Learn how to form some basic Japanese expressions you can use while shopping
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Ｎaomi: なおみです。(Naomi desu.) |
| Peter: Peter here. I Could Use Some Help Shopping in Japan! In this lesson, you will learn some useful phrases and expressions for shopping. |
| Naomi: そうです。買い物の会話です。(Sō desu. Kaimono no kaiwa desu.) |
| Peter: This is a conversation that takes place while shopping. This conversation takes place at? |
| Naomi: 花屋 (hanaya) |
| Peter: A flower shop. The conversation is between? |
| Naomi:晴夜さんと店員さん (Haruya-san to ten’in-san) |
| Peter: Haruya and a store worker. In this case, a worker at a florist. |
| Naomi: 晴夜さんは花がほしいです。(Haruya-san wa hana ga hoshii desu.) |
| Peter: Haruya wants to buy flowers. What is the formality level of the conversation? |
| Naomi: ていねい。(Teinei.) |
| Peter: Formal Japanese. Let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| (花屋) (hanaya) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : いらっしゃいませ。(Irasshaimase.) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : あのぉ、病院に 花を 持って行きたいんですが。(Anō, byōin ni hana o motte ikitai n desu ga.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : お見舞い ですか。(O-mimai desu ka.) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : ええ。妻に。(Ee. Tsuma ni.) |
| : 男の子を 産んだんです。(Otokonoko o unda n desu.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : おめでとうございます！(Omedetō gozaimasu!) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : で、明るい色の 花束が 欲しいんですけど。(De, akarui iro no hanataba ga hoshii n desu kedo.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : そうですか。(Sō desu ka.) |
| : 今 人気が あるお花は、チューリップと バラです。(Ima ninki ga aru o-hana wa, chūrippu to bara desu.) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : うーん。バラは ちょっと・・・。(Ūn. Bara wa chotto…) |
| : じゃ、その 黄色い チューリップを 10本ください。(Ja, sono kiiroi chūrippu o juppon kudasai.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : この オレンジ色の も 人気が ありますよ。(Kono orenji iro no mo ninki ga arimasu yo.) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : じゃ、黄色いのとオレンジ色のを10本ずつください。(Ja, kiiroi no to orenji iro no o juppon zutsu kudasai.) |
| 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.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : いらっしゃいませ。(Irasshaimase.) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : あのぉ、病院に 花を 持って行きたいんですが。(Anō, byōin ni hana o motte ikitai n desu ga.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : お見舞い ですか。(O-mimai desu ka.) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : ええ。妻に。(Ee. Tsuma ni.) |
| : 男の子を 産んだんです。(Otokonoko o unda n desu.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : おめでとうございます！(Omedetō gozaimasu!) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : で、明るい色の 花束が 欲しいんですけど。(De, akarui iro no hanataba ga hoshii n desu kedo.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : そうですか。(Sō desu ka.) |
| : 今 人気が あるお花は、チューリップと バラです。(Ima ninki ga aru o-hana wa, chūrippu to bara desu.) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : うーん。バラは ちょっと・・・。(Ūn. Bara wa chotto…) |
| : じゃ、その 黄色い チューリップを 10本ください。(Ja, sono kiiroi chūrippu o juppon kudasai.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : この オレンジ色の も 人気が ありますよ。(Kono orenji iro no mo ninki ga arimasu yo.) |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : じゃ、黄色いのとオレンジ色のを10本ずつください。(Ja, kiiroi no to orenji iro no o juppon zutsu kudasai.) |
| Naomi: 今度は、英語が入ります。(Kondo wa, Eigo ga hairimasu.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : いらっしゃいませ。(Irasshaimase.) |
| Welcome. |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : あのぉ、病院に 花を 持って行きたいんですが。(Anō, byōin ni hana o motte ikitai n desu ga.) |
| Um, I want some flowers to take to the hospital... |
| 店員 (ten’in) : お見舞い ですか。(O-mimai desu ka.) |
| Are you paying a visit to someone in the hospital? |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : ええ。妻に。(Ee. Tsuma ni.) |
| Yes. My wife. |
| : 男の子を 産んだんです。(Otokonoko o unda n desu.) |
| She's just had a baby boy. |
| 店員 (ten’in) : おめでとうございます！(Omedetō gozaimasu!) |
