Learn about conjugating the copula meaning "to be"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Natsuko: おはよう、高山。夏子です。 (Ohayō, Takayama. Natsuko desu.) |
| Peter: Peter here. Natsuko-san. |
| Natsuko: はい、こんにちは。 (Hai, konnichiwa.) |
| Peter: Really good to have you back because we are going over season 1. These lessons are designed to reinforce what everybody learned in season 1. Today we are going to be going over a negative form of the copula. Now some people have trouble with this but in today’s lesson, we are going to clear it all up. Today we are going to cover Natsuko-san. |
| Natsuko: じゃない (janai) |
| Peter: Which is derived from the negative form of the copula. Now we will explain this all later on in the grammar section. For now, let’s explain the conversation. In today’s conversation, it’s between a boss in Japanese Natsuko-san that is |
| Natsuko: 社長 (shachō) |
| Peter: And a secretary. |
| Natsuko: 秘書 (hisho) |
| Peter: Now another thing we want you to pay attention to is the level of politeness |
| Natsuko: Uhoo… |
| Peter: Notice how the boss speaks. Natsuko-san. The boss will be speaking with |
| Natsuko: Casual Japanese. |
| Peter: While the secretary will be speaking |
| Natsuko: Polite Japanese. Very polite Japanese. |
| Peter: Yes we had to get that very in there. All right, with that said, with the conversation ready, here we go. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 秘書: おはようございます! (Ohayō gozaimasu!) |
| 社長: おはよう。 (Ohayō.) |
| 秘書: はい、どうぞ。コーヒーとあんパンです。 (Hai, dōzo. Kōhī to anpan desu.) |
| 社長: どうも。「噛む音から、吐き出す音」不味い!何これ?高橋さん!これは何! (Dōmo. (kamu oto kara, hakidasu oto) Mazui! Nani kore? Takahashisan! Kore wa nani!) |
| 秘書: それはあんパンです。 (Sore wa anpan desu.) |
| 社長: これは木村屋のあんパンじゃない!それに、これはしろあんパンだよ!しろあんパンはすきじゃない! (Kore wa Kimuraya no anpan ja nai! Sore ni, kore wa shiroanpan da yo! Shiroanpan wa suki ja nai!) |
| 秘書: すみませんでした。 (Sumimasen deshita.) |
| もう一度お願いします。ゆっくり、お願いします。 (Mōichido onegaishimasu. Yukkuri, onegaishimasu.) |
| 秘書: おはようございます! (Ohayō gozaimasu!) |
| 社長: おはよう。 (Ohayō.) |
| 秘書: はい、どうぞ。コーヒーとあんパンです。 (Hai, dōzo. Kōhī to anpan desu.) |
| 社長: どうも。「噛む音から、吐き出す音」不味い!何これ?高橋さん!これは何! (Dōmo. (kamu oto kara, hakidasu oto) Mazui! Nani kore? Takahashisan! Kore wa nani!) |
| 秘書: それはあんパンです。 (Sore wa anpan desu.) |
| 社長: これは木村屋のあんパンじゃない!それに、これはしろあんパンだよ!しろあんパンはすきじゃない! (Kore wa Kimuraya no anpan ja nai! Sore ni, kore wa shiroanpan da yo! Shiroanpan wa suki ja nai!) |
| 秘書: すみませんでした。 (Sumimasen deshita.) |
| 次はピーターさんの英語が入ります。 (Tsugi wa pītā-san no eigo ga hairimasu.) |
| 秘書: おはようございます! (Ohayōgozaimasu!) |
| Peter: Good morning. |
| 社長: おはよう。 (Ohayō.) |
| Peter: morning. |
| 秘書: はい、どうぞ。 (Hai, dōzo.) |
| Peter: Here you are |
| コーヒーとあんパンです。 (Kōhī to anpan desu.) |
| Peter: Coffee and a bun with bean paste. |
| 社長: どうも。 (Dōmo.) |
| Peter: Thanks. |
| 不味い! (Mazui!) |
| Peter: This is terrible. |
| 何これ? (Nanikore?) |
| Peter: What is this? |
| 高橋さん! (Takahashi san!) |
| Peter: Ms. Takahashi |
| これは何! (Korehanani!) |
| Peter: What is this? |
| 秘書: それはあんパンです。 (Sore wa anpan desu.) |
| Peter: That’s a bun with bean paste. |
| 社長: これは木村屋のあんパンじゃない! (Kore wa Kimura-ya no anpan janai!) |
| Peter: This isn’t a Kimuraya bun with bean paste. |
| それに、これはしろあんパンだよ! (Sore ni, koreha shiroan panda yo!) |
| Peter: Also this is a bun with white bean paste. |
| しろあんパンはすきじゃない! (Shiroan pan wa suki janai!) |
| Peter: I don’t like white bean paste. |
| 秘書: すみませんでした。 (Sumimasendeshita.) |
| Peter: I am sorry. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Peter: So Natsuko-san, what did you think of today’s conversation? |
| Natsuko: Uhh this 社長 (shachō) is really bossy. |
| Peter: ‘Bossy’ that’s a great word. How can we say that in Japanese? |
| Natsuko: いばってる (ibatteru) |
| Peter: いばってる (Ibatteru) Yeah that’s the first time I heard that. いばってる (Ibatteru) What is the dictionary form? |
