Silly Question of mine

Rei,

I recommend trying to find some Japanese grammar book or something. to get the real basics; because the Japanese sentence structures are completely different from that of English or Chinese (to the extent I know), you cannot say, for example, simply "Nai." alone for "I don't," even though the word "...nai" is added to the end of the verb to make it into its negative form.

I'll show some examples using the "eating hamburgers" sentence.
- Watashi wa hanbaagaa wo tabemasu. (I eat hamburgers.)
- Watashi wa hanbaagaa wo tabemasen. (I do not eat hamburgers.)

Here the verb is "tabemasu" = to eat. This "...masu" form is used for polite speech. "...masu" is the affirmative, and "...masen" is the negative form.

For saying you want to eat hamburgers, the verb takes an ending "...tai.":
- Watashi wa hanbaagaa ga tabetai desu. (I want to eat hamburgers.)
- Watashi wa hanbaagaa wo/ga tabetakunai desu. (I don't want to eat hamburgers.)

Now from the "tabemasu," to say "want to eat," you remove the masu and add"...tai." For "do not want to eat," you remove the masu and add "...takunai" (..."takunai" is the negative form of "...tai"). "Desu" at the end is for polite speech. In other instances, "desu" also is the be-verb in Japanese.

Now to say the four sentences in "informal" speech, the verbs used are not "...masu" or "...desu." I will list the four sentences in informal speech below:

- Watashi wa hanbaagaa wo taberu. (I eat hamburgers.)
- Watashi wa hanbaagaa wo tabenai. (I do not eat hamburgers.)

- Watashi wa hanbaagaa ga tabetai. (I want to eat hamburgers.)
- Watashi wa hanbaagaa wo/ga tabetakunai. (I don't want to eat hamburgers.

So to get the hang of how verbs change/verb endings are added, I do recommend

...finding some comprehensive grammar resources. Enjoy learning! :)

Thank you very much AK!
Well, how bout the differences/exceptions when using ON-yomi and KUN-yomi?

Another frustrated thing,
it says something..
~した (remove ending
~して and add す)

EXAMPLE FROM はなした/はなして
EXAMPLE TO はなす

I don't really understand.

Another frustrated thing, it says something..
~した (remove ending
~して and add す)

EXAMPLE FROM はなした/はなして
EXAMPLE TO はなす

They all come from the verb "hanasu" (dictionary form) and "hanashimasu" (masu-form), meaning to speak, to say.

"hanasu" = to speak, I speak, you speak, she speaks, etc.
"hanashita" is the "ta-form," or commonly referred to as the plain past form, and means "I/she/you spoke, talked. "
"hanashite" is the "te-form," and this is joined with other verb endings or other verbs to express different meanings. For example,
- "hanashite kudasai" = please say, please speak
- "hanashite mimasu" = try speaking
- "hanashite kimasu" = go speak (to someone)

About the "on" and "kun," let me read this thread a bit more to see what your original question was :)

So, that's what it means..
So every sentence.. is the usage same or it is similar to the example you gave me? :)

So, what you are talking there is only for dictionaries?

Sorry but I don't understand your question above :( Could you explain your question?

Another frustrated thing, it says something..
~した (remove ending
~して and add す)

EXAMPLE FROM はなした/はなして
EXAMPLE TO はなす

They all come from the verb "hanasu" (dictionary form) and "hanashimasu" (masu-form), meaning to speak, to say.

"hanasu" = to speak, I speak, you speak, she speaks, etc.
"hanashita" is the "ta-form," or commonly referred to as the plain past form, and means "I/she/you spoke, talked. "
"hanashite" is the "te-form," and this is joined with other verb endings or other verbs to express different meanings. For example,
- "hanashite kudasai" = please say, please speak
- "hanashite mimasu" = try speaking
- "hanashite kimasu" = go speak (to someone)

About the "on" and "kun," let me read this thread a bit more to see what your original question was :)

This.. Is it only used in dictionaries?

So.. If there's something like..
wakeru (which means 'to share')

We just combine it and becomes...
"atashi wa ... wakeru ... ga desu"??

I understand wa & ga (usage of them)..
Now it's wo & ga! .__.
Lemme give an example..
doru wo shime masu (we're going to close the door)
doru ga shimari masu (the door is closing)

I'm getting 'blur' about the things you use after 'ga' & 'wo' like the examples up there.. :/

This.. Is it only used in dictionaries?

There is this name "dictionary form" to refer to the real basic form of any verb in Japanese (it is called so because that's the form you will find verbs listed in dictionaries). It is often also called "ru" form or "u" form, because most verbs end in "ru" or "u."

So.. If there's something like..
wakeru (which means 'to share')
We just combine it and becomes...
"atashi wa ... wakeru ... ga desu"??

NO. You need to learn the different forms of verbs and word orders to form sentences properly. If you want to say "We share a pie together":
("pai" is for "pie," and "issho ni" means "together.")

- Watashi-tachi wa issho ni pai wo wakeru. (This is in informal speech, using the "dictionary form" as the verb.)
- Watashi-tachi wa issho ni pai wo wakemasu. (This is in polite speech, using the "masu form" of the verb.)

In English, you write:
- We (who) share (do what) a pie (to what). (The word order is Subject - Verb - Object)
in Japanese, we go:
- Watashi-tachi wa (who) pai wo (to what) wakeru (do what). (Subject - Object - Verb.)

Now it's wo & ga! .__.
Lemme give an example..
doru wo shime masu (we're going to close the door)
doru ga shimari masu (the door is closing)

First of all, "door" is "doa" in Japanese.

