It looks like Shimoyama-senpai is about to have a lot more responsibilities! :hachimaki: :hachimaki:

こんにちは、John Cさん！ (Konnichiwa, John C-san! "Hello, John C!")

It's wonderful to hear that you're starting fresh with our Absolute Beginner Level 1 lessons! 🌟 Inspiration can indeed come from many places, and it's great that Satoru Iwata's story has motivated you. Just like creating a fresh code, diving back into the basics can be a rewarding experience. If you have any questions as you go through the lessons, feel free to reach out. We're here to support you on your journey!

ありがとうございます！ (Arigatou gozaimasu! "Thank you very much!")

Team JapanesePod101.com

Hello John C,

Happy New Year! 🎉 It's wonderful to hear that you are practicing Japanese, it's normal to feel a bit unsure about grammar when learning a new language, but your positive attitude is fantastic. 😊

Keep up the great work and enjoy your language learning journey!

ありがとうございます！

Team JapanesePod101.com

Dear team japanesepod101,

I am going to go through all your absolute beginner level 1 lessons that I missed.

I remember reading a book from Satoru Iwata where he and his games team scrapped development and started a game from the beginning even when a lot of work had already been completed. They created a fresh code.

I'm going to start fresh and cover all things.

I just love being inspired.

Thank you again so much Xx

Dear Yoshimi,

Thank you and happy New year.

I wrote a new years message again to Nintendo and it is in Japanese.

My Japanese friend says that my grammar is gibberish, but in the end (although I was in the beginning confident with my message), I said to my friend:

"Being too self confident can hurt enjoyment and a genuine sense of self accomplishment)."

Therefore, I look forward to more Japanese (and Chinese) practice over the years.

Thank you once more for your encouragement. I am having a lot of fun.

Hello John-san,

Thank you for your message and for your dedication to learning Japanese! I really appreciate your curiosity and diligence.

In response to your question, "駆け足" (please note it is pronounced "kakeashi," not "kakeshi") literally translates to "running" or "at a quick pace." However, if you're referring to writing quickly, then you'd use "速く書く" (hayaku kaku) for "writing fast," or "早く返事を書く" (hayaku henji o kaku) if you mean "responding quickly."

"駆け足" (kakeashi) can be used in two main ways—literally and figuratively:

Literal usage refers to running at a fast pace. It's commonly used to describe the act of running quickly, such as in sports or when someone is in a hurry.

Example:

彼は駆け足で駅に向かった。

(Kare wa kakeashi de eki ni mukatta.)

"He ran quickly to the station."

Figurative usage describes something done in a hurried or fast-tracked manner. It implies going through something quickly, often without spending much time on each part.

Example:

このレッスンは駆け足で説明します。

(Kono ressun wa kakeashi de setsumei shimasu.)

"I will quickly go over this lesson."

In this case, it means covering content rapidly, moving through the material at a fast pace.

That said, "駆け足" isn't typically used for "writing fast" as you intended. If you're talking about writing or responding quickly, "早く返事を書く" (hayaku henji o kaku) would be more appropriate.

I hope this helps! Keep up the great work with your Japanese studies—your dedication is truly admirable!

ありがとうございます！ (Arigatō gozaimasu! "Thank you!")

Yoshimi

Team JapanesePod101.com

Thank you Yoshimi San, I really appreciate it!

駆け足 kakeshi might be more in context for saying that I want to write quickly so that my response is more socially acceptable (putting in effort to reply within a timeframe).

What do you think about this?

Hello John C. San,

Thank you for your message and your continuous effort in learning Japanese!

Here's the corrected version of your message:

ありがとうございます！とても助けになりました。

(Arigatō gozaimasu! Totemo tasuke ni narimashita. "Thank you very much! you’ve been very helpful.")

しかし、まだ日本語を速く書ける自信がありません。

(Shikashi, mada Nihongo o hayaku kakeru jishin ga arimasen. "However, I still do not have confidence in writing Japanese quickly.") (This is the direct translation of your English sentence, though I'm not entirely sure about your specific meaning of "writing fast.")

毎日少しずつ自信がついてきているので、近い将来に期待します。

(Mainichi sukoshi zutsu jishin ga tsuite kite iru node, chikai shōrai ni kitai shimasu. "Since I am gaining confidence little by little every day, I am looking forward to the near future.")

This version is more natural but conveys a similar idea. Don’t worry about mastering everything immediately—you’ll get there with time. For now, focus on learning step by step and study each lesson thoroughly. If you have any other questions or want to practice, feel free to send a comment anytime.

ありがとうございます！ (Arigatō gozaimasu! "Thank you!")

Yoshimi

Team JapanesePod101.com

Dear Yoshimi San,

I appreciate any help you can give, thank you very much.

My message was:

Thank you so much! you have helped me directly.

However, It seems that I am not confident to (be able to) write fast.

I am looking forward to the future, I am more confident every day.

-End of message -

(The last line was a Google translate and I think it made an error. I would have used words: motto (for more) and jishin.