| Natsuko: いばる (ibaru) |
| Peter: Break it down. |
| Natsuko: (slow)いばる (ibaru) (natural speed)いばる (ibaru) |
| Peter: Bossy. Nice new word, and speaking of new words, let’s get into the vocab because there are some interesting points in this conversation that we want to take a look at. So first we have |
| Natsuko: コーヒー (kōhī) |
| Peter: Coffee. |
| Natsuko: (slow)コーヒー (kōhī) (natural speed)コーヒー (kōhī) |
| Peter: Very straightforward based off the English word. Next we have the thing that was paired with it Natsuko-san that was |
| Natsuko: あんパン (anpan) |
| Peter: A bun filled with bean paste. |
| Natsuko: (slow)あんパン (anpan) (natural speed)あんパン (anpan) |
| Peter: Okay Natsuko-san we need some explaining here. Natsuko-san. A bun filled with Bean paste, help us out. |
| Natsuko: Well it’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it? |
| Peter: Well I think Bean, I think of something you know like Green beans, something like really healthy or what is this? |
| Natsuko: It’s the sweet bean paste usually used in Japanese confectionery. |
| Peter: Yeah I think that’s the key, it’s sweet, how sweet? |
| Natsuko: Very sweet. |
| Peter: You know the typical green beans or something like there are Lima beans. You know, it’s a very sweet paste and this is often eaten as a kind of snack. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: So this boss, he likes – it’s almost like he is having coffee and a donut. |
| Natsuko: Right. |
| Peter: Now in the US, we have the jelly donuts. |
| Natsuko: Uhoo… |
| Peter: Here they have what kind of donuts too in addition to this? |
| Natsuko: あんドーナツ。 (An dōnatsu.) |
| Peter: あん (an) Donuts. So Donuts with the bean paste. Very sweet and I think it’s an acquired taste. The first time I went to a donut shop and I said, oh jelly donut, I bought one, I took a big bite, it wasn’t jelly Natsuko-san. |
| Natsuko: But it tastes good, isn’t it? |
| Peter: Well it’s the next vocab. |
| Natsuko: Okay, okay. |
| Peter: No, it's definitely worth a try. I think it’s a very kind of clear split. People who like it really like it. People who don’t like it really don’t like it. |
| Natsuko: Ummm Maybe. |
| Peter: I am somewhere in the middle. I like a little bit of あん (an) but a lot of あん (an), a lot of the bean paste, that sweet bean paste is a little too overwhelming for me. |
| Natsuko: Me too. |
| Peter: Furthermore, we can get into this, we can go on for hours about this. I mean there are different flavors, different types. One that we actually talk about later the しろあん (shiroan) but looks like we are ahead of ourselves. |
| Natsuko: Okay. |
| Peter: Maybe this will make a good JCC. |
| Natsuko: Right about あんパン。 (anpan.) |
| Peter: Yeah. |
| Natsuko: Umm, another topic. |
| Peter: Another topic. Okay and we have |
| Natsuko: 不味い (mazui) |
| Peter: Unappetizing. |
| Natsuko: (slow)まずい (mazui) (natural speed)不味い (mazui) |
| Peter: Now you will hear this at a bad restaurant all the time. Maybe not that far but a very useful word when talking about something that’s not delicious. Now what you want to pay attention to is that this word is also used in other contexts. |
| Natsuko: Right. |
| Peter: Natsuko-san. If it’s a bad situation. |
| Natsuko: Yes, like you are in trouble. |
| Peter: You can say |
| Natsuko: まずい (mazui) |
| Peter: Yeah oh Natsuko-san did you study for today’s test? |
| Natsuko: まずい！ (Mazui!) |
| Peter: Yeah. I am in trouble. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: All right. This is a great word and depending on your lifestyle, you may use it a lot. |
| Natsuko: Yes. It’s also a casual language. So don’t use it like in a business situation. |
| Peter: Yeah. This contract is まずい (mazui) Yeah you don’t |
| Natsuko: No, I don’t recommend that. |
