How to say, "I Think So..." in Japanese

A Lesson in Basic Japanese Grammar

To say the English phrase, I THINK SO in Japanese, you would say

SOU DA TO OMOIMASU そうだと思います.

To say you think or believe something in Japanese the following grammar can be used for plug and play style sentence construction for Japanese phrases “ I think that …P.F.”

P.F. + TO OMOIMASU と 思います

P.F. or plain form can be any verb, or adjective in plain dictionary form with an ai あい,iiいい, ui う,いeiえい,oiおい ending; what is known as Base III or Plain form of a verb.

“TO” OMOIMASU と 思います - “TO” と(Pronounced like toe or tow) acts as a “”quotation device for the Japanese verb OMOU 思う. It quotes whatever comes before the “TO”, so that a Japanese sentence like iku to omoimasu 行くと 思います,would translate into I think “He is going” or I think “He is going to go”. In a similar fashion this “TO” quotation marker is used in phrases to say, as in iku to iu 行くと言う- He says, “He is going”. The only difference between iku and iu, a difference of to go and to say, the quotation marker TO stays the same.

P.F. + TO IU と言う- It is said that… or They say that…etc.

“TO” とbecomes “TTE” って, and dewa nai では ないbecomes ja nai じゃ ない in colloquial Japanese

OMOU思う - v. to think (of, about).

IU 言う - v. to say

OMOU 思う and IU言う are definitely two Japanese verbs that you will want to remember when studying Japanese. Even without purposefully seeking to understand the meaning of the words, OMOU思うor IU言う , you will eventually run into their utility. They are smack dab in the center of Japanese conversation a whole lot of the time. So take special care to notice how these two Japanese words are used. These are two words not to exclude in your studies. It is the word for what you believe in sometimes. It is the word for what you feel sometimes. In English, we may say I feel such and such a way, or I believe in this and that a way; In Japanese the verb OMOU 思うand IU言うhelp us express these things. These two Japanese verbs cover a lot of ground for their size.

OMOIMASU思います is polite form of OMOU思うin Base II + Masu ます

IIMASU 言いますis polite form of IU言う in base II + Masu ます

Examples:

1.Kirei da to omoimasu. きれいだと思います - “I think it is pretty.”

1a. Kirei da to iimasu きれいだと言います - “He says she is pretty”, or “They say it is pretty”

2.chigau to omoimasu. 違うとおもいます- “I think it is different.”, or “ I beg to differ”; more literally “I think that it may differ.”

2a.Chigau to iimasu 違うと言います - “They say it is different.”

3.muzukashii to omou*. 難しいと思う- “I think it is difficult “

3a.muzukashii to iu 難しいと言う- “They say it is hard. “

4.sugoi to omou! 凄いと思う! - “I think that is great!”

4a. sugoi to iu 凄いと言う- “They say it is great!”

5.O kotowari suru to omoimasu. お断りするとおもいます- “I think that I will humbly bow out of this one”, or “I think I pass on this one”, or “ I think I'll humbly reject this”.

5a.O kotowari suru to iu お断りすると言う- “He'll say no!”

•The Japanese verbs OMOU思うand IU言う, in dictionary form, are not as polite as the verb Base II + Masu construction. Always keep your language in crispy polite shape by using Base II + Masu construction.

Another use of OMOU 思うcomes in the form of suspicion. DEWA NAI KA TO OMOUではないかと思う- means to suspect that something is true, or more literally “I think it might not be…or that it isn't.”

Examples:

1.Okii dewa nai ka to omotta 大きいではないかと思った- I thought it was big, or I suspected that it might have been big.

2.Iku no dewa nai ka to omoimasu 行くのではないか と思います- I didn't think he was going to go, or I suspect he is probably going.

Good luck making new sentences with this Japanese Grammar Lesson

As Always,

Ganbatte Ne!

Do Your Best!

Makurasuki.

The mo particle in Japanese grammar

By adding the syllable mo (inclusive particle) to the following interrogatives supplement will help you increase your Japanese vocabulary by showing how to branch off known words to make many new ones. First, memorize the question words. Who, what, where ,when, how many, Have fun!

Question word + mo with + positive verb with – negative verb
dare + mo anyone nobody
nani +mo anything nothing
doko + mo everywhere, anywhere nowhere
itsu + mo all the time, always none of the time, never
nannin + mo many people, a bunch of people not many people

Question word +demo with + positive verb with – negative verb
dochi + demo whichever none of them
nani +demo anything nothing
doko + demo wherever nowhere
itsu + demo whenever none of the time, never
nannin + demo however many people not many people

Verb(base TE) + mo with + positive verb with – negative verb
dare + mo anyone nobody
nani +mo anything nothing
doko + mo everywhere, anywhere nowhere
itsu + mo all the time, always none of the time, never
nannin + mo many people, a bunch of people not many people

Dochi or which? If asked as a question The participle mo represents inclusiveness. The English equivalent being the words also or too. The mo particle does much mnore than it would seem at first glance. Mo might seem like just some your run of the mill uninspiring particle like ka, ga, wa, o, or no. However this very unordinary syllable has so many functions, mo is a grammar book unto itself.

