元気 2

Chapter 13

1. verb potential forms:

to say that u have the ability to/ can do something

ru verbs: (ru → rareru)
見る → 見られる

u verbs: (u → eru)
行く → 行ける
話す → 話せる
待つ → 待てる

irregular:
くる → こられる
する → できる

note: for ru verbs, sometimes people say (ru → reru) as it is shorter.

potential verbs conjugate the same way as ru verbs


potential verbs also have te form:
見られる → 見られて

for verbs with を particle: can use を or が particle for potential form.
漢字を読む → 漢字 を/が 読める

for できる, almost always change を to が.

2. listing reasons

use し to list one or more reasons.

general form:

(reason 1) し、(reason 2) し、... (situation)。

or

(situation)。(reason 1)し、 (reason 2)し ... 。



you can use one し clause, to imply that it is not the only reason.

し follows the short forms.

3. it looks like...

add そうです to i and na adjectives to say it seems like.../it looks like...

i adj: (い → そうです)
おいしい → おいしそうです

na adj: (add そうです)
元気 → 元気そうです

exception:
いい → よさそうです


can also use そうです with negative forms of adjectives, ない → なさそうです


we can use adj + そう to qualify a noun. そう is a na adj, so we say そうな + noun.


note: そうです is guesswork used only when u lack conclusive evidence, and its based on visual impressions, so u cannot say きれいそうです, because if it looks pretty, u have enough visual evidence to conclude that it is pretty.

4. trying something.

use (verb) ~てみる to say that u are "trying something". you are not sure of the outcome, but try it and see how it goes. "give it a try"

てみる conjugates as a ru verb

5. なら

noun A なら X. means that the predicate X applies only to A and not more generally valid.
To show contrast and limitation.

The first example shows a contrast between chile and brazil, showing that u been to chile but not brazil. For the second example, hiragana is brought up and contrasted with the language as a whole.

6. period and frequency

use (period) に (frequency) to show how many times u do something in eg. a month.

Chapter 14

1. desire to have

X が 欲しい = i want X

usually 欲しい uses が particle, but in negative sentences can also use は。


お金はあまり 欲しくないです
(i dont have much desire for money)

limited to first person (private predicate) like たい, as we cannot explicitly know what the other person is thinking.

so likewise, we can quote their speech using と言っています。

or say that u are making a guess with でしょう。(X は Y が 欲しい でしょう。)

or based on ur observations, using がる。(欲しがる, usually in this form: 欲しがっている) (particle used is now を instead of が)

2. possibility

use かもしれません to say probably, it is similar to でしょう。it follows the short form predicates.

3. giving and receiving

imagine a line: from left to right:

I----you----others.

going from left to right: use あげる。(I give to you, you give to others, I give to others, others give to others)

going from right to left: use くれる (others give you, others give me, you give me)

general form:
(giver) は/が (recipent) に (item) を あげる/くれる


その女の人 は 男の人 に 時計 を あげました。
(the woman gave the man a watch)

両親 が 私 に 新しい車 を くれる かもしれません。
(my parents may give me a new car)

for transactions described by くれる, we can use もらう to make the recipient the subject.

general form:
(recipient) は/が (giver) に/から (item) を もらう。


side note: the reason why u can only use もらう to replace くれる and not あげる is because of the line mentioned above, we can only make the recipient the subject if they are closer to us than the giver.

4. advice/recommendation たらどうですか

use (verb short past tense) + らどうですか to give advice/recommendation (may be shortened to たらどう/たら in casual speech)


it may sometimes imply a critical tone, like asking why havent they done this already, so safer to not use unless the person is asking for consultation/advice.

5. as many as, as few as/only

recall:
to describe amount of nouns, its (noun) が/を + (counter)


so if u want to say: as many as 3 cats, add a も after the counter.


if u want to say only/as few as, add しか after the counter.

Chapter 15

1. volitional form of verbs:

its a more casual version of ましょう。

ru verbs: (る → よう)
食べる → 食べよう

u verbs: (う → おう)
行く → 行こう
話す → 話そう

irregular verbs:
くる → こよう
する → しよう

add か to say "shall...?"/suggestion.


volitional form + と思っています to talk about our determinations/intentions. eg. "decided to/ going to"


volitional + と思います shows that u made the decision on the spot, whereas volitional + と思っています shows that u alr made the decision and is thinking about it for a while now.

2. てお

verb ~ておく describes an action done in preparation for something, can be shortened to とく in speech.

3. sentences can describe nouns

you can basically add a sentence with a noun and it will be describing the noun, its like one big noun phrase.

Chapter 16

1. do favours

we use ~てあげる、 ~てくれる、 ~てもらう to express who gives favours.

recall the line:

I----you----others

てあげる follows the same way as あげる, left to right. likewise for てくれる, right to left.

てあげる does not change the original meaning of the sentences, but it puts focus that the actions are done as a favour.


likewise てくれる when someone does something for us (as a kind gesture/favour), you are the one benefitting from the favour given by others.


use てもらう likewise.

