2019/12/07

Hi everyone! Today’s conversation phrase is, “Can you give me a moment?” Use this phrase when you want someone to wait for you to do something. To give a moment means to give someone a short amount of time (to do something). It’s a little more indirect than saying, “Can you wait?” Examples: Mary: John, can you help me with something? John: Sure, but can you give me a moment? I’m studying Japanese right now. 日本語訳 Mary:ジョン、手伝ってもらってもいい？...

2019/11/06

Hello! Today’s useful phrase is, "Because..." This is used to answer a "why" question. A "Why" question asks for a reason. A "Because" answer gives the reason. <<Example>> ① Why are you studying Japanese? Because I want to work in Japan. ② Why did you come to Japan? Because I love Japanese animation. ③ Why are you late? Because, the trains stopped this morning. 《日本語訳》 ① なぜ日本語の勉強をしているの？ なぜなら日本で働きたいからだよ...

2019/10/26

Hello! Today’s useful phrase is Why are you...? This is used to ask for the reason for something. The important part of this phrase is ‘why.’ You can also ask, Why did you...? <<Example>> ①Why are you studying Japanese? ②Why are you late? ③Why did you come to Japan? ④Why did you go to sleep late last night? 《日本語訳》 ①なぜ日本語の勉強をしているの？ ②なんで遅れたの？ ③なぜ日本に来たの？...

2019/10/19

Hello everyone! We have another conversation starter for today: I can’t stop thinking about... We usually use this phrase to say what we are worrying about, but sometimes, we also use this phrase to say what we are very interested or curious about. We can also use this to talk about something we like very much. For example: ① When you can’t stop worrying: A: I can’t stop thinking about my thesis presentation tomorrow. I’m so nervous! B: You worked very hard to do your research and...

2019/10/09

Use this expression to tell someone that something is expensive. 《Examples:》 ① John: How was that new sushi restaurant. Mary: It was good but a bit pricey. John: How much was the bill? Mary: ￥50,000 ② John: Wasn’t that foundation a bit pricey? Mary: Yes, but’s it really high quality. John: So, it’s worth the price? Mary: Yes. 《日本語訳》 ① John:新しいお寿司屋さんはどうだった？ Mary:よかったけど少し高かったです。 John:いくらだった？...

2019/10/02

Use this expression to compare someone’s appearance to something or someone Examples: John: You see that woman that walked in Yoshinoya? She looks like Ishihara Satomi. Tony: Wow, you’re right! Keisuke: That man looks like the boss. Takahiro: He looks like the boss because he is he boss. Keisuke: Oh! 《日本語訳》 John:吉野家を歩いていたあの女性が見えますか？彼女は石原さとみに似ている。 Tony:あなたの言う通りだ！...

2019/09/01

Please don’t forget... Use this expression to remind someone to do something. Examples: John is going to the airport to fly to Thailand. His sister Mary tells him not to forget his passport. John: I’m leaving for the airport. Mary: Please don’t forget your passport. John: Thanks, I won’t. John often forgets to do his homework on the weekends so his mother reminds him every Friday. Mom: John, please don’t forget to do your homework this weekend. John: Don’t worry mom, I won’t....

2019/08/17

Hi, everyone! Today’s Conversation Starter is ‘What time ~?’ We use this to ask for the time of many things. Example: A: What time is it? B: It’s 8 o’clock. A:何時ですか？ B:8時です It is also used when asking what time someone works or what time something starts. Example: A: What time do you work tomorrow? B: 8 a.m. A:明日は何時から仕事ですか？ B:午前８時です A: What time does the movie start? B: At 9. A:映画は何時から始まりますか？...

2019/08/07

Our conversation starter for today is ‘Where’s ~?’ (Where is ~?) This is very useful for asking for the location of something, especially when travelling. For example： Ex1, A: Where’s the grocery store? B: It’s in Squirrel Hill on Lincoln Ave. A: Thank you. Ex2, In a grocery store A: Excuse me, where’s the tofu? B: It’s in the produce section. We also use ‘Where is ~?’ to ask where someone is. Ex3, A: Where’s John? B: He’s in the bathroom. 【日本語訳】...

2019/07/24

Today’s conversation starter is What’s ~? (What is ~?) Use ‘What’s ~?’ to ask about someone or something. For example： A: What’s your name? B: My name is John. A: What’s your favorite movie? B. It’s Seven Samurai. Asking about something； A: What’s this? B: It’s an electric toothbrush. A: What’s your plan for the weekend? B: I’m going surfing in Okinawa. Want to come? 【日本語訳】 Ａ：あなたのお名前は？ Ｂ：私の名前はジョンです。...