Lesson 1 – Going to a Japanese Rock Concert

第一レッスン　日本のロックコンサートに行きます

Things you might do whilst seeing a live band, and ways you might describe your
thoughts and feelings afterwards.

I would like to buy two (three, four) tickets

（私は）切符を二枚（三枚、四枚）買いたいんですが。。。

わたしはきっぷをにまい（さんまい、よんまい）かいたいんですが

（私は）切符を二枚（三枚、四枚）ください

わたしはきっぷをにまい（さんまい、よんまい）ください

（私は）切符を二枚（三枚、四枚）にします

わたしはきっぷをにまい（さんまい、よんまい）にします

• the watashi wa (ha) is in brackets because you don’t need to say it really,
unless the subject of the sentence is a bit vague.
• 枚(まい) is a counter used only for flat or thin objects.

I’m going to the bar so would you like something to drink?

私はバーに行くので何か飲み物が欲しがっているんですか

わたしはバーにいくのでなにかのみものがほしがっているんですか

• ので is a conjunction which means ‘because’ or ‘so’, and is used to indicate

the cause of the event in the main clause. Verbs are always in the plain form
before ので but can conjugate depending on the tense.
• 何か literally means something or some-kind of. By attaching か to an
interrogative ‘some-‘ becomes a sort of prefix. For example どこか means
somewhere and 誰か means someone.
• が particle is used here because there is a desire for the object (a drink) being
stated indicated by the use of the word 欲しい
• 欲しがっている is used instead of just 欲しい because the speaker is
talking about another person’s desire and not his/her own.

I would like a bottle (two bottles, three bottles, four bottles) of beer

ビールを一本（二本、三本、四本）お願いしいます

ビールをいっぽん（にほん、さんぼん、よんほん）おねがいします
ビールを一本（二本、三本、四本）ください

ビールをいっぽん（にほん、さんぼん、よんほん）ください

• 本（ほん、ぼん、ぽん）is a counter used for tall/long cylindrical objects

(such as bottles of beer)
• ippon – one bottle, nihon – 2 bottles, sanbon – 3 bottles, yonhon – 4 bottles: as
you can see some of the numbers/counters change depending on the
number/counter combination. Here ‘ichi’ turns to ‘ippon’ and ‘san’ takes the
counter ‘bon’ rather than ‘hon’ or ‘pon’.

I would like a pint of draught beer

生ビールを一つ（二つ、三つ）ください

なまビールをひとつ（ふたつ、みっつ）ください

• here the counters ‘hitotsu’, ‘futatsu’, ‘mittsu’ etc are being used because a
draught beer is neither thin, flat, tall, long etc.
• 生(nama) means ‘raw’, ‘live’(as in performance)

Yes I do have identification, must I show it to you?

はい、身分証明書があるんですが、それを見せなかればなりませんか

はい、みぶんしょうまいしょがあるんですが、それをみせなかればなりませ
んか

はい、身分証明書があるんですが、それを見せなくてはいけませんか

はい、みぶんしょうまいしょがあるんですが、それを見せなくてはいけませ
んか

• These are just a couple of ways of expressing something that has to be done.
You can use the negative form of a verb plus the conditional (ba) plus
‘narimasen’ or ‘ikemasen’ (as in the first example).
• Or, you can use the negative form of the verb in the –TE form plus ‘wa (ha)’
particle plus ‘ikemasen’ or ‘narimasen’ (as in the second example)
It is very hot so I would like another cup of water please

とても暑くて水をもういっぱいください

とてもあつくてみずをもういっぱいください

• Counters used for ordering cups or glasses of something are ‘hai’, ‘pai’, ‘bai’.
The above example uses ‘ippai’ or one cup.
• もう is an adverb that can be used in several different ways. In the above
example it is used to ask for another of something and in this sense it is also
used to say ‘a little more’ of something. For example もう少し待ってくだ
さい which would mean please wait a little bit longer.

I’m not feeling so good so I’m going outside for a little bit (but I’m coming back)

気分が悪くて少し外に行って来ます

きぶんがわるくてすこしそとにいってきます

• The –TE form of a verb plus 来ます means to do something and then come
back. In this example 外に行って来ます the person is going outside, but will
return.

If I go outside, may I come back into the club?

