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
Showing posts with label japanese words. Show all posts
Showing posts with label japanese words. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
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
orA 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
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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
http://www.rocketlanguages.com/japanese/premium/?aff=brettkun&type=nohop
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
http://www.rocketlanguages.com/japanese/premium/?aff=brettkun&type=nohop
A learning system Japanese Grammar
Japanese learning can be a joy!
If you are studying Japanese right now, and are desirous to improve your speaking ability, then this article is for you. In this article, I am going to share with you my Japanese learning method called, JPPGG or Japanese Plug and PLay Ghetto Grammar.
The benefit of using this system is that while you are building up your vocabulary you will be given the power to create exciting sentences which serve to reinforce the retention of your vocabulary and significantly increase your Japanese speaking ability. The only thing holding you back, is the amount of vocabulary that you yourself will commit to learn, and memorize.
Towards the bottom of the article, I give 10 commonly used Japanese grammar constructions that you can manipulate to 'drill and kill' your way towards better Japanese. All you have to do is plug in your favorite verb, and play.
Plug and play style of learning Japanese is a lot of fun. When first learning Japanese it seemed like an insurmountable task to learn such a different language from my own. So I took everything I was given to learn with and purposefully made it interesting in any way I could think of. I wouldn't practice this way in front of everybody, but when I was alone or with a good friend, I always had a good old time when I started messing with what words I used in the grammar I had been taught.
One thing which delighted me no matter what sentence I used it in was the word for, "to fart". Knowing that single word made the dull process of learning grammar fun. Now, learning Japanese and Japanese grammar was exciting because each new grammar meant new and funny sentence i could make. And let me tell you, I would be making funny sentences all year long which helped me get better at Japanese. For example, from the constructions below you could say, "I eat beans in order to fart." - onara suru tame ni mame o taberu - This type of sentence makes me laugh; its fun and helpful to my Japanese language learning. I mean the verb, to go, is fun and all, but other verbs, like fart, burp, burp, belch, squeak or whatever makes sentences come alive, and all the tediousness of second language learning goes away. I hoot and laugh just contemplating the potential meanings of the new and clever sentences I have constructed.
But seriously, there was a time that I would do whatever it took to improve my Japanese. Using JPPGG© in this un-orthodox way has certainly helped me achieve my Japanese language ability and Japanese vocabulary goals. I now boast a vocabulary of over 7000 words using my plug and play system.
Below are just 10 Japanese grammar principles for you to start plugging your vocabulary into. I will give more in later articles, but for now here are 10 really basic ones. These construction all use verbs in their plain form or base III. If you aren't familiar yet with these terms, base III verbs are your every day action verbs taken straight from a dictionary. They have yet to be conjugated or altered in any way. To use the JPPGG©, just pick and choose some verbs that you know or look them up as you like, then plug them into the constructions and start making your own unique sentences.
*If you are serious about learning Japanese, I recommend getting a dictionary. If you are unsure which kind to buy, I recommend dictionaries from Sanseido Press. There are basically two types of dictionaries. The Wa-Ei (Japanese to English) dictionary, or, the Ei-Wa (English to Japanese) dictionary. Larger dictionaries that contain both the Ei-Wa and Wa-Ei in a single volume are also available. The average Wa-Ei Dictionary costs around US $14.
Also called plain form verbs, base III verbs always ends by iteself or in some sort of u vowel ending syllable cluster like, u, ku, gu, su, zu, tsu, tzu, bu, fu, mu, nu, yu, etc. Feel free to plug any verb that you are fond of into these JPPGG© constructions. Using 'off the wall' verbs like skate boarding, surfing, frying, laying, squatting, will help you retain the essential Japanese grammar longer over time in your long term memory. In this way your vocabulary will have time to develop without being stagnated by your grammar ability (if that made any sense). I guarantee that you will not only have a blast making sentences and learning Japanese in this way, but you wlll also remember your vocabulary words faster, and retain them longer.
