4.2: Dialogue 2

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The team has been working hard all morning.

Tanaka: Minasan, sukoshi yasumimashou. Everyone, Let’s just take a break.

みなさん、すこし休やすみましょう。

Michael: Ja, ocha, iremashou ka. Then, shall we make tea?

じゃ、お茶ちゃ、入いれましょうか。

Honda: Watashi ga iremasu yo. I’ll do it.

私わたしが入いれますよ。

Michael: Ja, tetsudaimasu. Well then, I’ll help.

じゃ、手伝てつだいます。 Beverages have been brought in.

Michael: Tanaka-san wa nani ga ii desu ka? What would you like, Ms. Tanaka?

田中たなかさんは、何なにがいいですか。

Tanaka: Watashi wa koohii o onegai-shimasu. I’ll have Coffee, please.

私わたしはコーヒーをお願ねがいします。

…..

Aa, oishii desu nee! Ahh, it’s good, isn’t it!

ああ、おいしいですねえ！

Vocabulary

sukoshi すこし少し a little

ocha おちゃお茶 tea, green tea

ga subject marking particle

iremasu いれます入れます make (tea, coffee), put in

Tanaka たなか田中 Tanaka (family name)

koohii コーヒー coffee

oishii おいしい delicious, tasty

＋mazui まずい not tasty

＋koucha こうちゃ紅茶 black tea

＋mizu みず水 cold water

＋juusu ジュース juice

＋gyuunyuu ぎゅうにゅう牛乳 milk

＋okashi おかしお菓子 snacks, sweets

＋suiitsu すいいつスイーツ sweets

＋pan パン bread

＋keeki ケーキ cake

＋kukkii クッキー cookie

＋kudamono くだもの果物 fruit

＋ringo りんご apple

＋mikan みかん mandarin orange

＋ichigo いちご strawberry

Particle Ga Making the Subject

Recall that the subject of a sentence can be placed in front of a verb, adjective or noun + desu in spoken Japanese without any particle or with the particles wa or mo. In this lesson, the particle ga is added.

Kono apaato, takai desu. This apartment is expensive

Kono apaato wa takai desu. This apartment is expensive (while others may not).

Kono apaato mo takai desu. This apartment is also expensive.

Kono apaato ga takai desu. It’s this apartment that is expensive.

The particle ga follows the subject noun in situations where 1) special focus is placed on the subject, or 2) the entire sentence presents new information. Situation 1) commonly occurs in combination with question words. In answering these questions, it is common to use particle ga with the noun, or to just give the noun + desu.

1) The subject noun is focused.

Dare ga, ikimasu ka. Who is going?

-Honda-san desu. It is Honda-san (who is going).

-Honda-san ga ikimasu. Ms. Honda is going.

In Dialogue 2 above, when Michael suggests making tea, Ms. Honda says Watashi ga iremasu ‘I will make tea (not Michael or anyone)’ putting a focus on her as THE person to make tea. Another similar example in the dialogue is when Michael asks what Ms. Tanaka wants. Michael says nani ga ii desu ka putting a focus on ‘what’.

2) The entire sentence presents new information.

Kaerimasu ka? Are you going home?

-Hai, shukudai ga arimasu kara. Yes, because I have homework.

Here having homework is new information and explains why the speaker is going home. It’s not shukudai alone that is focused here ( ‘it is homework that I have’) but rather the sentence as a whole is focused ( ‘it’s that I have homework.’)