Unit 3

I meant to post this over Thanksgiving, but I left my CD and my notes both at work ;) I had this already typed up, so I'll post Lesson 1 now. If you're reading this, and it ends at Lesson 1, please note that lessons 2 and 3 are going to be edited onto this post afterward, so keep checking back ;)

Unit 3, Lesson 1

Nempai no onnanohito – Elderly woman
Wakai no onnanohito – Young woman
Wakai no otokonohito – Young man
Nempai no otokonohito – Elderly man

Dansaa no ichidan – A group of dancers (Dansaa = Dancers, ichidan = a group, a party, a body, or a troupe)
Futari no dansaa – Two dancers
Soosha no ichidan – A group of runners (The word is “sousha” in hiragana, and it means Runner)
Futari no soosha – Two runners

Kono wakai otokonohito wa kami ga mijikai desu – This young man has short hair
Kono wakai otokonohito wa kami ga nagai desu – This young man has long hair
Futari no wakai onnanohito wa kami ga nagai desu – The two young women have long hair
Hitori no wakai onnanohito wa kami ga nagakute, moo hitori no wakai onnanohito wa kami ga mijikai desu – One young woman has flowing hair, and one young woman has short hair. (nagakute is a strange word, but one of the translations is flowing, and I like the way it sounds, so :P)

Dare ga kami ga mijikaikute kuroi desu ka – Who has short black hair?
Dare ga kami ga nagakute kimpatsu desu ka – Who has flowing blonde hair? (kimpatsu is spelled “kinpatsu” in Hiragana, and means Blonde)
Dare ga kami ga nagakute chairoi desu ka – Who has flowing brown hair? (chairoi = brown)
Dare ga atama ga hagete imasu ka – Who has a bald head? (base verb hageru means “to go bald”, hagete is the command form)

Kono wakai onnanohito wa kami ga kaaru shite imasu – This young woman has curled hair. (kaaru = a curl, the whole phrase “kami o kaaru shite iru” means “to curl one’s hair”)
Kono wakai otokonohito wa kami ga kaaru shite imasu – This young man has curled hair
Kono wakai onnanohito wa kami ga sutoreeto desu – This young woman has straight hair (sutoreeto = straight)
Kono wakai otokonohito wa kami ga sutoreeto desu – This young man has straight hair

Dare ga kami ga mijikaikute sutoreetode kuroi desu ka – Who has short, black, straight hair?
Dare ga kami ga nagakute kaaru shite ite kuroi desu ka – Who has flowing, black, curled hair?
Dare ga kami ga mijikaikute kaaru shite ite kuroi desu ka – Who has short, black, curled hair?
Dare ga kami ga nagakute sutoreetode kuroi desu ka – Who has flowing, black, straight hair?

Migi no otokonohito wa futotte imasu. Hidari no otokonohito wa yasete imasu – The man on the right is growing fat. One man is lean/thin. (migi = right, the base verb futoru = to get fat, the base verb yaseru = to become lean)
Onnanohito tachi wa yasete imasu – The women are lean/thin
Onnanohito tachi wa totemo futatte imasu – The woman are quite fat. (heh…totemo = “quite”, “utterly”, or “absolutely”)
Hidari no otokonohito wa futatte imasu. Migi no otokonohito wa yasete imasu – One man is fat. A man on the right is thin.

Hidari no piero wa se ga hikui desu. Migi no piero wa se ga takai desu – One clown is short. The clown on the right is tall. (piero = clown, hikui = short in stature, takai = tall in stature)
Hidari no piero wa se ga takai desu. Migi no piero wa se ga hikui desu – One clown is tall. The clown on the right is short.
Akai fuku o kite iru onnanohito wa se ga hikui desu – The woman wearing the red shirt is short.
Akai fuku o kite iru onnanohito wa se ga takai desu – The woman wearing the red shirt is tall.

Dochira no se no takai otokonohito ga megane o kakete imasu ka – Which tall man is wearing glasses?
Dochira no se no takai otokonohito ga megane o kakete imasen ka – Which tall man is not wearing glasses?
Dochira no se no hikui hito ga megane o kakete imasen ka – Which short person is not wearing glasses?
Dochira no se no hikui hito ga megane o kakete imasu ka – Which short person is wearing glasses?
(These four are a bit literal, but this is verb conjugation again which is still a bit hard for me. Basically, once you learn conjugation, it’s actually very simple…if you think about it, most Japanese people don’t actually know the rules, just as most Americans don’t know the rules about English verbs. We’re so used to saying them in context that we don’t have to think about them. This is why verb conjugation in Japanese is so difficult to learn, because we can’t simply say the phrase without having to think about the rules of how the verbs change, so sentences are easier or more difficult as a result.

