Learn how to describe how you are feeling
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Naomi: なおみです。(Naomi desu.) |
| Peter: Peter here. What’s The Japanese diagnosis? In this lesson you will learn how to talk about… |
| Naomi: 体調 (taichō) |
| Peter: Health conditions. This conversation takes place at... |
| Naomi: 会社 (kaisha) |
| Peter: A company. There are three people in this conversation. Correct? |
| Naomi: そうですね。絵理花さんと、下山さんと、部長です。(Sō desu ne. Erika-san to, Shimoyama-san to, buchō desu.) |
| Peter: Erika, Mr. Shimoyama and their boss. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: Erika and Mr. Shimoyama use formal language with their boss. And the boss uses informal Japanese. |
| Naomi: So you'll hear both formal and informal Japanese. |
| Peter: Let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| （鼻をすすったり、咳をしている音）(hana o susuttari, seki o shite iru oto) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 先輩、具合が悪そうですね。大丈夫ですか。(Senpai, guai ga warusō desu ne. Daijōbu desu ka.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : …頭が痛いんだ。(...Atama ga itai n da.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : そうなんですか？もうお医者さんに行きましたか。(Sō nan desu ka? Mō o-isha-san ni ikimashita ka.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いや、まだ。(Iya, mada) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 薬は？(Kusuri wa?) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : まだ飲んでない。(Mada nonde nai.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : どうして飲まないんですか。(Dōshite nomanai n desu ka.) |
| 熱は？(Netsu wa?) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : 知らない。(Shiranai.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : だめですよ！(Dame desu yo!) |
| あ、部長！下山先輩、病気なんです。帰ってもいいですよね。ね？部長？(A, buchō! Shimoyama-senpai, byōki nan desu. Kaette mo ii desu yo ne. Ne? Buchō?) |
| 部長 (buchō) : どうしたんだ？下山？風邪か？(Dō shita n da? Shimoyama? Kaze ka?) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いや、わからないんですけど、ちょっと体調が悪いんですよ。(Iya, wakaranai n desu kedo, chotto taichō ga warui n desu yo.) |
| 部長 (buchō) : ああ、顔色が悪いな。今日は、帰ってもいいぞ。(Ā, kaoiro ga warui na. Kyō wa, kaette mo ii zo.) |
| 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) : 先輩、具合が悪そうですね。大丈夫ですか。(Senpai, guai ga warusō desu ne. Daijōbu desu ka.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : …頭が痛いんだ。(...Atama ga itai n da.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : そうなんですか？もうお医者さんに行きましたか。(Sō nan desu ka? Mō o-isha-san ni ikimashita ka.) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いや、まだ。(Iya, mada) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 薬は？(Kusuri wa?) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : まだ飲んでない。(Mada nonde nai.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : どうして飲まないんですか。(Dōshite nomanai n desu ka.) |
| 熱は？(Netsu wa?) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : 知らない。(Shiranai.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : だめですよ！(Dame desu yo!) |
| あ、部長！下山先輩、病気なんです。帰ってもいいですよね。ね？部長？(A, buchō! Shimoyama-senpai, byōki nan desu. Kaette mo ii desu yo ne. Ne? Buchō?) |
| 部長 (buchō) : どうしたんだ？下山？風邪か？(Dō shita n da? Shimoyama? Kaze ka?) |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いや、わからないんですけど、ちょっと体調が悪いんですよ。(Iya, wakaranai n desu kedo, chotto taichō ga warui n desu yo.) |
| 部長 (buchō) : ああ、顔色が悪いな。今日は、帰ってもいいぞ。(Ā, kaoiro ga warui na. Kyō wa, kaette mo ii zo.) |
| Naomi: 今度は、英語が入ります。(Kondo wa, Eigo ga hairimasu.) |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 先輩、具合が悪そうですね。大丈夫ですか。(Senpai, guai ga warusō desu ne. Daijōbu desu ka.) |
| Senpai, you don't look well. Are you all right? |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : …頭が痛いんだ。(...Atama ga itai n da.) |
| ...I have a headache. |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : そうなんですか？もうお医者さんに行きましたか。(Sō nan desu ka? Mō o-isha-san ni ikimashita ka.) |