| Congratulations! |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : で、明るい色の 花束が 欲しいんですけど。(De, akarui iro no hanataba ga hoshii n desu kedo.) |
| So I want a brightly colored bouquet. |
| 店員 (ten’in) : そうですか。(Sō desu ka.) |
| I see. |
| : 今 人気が あるお花は、チューリップと バラです。(Ima ninki ga aru o-hana wa, chūrippu to bara desu.) |
| The flowers popular at the moment are tulips and roses. |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : うーん。バラは ちょっと・・・。(Ūn. Bara wa chotto…) |
| Hmm... I don't know about roses... |
| : じゃ、その 黄色い チューリップを 10本ください。(Ja, sono kiiroi chūrippu o juppon kudasai.) |
| Okay, I'll take ten of those yellow tulips, please. |
| 店員 (ten’in) : この オレンジ色の も 人気が ありますよ。(Kono orenji iro no mo ninki ga arimasu yo.) |
| These orange ones are also popular. |
| 大空晴夜 (Ōzora Haruya) : じゃ、黄色いのとオレンジ色のを10本ずつください。(Ja, kiiroi no to orenji iro no o juppon zutsu kudasai.) |
| All right, then ten each of the yellow and the orange ones, please. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Peter: Hmm, so Haruya has a baby boy . |
| Naomi: そうみたいですね。(Sō mitai desu ne.) Looks like it because he said… 男の子を産んだんです。(Otokonoko o unda n desu.) |
| Peter: She has just had a baby boy. Now, there is no subject in this sentence. It was dropped since it was clear that the person who delivered the baby boy was the wife. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) The full sentence would be… 僕の妻は男の子を産んだんです。(Boku no tsuma wa otokonoko o unda n desu.) |
| Peter: My wife delivered a baby boy. |
| Naomi: Uhm. |
| Peter: And for those of you with Japanese wives be careful not to say 奥さん (okusan). |
| Naomi: ああ、そうですね。(Ā, sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: That is for someone else's wife. |
| Naomi: Yeah, but in a very casual conversation with your close friends, I would say it is OK to use 奥さん (okusan). |
| Peter: Do you have a Japanese wife? |
| Naomi: No. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Peter: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| First word: |
| お見舞い (o-mimai) [natural native speed] |
| calling on someone who is ill |
| お見舞い (o-mimai) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| お見舞い (o-mimai) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 産む (umu) [natural native speed] |
| to give birth, to bear |
| 産む (umu) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 産む (umu) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 人気 (ninki) [natural native speed] |
| popular |
| 人気 (ninki) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 人気 (ninki) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 黄色い (kiiroi) [natural native speed] |
| yellow |
| 黄色い (kiiroi) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 黄色い (kiiroi) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| バラ (bara) [natural native speed] |
| rose, or roses |
| バラ (bara) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| バラ (bara) [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. Naomi-sensei, what is the first word we are going to look at? |
| Naomi: 本 (hon) |
| Peter: Now 本 (hon) is a counter for long slender objects. When 本 (hon) is attached to a number, it works as a counter for long slender objects such as pens, bottles... |
| Naomi: Uhm. |
| Peter: Flowers, what else Naomi-sensei? |
| Naomi: Carrots, fingers, legs, hair, bones. As long as it is long and slender, you can use that. |
| Peter: And this is a very high-frequency measure ware. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Also there are some sound changes for 本 (hon). By that, I mean ほん (hon) becomes ぼん (bon) or ぽん (pon) depending on the number that comes before it. |
| Peter: Now, there is a chart in the lesson notes that tells you the sound changes, so please check that out. And Naomi sensei, how to ask for something using an amount was covered in Newbie Series, Season 3, Lesson 5, right. |
| Naomi: うん。そうですね。(Un. Sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: But let’s go for one time quickly here. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) In the dialogue, Haruya said チューリップを十本ください (chūrippu o juppon kudasai). |