Lets discuss some uses via example.
Example sentances using the mo particle

Ex. 1. Daremo imasen. Nobody is home
Ex. 2. Watakushi mo motte iru. I have one too, or I got one too.
Ex. 3. Nihongo no benkyo wa itsumo shite iru no desu ka? Itsumo to iu yori wa tama ni benkyo shika shinai. A so desu ka? Dakara mada nihongo ga heta nan desu yo ne!
Are you always studying your Japanese. Well, not quite always, occasionally would be a better word for my study. Is that right? That's why your Japanese still sucks so bad.
Ex. 4 Nanika motte kita? Gomen jikan ga nakute nanimo motte konakatta.
Did you bring something? I'm sorry, I didn't have time so I couldn't bring anything.

Japanese grammar learning

Japanese Grammar Plug and Play
Japanese Lesson #89– Verb (Base I) + ZU NI IRARENAI (Verb + ず に いられない)
(I can’t help but verb)

Today’s Japanese grammar lesson makes use of verbs in Base I. Verbs put into base I always end with the syllable, A (あ) (Pronounced aw as in awful, or awesome). We could think of verbs in Base I as links to negative states or conditions in verbs. Verbs in Base I are usually followed by the word NAI ( ない)- Nai is comparable to the English word not. For example, in English, we say that we can do something or we can not do something, or we say that we will do something, or, will not do something.

- As verbs in Base III tend toward affirmative, verb in Base I tend toward the negative -

The verb to be able to, or, DEKIRU (できる) in base III is positive affirmative, while DEKINAI, which is DEKIRU in Base I + nai is not positive nor affirmative, but negative. Base I forms are like linkage for putting words in their not positive, not affirmative conditions.

DEKINAI (できない) is to CAN’T as
DEKIRU (できる) is to CAN.

SHINAI (しない) is to WON’T DO as
SURU (する) is to WILL DO.

In order to put verbs into bases, it’s necessary to understand the difference between Ichidan 一段verbs ( vowel stemmed verbs) and Yo^dan ようだん or Godan verbs (consonant stemmed verbs). I was taught that there exists three types of verbs but these types are unrelated to the three types of English verbs. In English, the three types of verbs are passive, active and forms of the copula- to be. In Japanese you have kami ichidan katsuyo verbs, godan katsuyo verbs and irregular verbs.


Examples:

1. KANASHIKATTA NODE NAKAZU NI IRARENAI -
悲しかったので泣かずにいられない
I was so sad, I couldn’t help but cry.

NAKU ( 泣く)– v. to cry
in Base I – NAKA ( 泣か)
NAKA + ZU + NI IRARENAI 泣かずにいられない

2. GAMAN DEKINAKUNATTA NODE KAERAZU NI IRARENAI –
我慢できなくなったので帰らずにいられない
Things got so bad, I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t help but go back home.

KAERU ( 帰る)– v. to return home, to go back
in Base I, KAERA ( 帰ら)
KAERA + ZU NI IRARENAI 帰らずにいられない

3. TAIHEN BYO^KI NI NATTA NODE, HAKIDASAZU NI IRARENAI –
大変病気になったので吐き出さずにいられない
I got so sick I couldn’t help but throw-up.

HAKIDASU (吐き出す) – v. to throw up, vomit, spit out
in Base I, HAKIDASA (吐き出さ)
HAKIDASA+ ZU NI IRARENAI 吐き出さずにいられない

4. KIITE ITA ONGAKU WA SUGOKU OMOSHIROKATTA NODE, ODORAZU NI IRARENAI –
聞いていた音楽は凄く面白かったので躍らずにいられない
The music was we were listening to was so good, I couldn’t help but dance.

ODORU ( 躍る)– v. To dance
in Base I, ODORA (躍ら)
ODORA + ZU NI IRARENAI 躍らずにいられない


These examples are extreme to show that you can make up any type of sentence you want using the grammar practice constructions and it will benefit your Japanese language skills immensely useful. There you have it! Another plug and play grammar principle you can use to add to your arsenal of Japanese language weaponry, which, depending on you, can take you yet another step towards better Japanese.

