My Girl: Episode 16

마이걸: 제16회

As much as Yoo Rin loves Gong Chan, that love is tearing the family apart because of the combined stubbornness of Gong Chan and Grandpa. And so Yoo Rin decides to pull off her biggest lie yet, just to leave the family in peace even if it hurts her. Through Se Hyeon’s help she gathers everyone and tells them that everything was a big scam from the very beginning. Her father knew all along where the real granddaughter was but they withheld the information so they could scam them big time. It was only when she fell in love with Gong Chan did they decide to present the real granddaughter to get Grandpa’s approval. Gong Chan decides to leave nonetheless, holding a grudge against Grandpa. After Se Hyeon, Jung Woo, Auntie, and Mr. Jang plead the two lovers’ case to him does he accept that it must be fate. Thus, gives his approval, at last. The real granddaughter is revealed to be Chun Hyang, from that Korean drama of the same name. Her partner in that show also makes a cameo.

中文 - Week 16 (New Practical Chinese Reader 1)

The book I am using is New Practical Chinese Reader 1 by the Beijing Language and Culture University Press. Volume 1 of the book has 14 lessons. Target end date is May 12, 2012.

MONDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

We would still be covering characters but in a boring narration way here, no more demo calligraphy. It’s just that I think it would be best for me if I do the oral practice on video. Let’s do the written part here. We have thirteen characters so let’s do three right away. 几 is used to say how many for a number below ten, that is why it is used in the chapter’s title to count family members they usually do not exceed ten people. 禾 means standing grain and is one half of the word for “and”. 个is some sort of universal counter that could be used for big nouns, not sure of the qualification though.

TUESDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

两 is the alternate for the other Chinese Character for two which we use when we count. This one, however is used for quantity when you want to mean the number two but not in the sense of it being a numeral, but as a quantity. 未 means have not according to the book and I usually see this character in tandem with another in the word for little sister. This character lends the sound. 犬 means dog and to be fair the original pictograph does look like a dog, somehow.

WEDNESDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

云means clouds and was used in the text as the name of Da Wei’s mom. 少 means few or less. 士 means person and it looks similar to that character meaning land or soil, except that the horizontal bar on the base of this one is much shorter.

THURSDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

欠 means to owe and you probably know this better as the second character for that favorite character of ours which is the character for you. 夕 means evening because the original pictograph is that of the moon. I remember this as one of the characters in “name” and “foreign” or maybe I am remembering them wrong?

FRIDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

百 means one hundred. 卜 means divination and I remember it as one of the characters in that word “foreign”.

For next week I will still be covering lesson nine. We are making progress! The goal is to pass the lowest level of the HSK in September 2012! =)

한국어 - WEEK 16 Korean 1 (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)

The book I am using is 한국어1 which is the Korean for Foreigners course book of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The book has 35 chapters. Thanks a lot to everyone who watched and learned with me. I already have the second book at hand, around 40 chapters but since I am a bit busy lately I could no longer commit to making videos about it. Hope everyone understands! :)

월요일: Chapter Thirty Three  – 어디에서샀어요?

Last week we learned how to compare. Now if you want to say more, you would just have to toss in another particle in there, which is 더. You could either mention the thing being compared to, or just declare which exudes the adjective used to a greater degree. If I say I am bigger I just say 내가더커요.

화요일: Chapter Thirty Four – 요즘은큰옷이유행이에요

To say you would try you would have to use a helping verb to be attached to another verb whose ending is modified to end in either 아, 어, or 여. I will try to do it is 해봐요 which is composed of the modified stem of the verb 하다 and the conjugated form of 보다 which is the helping verb being referred to earlier.

수요일: Chapter Thirty Four – 요즘은큰옷이유행이에요

The grammar point for today is the one we often use for negative questions when we want to solicit some confirmation or reaction from the other party such as asking beautiful, is it not? In Korean, such sentence construction is formed with the stem of the verb plus the ending 지않아요 which means the earlier example would be 에쁘지않아요?

