Mindterm Foreign Language

I. Vocabulary    
これ Kore this(thing)here
それ Sore that(thing)near you
あれ Are that(thing)over there
この Kono this one
その Sono that one near you
あの Ano that one over there
ほん hon book
ざっし zasshi magazine
しんぶん shinbun newspaper
ノート no-to notebook
てちょう techou pocket notebook
めいし meishi business card
カード ka-do card, credit card
テレホンカード terehon ka-do telephone card
えんぴつ enpitsu pencil
ボールペン bo-rupen ballpoint pen
シャープペンシル sha-pupenshiru mechanical pencil
かぎ kagi key
とけい tokei watch, clock
かさ kasa umbrella
かばん kaban bag
テレビ terebi T.V.
ラジオ rajio radio
カメラ kamera camera
コンピューター konpyu-ta- computer/desktop type
パソコン pasokon computer/ laptop
じどうしゃ jidousha car
くるま kuruma car(same as above)
つくえ tsukue desk
いす isu chair
チョコレート chokore-to chocolate
コーヒー ko-hi- coffee
えいご Eigo English language
にほんご Nihongo Japanese language
a suffix when adding to a country’s name, it
will become a language
～ご ～go
(name of country + go = language)

ex.: Firipin + go = Firipingo（Filipino）

なん/ なに nan/ nani what
そう sou so
ちがいます chigaimasu It is not, or You are wrong.
The short cut of “Doumo arigatou
どうも doumo gozaimasu.” It means to say thank you. But it
is not a polite way to say it.
こちらこそ　 I am pleased to meet you, also. Reply to
kochirakoso yoroshiku
よろしく “Nice to meet you.”

1. Kore/Sore/Are

⇒　Kore, Sore,  and Are are demonstratives. They work as nouns.  They are called demonstrative
pronouns to be exact. Demonstrative pronouns are always followed by a linking verb "is" in the English
grammar and in japanese, it is followed by the particle "wa" .  

Kore refers to a thing near the speaker, Sore refers to a thing near the listener. Are refers to a thing far
from the speaker and the listener. See the difference in usage in the examples below.
1.1 Patterns:  Demonstrative words Kore, Sore and Are as well as Kono, Sono and Ano are always at the
front of the sentence in Lesson 2.(because they are the subject of the sentence)

 N1　wa　N2 　desu.

 N1　wa　N2 　desuka. (question)

 N1　wa　N2 　ja arimasen. (negative sentence)

①　Kore wa jisho desu.                This is a dictionary.

②　Sore wa jisho desuka.            Is that a dictionary?

③　Are wa jisho desu.      　        That is a dictionary over there.

④　Kore wa jisho ja arimasen.    This is not a dictionary.

Translating tips:

 Identify first if the sentence is positive or negative, next, is it a question? After this, identify the
N1 and N2. In example no. ①, N1 is “This” and N2 is “dictionary”.  Then just follow the pattern
given to translate it. See the image below for a reference to rule #1.

2. Kono N /Sono N /Ano N (N is Noun)

            Kono, Sono,  and Ano modify nouns. They are called demonstrative adjectives to be exact. They
are always followed by a noun or a thing in lesson 2. Unlike in rule number 1 wherein demonstrative
pronouns are followed by a "linking verb is", demonstrative adjectives on the other hand are followed
by a noun. See the difference between demonstrative pronouns and Demonstrative adjectives below.

Demonstrative pronoun: 

1. This is a book. - Kore wa hon desu.

Demonstrative adjective:

1. This book is mine. - Kono hon wa watashino desu.

“Kono N” refers to a thing or a person near the speaker, “Sono N” refers to a thing or a person near the
listener. “Ano N” refers to a thing or a person far from both the speaker and the listener. See the
difference in usage in the examples below.

⑤　Kono hon wa watashi no[1] desu.　   　     - This book is mine.

⑥　Sono hon wa anata no desuka.        　        - Is that book yours?

⑦　Ano hon wa anata no desu.              　        - That book over there is yours.

⑧　Kono hon wa watashi no ja arimasen.         - This book isn’t mine.

⑨　Ano kata wa donata desuka.            　        - Who is that person over there?

[1] For more information about the particle “no” :
https://www.japaneseprofessor.com/lessons/beginning/modifying-particle-no/

2.1 Patterns: “no” is a possessive particle 

 N1 (thing) wa N2 no desu.

 N1 (thing) wa N2 no desuka.

 N1 (thing) wa N2 no ja arimasen.

