Learn about the verb kureru, which is used to talk about how someone does something for you, and is also used when making a request of someone
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Ｎaomi: なおみです。(Naomi desu.) |
| Peter: Peter here. If You Wouldn’t Mind, Would You Help Me with This Japanese Problem? In this lesson, you'll learn how to make a request. |
| Naomi: Right. Such as 手伝ってくれますか (tetsudatte kuremasu ka), “Could you help me?" |
| Peter: This conversation takes place at? |
| Naomi: 新の働いている会社です。(Shin no hataraite iru kaisha desu.) |
| Peter: The company Shin is working at. The conversation is between? |
| Naomi: Mainly between 新と絵理花 (Shin to Erika). |
| Peter: "Shin and Erika". Since Shin is older than Erika, Shin uses informal Japanese and Erika uses formal Japanese. |
| Naomi: では聞きましょう。(Dewa kikimashō.) |
| Peter: Let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : すみません。先輩、ちょっと 助けて くれますか。(Sumimasen. Senpai, chotto tasukete kuremasu ka.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いいよ。何？(Ii yo. Nani?) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : このファイルが、あかないんです。(Kono fairu ga, akanai n desu.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : これ？ちょっと 待ってくれる。(Kore? Chotto matte kureru.) |
| : ...はい。あいた。(... Hai. Aita.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : さすが！(Sasuga!) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : 何？この画像？ゴンロク？レストラン？(Nani? Kono gazō? Gonroku? Resutoran?) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 今、大人気の すし屋です。リサーチしなくちゃ いけないんですよ。(Ima, daininki no sushiya desu. Risāchi shinakucha ikenai n desu yo.) |
| : あ、先輩、よかったら、一緒に 行って くれませんか。(A, senpai, yokattara, issho ni itte kuremasen ka.) |
| 上司 (jōshi) : おーい、下山 ちょっと、手伝って くれ。(Ōi, Shimoyama chotto, tetsudatte kure.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : はい。(Hai.) |
| 上司 (jōshi) : 悪いけど、このいすを 会議室に 運んでくれ。(Warui kedo, kono isu o kaigishitsu ni hakonde kure.) |
| : 急いで くれよ。(Isoide kure yo.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : わかりました。(Wakarimashita.) |
| Naomi: もう一度、お願いします。今度はゆっくりお願いします。(Mō ichi-do, onegai shimasu. Kondo wa yukkuri onegai shimasu.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : すみません。先輩、ちょっと 助けて くれますか。(Sumimasen. Senpai, chotto tasukete kuremasu ka.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いいよ。何？(Ii yo. Nani?) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : このファイルが、あかないんです。(Kono fairu ga, akanai n desu.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : これ？ちょっと 待ってくれる。(Kore? Chotto matte kureru.) |
| : ...はい。あいた。(... Hai. Aita.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : さすが！(Sasuga!) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : 何？この画像？ゴンロク？レストラン？(Nani? Kono gazō? Gonroku? Resutoran?) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 今、大人気の すし屋です。リサーチしなくちゃ いけないんですよ。(Ima, daininki no sushiya desu. Risāchi shinakucha ikenai n desu yo.) |
| : あ、先輩、よかったら、一緒に 行って くれませんか。(A, senpai, yokattara, issho ni itte kuremasen ka.) |
| 上司 (jōshi) : おーい、下山 ちょっと、手伝って くれ。(Ōi, Shimoyama chotto, tetsudatte kure.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : はい。(Hai.) |
| 上司 (jōshi) : 悪いけど、このいすを 会議室に 運んでくれ。(Warui kedo, kono isu o kaigishitsu ni hakonde kure.) |
| : 急いで くれよ。(Isoide kure yo.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : わかりました。(Wakarimashita.) |
| Naomi: 今度は、英語が入ります。(Kondo wa, Eigo ga hairimasu.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : すみません。先輩、ちょっと 助けて くれますか。(Sumimasen. Senpai, chotto tasukete kuremasu ka.) |
| Excuse me, senpai, could you help me, please? |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いいよ。何？(Ii yo. Nani?) |
| Sure. What is it? |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : このファイルが、あかないんです。(Kono fairu ga, akanai n desu.) |
| This file won't open. |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : これ？ちょっと 待ってくれる。(Kore? Chotto matte kureru.) |
| This one? Could you wait a sec... |
| : ...はい。あいた。(... Hai. Aita.) |
| ...okay. It opened! |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : さすが！(Sasuga!) |
