Japanese Jungle

7. N1 desuka, N2 desuka? This structure pattern is used for making alternative questions. An alternative question is a type of question that offers the listener a choice between two. Don't use Yes or No when you answer the alternative question. Instead, respond with one of the alternative words or phrases in the question. This structure pattern is equivalent to "This or That questions" in English. A: リンさんは 学生ですか 、 先生ですか。      Rin-san wa gakusē desuka , sensē desuka ?  Is Ling a student or a teacher? B: リンさんは学生です。 Rin-san wa gakusē desu. Ling is a student. A: （あなたは） ジョンさんですか 、 エリックさんですか 。       (anata wa) Jon-san desuka , Erikku-san desuka ? Are you John or Eric? B: 私はエリックです。 watashi wa Erikku desu. I am Eric. A: これは 絵ですか 、 写真ですか 。  kore wa e desuka , shashin desuka ?      Is this a painting or photograph? B: それは写真です。 sore wa shashin desu. It is a photograph. In cases where you cannot assume two choices, use WH question word...

 6. kore/sore/are wa nan desuka? In Japanese, you can ask about the name of an object using a simple structure. By combining the words " これ kore" (this), " それ sore" (that), or " あれ are" (that over there) with the question word " なん nan" (what), you can easily inquire about objects.  To ask about the name of an object, you can use the following structure: A: これはなんですか？ (Kore wa nan desu ka?) - What is this? B: それはめがねです。 (Sore wa megane desu.) - It's glasses. In the first question, " これ kore" (this) is used to refer to an object near the speaker. By combining it with " なんですか nan desu ka?" (what is it?), you can ask, "What is this?" In response, " それ sore" (that) is used to point out that the object in question is glasses and refer to an object near the listener (A). When asking about an object that is further away from the speaker, use the following structure: A: あれはなんですか？ (Are wa nan desu ka?) ...

5. kore/sore/are wa N desu. "kore/sore/are wa N desu" is used to talk about a name of an object using the demonstrative pronouns kore ( これ ), sore ( それ ), and are ( あれ ).  Kore (this) - We use "kore" when we want to talk about something that is close to the speaker. kore wa shāpupen desu. これ はシャープペンです。 This is a mechanical pencil. Sore (that) - When we want to talk about something that is close to the listener, we use "sore." sore wa shūsēeki desu. それ はしゅうせいえきです。 That is a whiteout (/correction) fluid. Are (that over there) - If we want to talk about something far from the speaker and listener, we use "are." are wa nōto desu. あれ はノートです。 That is a notebook. Let's see some examples of conversations using these pronouns: A: sore wa bōrupen desu ka? それ はボールペンですか。 Is that a ballpoint pen? B: hai sōdesu. kore wa bōrupen desu. はい、そうです。 これ はボールペンです。 Yes, it is. This is a ballpoint pen. A: are wa e desu ka? あれ は絵ですか？ Is that over there a pictu...

4. N1 mo N2 desu N1 も N2 です。 This sentence structure is used to refer to another topic, and it means "also" or "too." 私は学生です。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu.) - I am a student. リンさん も 学生です。 (Rin-san mo gakusei desu.) - Ling is also a student. 私は学生です。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu.) - I am a student. リンさん も 学生ですか？ (Rin-san mo gakusei desu ka?) - Ling, are you a student too? 私は会社員ではありません。 (Watashi wa kaishain dewa arimasen.) - I am not a company employee. リンさん も 会社員ではありません。 (Rin-san mo kaishain dewa arimasen.) - Ling is not a company employee either. You can use " も " in both negative and question sentences. However, when answering a question in the negative form, you need to change " も " to " は " (wa). A: 私は学生です。田中さん も 学生ですか？ (Watashi wa gakusei desu. Tanaka-san mo gakusei desu ka?) - I am a student. Is Mr. Tanaka a student too? B: いいえ、彼 は 学生ではありません。 (Īe, kare wa gakusei dewa arimasen.) - No, he is not a student. Note that you sho...

3. N1 wa N2 desuka? In Japanese, we use "N1 wa N2 desuka" to ask questions. A: (anata wa) Maiku-san desuka? Are you Mike?
 B: hai (watashi wa) Maiku desu. Yes, I am. Add "ka" to the end of a sentence to form a question. For instance, "anata wa Maiku-san desuka?" means "Are you Mike?" To reply, you can omit "watashi wa" if it's clear who is being referred to. So, if asked, "Maiku-san desuka?" you can answer with "hai, Maiku desu." When responding "yes," use "hai" followed by an affirmative sentence. For "no," use "īe" followed by a negative sentence. A: Chin-san wa sensē desuka? Is Chen a teacher?
 B: īe Chin-san wa sensē dewa arimasen. No, Chen isn't a teacher. You can also use "hai sō desu" to answer "N1 wa N2 desu ka" questions. A: Maiku-san desuka? Are you Mike?
 B: hai, Maiku desu. Yes, I am. However, note that "hai sō desu" cannot be u...

2. N1 wa N2 dewa arimasen "N1 wa N2 dewa arimasen," is used to express a negative sentence. It's the opposite of the affirmative sentence pattern, "N1 wa N2 desu." Let's look at some examples: Watashi wa Maiku dewa arimasen . (I am not Mike.) Watashi wa nihonjin dewa arimasen . (I am not Japanese.) Watashi wa gakusē dewa arimasen . (I am not a student.) You can use this pattern with people's names or pronouns as N1. However, it's not polite to use pronouns like "anata/anatatachi" to refer to someone senior to you. Instead, you should use their surname with "-san." For example, if someone's name is Tanaka, you should call them "Tanaka-san." If you want to address a group of people, you can use "minasan (everyone)." In daily conversation, we also use "N1 wa N2 ja arimasen" instead of "N1 wa N2 dewa arimasen." For example: Watashi wa Maiku ja arimasen. (I am not Mike.) That's a...