| Really? Have you been to the doctor? |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いや、まだ。(Iya, mada) |
| No, not yet. |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 薬は？(Kusuri wa?) |
| What about medicine? |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : まだ飲んでない。(Mada nonde nai.) |
| I haven't taken any yet. |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : どうして飲まないんですか。(Dōshite nomanai n desu ka.) |
| Why haven't you taken any?! |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : 熱は？(Netsu wa?) |
| Do you have a fever? |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : 知らない。(Shiranai.) |
| I don't know. |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : だめですよ！(Dame desu yo!) |
| That's no good! |
| 左 絵理花 (Hidari Erika) : あ、部長！下山先輩、病気なんです。帰ってもいいですよね。ね？部長？(A, buchō! Shimoyama-senpai, byōki nan desu. Kaette mo ii desu yo ne. Ne? Buchō?) |
| Oh, Section Chief! Shimoyama-senpai is ill. It's all right for him to go home, isn't it? Right? Section Chief? |
| 部長 (buchō) : どうしたんだ？下山？風邪か？(Dō shita n da? Shimoyama? Kaze ka?) |
| What's wrong, Shimoyama? Do you have a cold? |
| 下山 新 (Shimoyama Shin) : いや、わからないんですけど、ちょっと体調が悪いんですよ。(Iya, wakaranai n desu kedo, chotto taichō ga warui n desu yo.) |
| No, I don't know, but I don't feel so good. |
| 部長 (buchō) : ああ、顔色が悪いな。今日は、帰ってもいいぞ。(Ā, kaoiro ga warui na. Kyō wa, kaette mo ii zo.) |
| Ah, you look pale. You can go home today. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Peter: I can tell you.. this lesson will come in handy when you get sick and have to go to the hospital. |
| Naomi: うん。(Un.) |
| Peter: When we say hospital, we're referring to the Japanese hospital, and in the US when you refer to "hospital" it's that big building, like a super-big building, but here in Japan it could be a big hospital or could be just the doctor. |
| Naomi: あ、そうですね。お医者さん。(A, sō desu ne. O-isha-san.) |
| Peter: Hm. So when you get sick and have to go to the hospital or the doctor's office. |
| Naomi: 病院で便利ですけど、でも、会社でも便利ですよね。(Byōin de benri desu kedo, demo, kaisha demo benri desu yo ne.) I’m sure you'll find this lesson useful if you have to take a day off from work. ちょっと、体調が悪いんですが、会社休んでもいいですか。(Chotto, taichō ga warui n desu ga, kaisha yasunde mo ii desu ka.) |
| Peter: I don't feel well. Is it OK if I take a day off? |
| Naomi: Hm. |
| Peter: Naomi-sensei… |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: Come on, I know you personally never say this. |
| Naomi: どういう意味？？(Dō iu imi??) |
| Peter: I mean you never use the 〜てもいいですか (temo ii desu ka) sentence structure for calling in sick. You never say 会社休んでもいいですか (kaisha yasunde mo ii desu ka), Is it okay if I don't come in to work today?, Is it ok if I take a day off? You say 会社を休みます (kaisha o yasumimasu). |
| Naomi: |
| Peter: Like "I will not come in today." |
| Naomi: Yeah, that's true. I care about my colleagues. You know. I don't want to spread the germs. |
| Peter: 思いやりですね。(Omoiyari desu ne.) |
| Naomi: 思いやりですよ！(Omoiyari desu yo!) |
| Peter: Very thoughtful! 思いやり (omoiyari) is thoughtful. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: But it's actually interesting. If you've been to Japan, you may have seen people マスクをつける (masuku o tsukeru). |
| Naomi: Ah, wearing masks? |
| Peter: Yeah. And I would say it's evenly divided between people who are sick, and people who are trying not to get sick. So you kind of have to listen closely if they're coughing or if they have other symptoms under the mask! But about a 50-50 split. Wouldn't you say? |
