Learn how to say that you "are thinking" about something
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Naomi: なおみです。(Naomi desu.) |
| Peter: Peter here. I'm thinking about what to do later in Japan. In this lesson, you learn how to express your intentions or thoughts. |
| Naomi: そうです！ (Sō desu!) Such and such と思っている (to omotte iru). |
| Peter: This conversation takes place on the street. |
| Naomi: 道で友達が二人話しています。(Michi de tomodachi ga futari hanashite imasu.) |
| Peter: The conversation is between two friends. |
| Naomi: 遠井歩さんと近森渉さんです。(Tōi Ayumu-san to Chikamori Wataru-san desu.) |
| Peter: The speakers are friends, therefore the speakers will be speaking informally. |
| Naomi: そうですね。カジュアルな会話です。(Sō desu ne. Kajuaru na kaiwa desu.) |
| Peter: Let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あー。おもしろかった。1年ぶりに映画みた。(Ā. Omoshirokatta. Ichi-nen buri ni eiga mita.) |
| : ずっとみたいと思っていたんだ。(Zutto mitai to omotte ita n da.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : これから、友達と飲みに行こうと思っているんだ。(Korekara, tomodachi to nomi ni ikō to omotte iru n da.) |
| : よかったら、一緒に来ない。(Yokattara, issho ni konai.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : うーん。彼の具合が悪いから、お見舞いに行こうと思ってたんだ。(Ūn. Kare no guai ga warui kara, o-mimai ni ikō to omotte ta n da.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : そっか。彼氏、来られなくて、残念だったね。(Sokka. Kareshi, korarenakute, zannen datta ne.) |
| : ・・・え？あれ、歩の彼氏じゃない？(...E? Are, Ayumu no kareshi ja nai?) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？(E?) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : ほら、あの花束を持っている人。(Hora, ano hanataba o motte iru hito.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : どの人？(Dono hito?) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : 山川病院の前にいる人。(Yamakawa byōin no mae ni iru hito.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : ・・・本当だ。体調が悪いから、病院に行くんだと思う。(...Hontō da. Taichō ga warui kara, byōin ni iku n da to omou.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : でも、花束もってるよ。(Demo, hanataba motte ru yo.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : ・・・どういうこと。(... Dō iu koto.) |
| 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.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あー。おもしろかった。1年ぶりに映画みた。(Ā. Omoshirokatta. Ichi-nen buri ni eiga mita.) |
| : ずっとみたいと思っていたんだ。(Zutto mitai to omotte ita n da.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : これから、友達と飲みに行こうと思っているんだ。(Korekara, tomodachi to nomi ni ikō to omotte iru n da.) |
| : よかったら、一緒に来ない。(Yokattara, issho ni konai.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : うーん。彼の具合が悪いから、お見舞いに行こうと思ってたんだ。(Ūn. Kare no guai ga warui kara, o-mimai ni ikō to omotte ta n da.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : そっか。彼氏、来られなくて、残念だったね。(Sokka. Kareshi, korarenakute, zannen datta ne.) |
| : ・・・え？あれ、歩の彼氏じゃない？(...E? Are, Ayumu no kareshi ja nai?) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？(E?) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : ほら、あの花束を持っている人。(Hora, ano hanataba o motte iru hito.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : どの人？(Dono hito?) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : 山川病院の前にいる人。(Yamakawa byōin no mae ni iru hito.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : ・・・本当だ。体調が悪いから、病院に行くんだと思う。(...Hontō da. Taichō ga warui kara, byōin ni iku n da to omou.) |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : でも、花束もってるよ。(Demo, hanataba motte ru yo.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : ・・・どういうこと。(... Dō iu koto.) |
| Naomi: 今度は、英語が入ります。(Kondo wa, Eigo ga hairimasu.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あー。おもしろかった。1年ぶりに映画みた。(Ā. Omoshirokatta. Ichi-nen buri ni eiga mita.) |
| Ah, that was really interesting. The first movie I've seen in a whole year. |
| : ずっとみたいと思っていたんだ。(Zutto mitai to omotte ita n da.) |