목요일: Chapter Thirty Five –다음에또오세요

Remember the modified verb endings from the Tuesday lesson? You could attach another helping verb to it to alter its meaning, this time to say please. You add the verb to give which is 주다. Using the example given there, let us say you would like to tell somebody to please do something, you could say 해주세요.

금요일: Chapter Thirty Five –다음에또오세요

Last lesson! As a farewell grammar point we have the verb 되다 which means to become. This is used in its affirmative and negative conjugations to mean that something is working or not working, or if something is okay or not okay, to some extent.  This is why you always tend to hear the negative form in Korean dramas when the person saying it is not in agreement with what the other is saying. In colloquial speech you could just say something and then add this if you want to ask permission or suggest something. No you can’t is 안돼요! You could also say that if the vending machine is not working, or if you do not agree about going to Korea. It is an all around phrase!

We can do this, guys! AJA! The goal is to pass the lowest level of TOPIK in April 2012! =)

日本語 - Week 16 (Contemporary Japanese Vol. 1)

The book I am using is Contemporary Japanese Vol. 1 by Eriko Sato from the Tuttle Language Library. Volume 1 of the book has 61 lessons. Target end date is April 14, 2012.

MONDAY: Lesson Thirty Eight – リーさんのへやはどうですか

The Japanese use the sentence connective wordそれに to connect two sentences that are in agreement with each other. Think of it as the equivalent of the English furthermore. Given this, you could not use this if the two sentences you are connecting are opposing each other. An example of correct usage would be in the sentence this room is bright, furthermore it is clean which in Japanese would be この部屋は明るいです。それに、きれいです.

TUESDAY: Lesson Thirty Nine – 日本語はむずかしくありません

You could use degree adverbs to specify the degree of whatever property of the noun you are highlighting. You just put them before the verb or adjective. とても is very much while まあまあ is more or less. These two are used with the affirmative conjugation of the verb. The next two are only used with negative verbs, using them otherwise would make the sentence ungrammatical. They are あまり which means not very much and ぜんぜん which means not at all.

WEDNESDAY: Lesson Thirty Nine –日本語はむずかしくありません

Japanese adjectives are like verbs in that they could be conjugated. Okay, that does not sound fun. Well, it is part of the language. There are two types: the –i type and the –na type. Distinguishing whether the adjective belongs to one or another is quite tricky, and this is why I usually just scan this portion instead of drilling the lesson into my head. I am hoping that in time they would come naturally. Examples? たかい is an –i adjective. If you have notices, it ends with that syllable. If it is placed before a noun or attached to the copula then we have no problem, it stays the same. An example would be: The book is expensive 本はたかいです and It is an expensive book たかい本です.

THURSDAY: Lesson Forty – どんあたてものですか

Let’s continue with the adjectives. Now we have the –na type. This is the tricky one. The adjective こうか also means expensive but it is a –na verb. –Na verbs need to add –な after the adjective if a noun comes next. If it is attached to the copula, then there is no need to add anything. Let’s ue the example we used yesterday. The book is expensive 本はこうかです but It is an expensive book would be こうかな本です.

FRIDAY: Lesson Thirty Forty – リーさんのへやはどうですか

The –te form of the verb is very useful because many conjugations use this. We won’t talk about the uses but rather just how to form it, for now. For normal –ru verbs you just get rid of the –ru and add –te, in that たべる becomes たべて. For verbs ending with –su, get rid of that ending and add –shite which means する becomes して. Those that end in –mu, -nu, and –bu are replaced with –de, example: しぬ becomes しんで, よむ becomes よんで, and あそぶ becomes あそんで. For the others, try checking online. I don’t want to focus on this just yet. The important thing is that now I have an idea.