- (Watashi tachi wa) doa wo shimemasu.
"WE close the door." The "doa" is the object of your action of closing it. The object is followed by "wo."

- Doa ga shimarimasu. (The door is closing/closes by itself.)
So there is no object for the action, it closes by itself. (The subject is the "door" itself.)

Once again, I do recommend reading through a basic grammar tutorial/book/website, etc. I cannot provide a comprehensive basic foundation on all Japanese verbs :)

So, past, present, future tense too use the same changes as up there?

Like,
I'll watch telebi later.
I'm going to watch telebi.
I'm watching telebi.
I just finish watching telebi.
I watched telebi...

哇。。。 头快要爆炸了!
日本字是用繁体字的， 好难读。。

"To watch TV" would be "terebi wo miru (informal)/mimasu (polite)."

For future and present, the verb would be "miru" (informal) and "mimasu" (polite).
For past, it would be "mita" (informal) and "mimashita" (polite).


I'll write out all your sentences in polite form.

I'll watch telebi later. ("ato de" = later)
- (Watashi wa) ato de terebi wo mimasu.

I'm going to watch telebi.
- (Watashi wa) terebi wo mimasu.
- (Watashi wa) terebi wo miru tsumori desu. (I intend to...)

I'm watching telebi now. ("ima" = now)
- (Watashi wa) ima terebi wo mite imasu. ("te-form" of verb + imasu)

I just finished watching telebi.
- (Watashi wa) terebi wo mita tokoro desu. (I'vejust watched...)
- (Watashi wa) ima terebi wo mi-owatta tokoro desu. (I've just finished watching...) "mi-owaru" is a combination of "miru" (to watch) and "owaru" (to finish).
"...tokoro desu" = I'm in the situation of...

I watched telebi...
- (Watashi wa) terebi wo mimashita. ("mimashita" is the past form of "mimasu.")

So, AK! Let's try to speak some japanese okay? If I'm wrong then shall you correct me? Sensei?

You start 1st! ^^

Kotoshi mo kyou de owari desu ne :)
Kotoshi ichiban tanoshikatta koto wa nan desu ka?

"kotoshi" = this year
"tanoshii" = fun, enjoyable, interesting

So you asked me..
Today is the last day for this year.
What's your most interesting experience in this year?

Is it? o_O
You should write hira so I can understand a bit of it :D

Lemme reply,
エケせんせい、 にほんごをおしえるてありがとうございます!

ことしはにほんごがとてもならう!
わたしのいちばんたのしのことはというエケせんせいおしえるたです。

I really had difficult writting long long sentences. Having a dictionary with me is not enough just yet. Correct me please. :)

ごめんなさい、ひらがなで　かきますね。

Just slight corrections:
エーケーせんせい、 にほんごを　おしえて　くれて、ありがとうございます! (AK,
thank you for teaching Japanese.)
ことしは　にほんごを　たくさん　べんきょうしました (This year I studied a lot of
Japanese.)
わたしの　いちばん　たのしい　ことは、エーケーせんせいに　おそわったことです。(My most enjoyable thing was to have learned from a teacher called AK.)

...Is this what you wanted to say? I sure hope so.　:)

あと　3じかんくらいで　ことしも　おわります。よい　おとしを　おむかえください！

That is what I'm trying to say.. It's just the grammar I need to work out with :D

You are truly a great tutor..
Some words cannot directly expressed from Eng-Jap right?
How bout Chi-Jap?

2008年到了﹐ 今年我打算把日本語學好!
Can you try writing these in Jap and reply me in Jap? :D

2008ﾄ�ｵｽﾁﾋｩo ｽ�ﾄ�ﾎﾒｴ�ﾋ羃ﾑﾈﾕｱｾﾕZ係ｺﾃ!


2008ﾄ熙ｬ､｢､ｱ､ﾞ､ｷ､ｿ｡｣ｽ�ﾄ遙｡､�､ｿ､ｷ､ﾏ｡｡ﾈﾕｱｾﾕZ､ﾎ｡｡､ﾙ､�､ｭ､遉ｦ､�｡｡､ｿ､ｯ､ｵ､�｡｡､ｹ､�､ｳ､ﾈ､�｡｡､ﾁ､ｫ､､､ﾞ､ｹ｡｣

...is this even close?? (Do you know that the word order in English and Chinese languages are similar?)

My answer:｡｡ｽ�ﾄ遙｡､�､ｿ､ｷ､ﾏ｡｢ﾈﾕｱｾﾕZ､�｡｡､筅ﾃ､ﾈ｡｡､ｭ､ﾁ､�､ﾈ｡｡､ｪ､ｷ､ｨ､鬢�､�､隍ｦ､ﾋ｡｡､ﾊ､熙ｿ､､､ﾇ､ｹ｣｡

Sorry the encoding went wrong... I'll give it another try in the morning!

My best guess on what you said:
2008年が　あけました。今年　わたしは、日本語をたくさん　べんきょうすることを　ちかいます！

...is this even close?

My answer:　新年あけまして　おめでとうございます。今年　わたしは、もっと　きちんと　日本語を　おしえられるように　なりたいです！

も新年おめでっとございます!
(Happy New Year to you too!)

This is my reply.. Well, it might be unrelated too.. .__.
我相信你可以把以準確的日本語 傳授(教) 我!

You have to tell me what you originally said with:
2008年到了、今年我打算把日本語学好!

In Japanese, 打算 is used only as an adjective 打算的, which means "calculating" (in a bad sense, normally). So I can tell there is a big difference between Chinese and Japanese. Also, the word order between Japanese and Chinese is completely different...

I cannot figure out your last reply either... :(