| Naomi: うーん、そうですね。(Ūn, sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: So some people try and stop the spreading of the germs by wearing a mask. And then others try and prevent getting sick by wearing a mask. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: So some Japanese workers will come to work with a mask. |
| Naomi: ふーん。まぁね。(Fūn. Mā ne.) Japanese workers come in to work even if they are sick. |
| Peter: Hmm. |
| Naomi: They want to show how loyal they are. |
| Peter: Loyal. でも、病気だったら休んだほうがいいと思います。(Demo, byōki dattara yasunda hō ga ii to omoimasu.) |
| Naomi: そうですよね！(Sō desu yo ne!) |
| Peter: Hm. When you're sick you should stay home! |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: And use your vacation days. |
| Naomi: え？(E?) |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Peter: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| First word: |
| 具合 (guai) [natural native speed] |
| condition, health |
| 具合 (guai) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 具合 (guai) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 熱 (netsu) [natural native speed] |
| fever, temperature |
| 熱 (netsu) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 熱 (netsu) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 病気 (byōki) [natural native speed] |
| sickness, illness |
| 病気 (byōki) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 病気 (byōki) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 顔色 (kaoiro) [natural native speed] |
| color of the face, complexion |
| 顔色 (kaoiro) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 顔色 (kaoiro) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 体調 (taichō) [natural native speed] |
| physical condition |
| 体調 (taichō) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 体調 (taichō) [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. |
| Now, what we are going to do here is introduce vocabulary words and phrases that describe one's physical condition. |
| In Newbie Series Season 3 Lesson 12, we introduced the sentence structure “[Subject] wa [bodypart] ga itai.” |
| Naomi: Right. Such as 私は頭が痛い (watashi wa atama ga itai). |
| Peter: I have a headache. Or literally, as for me, head hurts. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) If you want to say "To feel sick", that would be 私は具合が悪い (watashi wa guai a warui) or 私は体調が悪い (watashi wa taichō ga warui). |
| Peter: Naomi-san, what's 具合 (guai)? |
| Naomi: 具合は (guai wa) condition. |
| Peter: But 体調 (taichō) is also condition? |
| Naomi: Right. Physical condition. |
| Peter: So you can either say 具合が悪い (guai a warui) or 体調が悪い (taichō ga warui) to mean not feeling well. |
| Naomi: そうです。(Sō desu.) Right. If someone looks pale, you can say 顔色が悪いですね (kaoiro ga warui desu ne). |
| Peter: You look pale. 顔色 (kaoiro) or face color is complexion. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) 顔 (kao) is face, 色 (iro) is color, so 顔色 (kaoiro), face color or complexion. |
| Peter: 顔色が悪い (kaoiro ga warui) literally means You have a bad face color. Of course it means You don't look well, or you look pale. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Don't forget to put 色 (iro). |
| Peter: Without it, "Your face looks bad". So… 色が大事ですね。(Iro ga daiji desu ne.) |
| Naomi: 大事です！(Daiji desu!) |
| Peter: Very important to use 色 (iro)! |
| Naomi: The next word is 熱 (netsu). 熱 (netsu) is a fever, so 熱がある (netsu ga aru) is to have a fever. |
| Peter: OK. Do you say せきがある (seki ga aru) for to have a cough? |
| Naomi: Ah… for せき (seki) or cough, you need to use the verb 出る (deru) to come out. So 咳が出る (seki ga deru). |
| Peter: Literally, cough comes out. Of course it means to have a cough. |
| OK. Let's go over the phrases we've just introduced. |
| To have a fever? |
| Naomi: 熱がある (netsu ga aru) |
| Peter: There is a fever. To have a cough? |
| Naomi: 咳が出る (seki ga deru) |
| Peter: A cough appears. To have a headache or my head hurts is... |
