Lesson29:Additional Expression1-Essential Japanese Expressions for Everyday Conversation from GENKIⅠ

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Mastering everyday expressions can significantly boost your confidence and fluency in Japanese. Let’s break down some common and highly useful phrases, focusing on how they’re used in real conversations.

「もう」 (Mō) and 「まだ」 (Mada)

These adverbs are crucial for indicating whether an action or state is completed or ongoing, often reflecting expectations or surprise about timing.

「もう」 (Mō): Already / No Longer

  • Meaning:
    1. Already Completed: Something has finished at a given point.
    2. Change Has Occurred: Used with negative forms to show something is no longer in a previous state.
    3. Surprising Amount/Time: Expresses surprise when time or quantity is more than expected.
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Confirming/Reporting Completion:
      • A: 「もうご飯 (はん) 食べた？」 (Have you already eaten?)
      • B: 「うん、もう食べたよ。」 (Yeah, I’ve already eaten.)
    • Reporting a Change (with negative):
      • A: 「田中 (たなか) さん、まだいる？」 (Is Tanaka-san still here?)
      • B: 「ううん、もう帰 (かえ) ったよ。」 (No, he’s already gone home. / He’s no longer here.)
    • Surprise about Time/Quantity:
      • A: 「え、もう12時 (じ)？早 (はや) いね！」 (Huh? It’s already 12 o’clock? Time flies!)

「まだ」 (Mada): Still / Not Yet

  • Meaning:
    1. Ongoing: Something is continuing.
    2. Not Yet Completed: Something hasn’t finished.
    3. Less Than Expected: Expresses surprise when time or quantity is less than anticipated.
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Confirming/Reporting Ongoing Action:
      • A: 「雨 (あめ)、やんだ？」 (Has the rain stopped?)
      • B: 「いや、まだ降 (ふ) ってるよ。」 (No, it’s still raining.)
    • Confirming/Reporting Non-Completion:
      • A: 「宿題 (しゅくだい)、もう終わった？」 (Have you finished your homework yet?)
      • B: 「ううん、まだだよ。」 (No, not yet.)
    • Surprise (Less than Expected):
      • A: 「会議 (かいぎ)、まだ始 (はじ) まらないの？」 (The meeting hasn’t started yet?)

「〜つもりだ」 (Tsumori da): Intend to / Plan to

「〜つもりだ」 expresses the speaker’s strong intention or plan, or sometimes their estimation of a situation.

  • Meaning:
    1. Strong Intention/Plan: The speaker firmly intends or plans to do something.
    2. Estimation/Belief (〜のつもりだ): To believe or judge a situation to be a certain way (e.g., 「冗談 (じょうだん) のつもりだ」 – “I intended it as a joke.”).
  • How to Form: Attach to a verb’s dictionary form (辞書形 – jishokei) or negative form (ない形 – nai-kei).
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Stating Your Plans/Intentions:
      • A: 「夏休 (なつやす) み、どうする？」 (What are you doing for summer vacation?)
      • B: 「沖縄 (おきなわ) へ行 (い) くつもりだよ。」 (I intend to go to Okinawa.)
    • Asking About Someone Else’s Plans:
      • A: 「明日 (あした) も休 (やす) むつもり？」 (Are you planning to take tomorrow off too?)
    • Expressing an Estimation:
      • A: 「あれ、怒 (おこ) ってる？」 (Are you mad?)
      • B: 「いや、そんなつもりじゃなかったんだけど…」 (No, I didn’t mean to do that, but…)

「どこかに／どこにも」 (Doko ka ni / Doko ni mo): Somewhere / Nowhere

These expressions are used when you don’t know or specify an exact location.

「どこかに」 (Doko ka ni): Somewhere / Anywhere

  • Meaning: Refers to an unspecified location. It’s often used when you have a vague idea of a place, or when asking about any possible location.
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • A: 「鍵 (かぎ) が見 (み) つからない。どこかに落 (お) としちゃったかな？」 (I can’t find my keys. I wonder if I dropped them somewhere?)
    • B: 「週末 (しゅうまつ)、どこかに出 (で) かけたいな。」 (I want to go out somewhere this weekend.)
    • A: 「どこかに面白 (おもしろ) い場所 (ばしょ) ない？」 (Are there anywhere interesting places?)

「どこにも」 (Doko ni mo): Nowhere / Not Anywhere

  • Meaning: Used with a negative verb to mean “nowhere” or “not anywhere.” It indicates the complete absence of something in any location, or not going to any place.
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • A: 「携帯 (けいたい)、どこにもない！」 (My phone is nowhere to be found! / It’s not anywhere!)
    • B: 「今日 (きょう) は疲 (つか) れたから、どこにも行 (い) かないで家 (いえ) にいるよ。」 (I’m tired today, so I’m not going anywhere and staying home.)

「〜てみる」 (Te miru): Try to do / Try doing

  • Meaning: To try doing something, to see what happens, or to test if something is possible. It carries the nuance of “giving it a try.”
  • How to Form: Attach to a verb’s te-form (て形).
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Trying Something New:
      • A: 「この料理 (りょうり)、難 (むずか) しそうだけど、作 (つく) ってみる？」 (This dish looks difficult, but shall we try making it?)
      • B: 「うん、やってみよう！」 (Yeah, let’s give it a try!)
    • Checking Possibility:
      • A: 「このパソコン、直 (なお) せるかな？」 (Can this computer be fixed?)
      • B: 「ちょっと見 (み) てみるね。」 (I’ll take a look [and see if I can fix it].)
    • Encouraging Someone to Try:
      • A: 「この服 (ふく) 、似合 (にあ) うかな？」 (Does this outfit suit me?)
      • B: 「一度 (いちど)着 (き) てみてください。」 (Please try it on [and see].)

「〜ておく」 (Te oku): Do Something in Advance / Leave Something as Is

  • Meaning:
    1. Preparation: To do something beforehand or in advance.
    2. Leaving as Is: To leave something in its current state.
    3. Completion/Preservation: To complete an action and maintain its result.
  • How to Form: Attach to a verb’s te-form (て形).
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Preparation:
      • A: 「明日 (あした) の会議 (かいぎ) の資料 (しりょう)、もう準備 (じゅんび) した？」 (Have you prepared the materials for tomorrow’s meeting yet?)
      • B: 「うん、もう机 (つくえ) の上 (うえ) に置 (おい) ておいたよ。」 (Yeah, I’ve placed them on the desk [in advance].)
    • Leaving as Is / Maintaining State:
      • A: 「まだ使 (つか) うから、ドアは開 (あ) けておいて。」 (I’m still going to use it, so please leave the door open.)
      • B: 「このジュース、飲 (の) んでいい？」 (Can I drink this juice?)
      • A: 「いや、まだ冷 (ひ) やしたいから、そのまま置 (おい) ておいて。」 (No, I want to chill it more, so please leave it as is.)
    • Completion/Preservation:
      • A: 「宿題、もう書 (か) いておいたよ。」 (I’ve already written my homework [and it’s done/saved].)

These expressions are vital for adding natural nuance to your Japanese conversations. Try to recognize them in context and incorporate them into your own speaking!

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