Learn how to introduce yourself
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Intro |
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| Risa: Imagine you're on a plane. There's someone next to you. What do you say? こんにちは。りさです. Risa here.Introducing yourself in Japanese is easy. In this lesson, you're going to learn how with Mark and Shunsuke who meet on the plane. Mark's moving to Tokyo. His family is going to join him later in the month. Shunsuke is in the seat when Mark gets on the plane. Let's watch! |
| Dialogue |
| Mark: すみません。 |
| Shunsuke: あ、すみません。 |
| Mark: はじめまして。私はマークです。 |
| Shunsuke: マークさん、はじめまして。小林しゅんすけです。 |
| Mark: すみません、もう一度、お願いします。ゆっくりお願いします。 |
| Shunsuke: こばやし しゅんすけ。 |
| Mark: こばやし しゅんすけ。 |
| Shunsuke: はい、そうです。でも、「しゅん」とよんでください。 |
| Mark: しゅん、よろしくお願いします。 |
| Shunsuke: よろしくお願いします。 |
| Risa: Now with English |
| Mark: Excuse me. |
| Shunsuke: Oh, Excuse me! |
| Mark: Hi! How are you? I'm Mark. |
| Shunsuke: Hi! Nice to meet you, Mark. I’m Kobayashi Shunsuke. |
| Mark: I’m sorry. Your name again, please. Slowly. |
| Shunsuke: Kobayashi Shunsuke. |
| Mark: Kobayashi Shunsuke. |
| Shunsuke: That's it. But please call me Shun. |
| Mark: Shun. Nice to meet you. |
| Shunsuke: Nice to meet you, too. |
| Vocab |
| Risa: Here are the keywords from the scene. |
| Kaori: わたし, わたし |
| Alisha: I |
| Kaori: わたし, わたし |
| Kaori: でも, でも |
| Alisha: but |
| Kaori: でも, でも |
| Kaori: すみません, すみません |
| Alisha: Excuse me |
| Kaori: すみません, すみません |
| Kaori: はじめまして, はじめまして |
| Alisha: Nice to meet you |
| Kaori: はじめまして, はじめまして |
| Kaori: もういちど, もういちど |
| Alisha: once more |
| Kaori: もういちど, もういちど |
| Kaori: ゆっくり, ゆっくり |
| Alisha: slowly |
| Kaori: ゆっくり, ゆっくり |
| Kaori: はい, はい |
| Alisha: yes |
| Kaori: はい, はい |
| Key Phrases |
| Risa: Here are the key phrases from the scene. |
| Alisha: The first phrase was used by Mark to have the Japanese speaker repeat himself. He said.. |
| Mark: もういちど、おねがいします。 |
| Kaori: もういちど、おねがいします。 |
| Alisha: Once more, please. |
| Kaori: もういちど、おねがいします。 |
| Kaori: もういちど、おねがいします。 |
| Alisha: Now you try it. Now you say Mark's line after Shun speaks. |
| Shunsuke: はじめまして。小林しゅんすけです。 |
| Mark: すみません。 |
| Mark: もう一度、お願いします。ゆっくりおねがいします。 |
| Alisha: The second phrase was use by Mark to have the Japanese speaker talk more slowly. Recall what he said... |
| Mark: ゆっくりおねがいします。 |
| Kaori: ゆっくりおねがいします。 |
| Alisha: "Slowly, please." |
| Kaori: ゆっくりおねがいします。 |
| Alisha: Now you try! Say Mark's next line after he speaks |
| Mark: すみません、もういちど、おねがいします。 |
| Mark: ゆっくりおねがいします。 |
| Alisha: The third phrase was used by Mark and Shun at the end of the self-introduction. Do you remember what they said? |
| Mark: よろしくおねがいします。 |
| Shunsuke: よろしくおねがいします。 |
| Kaori: よろしくおねがいします。 |
| Alisha: In this situation, meaning, "Nice to meet you." There's no equivalent in English, as the meaning is derived from the context of usage. |
| Kaori: よろしくおねがいします。 |
| Alisha: Now you try! Fill in the line for Mark. |
| Shunsuke: でも、「しゅん」とよんでください。 |
| Mark: しゅん。。。 |
| Mark: よろしくおねがいします。 |
| Alisha: After Mark repeated Shun's name, Shun confirmed that he had the right pronunciation. How did he do that? |
| Shunsuke: はい、そうです。 |
| Kaori: はい、そうです。 |
| Alisha: "Yes, that's right." |
| Kaori: はい、そうです。 |
| Kaori: はい、そうです。 |
| Alisha: Now it's your turn! Fill in the line for Shun. |
| Mark: こばやし しゅんすけ。 |
| Shunsuke: はい、そうです。 |
Lesson focus |
| Risa: Now, the lesson focus. Here's how to introduce yourself. Ready? |
| Alisha: Do you remember how Mark introduced himself in Japanese? |
| Mark: はじめまして。わたしはマークです。 |
| Alisha: When Mark introduces himself in Japanese, he starts with a set phrase meaning "Nice to meet you." |
| Kaori: はじめまして. |
| Alisha: Then he says, "I'm Mark." |
| Kaori: わたしはマークです。 |
| Alisha: The first word in this sentence is... |
| Kaori: わたし |
| Alisha: “I”The next part of the sentence is |
| Kaori: は。 |
| Alisha: This is a topic-marking particle. It marks "I" as the topic of the sentence. Think of it like the "as for" in the expression "as for me." The next word of the sentence is the character's name, Mark. |
| Kaori: マーク |
| Alisha: "Mark." Your name goes here when you introduce yourself. Then, the next word in the sentence is... |
| Kaori: です |
| Alisha: This is like the "am" in "I am". It's a linking verb. Together, it's... |
| Kaori: わたしは [マーク] です。 |
| Alisha: "I - Mark - am." In English, "I'm Mark." |
| Alisha: The sentence pattern is, |
| Kaori: わたしは。。。 |
| Alisha: your name |
| Kaori: です。 |
| Alisha: Now you try! Imagine your name is John. Say I'm John in Japanese. |
| Kaori: わたしは、ジョンです。 |
| Alisha: "I'm John." |
| Alisha: Now, imagine your name is あいこ. Say "I'm Aiko" in Japanese. |
| Kaori: わたしは あいこ です。 |
| Alisha: "I'm Aiko." |
| Kaori: Now use your own name. |
| Alisha: There are two things you should know. First, there's a short-cut to giving your name. |
| Shunsuke: [小林しゅんすけ] です。 |
| Alisha: The only difference is you drop... |
| Kaori: わたしは |
| Alisha: since it's understood you're talking about yourself. Second, Japanese people usually say their full names — or only their family names — when they introduce themselves. |
| Shunsuke: [小林しゅんすけ] です。 |
| Kaori: 小林 |
| Alisha: is a family name. |
| Kaori: しゅんすけ |
| Alisha: is a given name. |
| Kaori: 小林しゅんすけ |
| Alisha: In Japanese the family name comes first, and then the given name. He could also just say the family name instead of both the family name and the given name. |
| Kaori: [こばやし] です。 |
| Alisha: Imagine your name is John Smith. Introduce yourself in the Japanese style, family name first. |
| Kaori: わたしは スミス ジョン です。 |
| Alisha: Now use the shortcut version. |
| Kaori: スミス ジョン です。 |
| Alisha: Next, you'll learn how to tell people to call you by a nickname, just like Shun did in the scene. |
| Shunsuke: [シュン]とよんでください。 |
| Alisha: The first part is |
| Kaori: シュン |
| Alisha: a common nickname for men name しゅんすけ. Your own nickname goes here. The next part is |
| Kaori: と |
| Alisha: which marks a quotation, kind of like a spoken quotation mark. Next is the phrase |
| Kaori: よんでください |
| Alisha: "Please call" Together, it's |
| Kaori: シュンとよんでください。 |
| Alisha: "Please call me Shun." The word for "I" is not mentioned in the Japanese sentence, but if you say this after introducing your name, it makes perfect sense. |
| Kaori: シュンとよんでください。 |
| Alisha: The sentence structure is... Your nickname... |
| Kaori: とよんでください。 |
| Alisha: Now you try! Imagine your nickname is "Matt." Say "please call me Matt" in Japanese. |
| Kaori: マットとよんでください。 |
| Alisha: "Please call me Matt." Now, imagine your nickname is アイ, say "Please call me Ai" in Japanese. |
| Kaori: アイとよんでください。 |
| Alisha: "Please call me Ai." Now use your own nickname. Say "Please call me [your nickname]." in Japanese |
| Practice |
| Risa: Now, it's time to practice your new ability. |
| Alisha: It's your first day in Japan and you're meeting your new neighbor. Ready? Here we go. |
| Alisha: What's the first thing you say to someone you've just met? |
| Kaori: はじめまして。 |
| Alisha: How do you tell someone your name? |
| Kaori: わたしは。。。 |
| Alisha: Your name... |
| Kaori: です。 |
| Shunsuke: はじめまして。わたしは小林しゅんすけです。 |
| Alisha: How do you tell someone your nickname? |
| Alisha: Your nickname... |
| Kaori: とよんでください。 |
| Shunsuke: 「しゅん」とよんでください。 |
| Alisha: What's the last thing you say to someone you've just met? |
| Kaori: よろしくおねがいします。 |
| Shunsuke: よろしくおねがいします。 |
| Alisha: Great job! You've just introduced yourself in Japanese. You will follow the same pattern many times, so be sure to practice it. |
Outro |
| Risa: よくできました！ Now, watch the scene one more time. After that, go and practice with all your Japanese friends or with us in a comment. じゃまたね！ |
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