For next week I would be covering lessons forty to forty two. We can do this guys! The goal is to pass the N5 examination of the JLPT in December 2012! =)

My Girl: Episode 15

마이걸: 제15회

Gong Chan leaves for Japan to take care of business, but Grandpa knows that it is not the only reason. He still has not given up on finding Yoo Rin. After Jung Woo brings Gong Chan to the airport, he sees Yoo Rin and chases her but they do not meet. He does not tell him, instead he uses all his connections to find her because according to him now that Gong Chan is gone Yoo Rin would finally “see” him when he finds her. Wrong. Yoo Rin’s tourists go with Gong Chan on the plane and he finds out exactly where Yoo Rin is, thanks to them. He then books one of her tours under a false name. What follows is a reversal of roles in the pilot episode. Now, he is the one chasing her and she is the one reluctant to entertain him. When Jung Woo finally finds out about her whereabouts, he buys flowers as a gift, but his efforts are crushed when instead of finding just her, he finds them. Grandpa has kept his secret of meeting with his real granddaughter from Gong Chan, because if he tells him, he is sure to leave, which is what happens when he comes home unannounced and finds his real long lost cousin in the flesh, dining with his family.

My Girl: Episode 14

마이걸: 제14회

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Se Hyeon is willing to withhold the identity of the real granddaughter made known to her by Yoo Rin’s father himself, who gets his bounty money without knowing that it just cost her daughter’s happiness. However, after finding out that Gong Chan and Yoo Rin are running away to Jeju Island, and then seeing them holding hands under the snow, Se Hyeon decides to tell Grandfather everything, and then she flees to England. Jung Woo, on the other hand, flies to New York. Grandpa meets his real granddaughter (actress not shown), confronts Yoo Rin and tells her not to go to Jeju Island, but rather farther, away from them. Gong Chan is the last one to know that their lies have been revealed. He tries to catch her at the airport, but is too late. Two years later Auntie and Mr. Jang already have a baby which they name Ye Rin. Gong Chan waits in his car at a stoplight under the snow, and says “Happy Birthday, Yoo Rin.” Yoo Rin crosses the intersection with a bunch of tourists under her care, but they do not see each other.

My Girl: Episode 13

마이걸: 제13회

Gong Chan arrives just in time and drags Yoo Rin away with him, telling Grandfather that her dad has suddenly arrived Seoul. They go to the airport and try to run away wherever they could, but decide to go back home and leave their plans for later. Now that Se Hyeon knows their secret, she drops by the house to “say goodbye” although her real intention is to confront Yoo Rin. Yoo Rin begs her to keep the secret for now, and then Se Hyeon sees the snow globe that she assumed was hers in Yoo Rin’s room. It is clear to her now. Gong Chan left her for Yoo Rin, but since they are pretending to be siblings, they could not really be with each other. Still, her threat of telling on them looms large. Jung Woo offers Yoo Rin an easy way out. He will take her to New York as his wife so she could sustain their lie. Of course she does not agree but is left without a choice. Gong Chan and Secretary Yoon find out that the real sister is still alive, and hope springs anew. The problem? Yoo Rin’s father was the man who saved her life, and now that he knows that the little girl she saved is a millionaire’s heir, he plans to swindle the family but on his way to Gong Chan’s office, he runs into Se Hyeon.

My Girl: Episode 12

마이걸: 제12회

Yoo Rin observes her bestfriend and Jin Gyu as siblings and imagines how it could be if she does the same with Gong Chan. Besides, her mantra is simple. If you won’t reveal a lie, better believe in it and it would be as good as true. She seems to be doing well, except that this time it is Gong Chan who makes it difficult for the both of them because he could no longer seem to hide his true feelings. Despite this he agrees to set-up Yoo Rin regarding Jung Woo’s plan to propose to her, formally. She does not like this and dumps him five minutes into the conversation. Yoo Rin gets mad at Gong Chan and tells him that Jung Woo knows she is fake. He confronts him and asks why he did not tell him about it, and to keep it as a secret. Jung Woo retorts with “What? That she is fake, or that you love her?” Se Hyeon hits the jackpot because she is listening in the background. Now she has two aces against Yoo Rin. Gong Chan decides to move to Jeju to make their lives easier. Yoo Rin does not like the idea but eventually agrees. Now her biggest decision is whether to go on with her presentation as the chairman’s “granddaughter” which simply means she would be Gong Chan’s sister, and nothing more, forever.

