Japanese/Lessons/Introduction/Konnichiwa/Noun predicates

In this unit, you will learn how to make sentences using noun predicates. Try It Duration: 2 minutes Say the following sentences in Japanese by simply adding desu です to each word in parentheses. Then do the same in informal Japanese by adding da だ to each word. I am Japanese. (日本人 にほんじん nihon-jin) That is a box. (箱 はこ hako) This is a book. (本 ほん hon) You are a genius. (天才 てんさい tensai) He is a friend. (友達 ともだち tomodachi) We are students. (学生 がくせい gakusei) They are doctors. (医者 いしゃ isha) Those are donuts. (ドーナツ doonatsu) These are chestnuts. (栗 くり kuri) She is a police officer. (警察官 けいさつかん keisatsukan) It is Monday. (月曜日 げつようび getsuyoubi) I'll have coffee. (コーヒー koohii) There's a car. (車 くるま kuruma) Note: Using da だ to end your sentences can convey a somewhat masculine tone. Often women will drop the da だ entirely in informal speech, so that the noun itself becomes the predicate. Watch and Listen Duration: 2 minutes Listen to the following conversation while reading along and see how much you understand. Japanese with Furigana 幸一 こういち: はじめまして。松井 まつい幸一 こういちです。 智子 ともこ: 野口 のぐち智子 ともこです。よろしくお願 ねが いします。 幸一 こういち: よろしくお願 ねが いします。学生 がくせいさんですか？ 智子 ともこ: はい、そうです。四 よ年生 ねんせいです。幸一 こういちさんは？ 幸一 こういち: 三 さん年生 ねんせいです。 English Translation Kouichi: Pleased to meet you. I'm Kouichi Matsui. Tomoko: I'm Tomoko Noguchi. I hope everything goes well. Kouichi: I hope everything goes well. Are you a student? Tomoko: Yes, I am. I'm Grade 4. And you, Kouichi? Kouichi: I'm Grade 3. Explain Duration: 5 minutes Predicates English Predicates In English, we learn that a sentence consists of a subject and a predicate. The predicate of a sentence indicates what the subject is, what the subject does, or what happens to the subject. For example, in the English sentence: John is a baseball player. The subject is "John", and the predicate is "is a baseball player". The sentence is about John, but it states that John is something, namely he "is a baseball player." In English, the predicate of a simple sentence starts with the verb and continues to the end of the sentence. Japanese Predicates In Japanese, a complete sentence must have a predicate, but the subject can be implied rather than stated, which is exactly the case more often than not. The Japanese equivalent of the above sentence would be (informal/formal ending): ジョンは野球 やきゅう選手 せんしゅだ/です。 Jon wa yakyuu senshu da / desu. However, if you were already talking about John, his name would not be mentioned again and the sentence would be shortened to: 野球 やきゅう選手 せんしゅだ/です。 Yakyuu senshu da / desu. In Japanese, when you want to form a predicate with a noun, the structure to use is: +Noun Predicate Formation Type of speech Japanese Roomaji Formal NOUN です NOUN desu Informal NOUN だ NOUN da Vocabulary The following lists contain nouns which may be useful in your study. vocabulary Japanese/Vocabulary/Vocations Japanese/Vocabulary/Country names Japanese/Vocabulary/Classroom objects Practice Practice: Using formal speech, do the following exercises. Follow the links provided or ask the teacher for any necessary vocabulary. State your name. State your vocation. State your nationality by adding 人 じん -jin to the name of your country. Point at three different objects, and state what they are. Example: スーです。 Suu desu. I am Sue. 大学生 だいがくせいです。 Daigakusei desu. I am a university student. イギリス人 じんです。 Igirisu-jin desu. I'm from the U.K. (lit. I'm a British) いすです。　えんぴつです。　テレビです。 Isu desu. Enpitsu desu. Terebi desu. That is a chair. That is a pencil. That is a TV. Practice: Repeat the previous exercise, this time using informal speech. Example: トムだ。 Tomu da. I am Tom. 弁護士 べんごしだ。 Bengoshi da. I am a lawyer. アメリカ人 じんだ。 Amerikajin da. I'm an American. 窓 まどだ。　机 つくえだ。　木 きだ。 Mado da. Tsukue da. Ki da. That is a window. That is a desk. That is a tree. Conversation: Have a conversation similar to the one in the Watch and Listen section with a neighbor, only substitute your own words in. Discuss Duration: 2 minutes Please post any questions you may have here, and a contributor will answer them. ja Japanese