Learn about teasing your effeminate husband, complaining about your mother
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Natsuko: こんにちは。夏子です。 |
| Sachiko: Sachiko here. UG Phone Home. 今日のタイトルは何でしょう。 |
| Natsuko: あ、あれですね。昔の映画ですね。 |
| Sachiko: ET Phone Home. That’s what it’s referring to. |
| Natsuko: 懐かしいなぁ。UG what does that stand for? |
| Sachiko: Yeah good one. U and G, no it’s actually a very typical guy’s name in Japan, isn’t it? |
| Natsuko: Right, ユウジ. |
| Sachiko: Not UG。 let’s take a listen. |
| DIALOGUE |
| ユウジ: 昨日、久しぶりに実家に電話したんだけど、母さん、俺のこと最初誰だかわからなくてさあ。 |
| 里美: あんた、声変わりでもしたんじゃないの。 |
| ユウジ: まさか。 |
| 里美: ユウジ今、風邪ひいてるから、風邪声だっただけよ。 |
| ユウジ: そうかなあ。年をとると、忘れっぽくなるって言うから、俺の声も忘れちゃったのかと思った。 |
| 里美: 何言ってんの。あんたの声は普段から子供っぽいっていうか、子供みたいに高いじゃない。でも今はガラガラ声だから誰でも間違うわよ。 |
| ユウジ: (情けない声で)お母ちゃん、俺のこと忘れたりしないよね。 |
| 里美: あたり前じゃない。あんたはいつも女々しいわね。このマザコンが!! |
| もう一度、お願いします。ゆっくり、お願いします。 |
| ユウジ: 昨日、久しぶりに実家に電話したんだけど、母さん、俺のこと最初誰だかわからなくてさあ。 |
| 里美: あんた、声変わりでもしたんじゃないの。 |
| ユウジ: まさか。 |
| 里美: ユウジ今、風邪ひいてるから、風邪声だっただけよ。 |
| ユウジ: そうかなあ。年をとると、忘れっぽくなるって言うから、俺の声も忘れちゃったのかと思った。 |
| 里美: 何言ってんの。あんたの声は普段から子供っぽいっていうか、子供みたいに高いじゃない。でも今はガラガラ声だから誰でも間違うわよ。 |
| ユウジ:お母ちゃん、俺のこと忘れたりしないよね。 |
| 里美: あたり前じゃない。あんたはいつも女々しいわね。このマザコンが!! |
| 次は、お願いします。 |
| ユウジ: 昨日、久しぶりに実家に電話したんだけど、母さん、俺のこと最初誰だかわからなくてさあ。 |
| YUJI: I called home last night for the first time in a while, and my mother didn't recognize my voice at first. |
| 里美: あんた、声変わりでもしたんじゃないの。 |
| SATOMI: Maybe your voice changed or something? |
| ユウジ: まさか。 |
| YUJI: No way! |
| 里美: ユウジ今、風邪ひいてるから、風邪声だっただけよ。 |
| SATOMI: You have a cold right now, so you sounded stuffy. |
| ユウジ: そうかなあ。年をとると、忘れっぽくなるって言うから、俺の声も忘れちゃったのかと思った。 |
| YUJI: You think? They say that people get forgetful as they age. So I thought maybe my mother forgot my voice. |
| 里美: 何言ってんの。あんたの声は普段から子供っぽいっていうか、子供みたいに高いじゃない。でも今はガラガラ声だから誰でも間違うわよ。 |
| SATOMI: What are you talking about? Your voice is always high-pitched and child-like. But now you sound coarse. So obviously people are not going to recognize you. |
| ユウジ: (情けない声で)お母ちゃん、俺のこと忘れたりしないよね。 |
| YUJI: (in a pitiful voice) Mom, you wouldn't forget me, would you? |
| 里美: あたり前じゃない。あんたはいつも女々しいわね。このマザコンが!! |
| SATOMI: Of course not! You're always such a sissy! You momma's boy! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Sachiko: 夏子さん、この会話、どう思いましたか。 |
| Natsuko: あの、最近話題のオレオレ詐欺がありますから。 |
| Sachiko: え、何それ何それ。 I have never heard of that. What is that? |
| Natsuko: A stranger calls you. |
| Sachiko: Okay. |
| Natsuko: And he says 俺だよ、俺。俺。He pretends to be someone very close to you and asks for money. |
| Sachiko: Wow but… |
| Natsuko: 俺、俺。ちょっと困ってるんだけど、金貸して。 like that. |
| Sachiko: Wait and people actually what, send money to the bank accounts of their boss? |
| Natsuko: Yes there are some – it became a very serious social problem. |
| Sachiko: When was this? |
| Natsuko: Pretty recently. It’s becoming very topical these few years. |
| Sachiko: So that’s why Yuji’s mother didn’t trust him. |
| Natsuko: Maybe. |
| Sachiko: What do you think of Yuji? Do you think he is the kind of masculine melamine type or does he sound more like the mommy’s boy? |
| Natsuko: I agree with Satomi. |
| Sachiko: Let’s just say he is a sensitive kind of guy, yeah and there is nothing wrong with that. |
| Natsuko: But I guess it’s a bit shocking if you – your mother doesn’t recognize your voice. |
| Sachiko: Yeah has that ever happened to you? |
| Natsuko: Not really. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Sachiko: Okay so let’s take a look at today’s vocabulary. Natsuko san, the first vocabulary please. |
| Natsuko: 誰 |
| Sachiko: Who. |
| Natsuko: (slow)だれ (natural speed) 誰 |
| Sachiko: The next vocabulary please. |
| Natsuko: 声変わり |
