Friday, November 4, 2011

Slight Hiatus

Hey guys!

So, as a lot of you know, I just got my wisdom teeth removed. So I don't think I'll be posting anything for about a week while I recover. In the meantime, if anyone has any grammar points they would like me to write about in the future, please let me know!

-vicky

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Using 〜ておく, in preparation of doing something.

おく is the verb you use when you want to express that what you are doing is in preparation for something else, or doing something in advance. It is always used with a verb in て form before it, and is often paired with a 前に clause.

Examples:
パーティーの前に、食べ物を買っておきます。
I bought food before the party (in order to prepare for it).
卒業式の前に、しょうたいじょうをおくっておきます。
Before (my) Graduation Ceremony, I send out invitations (in advance).
電車に乗る前に、きっぷを買っておきます。
Before riding the train, (I) buy a ticket (in advance).
クラスに行く前に、宿題をしておきます。
I do my homework before going to class (to prepare for it).

There are also casual ways to say "ておく", these are とく and どく.
とく is used when the て-form of a verb ends with て.
Examples: たべておく→たべとく、買っておく→買っとく
どく is used when the て-form of a verb ends with で.
Examples: 飲んでおく→飲んどく、読んでおく→読んどく
Since this is a CASUAL way of saying ておきます, you will never use とく or どく in ます form, it just sounds weird.
Here are some examples:
友達が来る前に、へやをそうじしとく。
Before my friend comes, I clean my room (in preparation for their arrival).
しけんの前に、きょうかしょを読んどく。
Before the exam, I read the textbook (in preparation for it).

Using 前 and 後

前 means "before and 後 means "after", therefore you use them to talk about what happens before or after something!

Lets start with 前:
When using 前, you MUST use plain form before it.
Verbs: 食べる、飲む
Nouns: Add の: テストの、結婚式の
Also, there is an optional particle of "に" after it.
食べる前に、”いっただきます”といいます。
Before eating, (I) say "ittadakimasu".
旅行に行く前に、飛行機のチケットを買います。
Before going on a trip, (I) buy an airplane ticket.
テストの前に、勉強します。
Before the test, (I) study.

Now for 後:
When using 後, you MUST use plain past form!
Verbs: 食べた、飲んだ
Nouns: Add "の": テストの、結婚式の
Also, there is an optional particle "で" after it.
食べた後で、“ごちそうさまでした”といいます.
After eating, (I) say "gochisoosamadeshita".
結婚した後で、家を買います。
After getting married, (I) buy a house.
テストの後で、家に帰ります。
After the test, (I) go home.

Using ~てしまう to express regret or completion of something

The verb しまう, can be used two different ways. The first is to express completion of something, and the second is to express regret that you did something.
The way to use it in grammar is the same for both uses, so you will have to look at the context of the sentence to figure out the meaning.

しまう is an う verb, so it conjugates like this:
ますform: しまいます
Past form: しまいました
Plain form: しまう
Past plain: しまった
Volitional form: しまおう

When using しまう, you must use a verb in て form in front of it.
Here are some examples:

お酒を飲みすぎてしまいました。
I (regrettably) drank too much.

レポートを書いてしまった。
I finished writing my report.

ノートをわすれてしまった。
I (regrettably) forgot my notebook.

晩ご飯を作ってしまいました。
I finished cooking dinner.

Note: The clause before しまう MUST be something that you have ALREADY done! Even if you are expressing regret, it must be regret about something that has already happened.

Casual form of しまう: ちゃう and じゃう
The casual form of しまう depends on the verb that comes before it.
If the てform ends in て, like 食べて or 買って, then the て+しまう turns into ちゃう.
Examples:
ケーキを食べちゃう。
三十ドルのかばんを買っちゃた。
BUT.
If the て form ends in で, like 飲んで or 読んで, then the で+ しまう turns into じゃう.
Examples:
お酒を飲んじゃった。
本を読んじゃう。

Monday, October 3, 2011

Stem form

Stem form is EASY.
Take a verb, any verb, it doesn't matter if it's う or る.
Got the verb? Ok. Is it in ます form? No? Put it in ます form.
Now drop the ます.
That's stem form!

EX:
たべます→ たべ
のみます→ のみ
いきます→ いき
ねます→ ね
します→ し
およぎます→ およぎ

Purpose using に

This is a basic way of saying,
"I'm going somewhere to do something."

LOCATION に PURPOSE に MOTION VERB.

The first に marks the location that you are going/coming from.
The second に marks your purpose.

I the "purpose" part of the sentence, you must use STEM FORM or an activity noun of a verb.

EX: 
Location    に         PURPOSE        に    MOTION VERB
    うち       に    ばんごはんをたべ    に    かえります。
                     I go home to eat dinner

がっこう     に   しゅくだいをだし     に    いきます。
        I go to school to turn in my homework.

とうきょう  に    ともだちにあい       に    きます。
           I come to Tokyo to meet my friend.

スーパー     に         かいもの           に   いきます。
            I go to the supermarket to shop.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Using もう and まだ

もう and まだ have different meanings depending on if the ending verb is negative or affirmative.

Here is the first way you can use them:
もう〜affirmative = already
まだ〜negative = not yet

Here are some examples:
A: ばんごはんをもうたべましたか。
   Have you already eaten dinner?
B: いいえ、まだたべていません。
No, I have not eaten yet.
OR
B: はい、もうたべました。
Yes, I have already eaten.

A: このクラスをもうとりましたか。
Have you already taken this class?
B: いいえ、まだとっていません。
No, I have not taken it yet.
OR
B: はい、もうとりました。
Yes, I have already taken it.