| I was wanting to see it for ages. |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : これから、友達と飲みに行こうと思っているんだ。よかったら、一緒に来ない。(Korekara, tomodachi to nomi ni ikō to omotte iru n da. Yokattara, issho ni konai.) |
| I'm thinking about going drinking with some friends after this. If you like, why don't you come along? |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : うーん。彼の具合が悪いから、お見舞いに行こうと思ってたんだ。(Ūn. Kare no guai ga warui kara, o-mimai ni ikō to omotte ta n da.) |
| Hmm... My boyfriend's not feeling well, so I was thinking I'd go and visit him. |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : そっか。彼氏、来られなくて、残念だったね。(Sokka. Kareshi, korarenakute, zannen datta ne.) |
| I see. It's a shame your boyfriend couldn't come... |
| : ・・・え？あれ、歩の彼氏じゃない？(...E? Are, Ayumu no kareshi ja nai?) |
| Huh? Ayumu, isn't that your boyfriend? |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : え？(E?) |
| Huh? |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : ほら、あの花束を持っている人。(Hora, ano hanataba o motte iru hito.) |
| Look, that person with the bouquet of flowers. |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : どの人？(Dono hito?) |
| Which person? |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : 山川病院の前にいる人。(Yamakawa byōin no mae ni iru hito.) |
| The person standing in front of Yamakawa Hospital. |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : ・・・本当だ。体調が悪いから、病院に行くんだと思う。(...Hontō da. Taichō ga warui kara, byōin ni iku n da to omou.) |
| So it is. He's not feeling well, so he's probably going to the hospital. |
| 近森 渡 (Chikamori Wataru) : でも、花束もってるよ。(Demo, hanataba motte ru yo.) |
| But he's holding a bouquet of flowers. |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : ・・・どういうこと。(... Dō iu koto.) |
| What's going on? |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Naomi: はい。ここから、本当の話のスタートですね。(Hai. Koko kara, hontō no hanashi no sutāto desu ne.) |
| Peter: So this is where the real story starts from. |
| Naomi: レッスン１からレッスン６までのダイアログは全部説明でした。(Ressun ichi kara ressun roku made no daiarogu wa zenbu setsumei deshita.) |
| Peter: Ah, so the story from lesson 1 to lesson 6 was just a prelude. The story is getting pretty complicated. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: And there's quite a few characters, right? |
| Naomi: そうね。まず、大空晴夜さんと下山新さん。(Sō ne. Mazu, Ōzora Haruya-san to Shimoyama Shin-san.) |
| Peter: Haruya Ozora and Shin Shimoyama, who look exactly alike. |
| Naomi: そうです。この二人はそっくりなんですね。(Sō desu. Kono futari wa sokkuri nan desu ne.) And they don't know each other. |
| で、遠井歩さんと下山新さんは付き合っています。(De, Tōi Ayumu-san to Shimoyama Shin-san wa tsukiatte imasu.) |
| Peter: So the girl who appeared in this dialogue, Ayumu, is going out with Shin. But, they're not married yet. |
| Naomi: そうです。(Sō desu.) No. でも、晴夜さんは結婚しています。奥さんの名前は美雨です。美雨さんは赤ちゃんを産んで、病院にいます。(Demo, Haruya-san wa kekkon shite imasu. Okusan no namae wa Miu desu. Miu-san wa akachan o unde, byōin ni imasu.) |
| Peter: Ah... Haruya has a wife, Miu, who is in the hospital because she's just had a baby. I remember now. Haruya was buying flowers at the florist. |
| Naomi: あ、そうそう。そうですね。(A, sō sō. Sō desu ne.) |
| Peter: So the man who Ayumu saw was not her boyfriend, but... |
| Naomi: 晴夜 (Haruya) |
| Peter: So it wasn't Shin, it was Haruya. |
| Naomi: かもしれませんね。(Kamo shiremasen ne.) Could be. |
| Peter: Okay, so please stay tuned to find out what happens next! Okay, let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Peter: Naomi-sensei? First word, |
| ずっと (zutto) [natural native speed] |
| for a long time |
| ずっと (zutto) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| ずっと (zutto) [natural native speed] |
| Peter: Next, we have a phrase. |
| 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: |
| 残念 (zannen) [natural native speed] |
| too bad, regrettable, deplorable |