| Sachiko: Voice change. |
| Natsuko: (slow)こえがわり (natural speed) 声変わり |
| Sachiko: Okay next vocabulary please. |
| Natsuko: 普段 |
| Sachiko: Usually. |
| Natsuko: (slow)ふだん (natural speed) 普段 |
| Sachiko: 夏子さんは、普段、何してますか？仕事の後は。 |
| Natsuko: 仕事の後は、料理をしてます。 |
| Sachiko: えらい！ So you cook after work. Wow! |
| Natsuko: Yes I usually cook my own meal. |
| Sachiko: Next vocabulary please. |
| Natsuko: 忘れっぽい |
| Sachiko: Forgetful. |
| Natsuko: (slow)わすれっぽい (natural speed) 忘れっぽい |
| Sachiko: That is totally me. |
| Natsuko: Me too. |
| Sachiko: The next vocabulary please. |
| Natsuko: 女々しい |
| Sachiko: Effeminate. |
| Natsuko: (slow)めめしい (natural speed) 女々しい |
| Sachiko: Now would you say that this word is positive or negative. |
| Natsuko: Mostly negative. |
| Sachiko: And would you only use it for men or would you use it for women as well? |
| Natsuko: Ah maybe you can use this for women as well. |
| Sachiko: And the last vocabulary please. |
| Natsuko: マザコン |
| Sachiko: Oedipus complex. |
| Natsuko: (slow)マザコン (natural speed) マザコン |
| Sachiko: Right. Now in Japanese, this is considered the abbreviation of mother complex. |
| Natsuko: Yes マザーコンプレックス。 |
| Sachiko: Right. Now when did this word become really popular? Was it about 10 years ago? |
| Natsuko: I think it was about 10 years ago. There was a drama of this very excessively… |
| Sachiko: Oh yeah very creepy guy. |
| Natsuko: Yeah. |
| Sachiko: Who had a severe マザコン. Yeah. |
| Natsuko: And his name was 冬彦. |
| Sachiko: Yeah. |
| Natsuko: So it became kind of, you know… |
| Sachiko: Synonymous with the word マザコン。 |
| Natsuko: 冬彦さん。 |
| Sachiko: そうそうそうそう。 And to tie it into today’s grammar point, if a person had a really strong mother complex or Oedipus complex, we would say あ、冬彦さんだ。 |
| Natsuko: Yeah. Maybe you can’t use that. |
| Sachiko: Yeah with the younger generation, they probably don’t remember because this drama was a huge hit like 10, maybe then 15 years ago but マザコンっぽい is sort of like a マザコン。 So let’s tie into today’s grammar point. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Sachiko: The first one isでも. In our dialogue today, it came out as 声変わりでも. Natsuko san, how would you explain the usage of this? |
| Natsuko: This word is making the subject a little vague. |
| Sachiko: Ah see so it’s sort of suggesting it maybe, perhaps. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: You had a voice change. It’s not really pinpointing one thing. |
| Natsuko: Yes. Voice change or something. |
| Sachiko: Or something yeah and clearly in the UG case. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: I am sorry Yuji case, it was just a cold. Okay what would I say if I wanted to ask you out for tea? |
| Natsuko: お茶でも飲みませんか。 |
| Sachiko: That sounds very nice, kind of sophisticated. Instead of just saying お茶、飲みませんか。 |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Saying お茶でも飲みませんか, it sounds a little bit more soft. |
| Natsuko: Yes and you know, it’s like you can also order coffee. |
| Sachiko: What about if you are inviting someone out to the movies or to go bowling. |
| Natsuko: 映画でも見に行きませんか。ボーリングにでも行きませんか。 |
| Sachiko: So it’s just a suggestion. The last two sentences are if we are inviting someone out but if they don’t want to go to the movies or go bowling, they can actually opt for something else. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: But the main thing is you are inviting them out. This should come in really handy. Natsuko san, can you repeat the sentence in the dialogue please? |
| Natsuko: あんた、声変わりでもしたんじゃないの？ |