My Girl: Episode 11

마이걸: 제11회

The once icy and indifferent Gong Chan is now more upbeat and lively thanks to Yoo Rin, and this bothers Jung Woo because he likes her. Thus, he makes his move. He is going to propose to Yoo Rin. Grandfather could not agree more, and sees to it that they would do everything for it to work out, including sending out Auntie to flatter his mother just to get her approval. The problem is she does not approve no matter what because to her, Yoo Rin’s upbringing is questionable. Grandfather once again feels guilty and ends up in the hospital, and Gong Chan receives the call as he is confessing to Yoo Rin how he goes crazy a million times a day because of her. He breaks up with Se Hyeon. Jung Woo tells Yoo Rin his true feeling for her, but gets an indirect rejection. At the end of the episode, Yoo Rin tells Gong Chan after hanging up on him, that she loves him.

Unofficially Yours

♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

Mackie (John Lloyd Cruz) and Ces (Angel Locsin) run into each other at the beach and end up in a one night stand that should have stayed there, except that by mere coincidence their paths cross again at work. He is a dentist in the middle of a career shift to journalism. She is a hot shot writer for the Manila Bulletin. He has feelings for her. She is noncommittal. What should have been a single night of fun turns into a series of no strings attached friends with benefits kind of thing, but she is firm in drawing the line that there would be no relationship at all. He tries every possible way to change her mind but it is not without consequences, and funny anecdotes along the way. At least now the poster makes sense, and they do not use a song title, but what is with the smiley? Seriously. Sorry, linguistic rant.

日本語 - Week 15 (Contemporary Japanese Vol. 1)

The book I am using is Contemporary Japanese Vol. 1 by Eriko Sato from the Tuttle Language Library. Volume 1 of the book has 61 lessons. Target end date is April 14, 2012.

MONDAY: Lesson Thirty Six – 明日はしけんがあります

The grammar point for today is quite short, all about linking two nouns. In short, that conjunction called and in English. In Japanese, place this particle と as a suffix for the first word, and the proceed with the next one.  But I think we already learned this before, so let’s add another usage. Depending on its position, it could mean with. How does that happen? Compare the next two sentences: 田中さんはマリーさんと勉強します = Tanaka will study with Mary. 田中さんとマリーさんは勉強します = Tanaka and Mary will study, but not necessarily together. I am still confused. :(

TUESDAY: Lesson Thirty Six – 明日はしけんがあります

Today is NO GRAMMAR DAY! Yehey!!! Celebrate!

WEDNESDAY: Lesson Thirty Seven – どんあたてものですか

古い means old but is only used to refer to inanimate objects, so resist the urge to tag someone you know with this adjective. The car is old = 車は古いです.

THURSDAY: Lesson Thirty Seven – どんあたてものですか

You can use どんな before a noun to ask what kind of whatever noun that is. In short, you are asking for what kind or better yet, a description. 図書館はどんな建物ですか = What kind of building is the library? Second grammar point, remember the possessive の? It could be used as a proxy for the actual noun if the context is clear. Meaning? My book is an expensive book = 私の本は高い本です could be rewritten as私の本は高いのです.

FRIDAY: Lesson Thirty Eight – リーさんのへやはどうですか

You ask how (as in the descriptive how) with the Japanese term どう which you add before the verb. How is the Japanese class = 日本語のクラスはどうですか?

                                                                                                                                                  

For next week I would be covering lessons thirty eight to fory. We can do this guys! The goal is to pass the N5 examination of the JLPT in December 2012! =)

中文 - Week 15 (New Practical Chinese Reader 1)

The book I am using is New Practical Chinese Reader 1 by the Beijing Language and Culture University Press. Volume 1 of the book has 14 lessons. Target end date is May 5, 2012.

MONDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

Key sentences, notes, and grammar! 是啊 is an expression of affirmation and useful in daily conversations. Aside from that, the grammar point for today is all about numeral measure words! Asian languages seem to be obsessed with these counters that you have to memorize some while starting but they somehow become second nature in the long run. For family members they use 口. For flat objects such as calling cards, photos, and paper, 张 is used. The general counter is 个which is your last resort if you forget the appropriate counter. I am not sure though if it is accepted as a proxy general counter for everything.

TUESDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

Now we meet that character which is used to connect two nouns, 和. Having said that, you have to bear in mind that it is the popular choice for linking two nouns BUT NOT sentences, nor verbs. As for our grammar point of the day, 有is used to express possession. Use it like you would the verb “have” in this aspect. It could also be used to mean “There is” or “There are” depending on the context. It is NOT negated by saying 不有, but rather with 没 which gives you 没有. Take note of that.

WEDNESDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

We just have grammar for today. You only use 二for the numeral 2 when you are counting. When used in the context of quantity, they use 两 followed by the appropriate counter. That is why in the text they say 两个弟弟 instead of 二个弟弟.

THURSDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

还 is used to add something in addition, which means that the phrase 还有谁means who else? You could also use this to mean still. As for our other grammar point, the book says that you do not use 很 with 不to mean not very. Instead, you use the negative with 太meaning I am not very busy would be translated as 我不太忙 and NOT as 我不很忙.

FRIDAY: Lesson Eight – 你们家有几口人？

Last stop, the difference between 多少and 几. These are both used to ask how many but differ in terms of the quantity involved. 几 is used if there are less than 10. 多少 is for more, which would involve prices. I think this is not a hard and fast rule, but just to be safe, better stick with it.

For next week I will still be covering lesson eight. We are making progress! The goal is to pass the lowest level of the HSK in September 2012! =)

한국어 - WEEK 15 Korean 1 (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)

The book I am using is 한국어1 which is the Korean for Foreigners course book of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The book has 35 chapters. Target end date is next week, February 25, 2012! Thanks a lot to everyone who watched and learned with me. I already have the second book at hand, around 40 chapters but since I am a bit busy lately I could no longer commit to making videos about it. Hope everyone understands! :)

월요일: Chapter Thirty One  – 어디에서샀어요?

Verbs could also be used as adverbs. Surprise! Yes, this time you add the 게 ending and you have an instant adverb. It is a bit weird but I am getting the hang of it. Example? Let us say you were able to buy a book for 50% less its tag price, we could say that you bought a book inexpensively, because you got a discount. In Korean you could say 책이사게샀어요. You might have noticed that Koreans also like using 이렇게 and 그렇게 in their sentences. Those are also adverbs meaning like this and like that, respectively.

화요일: Chapter Thirty One  – 어디에서샀어요?

A verb could also function as a noun. Surprise! What the. These verbs are very hardworking! The book says that adding 기 to the stem of the verb turns it into a noun, or a gerund, specifically. That way you could talk about your activities in a different manner. Let’s say, for example: studying Korean = 한국어공부하기. Just add a subject particle to the activity and you are ready to talk about it. To say that studying Korean is easy would be한국어공부하기가쉬워요, while studying Korean is difficult would be 한국어공부하기어려워요.

수요일: Chapter Thirty Two  – 동대문으로갈까요?

To solicit someone’s opinion about an activity you would like to do, you use the ending (으)ㄹ까요 and be reminded that this is an indirect suggestion and you are really taking the other person’s opinion into consideration. Just add that ending to that stem and you are done. Should we go to Korea? 한국에갈까요?

목요일: Chapter Thirty Two –동대문으로갈까요?

