JPNS 1010
Dialogue for
Presentation 5
(Supplements for
the textbook
Genki: An Integrated Approach, Vol. 1)
Click here to listen to the
entire dialogue.
Click on the links
below to listen to each individual sentence.
John is talking to
Akiko on the phone.
ジョン：もしもし、あきこさん、今 なにをしていますか。
あきこ：今、たかしさんとビデオを見ています。
ジョン：そうですか。いいですね。
あきこ：よかったら、ジョンさんも、うちにきて、ビデオを見ませんか。
ジョン：えっ、行ってもいいですか。
あきこ：もちろんですよ。
Notes
もしもし is how Japanese people greet one another on the telephone. John then asks Akiko what she is doing
right now. Notice that he puts the
verb する in the –te form with います. As you can see in the
grammatical explanations on p. 136 of your textbook, the –te form plus forms of the verb
いる indicate a
continuous or ongoing state. Typically
this kind of pattern is used when someone is in the middle of something, doing
an act that takes some time to complete –
in other words, an act in progress.
You may want to note that when people are speaking quickly, the
middle い at the beginning of the います in the (–te form+います)
construction drops out. In other
words, in colloquial Japanese, しています often sounds like してます. (When we recorded the
dialogue for you, we were careful not to drop out the い in しています; however, be aware that many people pronounce it that way,
especially when speaking quickly.)
When people WRITE Japanese however, they never make that sort of
contraction. They always write out しています, keeping the い
intact, unless perhaps they are quoting a person’s speech.
Akiko responds that she is watching a video with Takashi. Notice that the verb she uses is 見ています. This is because she
and Takashi are in an ongoing, continuous state of watching the video: “we are watching.” (The act of watching is not over in an
instant; it is an ongoing action, and they are in the middle of the
video.) Note that when people speak
quickly, 見ています might sometimes sound like 見てます。
John asks, “Really?” then says “That’s nice.” He seems a little jealous.
Akiko says, “If it is alright,
John, why don’t you also come to my house
and watch a video?” よかったら means “if it is alright.” People use that a lot
before making a suggestion. You
will learn more about this form (called the conditional form) in subsequent
semesters of Japanese. Because she
is suggesting a series of things (first coming to her house, then watching a
film), the first of the verbs (きます) is in the –te form (きて). Notice the final verb 見ます is in the negative form.
That is because she is extending an invitation.
John says, “Oh, is it okay to
go [to your house]?” The little えっ sound he utters is a sound of mild surprise or disbelief. He is surprised but pleased that Akiko
wants to invite him over while Takashi is there.
Akiko answers,
“Of course!” もちろん means “of
course.” Sometimes people
just use that alone in what is essential a sentence fragment, but she makes it
a little more polite by adding on the です.
She also includes a よ which is like a verbal exclamation point.
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of Jeffrey Angles
Updated February 26, 2008