NOTES: Notice that the meaning of Kono, Sono, and Ano is the same as Kore, Sore, and Are respectively.
But there is a difference, Kono, Sono, and Ano cannot be used on their own. They have to be followed by
the noun that they modify. Hence, “This notebook is mine.” is “Kono no-to wa watashi no desu. The
demonstrative “This” is followed by a noun so you must use Kono. The same rule applies to Sono and
Ano. Kore, Sore and Are cannot be followed by a noun.  Thus, “This is my notebook.” is “Kore wa watashi
no no-to desu.” You will use “Kore” because the demonstrative “This” is not followed by a noun. The
same rule applies with Sore and Are.

3. N1 no N2  (N is Noun)       

You learned in Lesson 1 that “no” is used to connect two nouns when N1 modifies N2. In Lesson 2 you
learn two other uses of particle “no”.

3.1 Patterns: “no” is a possessive particle. This is also the apostrophe '-s' in English.

 Demonstrative word(Subject) wa N1 no N2  desu.

 Demonstrative word(Subject) wa N1 no N2  desuka.

 Demonstrative word(Subject) wa N1 no N2  ja arimasen.

3.2. N1 explains who owns N2  (N1 is the owner of N2 while N2 is a thing)

⑩　Kore wa watashi no enpitsu desu.   　This is my pencil.

       ** Kono enpitsu wa watashi no desu.        This pencil is mine.                                                                       

⑪　Sore wa anata no kaban desuka.    Is that your book?

       **Sono kaban wa anata no desuka.　　Is that book yours?

⑬　Are wa kanojo no kasa desu.　　That is her umbrella over there.

      **Ano kasa wa kanojo no mono[2] desu.　That umbrella is hers.

⑭　Sore wa Yamada-san no hon desu.     That is Mr. Yamada’s book.

** (See Rule no. 2 lesson 2)

NOTE: N2 is sometimes omitted when it is obvious. However, when N 2 means a person, you cannot omit
it.

Translating tips:
  Identify first what is the demonstrative and which is the N 1 (owner) and N2 (thing). In example
no. ⑩, the demonstrative is “This”, N1 is “my” and N2 is a pencil.

⑮　Are wa dare no kaban desuka.               - Whose bag is that over there?

　　…　Satou-san no desu.                            …　It’s Ms. Satou’s (bag).

⑯　Kono kaban wa anata no desuka.                - Is this bag yours?

　　…　Iie, watashi no ja arimasen.                   …　No, it’s not mine.

⑰　Izumi-san wa IMC no shain desuka.           - Is Mr. Izumi an employee of IMC?

　　…　Hai, IMC no shain desu.                         …　Yes, he is.

⑱　Kore wa dare no kamera desuka.            -  Whose camera is this?      

　　OR - Kono kamera wa dare no desu ka.

[NOTE] Dare/Donata no (whose) will not be at the front of a Japanese sentence, unlike the English
sentence. Mono = refers to tangible things while Dare no = Whose.

3.3 N1 explains about N2

　⑲　Kore wa konpyu－ta－ no hon desu.       - This is a computer book. OR

                                                                             - This is a book about computers.

　⑳　Sono jisho wa nan no desuka.　          - What kind of dictionary is that?

           OR Sore wa nan no jisho desuka.

            …　Eigo no jisho desu.                          …   It’s an English dictionary.

　㉑　Sore wa nan no zasshi desu ka.               - What kind of magazine is that?

　　    …　Kuruma no zasshi desu.                     …　It’s about cars.

NOTE: Nan no = what kind of _____. When the sentence you are translating have this phrase 'what kind
of', the japanese translation will be 'nan no' followed by a noun (the thing you're asking about) always.
Let's see a few examples.

1. what kind of pen - nan no pen desuka.

2. what kind of book - nan no hon desuka.

When you translate sentences:

1. What kind of pen is this? - Kore wa nan no pen desuka.

*We will not use the Demonstrative adjectives namely Kono, Sono, and Ano. The translation will look
like this if it's used, "Kono hon wa nan no desuka." This pattern will be wrong because the rule states
that when using 'nan no', there must be a "noun" following the 'nan no' phrase therefore the answer is
"Kore wa nan no hon desuka." One of the clues when you are using the N1 no N2 pattern and you come
across the phrase "what kind of", always remember that this must be followed by a noun in both
languages and that demonstratives used is demonstrative adjectives (in japanese:Kono,Sono,Ano) (in
English, demonstratives are followed by a noun).