Think about it this way: “I am going to run.” “I am running.” “Watashi wa hashiru desu.” “Watashi wa hashitte imasu.” We’ve been saying the first two our whole lives in English, so learning how to automatically say the last two is where verb conjugation is important…once we get the hang of that, a lot of the language will flow faster than before.)

Onnanohito wa kami ga kuroi desu – The woman has black hair.
Onnanohito wa kami ga sutoreetode kimpatsu desu – The woman has straight blonde hair.
Onnanohito wa kami ga kaaru shite ite kimpatsu desu – The woman has hair that is blonde and curled. (Kind of a weird one, I know...remember above, with kaaru shite iru, this is conjugation yet again)
Onnanohito wa kami ga haiiru desu – The woman has grey hair (haiiru = grey)

Notes: As with before, these lessons are going to start onto verb conjugation very heavily now. Volume 1 of Rosetta Stone really focuses on a lot of the vocabulary, while volumes 2 and 3 are what will get us into conversational Japanese more and more, working us towards fluency. That said, here's some things that my friend told me to get me on the right track before:

"(verb)-te +iru/imasu is VERY common grammar in Japanese, so if you see that pattern and can conjugate (or un-conjugate) verbs, you'll be able to look it up in an instant."

Also...

"Learn verb conjugation, and at that level there shouldn't be any words that aren't in your dictionary. The school I studied at taught the basic rules of verb conjugation alongside Minna no Nihongo book 1. I started from absolute zero, so I studied it hardcore for my first three months here. After my first three months, all my classmates changed. I studied with most of those new classmates for the next two years, but because they came in at Minna no Nihongo book 2, they were never very good at conjugation."

I'm currently studying Minna no Nihongo book 1 alongside Rosetta Stone, so I can honestly say that it's been a very useful item to have along in my work. It also has been crucial in identifying Hiragana and Kanji, so I highly recommend it. There are a few different versions, since they also teach Kanji and the like, but anyone who gets it wants to start with this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Minna-Nihongo-Honyaku-Translation-Grammatical/dp/4883191079/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227938065&sr=8-5

Unit 3, Lesson 2

Oozee no otokonoko - A great/large number of boys (it's spelled "oozei" in hiragana and means a large or great number of ~)
Hitori no otokonoko - One boy
Takusan no fuusen - A large quantity of balloons (takusan = a large quantity (of) ~, fuusen = balloon. We're back to counters now...these suck, so pay attention!)
Sukoshi no fuusen - A small quantity of balloons (resist the urge to just say "three", since the picture in Rosetta only shows 3 balloons. Sukoshi = a small quantity (of) ~, not a specific number of items. It does, however, mean there are plurals involved, so you should not be using "sukoshi" in reference to one item, from what I understand)

Takusan no booshi - A large quantity of hats
Hitotsu no booshi - One hat
Takusan no kasa - A large quantity of umbrellas (is Umbrelli a word? It could be, if umbrellas ever learn to attack us. Oh...I'm rambling again...)
Ippon no kasa - One umbrella

Ikkin no pan - One bread
Takusan no pan - A large quantity of bread
Nikin no pan - Two breads
Pan wa arimasen - No bread

Ittoo no uma to issho no kaubooi - One horse together with a cowboy (issho = together, with, along [together] with)
Uma to issho ni inai kaubooi - There is not a horse together with the cowboy
Nantooka no uma to issho no futari no kaubooi - Three horses together with two cowboys
Kaubooihatto ga takusan arimasuga, kaubooi wa imasen - There are a large quantity of cowboy hats, but no cowboy. (Try pronouncing that one in Rosetta Stone...it'll take you a long time to say the words the way the program thinks that they're perfect, I can tell you!)