| I knew you could do it! |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : 何？この画像？(Nani? Kono gazō?) |
| Hm? What's this picture? |
| : ゴンロク？レストラン？ (Gonroku? Resutoran?) |
| Gonroku? A restaurant? |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 今、大人気の すし屋です。(Ima, daininki no sushiya desu.) |
| It's a sushi restaurant that's hugely popular now. |
| : リサーチしなくちゃ いけないんですよ。(Risāchi shinakucha ikenai n desu yo.) |
| I have to do some research on it. |
| : あ、先輩、よかったら、一緒に 行って くれませんか。(A, senpai, yokattara, issho ni itte kuremasen ka.) |
| Oh, if you like, would you come together with me? |
| 上司 (jōshi) : おーい、下山 ちょっと、手伝って くれ。(Ōi, Shimoyama chotto, tetsudatte kure.) |
| Hey, Shimoyama! Come help me a bit. |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : はい。(Hai.) |
| Okay. |
| 上司 (jōshi) : 悪いけど、このいすを 会議室に 運んでくれ。(Warui kedo, kono isu o kaigishitsu ni hakonde kure.) |
| Sorry, but could you take this chair to the meeting room? |
| : 急いで くれよ。(Isoide kure yo.) |
| Make it quick. |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : わかりました。(Wakarimashita.) |
| All right. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Naomi:「ファイル」「画像」・・・コンピューターを使うときに、必要ですよね。(“Fairu” “gazō”… konpyūtā o tsukau toki ni, hitsuyō desu yo ne.) |
| Peter: Yes, these words are essential for talking about computers. But most of them are imported from English, so they're not too bad, if you are familiar with English. |
| Naomi: そう、そうね。(Sō, sō ne.) At least, once your ear gets adjusted to the Japanese pronunciation. It’s not too bad. |
| Peter: Not too bad. Actually, if you’re interested in the program, you probably hear pretty well just like English, so… this works out well. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: Naomi-sensei. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: Can we hear some of the essential katakana words for computers? |
| Naomi: いいですよ。(Ii desu yo.) Sure. ダウンロード (daunrōdo) |
| Peter: “download” |
| Naomi: アップグレード (appugurēdo) |
| Peter: “upgrade” |
| Naomi: クリック (kurikku) |
| Peter: “click” |
| Naomi: They are pretty simple, aren’t they? |
| Peter: You know, at first, katakana words are actually more difficult to understand. |
| Naomi: Hmm. |
| Peter: And especially, read. But afterwards, you can kind of hit this point or you can actually pick them up, and that’s when… yes, then actually do get easier. |
| Naomi: そう。(Sō.) … Here is a little difficult one, ウイルス (wirusu). |
| Peter: That one is difficult. |
| Naomi: うん。(Un.) |
| Peter: “virus” |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Peter: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word is: |
| 助ける (tasukeru) [natural native speed] |
| to help, to rescue |
| 助ける (tasukeru) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 助ける (tasukeru) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| さすが (sasuga) [natural native speed] |
| as is to be expected, true to one's reputation, clever |
| さすが (sasuga) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| さすが (sasuga) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 寿司屋 (sushiya) [natural native speed] |
| sushi restaurant |
| 寿司屋 (sushiya) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 寿司屋 (sushiya) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| よかったら (yokattara) [natural native speed] |
| if you like, if you don't mind |
| よかったら (yokattara) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| よかったら (yokattara) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 手伝う (tetsudau) [natural native speed] |
| to help, to assist |
| 手伝う (tetsudau) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 手伝う (tetsudau) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Peter: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is? |
| Naomi: 助ける (tasukeru) |
| Peter: "to help". 手伝う (tetsudau) also means "to help". Right? |
| Naomi: うん、そうですね。(Un, sō desu ne.) Good point! 助ける (tasukeru) sounds more serious though. Basically, 助ける (tasukeru) means "to help someone who's in trouble", whereas 手伝う (tetsudau) is more like "to give a hand in order to lighten the burden." |