This one is a bit complicated so bear with me here. How do you say “before” or “after” an activity? Let us start with “before”. Remember how to turn verbs into nouns? Do that and then add 전에 after it, so that before eating would be 먹기전에. What about after an activity? This time you turn the verb into a past noun modifier, remember them from the previous lessons? Just add the ending (으)ㄴ and then add 후에 right after that. So let us go back to the earlier example, after eating would be먹은후에.

금요일: Chapter Thirty Three  – 어디에서샀어요?

Comparisons! In Korean the formula is quite weird. First, mention the thing that is the point of reference, let us say a book = 책 and then you add 보다 and then finish it off with your verb. Just always remember that the particle of comparison is attached to the one being compared to, as opposed to the subject. Saying Today is cold compared to yesterday would be 오늘이어제보다추웠어요. If you translate that word per word it would sound like “Today yesterday compared cold”.

For next week I would be covering lessons thirty three to thirty five. We can do this, guys! AJA! The goal is to pass the lowest level of TOPIK in April 2012! =)

My Girl: Episode 10

마이걸: 제10회

What happens after the accidental kiss? Gong Chan drops Yoo Rin on the pavement and attempts to leave her behind but gets one too many unwanted hateful stares.  So he picks her up and brings her home. What’s different this time though is that he is actually not that annoyed. In fact, he even seems amused. Grandfather intends to formally introduce Yoo Rin to everyone because the article about Se Hyeon and Gong Chan is bound to bring too much attention, and so Gong Chan plans to send her away before this happens because if it does they would be closer than ever to getting busted. Se Hyeon’s secretary accidentally finds out about Yoo Rin’s gambler dad and Se Hyeon just could not keep her mouth shut and tells Gong Chan’s folks about it. In an interesting twist, they actually feel more sympathy, and decide to keep her. For good. Meanwhile, Gong Chan’s secretary goes to Japan and delivers bad news. It is confirmed that the real cousin died in the earthquake. Holding on to the “lying coin” Yoo Rin gave him, Gong Chan asks her to be her sister. Forever.

My Girl: Episode 9

마이걸: 제9회

Gong Chan and Yoo Rin continue to evade their feelings for each other despite spending more time together like watching a movie with Jung Woo, who continues hoping that she would also develop feelings for him. Grandpa gets clearance from his doctors to travel and tells Yoo Rin that they would be going to Japan right there and then. In a desperate attempt to avoid this, she does the unexpected. She intentionally falls down the airport’s stairs just to prevent them from getting on the plane. As she says, in bluffing you have to be persistent to be credible. However, she finds out the hard way that bluffing does not really work on love, after being stood up once again by Gong Chan in a supposed trip to Jeju Island, a trip they have devised out of the blue, again, out of Grandpa’s persistence to travel somewhere with his “granddaughter”. At the end of the episode a drunk Yoo Rin confronts Gong Chan in the street, and in a playful twist they end up in an accidental lip lock.

My Girl: Episode 8

마이걸: 제8회

Remember Auntie and Mr. Jang? Well, they seem to be getting uncomfortable with each other, so he leaves. Yoo Rin then persuades him to come back but when they do, Auntie is no longer home because she also left! When she finally get the two together two meet back home the two realize their love for each other and announces to everyone that they are getting married, much to Grandpa’s delight. This is bad news for Yoo Rin though since she already decided that she would finally go away. Now she could not because she and Gong Chan would be preparing the wedding. Gong Chan spends more time with Yoo Rin using their “business relationship” as a pretext and realizes that maybe he has feelings for her too after all. Meanwhile, secretary Yoon and Jin Gyu exchange calling cards. At the end of the episode she receives an important fax of the picture of the real granddaughter as a child. Guess what? Yoo Rin’s father, and another girl who could be assumed as her, are also in the picture.

