Japanese Grammar Lesson 15 - 17

Front 1

Volitional Forms

Back 1

Less formal, more casual equivalent of ましょう．You can use it to suggest a plan to a close friend.

る-verbs: Drom the final -る and add　-よう.
う-verbs: Drop the final -う and add　-おう.

Irregular verbs:
くる:　こよう
する:　しよう

Use the volitional + と思っていますto talk about determinations and suggesting an already made decision. Use the volitional + と思います to perform a decision made on the spot.

Hint 1

Examples:
結婚しようよ。

手伝おうか。

Front 2

～ておく

Back 2

て-form of a verb +　おく describes an action performed in preparation for something.

Hint 2

Example:
明日試験があるので、今晩勉強しておきます。

Front 3

Using Sentences to Qualify Nouns

Back 3

Can use sentences to modify/qualify nouns.

Examples:
きのう買った本-the book that I bought yesterday
彼がくれた本- the book my boyfriend gave me
つかえの上にある本-the book that is on the table
日本で買えないほん-the books that you can't buy in Japan

Qualifier sentences in these examples tell us what kind of book we are talking about, like adjectives. The verbs used are short form. When the subject of the verb appears in a qualifier sentence, が is used. Qualifier sentence + noun can be placed anywhere in a sentence that you can have a noun.

Hint 3

Example:
これは去年のたんじょうびに彼女がくれた本です。

Front 4

～てくれる/あげる/もらう

Back 4

Use the て-form + あげる when we do something for the sake of others, or someone does something for somebody else.

We use くれる when somebody does something for us.

Use the て-form + もらう to say that we get, persuade, or arrange for, somebody to do something for us.

Hint 4

Examples:
私は妹にお金を貸してあげました。

私は友だちが宿題を手伝ってもらいました。

友だちが宿題を手伝ってくれました。

Front 5

～ていただけませんか

Back 5

Used to make a request.

～て いただけませんか (polite)
くれませんか
くれない？ (casual)

We use the て-form + いただけませんか to make a polite request. This is more appropriate than ください when you request a favor from a nonpeer or from a stranger.

て-form + くれませんか is the equivalent of ください and is most appropriate in the host-family context.

You cause use て-form くれないor て-form by itself to ask for a favor in a casual way, like for speaking with members in a peer group.

Hint 5

Examples:
ちょっと手伝っていただけませんか。

ちょっと待ってくれませんか。

それとってくれない？　それとって。

Front 6

～といい

Back 6

Use present tense short form＋といいですね to say that you hope something nice happens or for wishing good luck of somebody other than you.

To say you hope for your own good, you can use といいんですが. This shows the speaker's attitude is more tentative and makes the sentence sound more modest.

(short, present)+ と+(いいですね。or いいんですが。)

Used for hoping that something nice happens. This means that these patterns can't be used in cases where you hope to do sometihng nice, which is under your control. Otherwise, use potential form.

Hint 6

Examples:
雨がふらないといいですね。

しけんがやさしいといいんですが。

Front 7

～時

Back 7

Use the word 時 to describe when something happens or happened.

Sentence A (<time reference) 時, sentence B (<main event). - When A, B.

If, at the time the main even B takes place, A is current or is still "in the future," use the present tense in A.

Note that な-adjectives get な and nouns get の before 時.

If, at the time of the main event B, A is already "in the past," use the past tense in A. Note that we use the past tense even when the two events are yet to take place; it is the order of the two that matters.

Hint 7

Examples:
出かける時、ドアにかぎをかけました。

さびしい時、友だち電話します。

宿題を忘れた時、泣いてしまいました。

Front 8

～てすみませんでした

Back 8

Use the て-form of a verb to describe the things you have done that you want to apologize for. To apologize for something you have failed to do, use ～なくて, the short negative て-form of a verb.

Hint 8

Examples:
宿題を持ってこなくて、すみませんでした。

デート約束を忘れて、ごめん。

Front 9

～そうです

Back 9

そうです represents a "hearsay report." Can add to a sentence ending in the short form.

When using そうです, the reported speech retains the tense and polarity of the original utterance; just turn the predicates into short forms.

Verbs : 話す　＞　話すそうです
い-adj:さびしい　＞　さびしいそうです
な-adj:好きだ　＞　好きだそうです
noun+です:学生だ　＞　学生だそうです

Can also use そうです to report on things that you have read about in a book, newspaper or broadcast. To specify info source, you preface the sentence with ～によると, as in 新聞によると and　天気予報によると.

Hint 9

Examples:
日本語の授業は楽しいです。　＞　日本語の授業は楽しいそうです。

Front 10

～って

Back 10

In informal speech, you can add って at the end of a sentence, instead of　そうです, to quote what you heard. ってis the informal variant of the particle と and follows the short forms in the same way as と言っていました and そうです

Can also use って　in place of the quotation particle と before verbs like　言う.

Hint 10

Examples:
今日はいそうがしいです。明日、しけんがあるんです。　＞　メアリーさん、今日はいそがしいって。明日、しけんがあるんだって。

あきらさんはなんていってた。　＞　チョコレートをたべｓきたっていってた。

Front 11

～たら

Back 11

たら refers to conditional (if) dependence. A たら B means B is valid, contingent on the fulfillment of A.

The intial た in たら comes from the short form past tense endings of predicates.

verbs: 読む　＞　読んだら
い-adj:やさしい　＞　やさしかったら
な-adj:しずかだ　＞　しずかだったら
noun+です:休みだ　＞　休みだったら
negative clauses:～ない　＞　～なかったら

Sometimes, the clause before たら describes a possible condition and the clause after it the consequence which then follows. Whether or not the condition is actually met is largely an open issue.

Note: When saying A たら B, you cannot express a sequence in which B occurs before A; B can only take place at the time A comes true or later. You cannot use たら to describe an if sentence.

Sometimes, the たら clause describes a probably condition, and the second clause describes the even that will take place as soon as the situation is realized. たら arranges future events and activities in a temporal sequence.

The たら can describe a condition that is unreal and contrary to fact. This is for expressing a purely hypothetical condition and its probable result.

Hint 11

Examples:
日本に行ったら、着物をかいます。

天気がよかったら、散歩に行きます。

今晩、うちに帰ったら、電話します。

私が猫だったら、一日中寝ているでしょう。

Front 12

～なくてもいいです

Back 12

To describe what you do not need to do, take a negative sentence in short form, drop the final い of　ない, and add くてもいいです.　なくて is the negative　て-form.

～ない　＞　～なくてもいいです

Hint 12

Examples:
くつをぬがなくてもいいです。

プレゼントは高なくてもいいです。

Front 13

～みたいです

Back 13

みたいです follows a noun and expresses the idea that something or somebody resembles the thing or the person described by the noun.

みたいです can also follow a verb and expresses the idea that something "appears to be the case." It can follow the short form of the present tense and past tense, born in the affirmative and in the negative.
verb＋みたいです- It looks like...

Hint 13

Examples:
あの人はゴリラみたいです。

雨が降ったみたいです。

Front 14

～前に～てから

Back 14

＋前に

＋てから

Hint 14

日本に来る前に、一学期日本語を勉強しました。

勉強してから、友だちに手紙を書きました。