日本語 - Week 13 (Contemporary Japanese Vol. 1)

The book I am using is Contemporary Japanese Vol. 1 by Eriko Sato from the Tuttle Language Library. Volume 1 of the book has 61 lessons. Target end date is April 14, 2012.

MONDAY: Lesson Thirty One –ヒーターはどこにありますか

Relative location. Eek! I don’t like this topic very much... But we can’t skip it. Good thing it is the only grammar point for this lesson so we could split it into two days! Let’s start with the easy ones. On = 上, under = 下, in front = まえ, at the back = うしろ, and inside = 中. Yahoo. So how do we use it? In Japanese they denote location by using another point of reference, let’s say a desk つくえ in that you say desk’s *insert location here* and then the verb. So if you want to say that it is on the desk (whatever it is) you say つうえの上 which literally translates to desk’s above. If you want to say below or under the desk, that would be desk’s under which is つくえの下. Same thing goes with the others.

TUESDAY: Lesson Thirty One – ヒーターはどこにありますか

Now let’s proceed with the others. What else are there? What about the sides! Left = 左, right = 右, beside (whichever) = となり, near = そば, between = 間. There is a special formula for間 since you have two reference points. Let’s say a desk つくえand a chair いす. You just use the particle for combining things and you are all set for between the desk and the chair: つくえといすの間.

WEDNESDAY: Lesson Thirty Two –ていきゅうびは金曜日です

Days of the week! We have already discussed this in the video so let me just give the list here for the seven days of the week:

月曜日 = Monday

火曜日 = Tuesday

水曜日 = Wednesday

木曜日 = Thursday

金曜日 = Friday

土曜日 = Saturday

日曜日 = Sunday

THURSDAY: Lesson Thirty Two –ていきゅうびは金曜日です

Today we become super polite. Apparently you would hear a special form of ~です and ~あります/います from service crews such as in supermarkets and department stores. Instead of using those two as endings for whatever purpose, they use these instead, respectively: ~ございます and ~でございます. No need for examples, just plug those instead of the usual ones. Besides, you probably won’t use them yourself, but you would probably hear them a lot!

FRIDAY: Lesson Thirty Three –ノートが３冊あります

Colors! Let’s target the easy ones, okay! White = しろ, black = くろ, red = あか, yellow = きいろ, blue = あお, green = みどり and brown = ちゃいろ. There you go. The book says that blue and green are almost interchangeable in Japan, which I find weird because they are not the same! Well, to some extent. Anyway, I find the word for green easy to memorize because that word seems familiar! I just forgot where I actually heard it.

                                                                                                                                                  

For next week I would be covering the second half of lesson thirty three until lesson thirty five. We can do this guys! The goal is to pass the N5 examination of the JLPT in December 2012! =)