Koin ga nammai arimasu ka. Takusan arimasu - How many coins are there? A large quantity. (koin = coin, obviously. "nammai" is "nanmai" in Hiragana, but the definition is a bit unclear...best I can figure, it's a counter for money, but don't quote me on that.)
Biidama ga nanko arimasu ka. Ikko arimasu - How many marbles are there? One. (Biidama = marble, ikko = one, a piece, or a unit. Nanko is basically asking how many units)
Biidama ga nanko arimasu ka. Sukoshi arimasu - How many marbles are there? A small quantity.
Biidama ga nanko arimasu ka. Takusan arimasu - How many marbles are there? A large quantity.

Takusan no tomato to sukoshi no banana - A large quantity of tomatos and a small quantity of bananas.
Ringo wa takusan arimasuga, banana wa arimasen - There are a large quantity of apples, but not any bananas.
Tomato wa takusan arimasuga, banana wa arimasen - There are a large quantity of tomatos, but no bananas.
Banana wa takusan arimasuga, ringo wa arimasen - There are a large quantity of bananas, but no apples. (Quite note on these last 3...here's a brief explanation from Minna no Nihongo about the letter "ga" in grammar: "The object of a transitive verb is marked with "o" (or "wo" if you type it into a Japanese dictionary). However, objects of the verbs "arimasu" and "wakarimasu" are marked with "ga". Such adjectives as "sukidesu", "kiraidesu", "jouzudesu", and "hetadesu" require objects, and these are marked with "ga" too. The verbs and adjectives whose objects are marked with "ga" are those kinds that describe preference, ability, possession, and the like."

I bring this up because "arimasuga" is actually "arimasu" and "ga" all in one, but "ga" is fairly complicated in and of itself. For instance, it can be used to mark the subject in some sentences, such as "Otokonohito ga imasu" for "There is a man." It could also be used to express desire, such as "Watashi wa tomodachi ga hoshii desu" for "I want a friend." You'll be seeing words linked with "ga" a lot in Japanese, so take note of it now."

Teeburu yorimo isu no hoo ga ooi desu - There are lots of chairs in each direction of the table.. (complicated one, isu = chairs from before, "hoo" is "hou" in hiragana and means "direction", "a way" or "a side", and ooi means "lots of [things]". Yorimo won't show up in a dictionary, so don't look, but in most cases it means "than" or "of".)
Kuruma yorimo basu no hoo ga ooi desu - There are lots of busses in the way of the car.
Banana yorimo tomato no hoo ga ooi desu - There are lots of tomatos to the side of the banana.
Onnanohito to onaji kazu no otokonohito ga imasu - There are the same number of men as woman. (I got these really wrong and had to be educated. "~ to onaji" means "the same as ~", "kazu" means "figure" in the numerical sense. So "to onaji kazu" is saying that "~ is the same number as ~")

Uma yorimo hito no hoo ga ooi desu - There are lots of people to the sides of the horse.
Hito yorimo uma no hoo ga ooi desu - There are lots of horses to a side of the person.
Hito to onaji kazu no kasa ga arimasu - There are the same number of umbrellas as people
Kasa yorimo hito no hoo ga ooi desu - There are lots of people under an umbrella. (I'm cheating here a bit, since "hou/hoo" can mean direction, I'm substituting out of laziness ;) )

Hito yorimo uma no hoo ga sukunai desu - There are very few horses to the side of the people. (sukanai = very few)
Uma yorimo hito no hoo ga sukunai desu - There are very few people to the side of the horses.
Hito yorimo kasa no hoo ga sukunai desu - There are very few umbrellas over the people.
Hito to onaji kazu no uma ga imasu - There are the same number of horses as people.

Otokonoko to onaji kazu no onnanoko ga imasu - There are the same number of boys as girls.
Otokonoko yorimo onnanoko no hoo ga sukunai desu - There are very few girls to the side of the boy.
Otokonoko yorimo onnanoko no hoo ga ooi desu - There are lots of girls to the side of the boy
Onnanoko mo otokonoko mo imasen - There is not a girl or a boy.

Notes: AAAAAAHHHHHH! I should note that I hate "onaji kazu", and my definition is quite possibly wrong. If I find out it is, I'll correct it later, but I remember getting so pissed at this lesson, I just found a workable definition and moved on. It's one of my complaints about Rosetta Stone, it gives "onaji kazu" far too few times in this lesson, and it never does it alongside another example that could help explain the words, so it's a very hard one to nail down properly. That said, until I find out I'm wrong...my definition stays there ;) If it changes, I'll post some notes as to why.