As Always,
Ganbatte Ne! 頑張ってね!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki マクラスキー


http://squidoo.com/ichinisan
learn to count in Japanese

http://squidoo.com/ghettogrammar
some quick Japanese grammar

http://eikaiwa.blogspot.com
Reverse English learning for Japanese Speakers

http://saketalkie.blogspot.com candid discussions on all sorts of Japanese topics especially how to speak Japanese

http://japanetics.blogspot.com
study Japanese with the help of you- Super Japanese accelerated language learning 3 cubed

for other language speakers that want to learn Japanese, try the following

http://italianjapanese.blogspot.com
or
http://spanishjapanese.blogspot.com

or
http://russianjapanese.blogspot.com

Japanese Grammar

Some Base III Japanese Grammar

Base III - koto ga arimasu - sometimes I do
Base III + koto ga yoku arimasu often verb
Base III + koto ga amari arimasen - don't often verb
Base III + tame ni - for verb's sake, in order to verb
Base III + yo^ ni - so that verb
Base III + koto ga dekiru - able to verb

P.F. + desho^ - Probably verb

How to make a wish in Japanese - Japanese Grammar ii noni

How to Make Wishes in Japanese
or How to say , "If I could only verb" in Japanese.

Base IV + ba ii no ni

or
A verb in its conditional state + ii no ni + ば いい の に
To wish (something), (I wish I could verb, despite it being cool)

Any form of the Japanese conditional will suffice. The use of nara is also acceptable. The Japanese conditional being either a verb in base IV as in iku -->? ik(e) (baseIV) + ba = ikeba or if (I) go or verb in base TA + RA, so that iku --> itta + ra or ittara

The verb iku 行く in base IV is 行け
- add the conditional extendor ば to the base so that 行け + ば = 行けば

ikeba ii no ni 行けば いい のに -
It would have been cool if I could have went, or I wish I could have gone.
literally this phrase means something more like Despite it being good, if I go.

In the same way you may say it this way, iku in base TA is itta
- add ra to form the conditional. So that
itta + ra = ittara
- than add ii no ni to complete the phrase that you wish would happen.
行った + ら = 行ったら

I have always Below are some examples to get you going. Make your own interesting sentences. Make questions out of them. Use them in Japan on real Japanese people to test them out and make sure they work. You never know what you might be able to say with your new grammar construction for making wishes in Japanese.

Examples

1. Yasukattara ii noni 安かったら いいのに
- I sure hope it is cheap, (lit. if it were cheap it would be good despite the fact that its probably not.)

2. Ittara ii noni or ikeba ii noni 行ったらいいのに or 行けば いい のに
- I wish I could go

3. Kirei dattara or kirei nara ii noni きれい だったら いいのに or きれいなら
- if she were cute that would be cool, or I hope she is pretty. lit. Despite it being good if (she) is pretty.

4. Shicchan ga ittara ii noni しっちゃん が いったら いい のに
- it would be cool if shi chan (a girl whose name starts with Shi)

5. Mite mireba ii noni. 見て 見れば
- I wish you would go check it out. or It would be cool if you could go look at it.

As always,
Ganbatte ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki

TransPacific flight katakana and Japanese foreign writing systems, just kidding

To survive Japan on short notice, it will be helpful to know one of the three Japanese writing systems used in their shared communications. The third system of Japan's attempt to facilitate a writing system. It is called katakana and is used for any foreign words or any ultra modern or new words. It is to be distinguished from the other writing system, or hiragana which is used the learning tool for kanji, Japans words that are transmutable between two languages as vast apart as English and Japanese.Everyday business names especially the big car manufactures like Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, Toyota can be written in katakana, and they are more common than other types of words. Anything foreign is written in katakana. Even the word for bread, which the Japanese borrowed from the Portuguese, pan, is written in katakana. That is everything which is foreign from traditional Japanese, occurring. The giant advertisements on billboards throughout the USA and Japan seem to ride on the same trans-pacific airway. Any place you would suspect or can actual see a product that looks like it then those are the first places you will be seeing the script--o-moji.

To survive Japan on short notice, it will be helpful to know one of the three Japanese writing systems used in their shared communications. The third system of Japan's attempt to faciltate a writiing system. It is called katakana and is used for any foreign words or any ultra modern or new words. It is to be distinguished from the other writing system, or hiragana which is used the learning tool for kanji, Japans words that are transliquable between two languages as vast apart as English and Japanese.Everyday business names especially the big car manufactures like Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, Toyota can be written in katakana, and they are more common than other types of words. Anything foreign is written in katakana. Even the word for bread, which the Japanese borrowed from the portuguese, pan, is written in katakana. That is everything which is foreign from traditional Japanese, occurring. The giant advertisements on billboards throughout the USA and Japan seem to ride on the same trans-pacific airway. Any place you would suspect or can actual see a product that looks like it then those are the first places you will be seeing the script--o-moji.