| Sachiko: That would be translated as you must have had a voice change or something. So it’s that that something element that is でも |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Would you say that she was kind of exaggerating or just… |
| Natsuko: Kind of a joke maybe. |
| Sachiko: Yeah. That’s a very good point. We can use it in a joke. |
| Natsuko: Yes right. |
| Sachiko: Yeah oh my goodness! When I get really forgetful, people always joke about the fact that maybe I have Alzheimer’s. |
| Natsuko: アルツハイマーにでもなってるんじゃない？ |
| Sachiko: はい。そうかもしれませんねー。ごめんなさい。 But yeah it’s used in a joking kind of way. |
| Natsuko: Definitely because it kind of makes the expression soft. |
| Sachiko: Yeah. Yeah it kind of makes taboo subjects okay to talk about it. Apparently, you know, obviously Alzheimer’s disease is a serious illness. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: And you shouldn’t be joking about it but by using でも it just kind of softens the blow. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Umm very good point. The second grammar point for today is ぽい as in |
| Natsuko: 忘れっぽい |
| Sachiko: Forgetful. Now what does that do when you put ぽい after a verb. What does that do to the verb? |
| Natsuko: It’s like a tendency. |
| Sachiko: You don’t actually have Amnesia but you are just a little bit forgetful. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: 忘れっぽい。 What other ぽい can you think of? |
| Natsuko: 怒りっぽい。 |
| Sachiko: Tendency to get angry. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Yeah that’s short tempered. Short tempered 恐いね。ごめんなさい、私。怒りっぽいんです。気をつけます。 What’s another one? |
| Natsuko: 飽きっぽい。 |
| Sachiko: Ah we use this a lot when we talk about children. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Tendency to easily get bored. Were you 飽きっぽい as a child? |
| Natsuko: Oh not really. |
| Sachiko: Wow really? |
| Natsuko: I was more patient when I was a child. |
| Sachiko: Oh my goodness! What happened to that? |
| Natsuko: I am 飽きっぽい now. |
| Sachiko: Now. Maybe you used up all your concentration as a child? |
| Natsuko: Maybe yeah. |
| Sachiko: No more brain cells left. You have overused them. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Okay well that’s interesting ぽい. Now can you put ぽい after a person’s name? |
| Natsuko: Oh yes 夏子さんっぽい。 |
| Sachiko: Maybe that can make it more like you know, like someone. |
| Natsuko: Ah like the way you dress or the way you talk or the way you walk. |
| Sachiko: Yes. |
| Natsuko: 歩き方が夏子さんっぽい。 The way you walk is very Natsuko like. Yeah you can use it for the person himself or herself. |
| Sachiko: Okay. |
| Natsuko: But also like you know imitating some celebrity or something. |
| Sachiko: Ah that’s right, that’s right |
| Natsuko: 今のちょっとイチローっぽかったよね。 |
| Sachiko: Oh that was sort of like Ichiro like. Yeah what kind of behavior is イチローっぽい。 |
| Natsuko: I have no idea. |
| Sachiko: Maybe did some kind of trick when catching a ball. |
| Natsuko: Oh maybe. |
| Sachiko: Or really fast. |
| Natsuko: Oh yeah. |
| Sachiko: Really fast. Umm that’s a good one. Now let’s take a look at some comparisons. This is a question we often get from people studying Japanese. What is the difference between 子供らしい and 子供っぽい。 |
| Natsuko: Oh yes. Yeah, very confusing. Well 子供らしい has a positive nuance. |
| Sachiko: Okay. |
| Natsuko: But 子供っぽい is a little more negative. |
| Sachiko: And also I think 子供らしい is used when the person you are talking about actually is a child. |
| Natsuko: Oh yes. |
| Sachiko: And so the person is acting the way they are supposed to and that’s why it’s a positive thing. |
| Natsuko: Oh yeah right. |