2. request

use ていただけませんか / てくれませんか / てくれない to make a request, from most polite to the least polite (casual).


ちょっと待ってくれませんか。
(would u wait a moment?)

それ取ってくれない?
(would u pick that thing up? (and pass it to me))

3. hope something nice happens

use (verb present tense short form) + といいですね/といいね to say you hope something nice happens (to somebody else).

to say what u hope for, for your own good, use: といいんですが / といいんだけど

4. When A, B.

use (sentence A (short form))時、(sentence B) to say: when A, B.

use present tense for A if:
at the time where B takes place, A is still current or in the future (havent taken place yet). It does not matter if B is in the past or present, only matters if A happens after B.

the visa was first issued, then u went to tibet. (the whole event is past tense, however, sentence A is in present tense as it occurs after B.)


first u take out the contact lens, then u go to sleep, thats why sentence A is in present tense as it comes after B.

A also gets present tense when state of A holds when B occurs.

A is in the present tense here as you feeling lonely is still true at the moment when u are calling ur friends.

use past tense for A if:
A is in the already in the past when B takes place.

here, u go to china first then buy oolong tea, thats why A is past tense.

5. apologise

use (verb) て、すみませんでした (polite)/ ごめん(casual) to describe the things u have done that u wanna apologise for.

when u wanna apologise for something u failed to do, use ~なくて, the short negative te form of a verb. (verb short negative form, then the ない becomes なくて)


mini side note: adj to nouns

u can turn an i adj to a noun by changing the い to さ

some na adj also can be changed to noun, by changing the な to さ
(eg 便利さ (convenience))

Chapter 17

1. i have heard that...

(short form sentence) + そうです = i have heard that...


You can say:
日本語の授業は楽しいそうです。
(i have heard that their japanese language class is fun)

*side note: the previous chapters usage of そうです to say it seems like... only applies to adjs, and the way they conjugate is different:
for そうです = it seems like..., you remove the i and na at the end and add そうです。
while そうです= i have heard that..., it uses short forms.

(info source X) によると、 (short form sentence Y) そうです
= According to X, i have heard that Y.

2. って

use って to replace そうです to quote what u heard in a casual way.

also can use って instead of と to quote stuff (casual). eg と言っていました → って言っていた。

3. たら conditional

(short past tense form A) たら、 B 。
= If A, then B.

the た comes from the past tense form of A.


*restriction: it follows a set sequence where A must always come before B.
eg, cannot say: "if u have a test next week, u should study today" using たら, even tho it makes sense in english.


> if A is very likely to be true, then you can treat たら as a sequence: when A, then B.



> たら can also be used for purely hypothetical scenarios that may never even happen in real life.

4. なくてもいいです

to say u dont need to do something use なくてもいいです。
(ない → なくて → なくてもいいです)

5. is like

(noun A) + みたいです = it resembles/is like A.

(verb short form) + みたいです = it looks like ...

6. before and after

前に: before
(verb A short form present tense)前に、 (verb B)
= before A, B.


てから: after
(verb A te form) から、 (verb B)
= A, and then B.

Chapter 18

1. transitive and intransitive verbs

There are two types of verbs, transitive (need a direct subject/object) and intransitive (only needs an object)


つく (something goes on) (intransitive verb):
電気がつきました。
(the light went on)

note that intransitive does not need a subject, only needs object.

when used with ている, for transitive verbs, they describe actions in progress (verb -ing form in english), but for intransitive verbs, they describe change in state.

2. てしまう

te form of verb + しまう。

has 2 meanings:

1. done something completely/finish doing something:



2. means "regrettably"/ comes with the sense of regret, something regrettable happens. (like an "oh shit..." feeling)


infer the which of the two meanings is used based on context.

in speech, てしまう and でしまう is shortened to ちゃう and じゃう respectively.

3. Whenever A happens, B happens too

sentence A (short form present tense) + と + sentence B
= whenever A happens, B happens too.


sometimes theres cause and effect relationship.


sentence B must follow the event described sentence A, basically there must be a link between the sentences.

4. at the same time

verb A (masu stem) + ながら + verb B
= verb A and B, at the same time. (by the same person)

5. i wish i had done...

use verb + ばよかったです to say u wish u had done (verb).

to conjugate: remove the final u and add -eba (works for all verbs)

Chapter 19

1. honorific verbs

they are used to describe the actions of ppl you respect.


for verbs without special honorific forms, we can:

1. change verb + ている to verb + ていらっしゃいます


2. use お + (verb masu stem) + になる

2. giving respectful advice

to give respectful advice/command:
お + (verb masu stem) +ください


with most ~する verbs, use ご instead.

3. thank you for .... (action)

(verb て) + くれてありがとう
= thank you for doing (verb).


the honorific form is (verb て) + くださって ありがとう ございました。

4. im glad that ...