Don't feel obligated to use common verbs. Instead, think of some neat, obscure verb that you would like to use then look it up in the dic (as my mom used to like to call it) and go for it! Be a rebel! I dare you to get out of that old school mentality and utilize some word like, onara suru (v. to fart). Nobody will ever know what you are saying unless you take it outside and use it on somebody but hey, even the great Tennoheika, or Emporer himself has occasions where he will honorifically fart. What would you say then? Small asides, jokes of no consequence here --- So get on with the grammar Makurasuki Sensei Geeze maneeze---
**Preliminary one point ghetto advice from a plug and play master **
- wa is the particle that I have always defined as , "As for ~" where ~ is anything at all, even nothing. Although there is not always an exact equivalent for a Japanese word to some words in English, I have found that thinking of the Japanese word, 'koto' as "the thing of ~". So koto ga and koto wa together, its meaning does sound weird to the ears of a gaijin (foreigner), as tripped out as any English we have ever heard might be, but you learn to accept these kinds of differences between languages because we know that a little disregard for proper sounds will help with our eventual improvement in our Japanese speaking ability.
As of yet I have found no better way of describing these Japanese words in English, and they seem to be sufficient interpretations in the situations in which they were used.. Again, although they might at first sound a little awkward, we overlook the formalities for our long range goals of Japanese language mastery, and we get over it. This is JPPGG%uFF69, It won't cost you anything but a commitment to self and a little time, and plus, if it works--- it is beautiful. Back to seriousville here, geez, Koto wa or koto ga could roughly be translated as "As for the thing of~ ".
1. Verb(base III) koto ga, koto wa - the thing of verb, the thing of verbing
2. Verb(base III) tame ni - in order to verb
3. Verb(base III) mae ni - before I verb, before verbing.
4. Verb(base III) koto ga arimasu - Sometimes I verb
5. Verb(base III) koto ga yoku arimasu - I do a lot of verb or I often verb.
6. Verb(base III) koto ga amari arimasu - I don't often verb, I rarely verb.
6. Verb(base III) koto ga dekimasu - I am able to verb, I can verb
7. Verb(base III) deshou - I will probably verb, or the verb will probably happen, or it might verb.
8. Verb(base III) koto ni suru - decide to verb, I resolved within myself to verb, I have chosen to verb, etc.
9. Verb(base III) hou ga ii desu - Its better to verb, or you should verb
10. Verb(base III) yo(u) ni - so that verb, like verbing, in similitude of verbing
In the old days, when the grammar-translation methods of foreign language teaching were king, my JPPGG© and other similar methods were known as, substitution drills. I prefer to call this way of studying Japanese JPPGG©, or, Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar. Instead of substituting, we plug and instead of drilling, we play. I prefer playing to drilling any day. Hopefully by now you understand the idea behind JPPGG© and that my goal in creating this language learning system is to help you get better at Japanese in less time than it would take traditionally.
I'm big on multitasking and didn't want to see young Japanese language learners held back by the amount of vocabulary they know. Instead, my hope was that while the Japanese language learners learn more and more vocabulary (nouns, verbs, adjectives, expressions, salutations, adverbs, particles etc.) the amount of grammar knowledge they have wouldn't prevent them from being able to say at least some simple sentences. Once they understand how the constructions of the grammar principles are made, they can then make altogether new sentences, drilling home Japanese into the fibers of their being making them capable Japanese conversationalists.
The system works no matter what the name you substitute and drill or you plug and play new words into the grammar constructions as you learn them. Go ahead, drill and kill your way, or should I say, plug and play your way towards better Japanese, I dare you.
As always do your best! Ganbatte Ne! Makurasuki Sensei.
If you are studying Japanese right now, and are desirous to improve your speaking ability, then this article is for you. In this article, I am going to share with you my Japanese learning method called, JPPGG or Japanese Plug and PLay Ghetto Grammar.