[2] For more information about the usage of “mono”, go to this link:
https://www.japanallover.com/2008/09/japanese-mono-and-koto/

4.　S1 ka, S2 ka

This is a question asking the listener to choose between alternatives, S 1 and S2 for the answer. To put it
simply, the answer is in the question, you just choose. You can’t use Hai or Iie for the answer. And when
translating, just copy the options given when it has quotation marks, don’t translate them.

　㉒　Kore wa “9” desuka, “7” desuka.               - Is this a “9” or a “7”?

            …　“9” desu.                                                …　It’s a “9”.

　㉓　Sore wa pen desuka, enpitsu desuka.   -  Is that a pen or a pencil?

4.1 Patterns:  “S” is a sentence

 Demonstrative word(subject) wa S1 ka S2  desuka.

 Demonstrative word(subject) wa S1 ka S2  desuka.

 Demonstrative word(subject) wa N1 no N2  ja arimasen.

5.　sou desu / sou ja arimasen

In the case of responses to questions that are answerable by yes or no, the word sou is often used to
answer a question requiring an affirmative or negative answer. Hai, sou desu is the affirmative answer
while Iie, sou ja arimasen is the negative answer.

㉔　Sore wa terehon ka－do desuka.             - Is that a telephone card?

            …　Hai, sou desu.                                      …　Yes, it is.

㉕　Are wa anata no kuruma desu ka.            - Is that your car over there?

            …　Iie, sou ja arimasen.                            …　No, it’s not.

**The verb chigaimasu (lit. to differ) can be used also to mean instead of sou ja arimasen.

㉖　Are wa anata no kuruma desu ka.           -  Is that your car over there?

            …　Iie, chigaimasu.                                    …　No, it’s not.

6. Sou desu ka

This expression is used when the speaker receives new information and shows that he or she
understand it.

　㉗　Kono kasa wa anata no desu ka.                        -  Is this umbrella yours?

            …　Iie, chigaimasu. Yamada-san no desu.        …　No, it’s Mr. Yamada’s.

            Sou desu ka.                                                             I see.

ぶん けい
Sentence Patterns                        文 型

1. This is a dictionary.                                 これ　は　じしょ　です。

2. This is a computer book.                        これ　は　コンピューター　の　ほん　です。

3. That is my umbrella.                               それ　は　わたしの　かさ　です。

4. This umbrella is mine.                            この　かさ　は　わたしの　です。

れい ぶん
Example Sentences                      例 文

1. Is this a telephone card?                        これ　は　テレホンカード　ですか。

    …Yes, it is.                                               … はい, そう　です。

2. Is that a notebook?                                 それ　は　のーと　ですか。

　…No, it’s not. It’s a pocket notebook.   … いいえ、そう じゃありません。てちょう　です。

3. What is that?                                            それ　は　なん　ですか。　

…This is a business card.                          … ［これ　は］めいし　です。　

4. Is this a “9” or a “7”.                                 これ　は　“9”　ですか、”7”　ですか。

　…It’s a “9”.                                                … “9”　です。

5. What is that magazine about?              それ　は　なん　の　ざっし　ですか。

　…It’s a car magazine.                             … くるま　の　ざっし　です。

6. Whose pencil is that?                             それは　だれの　えんぴつ　ですか。

…It’s Ms. Satou’s pencil.                            … さとうーさん　の　えんぴつ　です。

7. Is this umbrella yours?                           この　かさ　は　あなた　の　ですか。

…No, it’s not mine.                                      … いいえ、わたし　の　じゃ　ありません。

8. Whose key is this?                                  これ　は　だれの　かぎ　ですか。

…It’s mine.                                                    … わたしの　です。

 かいわ
Conversation：This is just a token     会話 　：　ほんの　きもち　です。

Yamada　： Yes, who is it?                                  はい、どなた　ですか。

Santos　：I am Santos form (apartment) 408.　408 の　サントス　です。

            　　---------------------------------------------

Santos　：Hello, I am Santos. How do you do?　   こんにちは。サントス　です。これから　   

                   It’s nice to meet you.                           　おせわ　に　なります。どうぞ　よろしく　

            　　                            　　　　　　　　　　おねがいします。

Yamada　：The pleasure’s mine.                        　こちらこそ　よろしく。

Santos：Err, this is a little something…              　あのう、これ、ほんの　きもち　です。

Yamada：Oh, thank you. What is it?                   　あ、どうも。なんですか。

Santos：It’s coffee. Please.                                   　コーヒー　です。どうぞ。

Yamada：Thank you very much.                         　どうも　ありがとう　ございます