外に行ったらクラブに戻ってもいいですか

そとにいったらクラブにもどってもいいですか

• 行ったら is the conditional form of 行く and is formed by attaching ‘ra’ on

the end of the plain, past tense of a verb. It means ‘if’ or ’when’ I do this.
• -TE form of a verb plus もいいですか asks permission to do something.

I have fallen over, someone please help me

私が転んだ！誰か手伝っていただきます

わたしがころんだ！だれかてつだっていただきます

• The が particle here indicates the subject of the predicate (the action) which is
I (watashi), as I have fallen over.
• Again we have the interrogative (‘dare’ which means ‘who’) plus か to this
time form ‘dareka’ or ‘someone’ (in a previous example we used ‘nanika’
which meant ‘something’)
 • -TE form of the verb plus いただきます means that the subject of the
sentence is getting somebody to do something for them.

This music is too loud and now I have a headache

この音楽はうるさ過ぎています。それで今頭が痛い

このおんがくはうるさすぎています。それでいまあたまがいたい

• -masu stem of a verb or the stem of an adjective plus 過ぎる means to be too
much or something that is done in excess. In the example we have うるさ過
ぎる which is the ‘urusa’ of the adjective ‘urusai’ plus ‘sugiru, to mean ‘too
loud/noisy’. For all ‘i’ adjectives you just drop the final ‘i’ and add ‘sugiru’

I want you to come outside with me

私はあなたに外に一緒に行って欲しいです

わたしはあなたにそとにいっしょにいってほしいです

私はあなたに外に一緒に行ってもらいたいです

わたしはあなたにそとにいっしょにいってもらいたいです

• The に particle (after あなた) indicates the person of whom you want to do
something. Usually you’d use the person’s name and not ‘anata’.
• -TE form of the verb plus 欲しい is the structure used when you say you
want someone to do something for you. You can also use もらいたい which
is the –masu stem of the verb ‘moraimasu’ plus the auxiliary ‘tai’ (as the
second example illustrates)

Let’s go dancing whilst we watch the band

私たちはバンドを見ながら、踊りましょう！

わたしたちはバンドをみながら、おどりましょう！

• -masu stem plus ながら and then another action, means to do two actions
simultaneously, or do something whilst doing something else. In this case we
have the –masu stem of the verb ‘mimasu’ plus nagara and then the volitional
form of the verb ‘to dance’
• The volitional means ‘let’s’ or ‘I’ll’ and is formed by adding しょう to the
polite form of a verb, minus the last ‘su’ e.g. 踊ります changes to 踊りまし
ょう.
I took some interesting photographs with my camera, whilst watching the band

バンドを見ながら、カメラで面白い写真を撮っていましたよ

バンドをみながら、カメラでおもしろいしゃしんをとっていますよ

What did you think of the concert?

コンサートはどう思いましたか

コンサートはどうおもいましたか

That band was really wonderful

あのバンドはとても素晴らしかった（です）

あのバンドはとてもすばらしかった（です）

• You use あの instead of その because both of you know the band in question.
If you were asking somebody about ‘that band’, but you didn’t know about
them, you would use その instead.

That band was awful

あのバンドはやばいでした

あのバンドはやばいでした

• やばい is a slang word meaning ‘rubbish’ or ‘crap’. Oddly enough, it also

means ‘amazing’ or ‘cool’, so the way in which you pronounce やばい is
important in conveying the meaning you wish to express.

That band was okay

あのバンドはまあまあでした

あのバンドはまあまあでした

• まあまあ means ‘so-so’, ‘not bad’, ‘okay’

The guitar player was very talented, but the singer sounded like a dying cat (sang
like a dying cat)

ギタリストが本当に才能でしたが、歌手は死んでいる猫のように歌いました
ギタリストがほんとうにさいのうでしたが、かしゅはしんでいるねこのよう
にうたいました

• が indicates the subject of the subordinate clause (which is ギタリスト) and

は indicates the subject of the primary clause (which is 歌手).
• のよう is used to make a simile and conjugates like an –na adjective which is
why we add the に particle before 歌いました, because it is acting as an
adverb.

Did they play your favourite song?

彼らがあなたの一番好きな歌いを演奏しましたか

かれらがあなたのいちばんすきなうたいをえんそうしましたか

• 演奏 (ensou) is a noun meaning a ‘musical performance’, but can be turned

into a verb by adding the verb ‘suru’ to the end. These types of verbs are
known as ‘suru verbs’