| Peter: I see. So if someone is carrying a heavy desk and says "Help me." |
| Naomi: That should be translated as 手伝って (tetsudatte). |
| Peter: But if someone is carrying a heavy desk and is about to fall... |
| Naomi: In that case the person would probably say 助けて (tasukete). |
| Peter: And here is a little mnemonic that might help you remember 手伝う (tetsudau) which is to give a hand. There is actually a kanji for a hand in there. |
| Naomi: Ah, yeah, right. |
| Peter: So if you are wondering which one is the less serious, you can always remember that give a hand is less serious and inside the kanji for 手伝う (tetsudau), we have hand. |
| Naomi: うん。(Un.) |
| Peter: What's next? |
| Naomi: さすが (sasuga) |
| Peter: "to be expected", "true to one's reputation." This has a good connotation and is usually used as a compliment. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) If someone does something great or impressive, you can say… さすが！(Sasuga!) |
| Peter: "I knew you could do it." Lastly we have? |
| Naomi: よかったら (yokattara) |
| Peter: "if you don't mind" or “if it’s alright” |
| Naomi: よかった (yokatta) means "was good", and たら (tara) here means "if" so よかったら (yokattara) means "if it was good." |
| Peter: And in this context, should be translated as “if it’s alright”. This is often used before making a request, offering something or inviting someone to do something. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Here's a sample sentence. よかったら、これ食べてください。(Yokattara, kore tabete kudasai.) Please have some, if you like. |
| Peter: OK. Let’s take a look at a grammar point of this lesson. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Peter: In this lesson, you'll learn a new way to make a formal request. |
| Naomi: Right. The [te-form of a verb] ＋ くれますか (kuremasu ka). |
| Peter: In the dialogue, Erika said. |
| Naomi: 助けて くれますか。(Tasukete kuremasu ka.) |
| Peter: "Could you help me please?" Let's break this down. |
| Naomi: 助けて (tasukete) |
| Peter: Te-form of the verb 助ける (tasukeru), “to help.” |
| Naomi: くれます (kuremasu) |
| Peter: The masu-form of the verb くれる (kureru), “to give me.” |
| Naomi: か (ka) |
| Peter: Question marking particle. So, literally, "Help/ give me/ question?" And of course it means "Please help me" or "Could you please help me?" |
| Naomi: A verb plus くれる (kureru) means "to do something for me." So… 助けてくれる (tasukete kureru) means |
| Peter: "to help me" "to give me a help" |
| So 助けてくれますか (tasukete kuremasu ka) is a formal question that asks for help. |
| Naomi: Right. |
| Peter: So how do you say "Could you wait?" "To wait" is |
| Naomi: 待つ (matsu) |
| Peter: The te-form is ? |
| Naomi: 待って (matte) |
| Peter: To that, attach くれますか (kuremasu ka). |
| Naomi: 待ってくれますか。(Matte kuremasu ka.) |
| Peter: "Would you wait for me?" "Could you wait for me?" |
| Naomi: This sentence is more polite than 待ってください (matte kudasai), “please wait.” |
| Peter: OK. Listen and repeat in Japanese."Would you wait for me?" or "Could you wait for me?" |
| Naomi: 待ってくれますか。(Matte kuremasu ka.) |
| Peter: [pause] Say "Would you wait for me?" in Japanese. |
| Naomi: [pause] 待ってくれますか。(Matte kuremasu ka.) |
| Peter: Let's recap this grammar point with a quiz. |
| Naomi: OK. |
| Peter: So, say you're at a famous tourist site in Kyoto. You want someone to take your picture. How would you say it? |
| Naomi: Here's a hint. "To take a picture" is 写真を撮る (shashin o toru). |
| Peter: Make sure you use this lesson's structure [te-form of a verb] ＋ くれますか (kuremasu ka)]. |
| [pause] And the answer is? |
| Naomi: すみません、写真を撮ってくれますか。(Sumimasen, shashin o totte kuremasu ka.) |
| Peter: “Excuse me. Could you take a picture for me?” |
| Peter: OK. That's all for this lesson. Now, don’t forget to stop by JapanesePod101.com and pick up the lesson notes. Please read the lesson notes to find more about the usage of くれる (kureru). That’s going to do it. |
| Naomi: じゃ、また。(Ja, mata.) |
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