| Peter: I will take ten tulips, please. じゅっぽん (juppon) with the pause in there means ten long slender objects. In this case, the long slender objects are... |
| Naomi: チューリップ (chūrippu) |
| Peter: Tulips. |
| Naomi: If you say チューリップをください (chūrippu o kudasai), it means... |
| Peter: I will take tulips. |
| Naomi: When you want to mention the amount, you have to insert it right before ください (kudasai). チューリップを十本ください。(Chūrippu o juppon kudasai.) |
| Peter: I’ll take ten tulips, please. Now did you notice that the amount じゅっぽん (juppon) was inserted between the particle を (o) and ください (kudasai). チューリップを十本ください。(Chūrippu o juppon kudasai.) |
| Naomi: If you want to ask for 100 roses, that would be... |
| Peter: Well, how would we say 100 long, slender objects? |
| Naomi: 百本 (hyappon) |
| Peter: So that would be… バラを百本ください。(Bara o hyappon kudasai.) |
| Naomi: そうです。(Sō desu.) |
| Peter: All right. What is the next word we are covering? |
| Naomi 色 (iro) |
| Peter: Color. In this lesson's dialogue, we have two colors, which are... |
| Naomi: 黄色 (kiiro) |
| Peter: Yellow and? |
| Naomi: オレンジ色 (orenji iro) |
| Peter: Orange color, orange. Now Naomi-sensei. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: There is a Japanese word for orange right. |
| Naomi: あー、はいはいはい。(Ā, hai hai hai.) |
| Peter: And that word is だいだい色 (daidai iro). |
| Naomi: そう、すごいね。だいだい色なんだよね。(Sō, sugoi ne. Daidai iro nan da yo ne.) |
| Peter: So do people still use だいだい色 (daidai iro)? |
| Naomi: う～ん。(Ūn.) |
| Peter: I guess it is the original Japanese word for orange, right. |
| Naomi: そうそうそう。(Sō sō sō.) Yeah, some people do, like people of my grandma's generation, but I think オレンジ色 (orenji iro) is more common now. |
| Peter: Yeah, I've rarely heard だいだい色 (daidai iro). |
| Naomi: そうね。(Sō ne.) But it is really easy to remember だいだい色 (daidai iro). |
| Peter: Like actually dyeing a thing, a color. |
| Naomi: うん。(Un.) |
| Peter: Dye it, dye it. |
| Naomi: あ～、なるほどね。(Ā, naruhodo ne.) |
| Peter: Naomi-sensei, were you thinking the other one? |
| Naomi: ん？(N?) Um, Let’s look at the next word. |
| Peter: OK, popular. |
| Naomi: 人気 (ninki), this word is often used with the verb ある (aru) like 人気がある (ninki ga aru). |
| Peter: 人気 (ninki), popular. ある (aru), exists. So 人気がある (ninki ga aru) literally means popular exists. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) The sentence pattern is “[something or someone] は人気がある (wa ninki ga aru)”. For example… 日本のアニメは人気がある。(Nihon no anime wa ninki ga aru.) |
| Peter: Japanese anime is popular or なおみ先生は人気がある (Naomi-sensei wa ninki ga aru). |
| Naomi: (laughs) |
| Peter: Naomi sensei is popular. |
| Naomi: Uhm, apple polisher (laughs). |
| Peter: A what? Apple polisher. |
| Naomi: Well, uhm (laughs) apple polishing. |
| Peter: Are you trying to say I am saying お世辞 (o-seji)? |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: Like I am just being nice to you when I don't really mean it. |
| Naomi: (laughs) You are trying to flatter me. That is what I meant. |
| Peter: うまくいっていますか。 (Umaku itte imasu ka.) Is it working? |
| Naomi: うん、まあまあ、ですね。(Un, māmā, desu ne.) |
| Peter: OK, onto the grammar section. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Peter: In this lesson, you will learn some useful phrases for shopping, reviewing the usage of the phrase... |
| Naomi: 〜んだ (-n da) |
| Peter: In the previous lesson, you learned that... |
| Naomi: 〜んだ (-n da) |
| Peter: And its formal... |
| Naomi: 〜んです (-n desu) |
| Peter: Very passionate there… (Naomi laughs) are used for giving and asking for an explanation. |
| Naomi: In shopping situations, customers often end their sentences with 〜んです (-n desu), 〜んですが (-n desu ga) or 〜んですけど (-n desu kedo) when telling the shop clerk what they want. |
| Peter: けど (kedo) and が (ga) are conjunctions meaning but, right? |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Right. |