| 残念 (zannen) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 残念 (zannen) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 持つ (motsu) [natural native speed] |
| to hold, to carry, to possess |
| 持つ (motsu) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 持つ (motsu) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| どういうこと (dō iu koto) [natural native speed] |
| What's that supposed to mean? |
| どういうこと (dō iu koto) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| どういうこと (dō iu koto) [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's the first word we're going to look at? |
| Naomi: 持つ (motsu) |
| Peter: To hold, to carry |
| Naomi: In this dialogue, Wataru said 花束を持っている人 (hanataba o motte iru hito) |
| Peter: ”The person holding a bouquet of flowers” or “the person with a bouquet of flowers.” |
| Naomi: 持つ (motsu) also means “to have”, as in possess. But if you want to say “I have something”, you have to use the te-form plus いる (iru). |
| Peter: So 持っています (motte imasu) means to have or to possess. |
| Naomi: はい、そうです。(Hai, sō desu.) For example… 私は車を持っています。(Watashi wa kuruma o motte imasu.) I have a car. |
| Peter: It's not 私は車を持ちます (watashi wa kuruma o mochimasu). |
| Naomi: うん、違いますね。(Un, chigaimasu ne.) No. And this 持っています (motte imasu) means “you possess something” as in you OWN something. So you cannot say 彼氏を持っています (kareshi o motte imasu) to mean “I have a boyfriend.” |
| Peter: So, in that case, you have to say... |
| Naomi: 彼氏がいます。(Kareshi ga imasu.) |
| Peter: Now, Naomi-Sensei, 持っている (motte iru) literally means “holding”, and it can also mean “possess”. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: But it seems like in the case of another person, you can't use this, because they have their own will. |
| Naomi: うん、そうね。(Un, sō ne.) |
| Peter: And you can't control them. And I think that's why, with pets and things, too -- things that kind of move to some degree independently of what you want, you can't use this, you would use ある (aru) or いる (iru). |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) You have to respect the person. |
| Peter: OK. So, what's next? |
| Naomi: Next we have the phrase よかったら (yokattara) |
| Peter: ”If you want”, “if you like” , or “if it's ok”.よかった (yokatta) means “it was good” and the たら (tara) or ら (ra) here means if. So よかったら (yokattara) literally means “if it was good.” |
| Naomi: 便利なフレーズですよね。(Benri na furēzu desu yo ne.) |
| Peter: Very useful. This phrase is often used when inviting someone to do something or making a request. Naomi-sensei, よかったら、サンプルセンテンスを言ってください。(Yokattara, sanpuru sentensu o itte kudasai.) If you please, or if it's okay, please give us a sample sentence. |
| Naomi: Sure. よかったら、一緒に映画に行きませんか。(Yokattara, issho ni eiga ni ikimasen ka.) |
| Peter: If you like, want to come see a movie with me? Or, won't you see a movie with me? Lastly we have... |
| Naomi: どういうこと (dō iu koto) |
| Peter: What do you mean? What is that supposed to mean? |
| どういう (dō iu) means “what kind”, “what way” or “how” and こと (koto) means “thing”, “matter” or “reason”. The phrase どういうこと (dō iu koto) is a question expressing disbelief, irritation and so on. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) And some people pronounce いう (iu) in どういう (dō iu) as ゆー (yū). Do you know what I mean? So you might hear people saying どーゆーこと (dō yū koto) |
| Peter: It actually, a lot of times sounds more like ゆー (ū). I usually say どうゆうこと (dō yū koto) orどうゆう意味 (dō yū imi) |
| Naomi: ああー。(Ā.) |
| Peter: Is that also right? |
| Naomi: ああ、そうですね。どういう意味？同じですね。(Ā, sō desu ne. Dō iu imi? Onaji desu ne.) It's the same. But, if you're asking the meaning of a word, どういう意味 (dō iu imi) is better. |
| Peter: どういうこと (dō iu koto) is maybe more like “What's going on?” |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Right. そうだと思います。(Sō da to omoimasu.) I think so. |
