Japanese Grammar Fun Again

4 Ways to Negate Anything in Japanese
Beginning Japanese Grammar Lesson
How to say “but…” in Japanese.

It is never a wise idea to refute the ideas of others. However, in the normal processes of direct communication between two individuals or any number of individuals or groups of people involved in a discussion, it becomes necessary to use the preposition but. In modern Japanese, the preposition but can be expressed in at least four different ways. By learning these four ways of saying but, you'll be able to negate (In Japanese) anything or anybody you want.

These words are very powerful, so use with caution, especially when talking to someone like say . . . your boss! You wouldn't want to negate your boss no matter how much you wanted to impress him with your Japanese skills. Below I present four ways the preposition but is used in Japanese. After that comes the plug and play Japanese grammar construction samples and the G.A.B. (Ghetto After Blast). So have fun and enjoy the rest of the lesson.

Words for the preposition but

but – ga が

but - shikashi しかし(however)

but - kedoけど, keredoけれど, keredomo けれども

but – demo でも





Example 1 - I want to kiss her; but, she won't let me!

Kanojo ni kissu sasete moraitiai n'da keredomo, sasete moraenai n'da!
かのじょに キッス させてもらいたいの だけれどもさせてもらえないのだ


Example 2. Her English skills are not very good, but she sure can cook though!

Kanojo no eigo wa ammari yokunai da kedo, ryo^ri wa umai n'da!
かのじょの 英語はあまりよくないのだけど料理が甘いのだ


Example 3. He said he was a doctor, however to tell you the real truth, he is just an ordinary dentist!



Kare wa isha da to iutta tai, shikashi honto wa kare. . . tada no haishasan!

re-yaku - Ex. 3. Kare wa isha da tte! Demo honki wa taishita mon ja nai.



Ex. 4. The president has completely died, but his spirit lives on.



Daito^ryo^san wa shinde shimaimashita ga, kare no rei wa mada ikitsuzuite iru no desu.

.

(See ghetto grammar lesson #97 for the plug and play learning system to master the Japanese grammar Base TE shimau- to verb completely)




Example 5. But . . . I wanted the pink one!

Demo, pinku no yatsu ga hoshikatta no da!
でも,ピンクの奴が欲しかったのだ



Ex. 6. I like her, but don't you think she is kind of short?

Ore wa kanojo ga suki nanya kedo, chotto se ga hikui to omouwanai to desu ka?

It is usually easy to tell on hearing the Japanese syllable ga whether it is the participle ga, or the preposition ga. The preposition ga when it is meant to mean but, is usually accompanied by a small pause and its use is more formal than any of the keredemo or demo variations. It is better to remeber shikashi as however and the keredemo variations as but.

Ghetto after blast - GAB 2 point advice. Since the Japanese words shikashi, kedo, keredemo, demo, and ga, all basically mean the same thing, you won't have to remember as much, so beginners might find it helpful to pick just one. Just remember that shikashi and ga sound more formal than the kedo, and keremo. Oh yeah... I almost forgot to mention that the word for ribbit in Japanese is kero, so make sure your pronunciation of kedo doesn't make you sound like you are making love to a frog, unless of course you are a princess!

As always, Ganbatte Ne!
Do your best!
Makurasuki sensei
http://www.saketalkie.blogspot.com or http://japanetics.blogspot.com
http://squidoo.com/ghettogrammar/ or http://squidoo.com/phonesearch

http://spanishjapanese.blogspot.com

Table 1 - The 46 Syllables of the Japanese Syllabary (Romanized)

a ka sa ta na ha ma ra ya wa n
i ki shi chi ni hi mi ri
u ku su tsu nu fu mu ru yu
e ke se te ne he me re
o ko so to no ho mo ro yo wo

あ か さ た な は ま ら や わ ん
い き し ち に ひ み り
う く す つ ぬ ふ む る ゆ
え け せ て ね へ め れ
お こ そ と の ほ も ろ よ を

The above are the 46 syllables of the Japanese (alphabet) Syllabary. Individually they are called mora. Plurally they are called morae. One mora in particular is the focus of this article. The Tsu つmora. When the tsu つsyllable is added before the consonants k, p, and t, a hardened double consonant sound is produced. You spit out the words Like the sound of the doubled k in bookkeeper, adding the syllable tsu つ to ka, ki, ku, ke, ko makes pronunciation double succinct as in the following:

Tsu っ+ ka か= kka っ
Tsu っ+ ki き= kki っ
Tsu っ+ ku く= kku っ
Tsu っ+ ke け= kke っ
Tsu っ+ ko こ= kko っ

This special Japanese pronunciation of the doubled consonant is denoted by a lowered case, subscripted tsu っ in either hiragana平仮名
or katakana片仮名. Some examples are as follows:

速い行け!

1. makka 真っ赤– deep red
2. jikken 実験– experiment or test
3. shuppan 出版 する– publish , shuppatsu – departure
4. zettai ぜったい– suredly, absoluteness
5. tokkyo – not the kyou which has the elongated
6. happi ハッピ– the English word happy in katakana

Note the use of the doubled consonant sound in Japanese is indicated by a lower case tsu ッ followed by the doubled consonant sound.

When the last Japanese syllable n (ん) is not connected to a vowel, as in the very last syllable of the Japanese syllabary which in fact is just n or , it is like a syllable unto itself. It receives a full count if language were a music it would receive the same amount of time that a two letter syllable receives., and is denoted by the apostrophe ‘. For example:

1. Kin’en 禁煙 is Japanese for “No Smoking@!” not, kinen 記念, or the word for anniversary.
Kin’en 禁煙 has four syllables and the word for anniversary kinen 記念 has 3.

To say the raらriり ruる re れ ro ろ line of the syllabary say first in English name, “Eddy”, then make sure the tip of your tongue is touching delicately behind the upper front teeth. If you say it like this you come close to a true pronunciation of the Japanese word for collar, or eri 襟.
To learn more haya ike! はや行け!

http://japanetics.blogspot.com
or
http://squidoo.com/japanesevocabularyindex

As always,

Ganbatte ne! 頑張ってね
Do your best!
Makurasuki

Ja mata kondo! じゃ また こんどう

unique Japanese Grammar Lesson on Base TE

Japanese Grammar featuring Base TE + kurenai
Won’t you do it for me? Will ya? Wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too?

Verb (base TE) + kurenai (TE + kureru)
Verb (base TE) + moraenai (TE + Morau)

Verb (base TE) + kudasaimasen ka?

Verb (base TE) + itadakemasen ka?

Won’t you do it for me? Where do it = some verb

Example 1.

Would you watch the kids for me?

Kodomo tachi o mite kurenai?

Example 2.

Won’t you do (wash) the dishes for me? Couldn’t I get you to do the dishes?

Sara o aratte moraenai?

Example 3.

Kashite kureru?

Would you loan it to me?

Example 4.

Kaite kudasaimasu ka?

Could I get you to write?

Next lessons will deal with causative like ikasete moraenai

As always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!

Makurasuki

Nothing I don't think Japanese

It is interesting to note that the word for you in Japanese is phonetically the same or apparently phonetically the same as the Buddhist’s belief on the 3 characteristics of existence selflessness or anatta


Three Characteristics of Existence

1. Transiency (anicca)
2. Sorrow (dukkha)
3. Selflessness (anatta)