| Naomi: 頭が痛い (atama ga itai) |
| Peter: Head hurts. To look pale is |
| Naomi: 顔色が悪い (kaoiro ga warui) |
| Peter: And to feel sick is |
| Naomi: 具合が悪い (guai ga warui) or 体調が悪い (taichō ga warui) |
| Peter: Ok. On to the grammar section. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Peter: In this lesson, you'll learn how to use the phrase 〜んだ (-n da) or 〜んです (-n desu) for giving or asking for an explanation. |
| Naomi: 〜んだ (-n da) is informal, 〜んです (-n desu) is formal |
| Peter: Right. They're used for giving and asking for explanations. |
| First of all, let's look at the sentence from the dialogue. In the dialogue, Mr. Shimoyama said |
| Naomi: 頭が痛いんだ。(Atama ga itai n da.) I have a headache. |
| Peter: He used 〜んだ (-n da) because Erika was worrying about him and he was trying to explain why he didn't look well. If he had simply said |
| Naomi: 頭が痛い。(Atama ga itai.) |
| Peter: It sounds like he's just stating the fact and it may come off a little abrupt. |
| Naomi: うん。(Un.) |
| Peter: But adding 〜んだ (-n da) to the sentence, it makes it clearer that the speaker is trying to explain something or make a point. OK. So, Naomi-sensei, can we hear a couple of more examples? |
| Naomi: Ok. "I have a girlfriend" is… 僕は彼女がいる。(Boku wa kanojo ga iru.) |
| Peter: Now, this sentence is simply stating that you have a girlfriend. |
| Naomi: But if you use 〜んだ (-n da) and say 僕は彼女がいるんだ (boku wa kanojo ga iru n da). it sounds like you're trying to explain or imply something by saying that you have a girlfriend. |
| Peter: So, for example, "The fact is that you have a girlfriend and you're not going to help your friend who wants to go on a double date with someone else". Saying "come on just come along with me, you know, I just need a wingman! Someone to go with me!" |
| Naomi: あ、wingman と言うんだ！(A, wingman to iu n da!) |
| Peter: Hm. So he doesn't want to get in trouble, so he's like 彼女がいるんだ (kanojo ga iru nda)! Like "I'm not going because I've got a girlfriend!" |
| Naomi: あー、面白い！(Ā, omoshiroi!) Next let's check the formation of this sentence structure. |
| Peter: Now, it's pretty simple. All you have to do is to attach 〜んだ (-n da) or 〜んです (-n desu) to an informal sentence. So to feel sick is... |
| Naomi: 具合が悪い (guai ga warui) |
| Peter: If you want to explain why you want to take a day off, you say... |
| Naomi: 具合が悪いんだ (guai ga warui n da) or 具合が悪いんです (guai ga warui n desu), if you want to be formal. |
| Peter: For na-adjective and nouns, you need to insert な (na) before 〜んだ (-n da) or 〜んです (-n desu), right? |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Right. Like... あなたが好きなんです。(Anata ga suki nan desu.) So would you go out with me? とかね。(Toka ne.) |
| Peter: So あなたが好きなんだ (anata ga suki nan da) is like something you'd hear in the movies like raise up at climax scene ! |
| Naomi: そうそう。(Sō sō.) So passionate! |
| Peter: So many things have happened, and he finally comes out and admits it. 好きなんだ！(Suki nan da!) |
| Naomi: |
| Peter: So, remember this 〜んです (-n desu) is really important grammar to know if you want to sound natural in Japanese. And just to clarify one question which I think some people may have, where does this ん (n) come from? And this ん (n) is actually a shortening of の (no). So, and again what this の (no) is doing is emphasizing. 好きなんだ。好きなの。(Suki nan da. Suki na no.) Like, I -like- you! You know, emphasizing that. |
| Naomi: うん、そうですね。そうなんです。(Un, sō desu ne. Sō nan desu.) |
| Peter: Hm. 面白いんだね。(Omoshiroi n da ne.) You're pretty funny. |
| Naomi: |
| Peter: So please be sure to read the lesson notes on this lesson. |
| Naomi: よろしくお願いします。(Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) |
| Peter: 終わりなんだ！(Owari nan da!) |
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