| Peter: Naomi-sensei! You just used our grammar point, と思います (to omoimasu). |
| Naomi: はい！(Hai!) |
| Peter: On to the grammar point! |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Peter: In this lesson, you'll learn how to say “I'm thinking about doing something....”or “I was thinking about doing something...” in Japanese. |
| Naomi: This lesson's target phrase is ～と思っている (-to omotte iru). |
| Peter: Now, as you learned in Beginner Series Season 4 Lesson 36, such and such と思う (to omou) means “I think that...”. |
| Naomi: Right. と (to) is a quotation particle and 思う (omou) is “to think” So, for example, ピーターはおもしろいと思う。(Pītā wa omoshiroi to omou.) |
| Peter: ”I think Peter is funny.” Now, what we're going to cover in this lesson, the volitional form of a verb, plus と思っている (to omotte iru). This corresponds to “I'm thinking about doing something...”or “I'm planning on doing something...” in English. Naomi-sensei, can we hear a sample sentence? |
| Naomi: Ah, sure. 大学院に行こうと思っている。(Daigakuin ni ikō to omotte iru.) |
| Peter: I'm thinking about going to graduate school. |
| Naomi: 行こう (ikō) is the volitional form of the verb 行く (iku), to go. So 大学院に行こう (daigakuin ni ikō) means |
| Peter: Let's go to graduate school |
| Naomi: And と (to) marks the end of a quotation, and 思っている (omotte iru) means thinking. |
| Peter: So… 大学院に行こうと思っている。(Daigakuin ni ikō to omotte iru.) Literally, ”Let's go to graduate school” “Thinking”. Of course it means “I'm thinking about going to graduate school”. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Let's do more examples. 日本語を勉強する (Nihon-go o benkyō suru) is |
| Peter: To study Japanese |
| Naomi: To say “I'm thinking about studying Japanese at graduate school” is? |
| Peter: At graduate school is 大学院で (daigakuin de). The Volitional form of 勉強する (benkyō suru) is 勉強しよう (benkyō shiyō) So, that would be... 大学院で日本語を勉強しようと思っている。(Daigakuin de Nihon-go o benkyō shiyō to omotte iru.) |
| Naomi: Right. そうです。大学院で日本語を勉強しようと思っている。(Sō desu. Daigakuin de Nihon-go o benkyō shiyō to omotte iru.) |
| Peter: Now this と思っている (omotte iru) is also used with phrases that express one's desire such as -tai form, ほしい (hoshii), etc. By adding と思っている (to omotte iru), you can imply that you've been thinking about it for a while, right? |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) If you say あなたと結婚したい (anata to kekkon shitai), |
| Peter: I want to marry you. |
| Naomi: It's not clear when you started feeling like that. Have you always been thinking that? Or did you think that for now. But if you say あなたと結婚したいと思っている (anata to kekkon shitai to omotte iru), it sounds like you've been thinking about it for a while. Of course the meaning of あなたと結婚したい (anata to kekkon shitai) and あなたと結婚したいと思っている (anata to kekkon shitai to omotte iru) are the same, but the nuance is a bit different. |
| Peter: That definitely makes sense. So... Naomi-sensei, do you have any plans this weekend? |
| Naomi: I'm not sure, but if I can get up early… 買い物に行こうと思っています。テレビを買おうと思っています。(Kaimono ni ikō to omotte imasu. Terebi o kaō to omotte imasu.) |
| Peter: So you're thinking about going shopping and buying a TV. |
| Naomi: そうです。(Sō desu.) How about you, Peter? Other than 仕事をしようと思っています (shigoto o shiyō to omotte imasu), of course. |
| Peter: Besides working? |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Peter: Hmm… 映画を見ようと思っています。(Eiga o miyō to omotte imasu.) |
| Naomi: 一人で？(Hitori de?) |
| Peter: 一人で。(Hitori de.) |
| Naomi: あ～、そうですか。(Ā, sō desu ka.) |
| Peter: So, I'm thinking about going to see a movie... by myself. |
| Naomi: I see, have fun. |
| Peter: あ、一緒に行きませんか。(A, issho ni ikimasen ka.) Would you like to go with me? |
| Naomi: Uh, yeah, I'll think about it. (laughs) |
| Peter: OK. That's all for this lesson. |
| Naomi: じゃ、また！(Ja, mata!) |
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