| Peter: Yeah casual situation and this again comes from the boss speaking to the secretary. He can speak very informally because he is in a higher position. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: Next we have. |
| Natsuko: 木村屋 (Kimura-ya) |
| Peter: Famous bakery located in Natsuko-san? |
| Natsuko: Ginza. |
| Peter: Yes. Break it down. |
| Natsuko: (slow)きむらや (Ki muraya) (natural speed)木村屋 (Kimura-ya) |
| Peter: Okay more about this in a little bit. Then we have |
| Natsuko: しろあんパン (Shiroan pan) |
| Peter: Now this is a bun filled with white bean paste. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: And you know what’s funny. I like this one. |
| Natsuko: Really? |
| Peter: Yeah but I don’t like the other one as much. |
| Natsuko: But it’s – they are both the same – No, they are not the same but they are both very sweet. |
| Peter: I know it’s the weirdest thing. |
| Natsuko: Ah well the flavor is slightly different. |
| Peter: Yeah the white one is a bit powdery. So maybe that’s it where the あん (an) is a bit softer. |
| Natsuko: Maybe. |
| Peter: Maybe the texture is not sure but very good. |
| Natsuko: Okay it is Peter’s recommendation. |
| Peter: Break it down. |
| Natsuko: (slow)しろあんパン (Shiroan pan) (natural speed)しろあんパン (Shiroan pan) |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Peter: All right. Now let’s take a look at today’s dialogue. Natsuko-san, first line. |
| Natsuko: おはようございます。 (Ohayōgozaimasu.) |
| Peter: Formal morning reading. Now Natsuko-san, here, who is speaking? |
| Natsuko: The secretary. |
| Peter: That’s why she is speaking in a formal way. Now what’s the response to this? |
| Natsuko: おはよう。 (Ohayō.) |
| Peter: Which is the casual morning reading. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: And who says this? |
| Natsuko: 社長。(Shachō.) The boss. |
| Peter: Yeah so notice when the boss speaks to someone in lower position, he can drop that ございます (gozaimasu) however the secretary or someone below him has to add that. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: This is showing respect for the boss’s position. |
| Natsuko: Uhoo… |
| Peter: Okay now one little thing we want to point out about おはようございます (ohayōgozaimasu). Then the secretary says |
| Natsuko: はい、どうぞ。 (Hai, dōzo.) |
| Peter: This is audio only. So we have to kind of visualize, imagine what’s going on. Natsuko-san, when you hear はい、どうぞ (hai, dōzo), what do you think? |
| Natsuko: The person is serving something. |
| Peter: Exactly something is being served, something is being passed along. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: Here please. Please take it followed by |
| Natsuko: コーヒーとあんパンです。 (Kōhī to anpan desu.) |
| Peter: Coffee and a bun with bean paste. Sweet bean paste. Boss says |
| Natsuko: どうも。 (Dōmo.) |
| Peter: Thank you. At first, it seems like everything is going to be okay but then what do we hear, Natsuko-san? |
| Natsuko: 不味い！ (Mazui!) |
| Peter: Not a good sign when the boss says this. I think here we can equate this as terrible. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: It’s terrible. It’s nasty, what is this? Then we have |
| Natsuko: 何これ。 (Nanikore.) |
| Peter: In textbook Japanese, how would this be presented? |
| Natsuko: これは何ですか？ (Korehanandesuka?) |
| Peter: This is what? But here this is actually close to English. |
| Natsuko: Right. |
| Peter: But what’s going on here? |
| Natsuko: The informal way to say これは何ですか？ (Korehanandesuka?) |
| Peter: Yeah and I think it's very spontaneous. Not too much thinking here, like a bit of shock to it. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: What’s this and again with casual Japanese, it’s very flexible. You can move things around. |
| Natsuko: Right. |
| Peter: Then we have. |
| Natsuko: 高橋さん。 (Takahashi-san.) |
| Peter: Ms. Takashi, so somebody is in trouble. |
| Natsuko: これは何？ (Korehanani?) |
| Peter: And here we have something closer to regular Japanese. He has calmed down a bit and come to his senses. And here we have? |