The second way to use them is this:
もう〜negative = not anymore
まだ〜affirmative = still

Here are some examples:
A: あのレストランでまだアルバイトをしていますか。
Do you still work part time at that restaurant? 
B: いいえ、もうしていません。
No, not anymore.
OR
B: はい、まだしています。
Yes, I am still doing it.

A: あのひとがまだすきですか。
Do you still like that person?
B: いいえ、もうすきじゃありません。
No, I don't like them anymore.
OR
B: はい、まだすきです。
Yes, I still like them.

Monday, September 26, 2011

The basic functions of を, に/へ, and で

There are a few basic sentence structures that you learn with these particles.

location に/へ motion verb.
Ex: としょかんにいきます。/としょかんへいきます。Go to the library.
The に/へ here marks the destination you have.
NOTE: The particle へ is pronounced as え.

location で action verb.
Ex: うちでねます。Sleep at home.
The で here marks the location that you are doing something.

indirect object を action verb.
Ex: みずをのみます。Drink water.
The を here marks the indirect object, showing that you are doing something to something else.

You can combine the above two to make sentences like this:

location で indirect object を action verb.
Ex: レストランでばんごはんをたべます。Eat dinner at a restaurant.
NOTE: When combining these, you MUST keep the particles with the works they are marking.
レストランで/ばんごはんを/たべます。
Technically you can mix these around, as long as the action verb stays at the end, but I would not recommend it as it gets confusing and can sound a bit odd.

A LOT OF PEOPLE MIX UP に AND で
The easiest way I have found to remember which is which is that a location with に has a motion verb at the end and a location that has で has an action verb at the end.

This may change once you learn more complicated grammar, BUT if you are taking Japanese 120 and using Nakama 1a, REMEMBER THIS

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

て-form made easy!

So, in Japanese grammar, one of the most basic verb conjugations always seems to be the most confusing. I get lots and lots of students from all levels of Japanese asking me how the hell they can conjugate to て-form.
Here's how!

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW DICTIONARY FORM YET:
Sorry, it's harder for you guys...

First, you need to know the difference between a う-verb and an る-verb:

う-verbs end in います sounds: いきます、あそびます、かきます、so on and so forth.

While る-verbs end in えます sounds: たべます、いれます、かけます
THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS: みます、おきます、and あびます are all る-verbs even though they end with an います sound!

Now on to CONJUGATION!

Irregular verbs:
します→して
きます→きて
NOTE: Any nouns that get します added to them are IRREGULAR. Ex: べんきょうします、りょうりします all conjugate to して

る-verbs:
ます→て
Examples:
いれます→いれて
みます→みて
たべます→たべて
かけます→かけて
おきます→おきて

Easy, right?

Now on to the verbs that confuse the hell out of everyone...

う(u)-verbs:
There are quite a few sub-categories of う-verbs, so I will separate them:

Ends with します→して
Examples:
はなします→はなして

Ends with きます→いて
Examples:
ききます→きいて
かきます→かいて
はきます→はいて
NOTE: If the き before ます is VOICED (ぎ), then the て becomes voiced as well (で)
Example:
およぎます→およいで

Ends with ります or います→って
Examples:
とります→とって
つくります→つくって
いいます→いって
かいます→かって

Ends with みます or びます→んで
Examples:
よみます→よんで
のみます→のんで
あそびます→あそんで
よびます→よんで

EXEPTION!!!
いきます, although it ends in きます, conjugates into いって. REMEMBER THIS!
いきます→いって

IF YOU KNOW DICTIONARY FORM:
It's a LOT easier for you!

る-verbs
Drop る and add て.
Ex: たべる→たべて、おきる→おきて、みる→みて

う-verbs:
Ends with す→して
Ex: はなす→はなして

Ends with く→いて
Ex: かく→かいて、きく→きいて
NOTE: If it ends with ぐ, then the て becomes voiced. Ex: およぐ→およいで

Ends with る or う→って
Ex: とる→とって、つくる→つくって、かう→かって、いう→いって

Ends with む or ぶ→んで
Ex:よむ→よんで、のむ→のんで、あそぶ→あそんで、よぶ→よんで

EXCEPTION!!! Even though いく ends with く、it gets conjugated as if it was る or う
いく→いって
Please memorize this~

And that is て-form in a nutshell! Please let me know if you have any questions (or found any typos...)

Friday, September 16, 2011

Languages are Weird: An Introduction

Languages are weird. Especially the English language. This blog is mostly about the adventures I have while tutoring the English language to International Students. I'll also be throwing in stories about being a Japanese Teaching Assistant and Tutor at the local Junior College.

How about I describe what I do a bit more:
English tutoring: I have many International friends, and I am constantly helping them with their English homework, or just the language in general. 99% of this takes place at Starbucks, I basically use it as my classroom/office/home/everything. I sometimes volunteer at the local ESL school and help out the students there. Also, I tutor a middle school boy from Japan.
Japanese Teaching Assistant: I TA for 2 Japanese classes at the local JC: 1st Term Japanese, and the 3rd/4th Term class (it's combined).
Japanese Tutoring: I work for the school tutoring Japanese. I get paid for this (yay!), compared to TAing, which is volunteer work.

A little about me personally: I'm 22 years old, have been studying Japanese and Psychology (as well as studying in Japan for a summer), I basically live in Starbucks, and most of my friends are International Students or Americans who (like me) want to become ESL teachers. I will be taking the Oxford Series seminars to get TESOL certified, and hopefully be able to get a job abroad...because California's economy sucks.

The reason I started this blog: I need something to keep me sane after moving back in with my parents and not having a job that is able to pay rent (hence, living with my parents).Also, there are lots of fun and interesting tidbits that I learn about languages and culture everyday, and I thought I should write them down.