Lesson 5 (Motion Verbs)

おはよう ございます！！！

What a wonderful morning it is, I love waking up to the sound of birds chirping. Anyway it is time we start a brand new unit.

Today we'll take a look at Motion Verbs, so let us start with a brief explanation about verbs in Japanese.

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NOUN + は + PLACE + に + いきます

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Japanese sentences always end with a verb - or some other element, which acts as a verb - followed by です.

The endings of verbs show the tense and whether the verb is affirmative or negative, so you wouldn't really understand what a person is saying until he/she ends the sentence.

Tenses in Japanese can be split into two categories:

• The Present Form (or ーます form). This includes the simple present and future tenses.

わたしは まいにち かいしゃに いきます

(I go to the office everyday)

わたしは あした かえります

(I will return tomorrow)
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• The Past Form (or ーました). This includes the past and present perfect tenses.

わたしは　マスカットに　いきました

(Last week I went to Muscat)

ラシャさんは　もう　うちに　かえりました

(Rasha has already gone home)

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に is a Joshi which is equivelant to to in english and it's placed after a noun that denotes a place. It indicates the direction of movement with motion verbs, such as:

• いきます (Go)
• きます (Come)
• かえります (Return)

Particle へ can also be used for the same purpose as に (and is pronounced e not he).

Here's a chart that summarises the tenses of Japanese verbs:

Now let us look at a dialogue:

ヌーラ：　もしもし、ABCの ヌーラです。 

はな    ：はな です。おはよう ございます。

ヌーラ：　あした そちらに いきます。かいぎは ３じからですね。 
はな    ：　はい、３じからです。ひとりで きますか。 

ヌーラ：　いいえ、かいしゃの ひとと いきます。 
はな    ：　そうですか。では、あした。 
ヌーラ：　しつれいします。

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Noora ：  Hello, this is Noora from ABC.               

Hana  ：  This is Rasha. Good Morning.

Noora ：  I'll go to your company tomorrow. The meeting is  from 3:00, right?

Hana  ：  Yes, it starts at 3:00. Are coming alone.

Noora ：  No, I'll go with someone from the company.

Hana  ：  Is that so? Well then, till tomorrow...

Noora ：  Goodbye

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Vocabulary

もしもし = Hello (over the phone)

あした = Tomorrow (this type of time expression doesn't take particles)

そちら = There (where your listener is)

かいぎ = Meeting

ひとりで = Alone

かいしゃの　ひと = Company Employee

しつれいします = Goodbye (to mean excuse me) used when you hang up the phone.

Unlike in English, where you would say "I'll come over to your place" in Japanese you use go for anywhere away from you and come for anywhere close to you (the speaker), so you would say "I'll go over to your place".

Now let us look at ways to ask:

ヌーラさんは　あした　どこに　いきますか

(Where will Noora go tomorrow?)

ヌーラさんは　いつ　かいしゃに　いきますか

(When will Noora go to the company?)

ヌーラさんは　あした　だれと　かいしゃに　いきますか

(Who will Noora go with to the company tomorrow?)

NOTE:

I would like to share a very useful site called Japanese Word of the Day. It posts a Japanese word everyday with a Romaji, Kanji, Hiragana or Katakana with an explanation. This is very helpful for anyone who wants to memorise new vocabulary or those who want to learn the Kanji of various words they already know.

On our last example  ヌーラさん called a company to ask about a meeting. Now she'll visit the other company, so let us jump right into the dialogue:

はな    　　　　：    ヌーラさん、ゆきえさん、どうぞ おはいりください。 
ヌーラ、ラシャ：　しつれいします。

はな    　　　　：　どうぞ こちらへ。
ヌーラ、ラシャ：　ありがとう ございます。
はな    　　　　：　くるまで きましたか。
ヌーラ　　　　：　いいえ、ちかてつで きました。

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Hana 　　　　：  Noora, Yukie, please come in.
Noora, Rasha   ：  Excuse me.
Hana 　　　　：  Come right this way.
Noora, Rasha   ：  Thank you.
Hana  　　   　：  Did you come by car?
Noora　　　　：  No, we came by tube.

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Particle で is used as by means of and follows nouns such as transportation.

Next lesson I'll post transportation illustrations so, じゃまた！！！