Japanese Made Easy: Lesson 469

Welcome to Lesson 4 of the Standard Japanese Tutorial! In this lesson, we'll dive deeper into Japanese grammar and vocabulary, focusing on the topic of time expressions and the particle "wa." Let's get started!

Time Expressions

In Japanese, there are various ways to express time. Here are some common time expressions:* Hours:
* 1 hour: 1-じ (ichi-ji)
* 2 hours: 2-じ (ni-ji)
* 3 hours: 3-じ (san-ji)
* Minutes:
* 10 minutes: 10-ふん (juppun)
* 20 minutes: 20-ふん (nijyuppun)
* 30 minutes: 30-ふん (sanjuppun)
* Time Phrases:
* In the morning: あさ (asa)
* In the afternoon: ひる (hiru)
* In the evening: ゆうがた (yugata)
* At night: よる (yoru)

To express a specific time, combine the hour and minute expressions. For example, "5:30 pm" would be "ごじさんじゅっぷん (goji sanjuppun)."

Particle "Wa"

The particle "wa" is used to mark the subject of a sentence. It is placed after the subject and indicates that the subject is the focus of the sentence.

Here are some examples:* Watashi wa Nihongo o benkyō shite imasu. (I am studying Japanese.)
* Taro-san wa gakusei desu. (Taro is a student.)
* Kono hon wa omoshiroi desu. (This book is interesting.)

Note that "wa" is not always translated into English. In some cases, it may be omitted from the translation.

Combining Time Expressions and "Wa"

Time expressions can be used with the particle "wa" to emphasize the time of an event.

Here are some examples:* Watashi wa asa 7-ji ni okimasu. (I wake up at 7 am.)
* Taro-san wa yoru 10-ji ni nemasu. (Taro goes to bed at 10 pm.)
* Kono gakkyū wa hiraku tokini wa 9-ji desu. (This class starts at 9 am.)

Practice Exercises

To practice using time expressions and the particle "wa," try these exercises:1. Translate "I eat breakfast at 8 am." into Japanese.
2. Express "The train arrives at 5 pm." in Japanese.
3. Use "wa" to emphasize the subject of the sentence: "Taro studies Japanese."

Answer Key1. 私は朝8時に朝ごはんを食べます。 (Watashi wa asa 8-ji ni asagohan o tabemasu.)
2. 電車は5時に着きます。 (Densha wa goji ni tsukimasu.)
3. 太郎は日本語を勉強しています。 (Taro-wa Nihongo o benkyō shite imasu.)

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing Lesson 4 of the Standard Japanese Tutorial! You've now learned how to express time in Japanese and use the particle "wa" to mark the subject of a sentence. Keep practicing and you'll be speaking Japanese with confidence in no time.

2024-12-29

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