LESSON 20
Plain (casual) style

Use the plain (casual) style: plain forms of verbs and adjectives, dropping か, だ and particles in conversation, and 〜けど.

単語Vocabulary22 words
need, require [a visa]v.
check, investigatev.
repairv.
I (informal, used by men)pron.
you (informal, for equals/juniors)pron.
Mr. (informal; also for boys' names)suff.
yes (informal)exp.
no (informal)exp.
word, languagen.
kimono (traditional Japanese attire)n.
visan.
the beginningn.
the end of ~, The Endn.
this way, this place (informal こちら)pron.
that way near the listener (informal そちら)pron.
that way over there (informal あちら)pron.
which (of two), which way (informal どちら)pron.
all togetherexp.
~, but (informal equivalent of が)conj.
(I'm) fullexp.
if you likeexp.
variousadv.
文型Grammar patterns6 points
Japanese has two styles: polite (です／ます) and plain. The plain style uses dictionary forms, 〜い, 〜だ, etc.
例
I'm off to Tokyo tomorrow.
い-adj keeps 〜い; な-adj and nouns take だ; 〜たいです → 〜たい; ありません → ない.
例
I like sumo.
Drop か and use a rising intonation; in noun/な-adj questions だ is dropped too.
例
Want some coffee?
In casual speech を・へ・は・が are often dropped (but で・に・から・まで・と are kept).
例
Would you like something to eat?
The い of the て-form + いる is often dropped in casual speech.
例
Have you got a dictionary?
けど works like が and is common in conversation.
例
I've got some sumo tickets — would you like to go with me?
例文Example sentences4 pairs
Q.
Want some coffee?
A.
Yeah, sure.
Q.
Are you free tonight?
A.
Yes, I am.
Q.
Have you got a dictionary?
A.
No, I haven't.
Q.
Is that curry good?
A.
Yes, it's spicy but it's nice.
参考人[ひと]の 呼[よ]び方[かた] — How to Address People10 words
elder brother (familiar)
elder sister (familiar)
Mother
Mom
Father
Pop, Dad
(Mr/Ms) Customer
used to address doctors and teachers
addressing your boss by job title
informal, for equals/juniors and boys' names
漢字Kanji10 characters
need, main point
9 strokes
mend, master
10 strokes
reason, logic
11 strokes
I (men, informal)
14 strokes
you (informal), Mr.
7 strokes
wear, arrive
12 strokes
thing
8 strokes
beginning, first
7 strokes
end, finish
11 strokes
investigate, tune
15 strokes
練習Review quiz6 questions
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みんなの日本語 初級I 第2版 · Personal revision template — Lesson 20