.
I will try to run a marathon today.


Let's bake bread.
Let's try to bake bread.



Another way to say try, as in an attempt, is to use the O-Form + . For this
grammar, it's important to use the definition of attempt, because attempt has the
nuance that you have a high chance of failure. Because this uses the O-Form
(AKA Volitional-Form), it shows you are making a conscious choice to do
something, or rather, you intend to do something. Because of this, in the present

tense, this grammar won't be used when talking about yourself, because it would
imply that you are intending to fail. When used in the continuous tense, it shows
an attempt that is currently underway.

He will attempt to run a marathon today.


He is attempting to fix the vending machine.


Again, this grammar shows an attempt that is likely unsuccessful, so will often
be paired with but. When we want to say but with this grammar, we will use .

He will attempt to run a marathon, but I think he won't finish.


He is attempting to fix the vending machine, but I don't think he can.


While the present tense is limited to others, in the past tense, we can talk about
ourselves, because we are talking about our failed attempt.

I attempted to run a marathon, but I couldn't.


I attempted to bake bread, but it burned.



If we want to talk about ourselves in the present tense with the previous
grammar, instead of adding , we can add , or another verb that has to do with
thinking, such as [] (to consider) or [] (to decide). This literally translates to I
think I'll attempt to. Unlike using , this grammar does not have a nuance of
failure, but is simply talking about your plans for the future. Because of this, it
can also be translated as try to or I think I will: