Learn about writing a postcard
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Natsuko: 夏子です。 |
| Peter: Peter here. Postcards, part 4. |
| Natsuko: Oh part 4. |
| Peter: Part 4. Natsuko san, 今日の調子はどうですか。 |
| Natsuko: 絶好調ですよ。 |
| Peter: Ah that is so great to hear because we are back with maybe the final part of the story. |
| Natsuko: Oh yes. What will happen to these very polite men and women? |
| Peter: Yes well we are about to find out. So again after we cover this, stop by japanesepod101.com, really polite Japanese in here. Something to take your Japanese to the next level, really add something to your arsenal. All right, with that said, here is part 4 of postcards. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 佐々木さん、 |
| 木々の緑が日ごとに色めく季節になってきました。お手紙ありがとうございます。とてもうれしかったです。なぜなら、佐々木さんの私に対する気持ちを確認できました。実は、出張はありませんでした。もちろん婚約者もいません。こんなことをした理由は佐々木さんの複雑な心を確かめるためです。その答えがでました。私は三月二十三日に日本に戻ります。40年前初めて会った場所で待っています。石原 |
| もう一度、お願いします。今度は、ゆっくりお願いします。 |
| 佐々木さん、 |
| 木々の緑が日ごとに色めく季節になってきました。お手紙ありがとうございます。とてもうれしかったです。なぜなら、佐々木さんの私に対する気持ちを確認できました。実は、出張はありませんでした。もちろん婚約者もいません。こんなことをした理由は佐々木さんの複雑な心を確かめるためです。その答えがでました。私は三月二十三日に日本に戻ります。40年前初めて会った場所で待っています。石原 |
| 次は、英語が入ります。 |
| 佐々木さん、木々の緑が日ごとに色めく季節になってきました。 |
| Ms. Sasaki, The season has turned and day by day the lush greenery of the trees makes its long-awaited return. |
| お手紙ありがとうございます。とてもうれしかったです。 |
| Thank you for the letter. I was quite gladdened. |
| なぜなら、佐々木さんの私に対する気持ちを確認できました。 |
| That is because I could confirm your feelings for me. |
| 実は、出張はありませんでした。もちろん婚約者もいません。 |
| To tell the truth, there was no business trip. Of course, there is no fiancee, either. |
| こんなことをした理由は佐々木さんの複雑な心を確かめるためです。 |
| The purpose of my actions was to be sure of your true feelings. |
| その答えがでました。 |
| And I found my answer. |
| 私は三月二十三日に日本に戻ります。 |
| I will return to Japan on March 23rd. |
| 40年前初めて会った場所で待っています。 |
| I will wait for you at the place where we first met forty years ago. |
| 石原 |
| Ishihara |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Peter: Natsuko san. |
| Natsuko: はい。 |
| Peter: 今日の会話、どう思いましたか。 |
| Natsuko: いや～まさかこんな展開になるなんて。 |
| Peter: Yeah who would have thought it would have turned out like this. |
| Natsuko: うん。ドラマを見ているようですね。 |
| Peter: Again here it’s like a drama. 佐々木さんはどうなっているでしょうね。 |
| Natsuko: 多分、待っているんだと思いますよ。 |
| Peter: Yeah you think she is waiting? |
| Natsuko: Uhoo. |
| Peter: All right we will have to see about this and I think we will have our answer next week. |
| Natsuko: Oh it’s going to continue. |
| Peter: On and on |
| Natsuko: やった。 |
| Peter: やった。All right. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Peter: First word please. |
| Natsuko: 季節 |
| Peter: Season. |
| Natsuko: (slow)きせつ (natural speed) 季節 |
| Peter: Sample sentence please. |
| Natsuko: 季節がめまぐるしく変わる。 |
| Peter: To change seasons quickly, a quick change of the season. Natsuko san is also speaking of season, give us that first line one more time. |
| Natsuko: 木々の緑、日ごとに色めく季節になってきました。 |
| Peter: And the translation was really good too. The season has turned and day by day, the lush greenery of the trees makes its long-awaited return. |
| Natsuko: Umm poetic. |
| Peter: Yeah. So these are the types of poetic greetings that you are putting in there when you use these expressions. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: Even if it is a friend, you can take this なってきました and make it. |
| Natsuko: なってきた。 |
| Peter: And even if you are really good friends, it could be kind of like a joke to override it. It’s really, really fun. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: And again, okay for emails, postcards, any kind of written communication. If you try it out, please let us know how it goes. |
| Natsuko: Oh yes, I hope it works for you. |
| Peter: Next we have |
| Natsuko: 確認 |
| Peter: Affirmation, confirmation, validation. |
| Natsuko: (slow)かくにん (natural speed) 確認 |
| Peter: Sample sentence please. |
| Natsuko: 注意事項を確認する。 |
| Peter: To confirm the points of notice, to confirm the points of worry. Next we have |
| Natsuko: 出張 |
| Peter: Business trip. |
| Natsuko: (slow)しゅっちょう (natural speed) 出張 |
| Peter: Sample sentence please. |
| Natsuko: 彼は出張で東北にでかけた。 |
| Peter: He went to Tohoku on business and Natsuko san, this Tohoku area, where is this? |
| Natsuko: North east. |
| Peter: North East. Where would this include? |
| Natsuko: It doesn’t include 北海道 but 青森、秋田、岩手、山形、宮城 and 福島. I think those six prefectures. |
| Peter: Yeah and what’s really, really interesting for me is that 秋田 is actually Western Japan. |
| Natsuko: Oh yeah right. |
| Peter: But yeah it’s included in this Tohoku area. |
| Natsuko: Uhoo. |
| Peter: Really interesting. |
| Natsuko: Oh right. |
| Peter: But the Northern part of Honshu, that is considered northeast. Next we have |
| Natsuko: 複雑 |
| Peter: Complicated, complexity, complication. |
| Natsuko: (slow)ふくざつ (natural speed) 複雑 |
| Peter: Sample sentence please. |
| Natsuko: 複雑な問題をかかえている。 |
| Peter: I have a complicated problem. I also like 複雑な気持ち kind of like a complex feeling. |
| Natsuko: Yeah. It’s like what was written in the postcard right? |
| Peter: Yeah. |
| Natsuko: 複雑な気持ち |
| Peter: Yeah. Kind of it’s complicated. |
| Natsuko: Uhoo mixed feeling. |
| Peter: Mixed feeling and finally we have |
| Natsuko: 初めて |
| Peter: For the first time. |
| Natsuko: (slow)はじめて (natural speed) 初めて |
| Peter: Sample sentence please. |
| Natsuko: 初めて飛行機に乗りました。 |
| Peter: It’s my first time on an airplane. |
| Natsuko: 確かめる |
| Peter: To confirm. |
| Natsuko: (slow)たしかめる (natural speed) 確かめる |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Peter: Now this is actually taken from one of the lines we are going to look at right now. Natsuko san, can you give us that line one more time. |
| Natsuko: こんなことをした理由は佐々木さんの複雑な心を確かめるためです。 |
| Peter: The purpose of my actions was to be sure of your true feelings is the translation but let’s take a look at the parts of this sentence. First we have |
| Natsuko: こんなこと |
| Peter: The thing like this こんなこと like this thing. Now Natsuko san, what are we talking about here? What is this こんなこと？ |
| Natsuko: Well he was lying. |
| Peter: Well you don’t have to put it that, though. There are so many ways you can phrase that. |
| Natsuko: Okay, okay. |
| Peter: Come on let’s phrase it a little more romantic. |
| Natsuko: Okay he was making up a story about himself. |
| Peter: Yes exactly. So that’s why he did that. Not only that, the whole thing, right. He went to America. The reason why I went to America, made up these stories, did all this こんなこと. It includes all the crazy things that he... |
| Natsuko: Crazy! Well maybe. |
| Peter: That’s marked by |
| Natsuko: を |
| Peter: Followed by |
| Natsuko: した |
| Peter: Did. Followed by |
| Natsuko: 理由 |
| Peter: The reason. So notice where reason comes in this sentence. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: Right before the は. So Natsuko san, how can I say, the reason I went to meet you. |
| Natsuko: あなたに会いにいった理由は |
| Peter: Notice how 理由 comes at the end. In English, the reason I went to meet you, first you say the reason and then you could give an explanation. It’s the opposite in Japanese. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: I went to meet you reason. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: These things did reason opposite but after the は, it’s like you are continuing on. So in English, the reason I did this is. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: In Japanese, after that は there, then you explain. |
| Natsuko: 佐々木さんの |
| Peter: This is Sasaki’s |
| Natsuko: 複雑な心 |
| Peter: Complicated heart. |
| Natsuko: を、確かめるためです |
| Peter: That’s marked by を, then we have to confirm |
| Natsuko: 確かめる |
| Peter: And finally ため which is |
| Natsuko: For |
| Peter: As if we are doing something for understanding. |
| Natsuko: In order to. |
| Peter: Thank you Natsuko san. Yes in order to, confirm in order to. So go for the back, in order to confirm your complicated heart is the reason I did this. |
| Natsuko: Wow! |
| Peter: Yes. Uh! Well he’s got a pretty complicated heart too if he is going around doing these things. |
| Natsuko: I think so. |
| Peter: Yeah they are made for each other. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: Let’s hope they get together some day. One more thing that may sound a little strange to your ears is the way Japanese people use heart in order to understand your complicated heart. In the west, we have the heart and mind separation. |
| Natsuko: Oh! |
| Peter: But in Japanese, 心 kind of means both. |
| Natsuko: Right. |
| Peter: So it’s the heart and the mind together. |
| Natsuko: 強い心。 |
| Peter: Yes. Strong mind. |
| Natsuko: Right, you are right. |
| Peter: So this is one thing you kind of want to watch out for when people are talking about 心, it could either mean heart or the brain and well in the studio right now is pointing to the opposite one as I went through it. Okay any way, didn’t see it, no foul, no harm, no foul. |
| Natsuko: Peter has his mind in his stomach. |
| Peter: Yeah. |
| Natsuko: He pointed out. |
| Peter: Oh boy! Yes it is feeding time. So we are almost at a time what we are going to do is ask you to stop by japanesepod101.com. Again inside there is an explanation. Today what we’d like to cover is |
| Natsuko: に対する |
| Peter: Which is |
| Natsuko: Well regarding or sometimes it can be against. |
| Peter: Yeah lots of meanings. |
| Natsuko: Towards |
| Peter: Towards again depending on the context and again, this is a spoken and written word. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: So we are running a little short on time today. So again, the write up about that inside the PDF. Any questions, stop by japanesepod101.com. There leave us the comment, we will get back to you. Inside the learning center so much more to bring it altogether. Natsuko san, what a pleasure, this week, it was just the two of us. |
| Natsuko: Yes. I hope the listeners enjoyed it. |
| Peter: Yep and we will be back tomorrow with an intermediate lesson and then next week, we should have a full house. People will be pouring back in. |
| Natsuko: Yes. |
| Peter: All right. That’s going to do for today. |
| Natsuko: じゃ、また明日。 |
Get complete breakdowns, review with quizzes and download printable practice sheets! Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Comments
Hide