Start Learning Japanese in the next 30 Seconds with
a Free Lifetime Account

Or sign up using Facebook

godan verb practice

Moderators: Moderator Team, Admin Team

dj gman
New in Town
Posts: 10
Joined: January 14th, 2008 11:31 pm

godan verb practice

Postby dj gman » March 11th, 2008 1:16 pm

Hi everyone I'm just starting godan verbs and I'm just wondering if I am using them correctly. Here's a few example sentances.

Watashi wa hanashita ni atta.
I talked when we met.

Watashi wa kare ga au hanashita
I met him and talked

Anata wa kare ga atta hanasu ka?
You met him to talk?

How'd I do? :D

EDIT: if this is in the wrong section could someone please move it?
arigato gozimatsu

markystar
Site Admin
Posts: 562
Joined: August 27th, 2006 2:11 pm

Postby markystar » March 11th, 2008 1:59 pm

hmmmm... starting from your english sentences, i'd probably write them like this:

私たちが会ったときに、話した。
Watashi-tachi ga atta toki ni, hanashita.
I talked when we met.

私は彼に会って、話した。
Watashi wa kare ni atte, hanashita.
I met him and talked

あなたは彼と話すために会ったの?
Anata wa kare to hanasu tame ni atta no?
You met him to talk?

The last one seems strange to me tho, and i think it's because i'd probably use "go" instead of "meet."

彼と話しに行ったの?
Kare to hanashi ni itta no?
Did you go to talk to him?

There other possible variations for these sentences tho.
ねぇ、ねぇ、私前にバンドキャンプでさ…

Get 51% OFF
dj gman
New in Town
Posts: 10
Joined: January 14th, 2008 11:31 pm

thx

Postby dj gman » March 14th, 2008 12:45 am

Hey thanks for the help.
I've tried making a few more sentances by myself, I don't really have that firm of a grasp of all the japanese particles so please feel free to point out any problems there as well. I'm wanting to get a job at a sarku japan resturant at a mall near me and I want to be able to speak enough to get a job application, since I figure if I get a job there it would give me a lot more hands on experiance in speaking japanese and learning from native speakers.

dozo yoroshiku, Nihongo-jin hanasa ka?
excuse me, do you speak japanese?

watashi wa Nihongo-jin narau desu.
I am learning japanese.

watashi wa ryuuchou hanasanai.
I don't speak fluently.

chotto kyuushokusha kudasai.
May I have A job application?

kc8ufv
Expert on Something
Posts: 183
Joined: December 18th, 2006 9:03 pm

Re: thx

Postby kc8ufv » March 14th, 2008 1:36 am

dj gman wrote:dozo yoroshiku, Nihongo-jin hanasa ka?
excuse me, do you speak japanese?

「dozo yorosiku」 doesn’t really fit here. You are looking for 「スミマセン」. Also, 「日本語人」 just doesn't look right to me. I would probably put it 「スミマセン、日本語が分かりますか?」, although you could use 「話します」 in place of 「分かります」


(Technically the sentence I suggested would translate more closely to "Excuse me, do you understand Japanese")

markystar
Site Admin
Posts: 562
Joined: August 27th, 2006 2:11 pm

Postby markystar » March 14th, 2008 1:58 am

ok. i wouldn't try these sentences on anybody as is.
i translated your examples below and then give you the correct versions. hope this helps.

dozo yoroshiku, Nihongo-jin hanasa ka?
this means, "go ahead & please be kind to me, japanese person Hanasaka?"

sumimasen, nihongo wo hanashimasu ka?
excuse me
nihongo is the japanese language
wo is the object marking particle
hanashimasu is the polite conjugated form of "to speak"
ka is the question particle.

watashi wa Nihongo-jin narau desu.
as for me, a japanese person, it learns, it is.

watashi wa nihongo wo benkyo shite imasu.
watashi wa = as for me
nihongo wo = japanese language (object form)
benkyo shite imasu = i am studying

watashi wa ryuuchou hanasanai.
this one is actually correct, except...
ryuuchou is an extremely formal word. while hanasanai is the casual form.

you'd probably be better off saying "watashi wa pera pera ja nai desu."
it will be obvious that you're not ryuuchou, so keep it simple and keep it polite if you are talking to a potential employer :wink:

chotto kyuushoku-sha kudasai.
please give me a little bit of people applying for jobs.

kyuushoku-moushikomi wo kudasai = give me a job application (polite)
kyuushoku-moushikomi wo onegai shimasu = may i have a job application (also polite)

to be honest, i don't know the word for job application, but i found that one in the dictionary.

you seem very eager to get into japanese, so may i recommend you start listening to the Nihongo Dojo Series and Introductions Series. I think you'll get a lot of great basic phrases from the Introduction Series. and the Nihongo Dojo will start you out on grammar. They're both pretty fun courses, imo!

here is the first nihongo dojo:
http://www.japanesepod101.com/index.php?p=732&cat=11

here is the first introductions:
http://www.japanesepod101.com/2005/12/1 ... -be-merry/
ねぇ、ねぇ、私前にバンドキャンプでさ…

dj gman
New in Town
Posts: 10
Joined: January 14th, 2008 11:31 pm

lol

Postby dj gman » March 14th, 2008 2:25 am

Hey thanks, that clears up quite a bit. I don't know why I got dozo yoroshiku mixed up with wakarimasu to be honest, haha. I have already downloaded the nihon-dojo lessons to my mp3 player but I never started on them since I'm only at newbie lesson 20 right now, suppose I might start on them now.

Javizy
Expert on Something
Posts: 1165
Joined: February 10th, 2007 2:41 pm

Re: lol

Postby Javizy » March 14th, 2008 3:04 am

dj gman wrote:Hey thanks, that clears up quite a bit. I don't know why I got dozo yoroshiku mixed up with wakarimasu to be honest, haha. I have already downloaded the nihon-dojo lessons to my mp3 player but I never started on them since I'm only at newbie lesson 20 right now, suppose I might start on them now.


Just one thing that the other guys didn't point out: 'dozo' is actually spelt 'douzo', since it has a so-called long vowel. I think it's better to consider both syllables rather than just assuming you "stretch" the first syllable though. What I mean by that is, focus on saying both the 'do' and 'u', not just 'doo', since there is a slight difference in sound depending on the second syllable, especially in the case of 'mae' vs 'mai'. It may also help you to allow the same unit of time for each syllable to avoid making it too long or too short.

Return to “Learn All About Japanese”