Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Let’s take a closer look at the conversation.
Do you remember how Shin Ishikawa asks,
"What's your hobby?"
しゅみは　なんですか。 (Shumi wa nan desu ka.)
First is しゅみ (shumi), "hobby." しゅ-み. しゅみ.
Next is the particle, は (wa), the topic-marking particle. は. は.
It marks "hobby" as the topic of the sentence. Think of it like "as for" in the expression "as for [your] hobby."
Together, it's しゅみは (shumi wa), "as for [your] hobby." しゅみは.
Note: the "your" is understood through context, as the speaker is asking the listener a direct question.
After this is なん (nan), "what." な-ん. なん.
Next is です. In this case, it's like the "is" in "what is." で-す. です.
And last is か, the question-marking particle, which turns the sentence into a question. か. か.
All together, しゅみは　なんですか。 literally means, "As for [your] hobby, what is?" but translates as "What's your hobby?"
しゅみは　なんですか。 (Shumi wa nan desu ka.)
Let’s take a closer look at the response.
Do you remember how Haruto says,
"My hobby is fishing."
しゅみは　つりです。 (Shumi wa tsuri desu.)
First is しゅみは (shumi wa), "as for [my] hobby," in this context. しゅみは.
Note: the "my" is understood through context, as the speaker is answering a direct question.
Next is つり (tsuri). "Fishing." つ-り. つり.
After this is です. In this context, it's like "is" in English. です.
All together, しゅみは　つりです。This literally means, "as for [my] hobby, fishing [it] is," but it translates as, "My hobby is fishing."
しゅみは　つりです。 (Shumi wa tsuri desu.)
The pattern is
しゅみは (Shumi wa) です。 (desu.)
My hobby is HOBBY.
しゅみは HOBBY です。
To use this pattern, simply replace the {HOBBY} placeholder with a hobby.
Note: this pattern requires a noun.
Imagine you like baseball. やきゅう (yakyū). や-きゅ-う. やきゅう.
Say
"My hobby is baseball."
Ready?
しゅみは　やきゅうです。 (Shumi wa yakyū desu.)
"My hobby is baseball."
しゅみは　やきゅうです。 (Shumi wa yakyū desu.)
When responding to a question or request about your hobby, you can omit the phrase, しゅみは, "as for [my] hobby," because it's clear from context you’re giving your hobby.
HOBBY です。 (desu.)
It's HOBBY.
HOBBY です。
This is a more natural response. You should be aware of this shortcut, but you’ll practice the full pattern for this lesson.

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