Edit: Haha, I was way off ;) Look above, I fixed my definitions using "to onaji kazu" in the sentence, and added some notes as to what the definition is really supposed to be. That's a tough one!

Unit 3, Lesson 3

Otokonohito wa aoi seetaa o kite imasu - The man is wearing a blue sweater (seetaa = sweater)
Onnanoko tachi wa wampiisu o kite imasu - The girls are wearing dresses (wampiisu, btw, is spelled "wanpiisu" in hiragana and literally means "one-piece dress")
Otokonoko wa akai seetaa o kite imasu - The boy is wearing a red sweater
Onnanohito wa murasakiiro no seetaa o kite imasu - The woman is wearing a purple sweater.

Onnanohito wa kuroi shatsu o kite imasu - The woman is wearing a black shirt.
Onnanohito wa kuroi zubon o haite imasu - The woman is wearing black pants.
Otokonoko wa aoi shatsu o kite imasu - The boy is wearing a blue shirt.
Otokonoko wa aoi zubon o haite imasu - The boy is wearing blue pants.

Issoku no kutsu - A pair of shoes
Katahoo no kutsu - One of a pair of shoes (katahoo = literally "one of a pair)
Issoku no kutsushita - A pair of socks
Katahoo no kutsushita - One of a pair of socks

Kanojo wa aka to shiro no seetaa o kite imasu - She is wearing a red and white sweater
Kanojo wa murasakiiro no uwagi o kite imasu - She is wearing a purple jacket
Kare wa seetaa o kite imasu - He is wearing a sweater
Kare wa seetaa o kite imasen - He is not wearing a sweater

Kanojo wa aka to shiro no seetaa o kite, jiinzu o haite imasu - She is wearing a white and red sweater, and jeans.
Onnanohito wa akai wampiisu o kite imasu - The woman is wearing a red dress.
Onnanohito wa akai kooto o kite imasu - The woman is wearing a red coat.
Onnanohito wa akai sukaato o haite imasu - The woman is wearing a red skirt.

Kare wa kuroi tampan o haite, shiroi shatsu o kite imasu - He is wearing black shorts and a white shirt.
Hitori wa kiiroi uwagi o kite ite, moo hitori wa akai uwagi o kite imasu - One wearing a yellow jacket, and one wearing a red jacket (note, "uwagi" can mean "Coat", "jacket", or "outerwear")
Hitori no onnanohito wa kiiroi wampiisu o kite ite, moo hito no onnanohito wa akai wampiiso o kite imasu - One woman is wearing a yellow dress, and one woman is wearing a red dress.
Kanojo wa nanimo kite imasen - She is wearing nothing/She is not wearing anything (nanimo = no, nothing, or not ~ anything)

Wampiisu o kite imasu - Wearing a dress
Zubon o haite imasu - Wearing pants
Tampan o haite imasu - Wearing shorts
Sukaato o haite imasu - Wearing a skirt

Aoi shatsu o kite imasu - Wearing a blue shirt
Aoi zubon o haite imasu - Wearing blue pants
Aoi seetaa o kite imasu - Wearing a blue sweater
Aoi uwagi o kite imasu - Wearing a blue coat/jacket/outerwear

kutsushita o haite iru tokoro desu - Putting on socks
Kitsu o haite iru tokoro desu - Putting on shoes
Shatsu o kite iru tokoro desu - Putting on a shirt
Zubon o haite iru tokoro desu - Putting on pants

Piero wa zubon o haite imasu - The clown is wearing pants
Piero wa zubon o haite iru tokoro desu - The clown is putting on pants
Megane o kaketa otokonohito wa seetaa o kite imasu - The man wearing glasses is wearing a sweater.
Megane o kaketa otokonohito wa seetaa o kite iru tokoro desu - The man wearing glasses is putting on a sweater.

Notes: Don't try to find "tokoro" in a dictionary, you won't get the right definition. Well, you might, but it's a bit tricky...the sentences above actually leave a little bit out for simplicity. "Tokoro" more or less means "a place" or "a spot", so you could say "Zubon o haite iru tokoro desu" would mean "Putting pants on the legs" or something similar, but it's easier to just put the general meaning there for now.