(verb て) よかったです。
= u are glad that (verb).

5. supposed to

(sentence short form) + はずです。
= it is supposed to be the case.


はずです = supposed to be. it is a very likely guess that you make.

example of はずです past tense:
先週電話をもらう はずでした が、電話がありませんでした。
(i was supposed to receive a phone call last week, but i did not)

はずです conjugates with adj and nouns in this manner:

i adj: 面白い → 面白い はずです
na adj: 元気 → 元気な はずです
nouns: 日本人 → 日本人の はずです

Chapter 20

1. extra modest expressions

used to lower ur status and elavate the listeners status.

2. humble expressions

To lower your own status and raise the subject in your sentence's status

general form:
お + (verb masu stem) + する。

for ~する verbs, usually ご instead of お


for もらう, → いただきます


for あげる, → さしあげる


use the verb うかがう to be humble in both visiting and asking questions.


note that the extra modest form raises the listeners status, whereas humble form raises the subjects status (for example the sensei u are referring to in ur sentence)

3. without doing X

verb + ないで = without doing X

4. questions within larger sentences

you can include questions within larger sentences.

5. the name of objects.

(name) という (object) = the object called "name".

6. easy/hard to do

(verb masu stem) + やすい/にくい = (verb) is easy/hard to do.


骨が多いので、魚は食べ にくいです。
(because there are many bones, fish are hard to eat)

この町はとても 住みやすいです。
(this town is very easy to live in)

note that it refers to the psychological state of whether it is easy/hard to do

Chapter 21

1. Passive sentences

general form:
X は Y に (verb passive form)
= X had (verb) done to him by Y.

verb conjugation:

ru verb: (ru → rareru)
食べる → 食べられる

u verbs: (u → areru)
行く → 行かれる

irregular:
くる → こられる
する → される

passive form of verbs conjugate as ru verbs.

in most passive sentences, the "victim" X is unfavourably affected by the person Y.


sometimes the sentence may be neutral.

2. てある

its kind of like an intransitive form of ている。

also implies that something has been brought about on purpose by somebody.

3. 間に

general form:
A (ている) 間に B.
(in the middle of/while A, B)


A can be a noun:


for the above, B lasts for a short duration. if B extends throughout the time A occurs, use 間

4. to make.

(adj) + する = to make something (adj)

similar to なる and its conjugations too.

i adj:
冷たい → 冷たくする。
(to make something cold/colder)

na adj:
簡単な → 簡単にする。
(to make something simple/simpler)

5. i want him to do...

(私は) person に (verb) て欲しい。
= i want person to do (verb)


u can say i dont want him to do X by negating the 欲しい to 欲しくない or by making the verb negative + 欲しい。

Chapter 22

1. causative form

causative form of verb:
ru verb: (ru → saseru)
食べる → 食べさせる

u verb: (u → aseru)
行く → 行かせる

irregular:
くる → こさせる
する → させる

general form:
X は Y に (causative verb)
= X made/let Y do (verb).

"made/let" depends on context.


causative form conjugates like ru verb.

if got ~てあげる、てくれる、てもらう, usually is let.

(casuative verb) てください just means pls let me do (verb)

2. command

(verb masu stem) + なさい = a command to do (verb).

may sound like u are "talking down" to somebody.

3. ば conditional

A ば B = If A, then B.

conjugation:

all positive verbs: (u → eba)
食べる → 食べれば
行く → 行けば

negative verbs: (nai → nakereba)
行かない = 行かなければ

ば is usually used when B is a "good result"/favourable outcome.


however u cannot say "if u dont drink this medicine u will die" using ば cuz the outcome is unfavourable.

4. despite

(short form A) のに B
= despite the fact that A, B.

both A and B must be facts


when A ends in na adj or noun, add a な at the end of A to become なのに.

5. is like / do something like...

(noun A) のような (noun B) = A is similar to/like B (in appearance/quality)


(noun A) のように (verb/adj) =
does (verb) like A / has characteristic (adj) like A.

Chapter 23

1. causative passive sentences

general form:
X は Y に (causative passive verb)
= X was forced/ordered by Y to do (verb)


conjugation rules:

ru verbs: (ru → sase rareru)
食べる → 食べさせられる

u verbs that end in す: (su → sase rareru)
話す → 話させられる

all the other u verbs: (u → asare ru)
行く → 行かされる

irregular:
くる → こさせられる
する → させられる

2. even if...

A ても、B = even if A, B

A is in te-form.

3. decide to do

(verb short form present tense) + ことにする = decide to do (verb)


sometimes volitional form is used eg. 行くことにしましょう。also means lets do (verb), but has implication that u gave some deliberation.

(verb) + ことにしている
= do (verb) as a regular practice.

4. until

A まで、B = until A, continue B.

5. the way of...

(verb masu stem) + 方 = the way of doing (verb)


nouns that come before the verb the を particle changes to の.


for ~する verbs, becomes ~のし方.