Learn how to ask and answer why
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| Introduction |
| John: Why? In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask and answer “why” in Japanese. |
| Body |
| John: Here's the way to ask "Why are you late?" in Japanese. |
| Risa: [Normal] どうして遅れましたか。(Dōshite okuremashita ka.) |
| John: First is a word meaning "why." |
| Risa: [Normal] どうして [Slow] どうして (dōshite) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "to be late (past tense)." |
| Risa: [Normal] 遅れました [Slow] 遅れました (Okuremashita) |
| John: Last is the question particle. |
| Risa: [Normal] か [Slow] か(ka) |
| John: Note the rising intonation. Listen again to the question meaning "Why are you late?" |
| Risa: [Slow] どうして遅れましたか。 [Normal] どうして遅れましたか。 |
| John: Here's the way to answer, "Because I missed the train." |
| Risa: [Normal] 電車に乗れませんでしたから。(Densha ni noremasen deshita kara. ) |
| John: First is a word meaning "train." |
| Risa: [Normal] 電車 [Slow] 電車 (densha) |
| John: Next is the place particle for "on." |
| Risa: [Normal] に [Slow] に (ni) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "couldn’t ride." |
| Risa: [Normal] 乗れませんでした [Slow] 乗れませんでした (noremasen deshita) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "because." |
| Risa: [Normal] から [Slow] から (kara) |
| John: Listen again to the response meaning "because I missed the train" or literally “because I couldn’t get on the train.” |
| Risa: [Slow] 電車に乗れませんでしたから。 [Normal] 電車に乗れませんでしたから。 |
| John: Now, imagine you’re speaking to your co-worker. Here's a way to ask "Why do you leave early?" |
| Risa: [Normal] どうして早く帰りますか。(Dōshite hayaku kaerimasu ka.) |
| John: First is a word meaning "why." |
| Risa: [Normal] どうして [Slow] どうして(dōshite) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "early." |
| Risa: [Normal] 早く [Slow] 早く(hayaku) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "to leave, to go back." |
| Risa: [Normal] 帰ります [Slow] 帰ります (kaerimasu) |
| John: Last is the question particle. |
| Risa: [Normal] か [Slow] か (ka) |
| John: Listen again to the question, "Why do you leave early?" |
| Risa: [Slow] どうして早く帰りますか。 [Normal] どうして早く帰りますか。 |
| John: Here's a response meaning "to not miss the train" or literally “It's the time for the train.” |
| Risa: [Normal] 電車の時間ですから。(Densha no jikan desu kara.) |
| John: First is a word meaning "train." |
| Risa: [Normal] 電車 [Slow] 電車(densha) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "of." |
| Risa: [Normal] の [Slow] の (no) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "time." |
| Risa: [Normal] 時間 [Slow] 時間 (jikan) |
| John: Next is the word meaning "is." |
| Risa: [Normal] です [Slow] です(desu) |
| John: Last is the word meaning "because." |
| Risa: [Normal] から [Slow] から (kara) |
| John: Listen again to the response "to not miss the train." |
| Risa: [Slow] 電車の時間ですから。 [Normal] 電車の時間ですから。 |
| Cultural Insight |
| John: Now, it's time for a quick cultural insight. |
| Risa: As you learned already, Japanese people are punctual, especially in formal situations. Generally, you are supposed to arrive at work and be prepared 5 or 10 minutes ahead of time. Even if your train is delayed a bit, it’s still not a good excuse to be late! |
Outro |
|---|
| John: And that's all for this lesson. Don't forget to check out the lesson notes, and we'll see you in the next lesson! |
| Risa: またね！(mata ne!) |
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