Of course, thank you for your help and I will get back to studying very shortly, I've been busy with a brainy project.

(But I am not brainy enough to write Japanese entirely, yet, but thank you lots for the encouragement!)

-

Hello John C,

Thank you for your kind words, and for making the effort to write your message in Japanese. However, I'm not entirely sure what you were trying to say. If you could provide us with the English translation of your Japanese sentences, we’d be happy to help you express it correctly.

Keep up the great work!

ありがとうございます！ (Arigatō gozaimasu! "Thank you!")

Yoshimi

Team JapanesePod101.com

Dear Yoshimi,

ありがとうございます! 君は直接を手伝いました

しかし自信ではありませんし書くはやくそうできない

将来を楽しみ, 毎日、私は自信を持っています。

Thank you very much for your help!

Your team is so kind! 👍 😊

こんにちは、John C.さん！ (Kon'nichiwa, John C.-san! "Hello, John C.!")

We appreciate the great effort that you put in.

Here are the corrected versions of your sentences:

1. 「君を今度のプロジェクトの責任者に交渉にする。」

(Kimi o kondo no purojekuto no sekininsha o kōshō ni suru.)

I am not sure what you meant to say, but maybe something like below?

「君が今度のプロジェクトの責任者になるように交渉します。」

(Kimi ga kondo no purojekuto no sekininsha ni naru yō ni kōshō shimasu. "I will negotiate to make you the person in charge of the next project.")

or

「君を今度のプロジェクトの責任者に推薦します。」

(Kimi o kondo no purojekuto no sekininsha ni suisen shimasu. "I will recommend you as the person in charge of the next project.")

2. 「君を今度のプロジェクトに交渉の責任者に任せます。」

(Kimi o kondo no purojekuto ni kōshō no sekininsha o makasemasu.)

Corrected: 「君に今度のプロジェクトの交渉の責任を任せます。」

(Kimi ni kondo no purojekuto no kōshō no sekinin o makasemasu. "I will leave the responsibility of negotiations for the next project to you.")

3. 「君を今度のプロジェクトに交渉の責任者にする」

(Kimi o kondo no purojekuto ni kōshō no sekininsha ni suru.)

Corrected: 「君を今度のプロジェクトの交渉の責任者にします。」

(Kimi o kondo no purojekuto no kōshō no sekininsha ni shimasu. "I will make you the person in charge of negotiations for the next project.")

I hope this helps. Keep up the good work!

ありがとうございます！ (Arigatō gozaimasu! "Thank you!")

Yoshimi

Team JapanesePod101.com

This is very interesting.

I spent a long time, about 1 - 2 hours trying to make an original sentence using this example.

My first attempt was:

Kimi o Kondo no purojekuto no sekininsha o koushou ni suru.

But I also managed to write:

Kim o Kondo no purojekuto ni koushou no sekininsha o makasemasu.

Japanese is a fascinating language!

- kimi o Kondo no purojekuto ni koushou no sekininsha ni suru-

Maybe this is the best example.

Lydiaさん、こんにちは！ (Lydia-san, konnichiwa! "Hello, Lydia!")

どんなスタイルにしたのか、教えてください！

(Donna sutairu ni shita no ka, oshiete kudasai! "Please tell me what style you went for!")

ありがとうございます！

Ryoma

Team JapanesePod101.com

今日私も髪の毛を短くした😎

Lydia

Great question, Z! 今度 (kondo) can indeed be a bit tricky as it can mean both 'this time' and 'next time'. The interpretation largely depends on the context of the conversation.

If you're talking about something that has already happened, 今度 (kondo) usually means 'this time'. For example, 今度の試験は難しかった (Kondo no shiken wa muzukashikatta "This time, the test was difficult").

On the other hand, when talking about a future event, 今度 (kondo) typically means 'next time'. For example, 今度の週末は何をしますか？ (Kondo no shuumatsu wa nani o shimasu ka? "What will you do next weekend?")

I hope this helps! Keep practicing and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions. You're doing great!

ありがとうございます！

Ryoma

Team JapanesePod101.com

For 今度。。。 How do we know if it means this time or next time?

Linneaさん

質問（しつもん）ありがとうございます😄

Exactly!! する is a transitive verb that goes with を and なる is an intransitive verb that goes with が😉

For transitive and intransitive verbs, you can have a look at this lesson below😇

https://www.japanesepod101.com/lesson/upper-beginner-18-be-careful-which-train-you-get-on-in-japan/

Please let us know if you have any questions :)

Sincerely

りょうま（Ryoma）

Team JapanesePod101.com

Hi.

Is the object or thing that changes, only marked with the particle を、in する、bot not なる？

Christian Guerreroさん

質問（しつもん）ありがとうございます😄

今度 is pretty much always used as "next time" and we rarely use it as "this time."

To say "this time," we use 今回😉

Please let us know if you have any questions :)

Sincerely

りょうま（Ryoma）

Team JapanesePod101.com

So with the word “今度” how do we differentiate between “this” or “next” time? Or is there no way?