| Natsuko: これは何？ (Korehanani?) |
| Peter: Again informal, casual Japanese. If we had the polite Japanese, it would be |
| Natsuko: これは何ですか？ (Korehanandesuka?) |
| Peter: And then she replies |
| Natsuko: それはあんパンです。 (Sore wa anpan desu.) |
| Peter: Here we have that. That is a bean with sweet bun paste. Notice that this and that exchange. The boss is holding it or it’s in front of him. So he is what’s this. |
| Natsuko: これ (kore) |
| Peter: The secretary comes in and she is looking at it from a distance. So she says |
| Natsuko: それ (kore) |
| Peter: That. Notice also that that comes first. That followed by the topic marking particle. |
| Natsuko: は (wa) |
| Peter: Followed by |
| Natsuko: あんパンです。 (anpandesu.) |
| Peter: A bun with sweet bean paste and again we translate, that is a bun with sweet bean paste. Next. |
| Natsuko: これは木村屋のあんパンじゃない。 (Kore wa Kimura-ya no anpan janai.) |
| Peter: This isn’t a Kimuraya sweet bean paste filled bun. Natsuko-san. We have here informal. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: We are talking about じゃない。 (Janai.) Now in a textbook situation, what would this be? |
| Natsuko: これは木村屋のあんパンではありません。 (Kore wa Kimura-ya no anpan de wa arimasen.) |
| Peter: That ではありません (de wa arimasen) that’s what you’d see in a textbook. In spoken Japanese, it would get reduced to |
| Natsuko: じゃない (janai) |
| Peter: For casual Japanese, it is very casual. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: If we wanted to make it a bit more polite, we could say |
| Natsuko: ではない (de wanai) |
| Peter: And then even add the です (desu) to make it more polite. |
| Natsuko: ではないです (dewa naidesu) |
| Peter: Okay this is the most casual way and when speaking among friends, you will hear this over and over again. |
| Natsuko: Right. |
| Peter: Now it’s used with nouns and na adjectives and it’s attached directly to the noun. |
| Natsuko: Uhoo… |
| Peter: So he is talking about this is in 木村屋 (Kimura-ya) |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: Natsuko-san. What’s so good about this place, Kimuraya? |
| Natsuko: It’s really famous and I think it’s one of the first bakeries to sell the sweet bean paste filled buns. |
| Peter: Yep that’s exactly it. So when we are talking about あんパン (anpan), this is the place. Okay next we have |
| Natsuko: それにこれはしろあんパンだよ。 (Sore ni koreha shiroan pan da yo.) |
| Peter: First we have |
| Natsuko: それに (sore ni) |
| Peter: Furthermore. In addition, |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: And so it’s not over yet for poor Ms. Takahashi. What happened here? |
| Natsuko: これはしろあんパンだよ。 (Koreha shiroan pan da yo.) |
| Peter: This is marked by the topic marking particle は (wa). Then we have しろあんパン (Shiroan pan) a bun filled with white bean paste followed by |
| Natsuko: だよ (da yo) |
| Peter: The informal form of the copula. |
| Natsuko: です (desu) |
| Peter: And the sentence ending particle. |
| Natsuko: よ (yo) |
| Peter: Which is used here for emphasis. This is the white one. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: And then finally he says |
| Natsuko: しろあんパンは好きじゃない。 (Shiroan pan wa suki janai.) |
| Peter: I don’t like buns filled with white bean paste. And here again we have the casual negative form of the copula which is |
| Natsuko: じゃない (janai) |
| Peter: And then finally we have |
| Natsuko: すみませんでした。 (Sumimasendeshita.) |
| Peter: I am sorry. Really nothing else to say here. I mean the boss seems to be – It seems that the boss is always right. So what we are going to do now is play the dialogue one more time. Listen, see if what we went over, what we just reviewed really sticks in. |
Outro |
| Peter: All right, that’s going to do for today. |
| Natsuko: じゃ、また明日ね。 (Ja, mata ashita ne.) |
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