The benefit of using this system is that while you are building up your vocabulary you will be given the power to create exciting sentences which serve to reinforce the retention of your vocabulary and significantly increase your Japanese speaking ability. The only thing holding you back, is the amount of vocabulary that you yourself will commit to learn, and memorize.
Towards the bottom of the article, I give 10 commonly used Japanese grammar constructions that you can manipulate to 'drill and kill' your way towards better Japanese. All you have to do is plug in your favorite verb, and play.
Plug and play style of learning Japanese is a lot of fun. When first learning Japanese it seemed like an insurmountable task to learn such a different language from my own. So I took everything I was given to learn with and purposefully made it interesting in any way I could think of. I wouldn't practice this way in front of everybody, but when I was alone or with a good friend, I always had a good old time when I started messing with what words I used in the grammar I had been taught.
One thing which delighted me no matter what sentence I used it in was the word for, "to fart". Knowing that single word made the dull process of learning grammar fun. Now, learning Japanese and Japanese grammar was exciting because each new grammar meant new and funny sentence i could make. And let me tell you, I would be making funny sentences all year long which helped me get better at Japanese. For example, from the constructions below you could say, "I eat beans in order to fart." - onara suru tame ni mame o taberu - This type of sentence makes me laugh; its fun and helpful to my Japanese language learning. I mean the verb, to go, is fun and all, but other verbs, like fart, burp, burp, belch, squeak or whatever makes sentences come alive, and all the tediousness of second language learning goes away. I hoot and laugh just contemplating the potential meanings of the new and clever sentences I have constructed.
But seriously, there was a time that I would do whatever it took to improve my Japanese. Using JPPGG© in this un-orthodox way has certainly helped me achieve my Japanese language ability and Japanese vocabulary goals. I now boast a vocabulary of over 7000 words using my plug and play system.
Below are just 10 Japanese grammar principles for you to start plugging your vocabulary into. I will give more in later articles, but for now here are 10 really basic ones. These construction all use verbs in their plain form or base III. If you aren't familiar yet with these terms, base III verbs are your every day action verbs taken straight from a dictionary. They have yet to be conjugated or altered in any way. To use the JPPGG©, just pick and choose some verbs that you know or look them up as you like, then plug them into the constructions and start making your own unique sentences.
*If you are serious about learning Japanese, I recommend getting a dictionary. If you are unsure which kind to buy, I recommend dictionaries from Sanseido Press. There are basically two types of dictionaries. The Wa-Ei (Japanese to English) dictionary, or, the Ei-Wa (English to Japanese) dictionary. Larger dictionaries that contain both the Ei-Wa and Wa-Ei in a single volume are also available. The average Wa-Ei Dictionary costs around US $14.
Also called plain form verbs, base III verbs always ends by iteself or in some sort of u vowel ending syllable cluster like, u, ku, gu, su, zu, tsu, tzu, bu, fu, mu, nu, yu, etc. Feel free to plug any verb that you are fond of into these JPPGG© constructions. Using 'off the wall' verbs like skate boarding, surfing, frying, laying, squatting, will help you retain the essential Japanese grammar longer over time in your long term memory. In this way your vocabulary will have time to develop without being stagnated by your grammar ability (if that made any sense). I guarantee that you will not only have a blast making sentences and learning Japanese in this way, but you wlll also remember your vocabulary words faster, and retain them longer.
Don't feel obligated to use common verbs. Instead, think of some neat, obscure verb that you would like to use then look it up in the dic (as my mom used to like to call it) and go for it! Be a rebel! I dare you to get out of that old school mentality and utilize some word like, onara suru (v. to fart). Nobody will ever know what you are saying unless you take it outside and use it on somebody but hey, even the great Tennoheika, or Emporer himself has occasions where he will honorifically fart. What would you say then? Small asides, jokes of no consequence here --- So get on with the grammar Makurasuki Sensei Geeze maneeze---
**Preliminary one point ghetto advice from a plug and play master **
- wa is the particle that I have always defined as , "As for ~" where ~ is anything at all, even nothing. Although there is not always an exact equivalent for a Japanese word to some words in English, I have found that thinking of the Japanese word, 'koto' as "the thing of ~". So koto ga and koto wa together, its meaning does sound weird to the ears of a gaijin (foreigner), as tripped out as any English we have ever heard might be, but you learn to accept these kinds of differences between languages because we know that a little disregard for proper sounds will help with our eventual improvement in our Japanese speaking ability.
As of yet I have found no better way of describing these Japanese words in English, and they seem to be sufficient interpretations in the situations in which they were used.. Again, although they might at first sound a little awkward, we overlook the formalities for our long range goals of Japanese language mastery, and we get over it. This is JPPGG%uFF69, It won't cost you anything but a commitment to self and a little time, and plus, if it works--- it is beautiful. Back to seriousville here, geez, Koto wa or koto ga could roughly be translated as "As for the thing of~ ".
1. Verb(base III) koto ga, koto wa - the thing of verb, the thing of verbing
2. Verb(base III) tame ni - in order to verb
3. Verb(base III) mae ni - before I verb, before verbing.
4. Verb(base III) koto ga arimasu - Sometimes I verb
5. Verb(base III) koto ga yoku arimasu - I do a lot of verb or I often verb.
6. Verb(base III) koto ga amari arimasu - I don't often verb, I rarely verb.
6. Verb(base III) koto ga dekimasu - I am able to verb, I can verb
7. Verb(base III) deshou - I will probably verb, or the verb will probably happen, or it might verb.
8. Verb(base III) koto ni suru - decide to verb, I resolved within myself to verb, I have chosen to verb, etc.
9. Verb(base III) hou ga ii desu - Its better to verb, or you should verb
10. Verb(base III) yo(u) ni - so that verb, like verbing, in similitude of verbing
In the old days, when the grammar-translation methods of foreign language teaching were king, my JPPGG© and other similar methods were known as, substitution drills. I prefer to call this way of studying Japanese JPPGG©, or, Japanese Plug and Play Ghetto Grammar. Instead of substituting, we plug and instead of drilling, we play. I prefer playing to drilling any day. Hopefully by now you understand the idea behind JPPGG© and that my goal in creating this language learning system is to help you get better at Japanese in less time than it would take traditionally.
I'm big on multitasking and didn't want to see young Japanese language learners held back by the amount of vocabulary they know. Instead, my hope was that while the Japanese language learners learn more and more vocabulary (nouns, verbs, adjectives, expressions, salutations, adverbs, particles etc.) the amount of grammar knowledge they have wouldn't prevent them from being able to say at least some simple sentences. Once they understand how the constructions of the grammar principles are made, they can then make altogether new sentences, drilling home Japanese into the fibers of their being making them capable Japanese conversationalists.
The system works no matter what the name you substitute and drill or you plug and play new words into the grammar constructions as you learn them. Go ahead, drill and kill your way, or should I say, plug and play your way towards better Japanese, I dare you.
As always do your best! Ganbatte Ne! Makurasuki Sensei.
The Japanese Gerund
Japanese Grammar Made Easy – Base TE-て
By Brett McCluskey
Lesson #18 Insights on learning how to use the Base TE-て form of the verb.
Remembering how verbs are put into base te can be a challenging part of Japanese Grammar, but by singing the following syllables in the following order to the music of Silver Bells will help you better remember which verb ending syllable goes with what te ending.
(To be done to the music of Silver Bells, Bing Crosby’s version works well)
BU MU NU NDE
U TSU RU TTE
KU ITE
GU IDE
That’s the way we put verbs in base te ------
(Play it again Sam) repeat
*Verbs ending in BU, MU, or NU become NDE. Verbs ending in U, TSU, RU become TTE or. Verbs ending in KU become ITE and verbs ending in GU become IDE.
Verbs ending in these syllables
Become these base Te endings
BU, MU, NU
NDE
U, TSU, RU
TTE
KU
ITE
GU
IDE
Here are a few examples of putting a verb into base te. The first example, asobu ends in bu so you can either use the above chart or sing the song!