| Peter: By using 〜んです (-n desu) before it, the customer is basically explaining why they need help. But sometimes the rest of the sentence is left off if what the speaker is asking for is already clear from context. So let us look at the sentence from the dialogue. |
| Naomi: Haruya said… 明るい色の花束がほしいんですけど。(Akarui iro no hanataba ga hoshii n desu kedo.) |
| Peter: I want a brightly colored bouquet but... So notice how Haruya didn't finish the sentence. |
| Naomi: Because it was obvious that he was asking for a bouquet. |
| Peter: Naomi-sensei, what would the full sentence be if you were to finish the sentence? |
| Naomi: Well, it will be something like… 花束がほしいんですけど、作ってください。(Hanataba ga hoshii n desu kedo, tsukutte kudasai.) |
| Peter: Again the first sentence is, “I want a bouquet of flowers” and then we have 作ってください (tsukutte kudasai) which means please make one. |
| Naomi: Yeah, or… 花束がほしいんですけど、いい花はどれですか。(Hanataba ga hoshii n desu kedo, ii hana wa dore desu ka.) |
| Peter: Or I want a bouquet of flowers, いい花はどれですか (ii hana wa dore desu ka)... So which flowers do you recommend? |
| Naomi: Uhm, both sentences are correct but it sounds more natural if you finish the sentence at けど (kedo) or が (ga). 花束がほしいんですけど (hanataba ga hoshii n desu kedo) or 花束がほしいんですが (hanataba a hoshii n desu ga). |
| Peter: And again in Japanese a lot of things are referred. (Naomi laughs) So you know, the rest is inferred from the situation. The customer is there at the flower shop wanting flowers. The rest you can figure out if you are the clerk. (laughs) |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: So Naomi-sensei, if you want a yellow shirt, you would say.. |
| Naomi: 黄色いシャツがほしいんですが。(Kiiroi shatsu ga hoshii n desu ga.) |
| Peter: If you're looking for a cheap cellphone. |
| Naomi: Cheap is 安い (yasui) and cellphone is 携帯電話 (keitai denwa), so 安い携帯電話がほしいんですが (yasui keitai denwa ga hoshii n desu ga) or you can also say 探している (sagashite iru) - looking for. For example… 安い携帯電話を探しているんですが。(Yasui keitai denwa o sagashite iru n desu ga.) |
| Peter: So it is kind of like “I am looking for a cheap cellphone… so could you show me what you have?” |
| Naomi: Right. (laughs) So the formation here is "item you want + がほしんですが (ga hoshii n desu ga)" or "item you want + を探しているんですが (o sagashite iru n desu ga)." |
| Peter: "I want something, something" or "I am looking for something, something. The phrases 〜んですが (-n desu ga) or 〜んですけど (-n desu kedo) are often used as a prelude to question or invitation. |
| Naomi: Uhm, prelude hmm, nice word. So this 〜んですけど (-n desu kedo) or 〜んですが (-n desu ga) comes in handy when you want to make a request but don't want to sound too pushy. For example… 休みがほしいんですけど。(Yasumi ga hoshii n desu kedo.) |
| Peter: So I want to take a day off. So please approve it. |
| Naomi: (laughs) そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: So here this person wants permission from their boss. |
| Naomi: Right, 〜んですけど (-n desu kedo). Basically, you leave off the rest of the sentence and let the listener guess what they are expected to do. |
| Peter: Naomi-sensei, you know, through teaching this, I actually have a chance to kind of step back and really kind of review what I have learned and what I have absorbed from my time here in Japan and things like this, and after going through this first right now, I kind of realize that this 〜んですけど (-n desu kedo) or 〜んですが (-n desu ga) is when you are requesting something but you need some kind of advice or some kind of recommendation or some kind of cooperation from the listening party. |
| Naomi: Right, cooperation. |
| Peter: It’s the cooperation... |
| Naomi: Uhmm. |
| Peter: From the person you are requesting something from that makes this structure unique. So you need the boss' cooperation to get your day off because no matter what kind of good reason you have, he still has to do something by approving it. |
| Naomi: Yeah, I think you are right. |
| Naomi: では、このレッスンはこの辺で。じゃ、また。(Dewa, kono ressun wa kono hen de. Ja, mata.) |
| Peter: See you in the next lesson. |
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