| Sachiko: So maybe the person we are talking about is very, I don’t know, naïve and very pure and trustful. In that sense, we’d call that 子供らしい。 |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Whereas 子供っぽい the person we are talking about could be a child, but it could be an adult who should be acting like an adult, but he is acting like a child. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: So 子供っぽい. So many different levels there. |
| Natsuko: Right. |
| Sachiko: Can we say the same thing about let’s say 男らしい and 男っぽい. Would the same apply? |
| Natsuko: Yeah maybe but it’s not as obvious as 子供らしい and 子供っぽい。 |
| Sachiko: Right, right. |
| Natsuko: It can both be a compliment. |
| Sachiko: Oh okay 男っぽい. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Oh that’s true. |
| Natsuko: Yeah in that sense. Okay I think we are just confusing the listeners now. All right. |
| Sachiko: Okay great. Another word I’d like to bring up just because we use it a lot is 安っぽい。 |
| Natsuko: Oh yes. |
| Sachiko: Uh now what kind of a nuance is this, good or bad? |
| Natsuko: Bad. |
| Sachiko: Oh yeah pretty bad. Yeah cheap and cheesy and just bad, poor quality. Yeah I use it a lot just because I am a very, very frugal person. I don’t like to spend a lot of money on things and to cut corners, I end up with 安っぽい and my family and my friends are like, oh my god. That is so 安っぽい。ちょっと安っぽいんじゃないの。 |
| Natsuko: あれね、買ってから後悔することありますよね。 |
| Sachiko: ありますね。 |
| Natsuko: 後悔する。 To regret. |
| Sachiko: Okay our last grammar point of the day is 忘れたり。なになにたり. Shall we take a look at the dialogue? |
| Natsuko: おかあちゃん、俺のこと忘れたりしないよね。 |
| Sachiko: Mommy, you wouldn’t forgive me, would you? |
| Natsuko: Yeah. |
| Sachiko: Okay so in that sense, I guess it could be translated, you wouldn’t dare or you wouldn’t possibly forget about me, would you? |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Okay let’s take a look at some sample sentences. お願いします。 |
| Natsuko: タバコ吸ったりする？ |
| Sachiko: Do you ever smoke? |
| Natsuko: お酒飲んだりする？ |
| Sachiko: Do you ever drink and it also I think has a nuance of do you do that kind of thing. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Yeah. It’s not just limited to that one thing but.. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Due to that kind of deviant behavior. |
| Natsuko: Yeah. Do you have a habit? |
| Sachiko: Now would you say, this is used in the positive sense and the negative sense or just one? |
| Natsuko: I think it’s pretty neutral. |
| Sachiko: Yeah I think so too. I mean the first two samples we gave were – you know happen to be smoking and drinking but we can also say, hey do you do karaoke? |
| Natsuko: カラオケ行ったりする？ |
| Sachiko: Yeah that would be very positive or just neutral. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: Would you do that kind of stuff? Like do you like to go out and have fun and… |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
Outro |
| Sachiko: Ah that’s true. 夏子さん、カラオケ行ったりする？ |
| Natsuko: 最近行ってませんね。 |
| Sachiko: でも好きですか？ |
| Natsuko: 嫌いじゃないですよ。 |
| Sachiko: うーん、じゃあ次のレッスンは夏子さんがスタジオでカラオケやります！ |
| Natsuko: やりません。やりません。 |
| Sachiko: Boo. 夏子さんとさちこさんがデュエットしまーす。 |
| Natsuko: さちこさん。え、さちこさんも歌うの？ |
| Sachiko: 大好きです。カラオケ大好きです。Okay so that covers all the grammar points for the day and all the vocabulary. Natsuko san, any last comments? |
| Natsuko: うん。すごく、色々今日は盛りだくさんでしたね。 |
| Sachiko: そうでしたね。 Yeah so definitely print out the PDF, look at it once again, get into the habit of using this because it’s really, really useful. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Sachiko: And if you ever land in Japan, I can assure you, you will use these phrases a lot. |
| Natsuko: Definitely. |
| Sachiko: Okay so we will see you next time. |
| Natsuko: それじゃあ、また今度。 |
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