Ex. 1. asobu - to play – becomes asonde
1. asonde iru = playing
2. asonde kudasai = please play
3. asonde wa naranai = you can’t play here, its against the rules to play
Ex. 2. kamu – to chew – becomes kande
1. kande iru – chewing
2. kande kudasai – please chew
3. kande wa naranai – you mustn’t chew
Ex. 3. shinu - to die – becomes shinde
1. shinde iru – dying
2. shinde kudasai – please die
3. shinde wa naranai – you mustn’t die
Ex 4. harau – to pay - becomes haratte
1. haratte iru – paying
2. haratte kudasai – please pay
3. haratte wa naranai – you had better not pay.
Ex 5. inoru – to pray – becomes inotte
1. inotte iru – praying
2. inotte kudasai – please pray
3. inotte wa naranai – its bad to pray here
Ex 6. utsu – to hit becomes utte
1. utte iru – hitting
2. utte kudasai – please hit
3. utte wa naranai - its bad to hit here
Ex 7. hataraku – to work – becomes hataraite
1. hataraite iru – working
2. hataraite kudasai – please work
3. hataraite wa naranai – it is forbidden for you to work.
Ex 8. oyogu – to swim – becomes oyoide
1. oyoide iru – swimming
2. oyoide kudasai – please swim
3. oyoide wa naranai – you shouldn’t swim around here
Ganbatte ne! Do your best
Makuarsuki Sensei yori,
By Brett McCluskey
Lesson #18 Insights on learning how to use the Base TE-て form of the verb.
Remembering how verbs are put into base te can be a challenging part of Japanese Grammar, but by singing the following syllables in the following order to the music of Silver Bells will help you better remember which verb ending syllable goes with what te ending.
(To be done to the music of Silver Bells, Bing Crosby’s version works well)
BU MU NU NDE
U TSU RU TTE
KU ITE
GU IDE
That’s the way we put verbs in base te ------
(Play it again Sam) repeat
*Verbs ending in BU, MU, or NU become NDE. Verbs ending in U, TSU, RU become TTE or. Verbs ending in KU become ITE and verbs ending in GU become IDE.
Verbs ending in these syllables
Become these base Te endings
BU, MU, NU
NDE
U, TSU, RU
TTE
KU
ITE
GU
IDE
Here are a few examples of putting a verb into base te. The first example, asobu ends in bu so you can either use the above chart or sing the song!
Ex. 1. asobu - to play – becomes asonde
1. asonde iru = playing
2. asonde kudasai = please play
3. asonde wa naranai = you can’t play here, its against the rules to play
Ex. 2. kamu – to chew – becomes kande
1. kande iru – chewing
2. kande kudasai – please chew
3. kande wa naranai – you mustn’t chew
Ex. 3. shinu - to die – becomes shinde
1. shinde iru – dying
2. shinde kudasai – please die
3. shinde wa naranai – you mustn’t die
Ex 4. harau – to pay - becomes haratte
1. haratte iru – paying
2. haratte kudasai – please pay
3. haratte wa naranai – you had better not pay.
Ex 5. inoru – to pray – becomes inotte
1. inotte iru – praying
2. inotte kudasai – please pray
3. inotte wa naranai – its bad to pray here
Ex 6. utsu – to hit becomes utte
1. utte iru – hitting
2. utte kudasai – please hit
3. utte wa naranai - its bad to hit here
Ex 7. hataraku – to work – becomes hataraite
1. hataraite iru – working
2. hataraite kudasai – please work
3. hataraite wa naranai – it is forbidden for you to work.
Ex 8. oyogu – to swim – becomes oyoide
1. oyoide iru – swimming
2. oyoide kudasai – please swim
3. oyoide wa naranai – you shouldn’t swim around here
Ganbatte ne! Do your best
Makuarsuki Sensei yori,
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