My Girl: Episode 7

마이걸: 제7회

Yoo Rin is still crying over Gong Chan and the difficult situation she is in. She does not get to prevent his father from leaving and so she turns to soju for comfort, and does some crazy things. One of the crazy things would be climbing up a ladder to grab the star on top of a Christmas tree. She falls, but Gong Chan catches her. This episode is full of pranks from her to him, and it seems like he is becoming less uptight as the days go by. Se Hyeon visits Grandpa and gets told flat on her face that the family does not want their relationship to go public for privacy’s sake. She agrees, but her insecurity is building up seeing how Gong Chan and Yoo Rin seem to be so close to each other despite having just met. Yoo Rin, on the contrary, wants out before she falls even deeper in love. The thing is, it seems Gong Chan is also starting to develop feelings for her, and using his grandfather’s health as a pretext, offers Yoo Rin something she could not refuse as long as she stays for three more months. The villa at Jeju island.

My Girl: Episode 6

마이걸: 제6회

Yoo Rin finally admits that she likes Gong Chan but takes it back with a white lie so her true feelings would not be revealed. Besides, he already has Se Hyeon, who is becoming more and more insecure as the days go by despite Yoo Rin being “just the cousin”. Yoo Rin’s father gets into trouble again, which leads her to sell the gifts she received during her “birthday” in order to get him out of jail. Gong Chan finds out about it, and after accidentally receiving a phone call from her dad, concludes that they are planning some big heist against him. Yoo Rin is obviously hurt, and admits to the crime she is not really going to commit to hide her true feelings for him. Grandpa gets his second fake phone call from Jin Gyu pretending to be Yoo Rin’s father and notices how he only answers him with “yes” or “no” every time they talk.

日本語 - Week 14 (Contemporary Japanese Vol. 1)

The book I am using is Contemporary Japanese Vol. 1 by Eriko Sato from the Tuttle Language Library. Volume 1 of the book has 61 lessons. Target end date is April 14, 2012.

MONDAY: Lesson Thirty Three –ノートが３冊あります

We have already encountered the three verbs used to show that something or someone exists. These three could also be used to express possession if the right particles are used. Usually the subject particle がis used to express there is while if it is already known what is being referred to in context, the topic particle は is used to express is at. Example? The dog is at home would be 犬はうちにいます while There is a dog at home would be犬がうちにいます. The book also says that the position of the nouns in the sentence could also play a part in determining this.

TUESDAY: Lesson Thirty Four – へやにはつくえと本ばこがあります

Today’s grammar point is short, we just discuss それから which means therefore and is used to link two sentences, the second of which could be perceived as a consequence of the first. The example given in the book is: I am Japanese, therefore I speak Japanese which is 私は日本人です。それから、日本語を話します.

WEDNESDAY: Lesson Thirty Four –へやにはつくえと本ばこがあります

すこし means a little and is used as an adverb to depict volume or to soften the tone of the sentence. The book says it could substitute for ちょっと in most cases although not that for calling attention. For example, Japanese is a little bit hard could be stated with 日本語をちょっとむずかしいです or日本語をすこしむずかしいです.

THURSDAY: Lesson Thirty Five –私は兄が２人います

For the next two lessons we would focus on number phrases, or those numerals followed by counters, of which there are many in Japanese. We have a total of seven for this lesson and we will just tackle three today and leave the other four for tomorrow. For cylindrical objects like pens and cigarettes the counter used is 本. For flat objects like paper and tickets, you use 枚. For mechanical objects like computers and appliances you have to use 台. How does this actually work? Mention the thing followed by the particle (direct object, subject, depends) followed the number which in turn is followed by the counter. I bought 3 pencils would be 私はえんぴつを３本買いました. See that? It is confusing at first but just remember to mention the object first followed by its particle, then the number followed by its counter.

FRIDAY: Lesson Thirty Five –私は兄が２人います

For the last four counters for this week we have people = 人, books and magazines (bound) = 冊, small or medium sized animals = ひき, and non-inanimate objects = つwhich has a special form for almost every number that you have to memorize separately.

                                                                                                                                                  

For next week I would be covering the second half of lesson thirty three until lesson thirty five. We can do this guys! The goal is to pass the N5 examination of the JLPT in December 2012! =)