Get your Japanese Interpreted here :)

[sashimi]

peapot:

Can I just check one must go through how many lessons before one can actual converse in Jap? Will you forget your Jap if you haven't got a chance to converse in Jap? If this is the case, can I converse with you? Ha...very demanding right?

You definitely have to find some means of using the Japanese in order to improve and keep it working, so to speak. In my case, for example, I read Japanese magazines pertaining to my hobby and watch Japanese anime regularly. Whatever suits you!

In my experience, after taking 2 years of Japanese at Tenrikyo, I find that I can conduct a simple conversation in Japanese (which I did in Kyoto with the proprietors of our ryokan for a whle week )

Basic Japanese is also surprisingly very useful when shopping in Japan(ese). Eg. a knowledge of the katakana alphabet used to write foreign words, even in your initial year, is very useful.

[BigDevil]

schellen:

By right, it should be \"Irrasshaimase\" but S'pore service being S'pore service (i.e., non-existent), they always say \"Maseiiiii\" which sashimi and I and our friends have no idea what they're saying.

They never fail to irk DW with that, and she will go shaking her head. :roll:

[peapot]

Hi sashimi,


A few questions.
why is it a boy would start with " Boku wa sega hikui desu"? Shouldn’t it be "watashi wa sega hikui desu?"

When would use Kare wa, Kanojo wa and Kono?


Also, when you say $224 for first half, what does first half means? 6 months or 10 weeks?

[carebear]

Men can use boku or watashi which means "I".

Women only use watashi to refer to "I".

Kare refers to "he".
Kanojo refers to "she".
Kono refers to "this" followed by a noun.
Kore refers to "this".

[schellen]

carebear:

schellen:

3. Koko ni aoi pengin ga arimasu ka? Iie, arimasen. = Are there blue penguins here? No, there aren't.



Note that in Japanese, speakers and writers tend to exclude the objects and/or subjects in their sentences if both parties already know what they are talking about.

Arimasu is for inanimate objects.
Imasu is for living things.
So in this case, i tot it should be : Koko ni aoi penguin ga imasu ka?

i'm still confused after so many years cos sometimes when one is asked abt the pets u own or the no. of children u hv, \"arimasu\" is used too.

[schellen]

men can also use "ore’ which is rather informal.


watashi is unisex.

some women use ‘atashi’ but i find it too feminine.

[carebear]

Hahaha…

As long as both parties understand each other, i guess it doesn’t matter whether we used it correctly since we are gai jin (foreigner/ non-japanese).
Can we learn from one another?

[sashimi]

peapot:

Hi sashimi,


A few questions.
why is it a boy would start with \" Boku wa sega hikui desu\"? Shouldn't it be \"watashi wa sega hikui desu?\"

When would use Kare wa, Kanojo wa and Kono?


Also, when you say $224 for first half, what does first half means? 6 months or 10 weeks?

The Express course is from end-Jan to around end-July, so 3 months for each half. Normal courses, the yearly ones, we pay the first half in Aug, and the 2nd half in Jan.

The \"boku\", \"watashi\", etc is as explained above lor. It's essentially about the level of formality, on the part of the speaker and also in relation to the listener.

\"Kore wa pengin desu\" - This is a penguin.
\"Kono pengin wa Chifu desu.\" - This penguin is Chief.

(I.e. you cannot say \"Kono wa pengin desu\".)

[peapot]

Sashimi, I called Lucian at the number you given but many times no answer. Was wondering is there any other way of contact? Infact, I have called 2 days.

[sashimi]

peapot:

Sashimi, I called Lucian at the number you given but many times no answer. Was wondering is there any other way of contact? Infact, I have called 2 days.

oops sorry that does tend to happen due to the sch's hours. make sure u call during the hours 2-8pm Mon-Fri and 2-4pm Sat.