How to use word association to master your tango Japanese

How to Use Word Association to Master Japanese

A good goal when learning another language is to try to remember words so that you won’t ever forget them. That last sentence contains quite a lofty goal. You make absurd associations that are meaningful to you and in this way by making absurd associations between something that reminds you of the meaning of the word in Japanese but sounds like something you can relate to in English. The more absurd the associations, the less likely you are to forget them, unless you forget the association related to the words you are memorizing. Take the following for example: tanjo^bi = birthday, anchovies have birthdays too or tan Jo be chilling cuz it’s her birthday yo wassup! Mentally picture a tan person named Jo talking ghetto cuz she be this and be that! Go berserk on absurd.

I know what you are saying. This method is nutz, and you are correct but whatever it take to memorize a word quicker and will help you retain that word so that you might use it sometime later on down the line, then more power to it, non? Hopefully you are catching my drift about this style of word, phrase memorization but through another example or two you’ll catch on. You know what I’m saying. Get down and ghetto you can speak Japanese fluently only if you try. So this tan girl or guy named Jo be hunh? She be what? Who cares! As long as you can relate meaning to sound in a way that helps you remember the word until you reach the plateau of usefulness. Once a word that is new to you in another language is used, from the very first time to the 50th time, you get better with each use of the word.

Another good method I have found that when you are practicing your conversation skills, replace during the day any word that you would want and set aside 2 hours where you speak only in the target language at all costs. In all situations I find that even with minimal to limited vocabulary knowledge, speaking words in the target language is so critical to developing fluency I can’t bear not to scream in the language, and that wasn’t too good but it helped me. I found that sometimes I didn’t have to say or gesture a thing and everything that I wanted communicated was comprehended. Through gestures too someway or another you can always get your meaning across.

You have got to have an earnest desire, and a disciplined method of study, but I find that methods like these, albeit ludicrous or seemingly absurd techniques for learning a second language work wonders for my Japanese language progression.

So now what? Simple!

Let’s say you learned the word for paper that day, or you learned the phrase ha o migaku, to brush your teeth, do you

A. Tell your mom or your roommates or whoever you live with that you are going to brush your teeth?

B. You say to them in Japanese and to all who will listen and put up with your intense desire to speak fluently the Japanese language, IIE HA O MIGAKIMASU or something to that effect?

Japanese Word Association Examples

SURU – Suru was the guy who would take over the ship in Star Trek if Captain Kirk couldn’t be there, and he was a busy guy. Suru was the guy who always was doing something. Make an association between the verb to do, and the guy named Suru on Star Trek. You’ll never forget words if they are associated in a meaningful or in some way absurdly memorable way. SURU in Japanese is the verb to do.

NEKO – imagine Cleopatra with a long neck and her long neck cat called necko or neko for short etc.

MIMI – the little girl whose ears were so cute you would always grab her by the ears O-mimi with the honorific prefix means the honorable ears, the ones affixed to your head.

DENKI – the electric light is so very tiny & dinky in Japan image etc.

Tofu can fly = TOBU means to fly, jump etc.

MUHO^SHU^ moo + hoe +shoe = free service, the cow said moo you ho, shoe get out of here this ain’t no free service – thus was born the word meaning free service - muho^shu

Young children often KURAI in the dark, I mean cry in the dark!

To sneeze is easy, in Japanese it sounds more like what we actually do than the English word to sneeze. In Japanese to sneeze is KURAKUSHON SURU (クラクション する).

The word for paint is already absurdly similar to the Japanese word Penki ペンキ.
The word for

Sometimes you as a language learner will succumb to certain idioms or language ideas that are too strong to shake. One example I know for me and a lot of other gaijin living in Japan was the word morau (貰う)– which means, to get. So When speaking to other gaijin 外人 in Japan we would speak all English until some phrase came up where we said we got something from somebody or somewhere as in

I morau’d (貰う'd) a nice silk tie from him. Or you’re always morau’ing (貰う'ing) some good stuff! Meaning - I got a tie, or You are always getting stuff etc.

One of the first Japanese phrases I remember learning was the Japanese phrase for don’t mention it or You’re Welcome - the don’t touch my mustache or Do^ itashimashite principle. I was told then that the way to remember how to say,” You’re welcome" was Don’t Touch My Mustache, which is basically the same as Do^ itashimashite with a little effort put in.

Now don’t go overboard with too crazy an association keep it just absurd or not absurd enough that will help you remember the way a word is pronounced. Don’t be going hidari maki 左巻 on us. There must be a point at which you can enter back into real study mode to pull out the real words you are after and not just what they sound like. Why would you do this? Because there will come a time when your speaking skills will not get any better until you start your journey into the Kanji. Ooh scary stuff. Just kidding, don’t let it scare you! Kanji is actually quite bitchin’ and rad!

As Always, Ganbatte Ne! Do Your Best!
Makurasuki Sensei

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