Introduction 2
Verbs
In English, we’d say I am not a student, but to say that you’re not something in Japanese, you change the verb です (desu) to ではありません (dewa arimasen).
| Affirmative | Negative |
| 中国人です。 Chūgokujin desu (I) am Chinese. | 中国人ではありません。 Chūgokujin dewa arimasen (I) am not Chinese. |
| 学生です。 gakusei desu (I) am a student. | 学生ではありません。 gakusei dewa arimasen (I) am not a student. |
お元気ですか？
O‑genki desu ka?
Are (you) well?
いいえ、元気ではありません。
Īe, genki dewa arimasen
No, (I) am not well.
O‑genki desu ka?
Are (you) well?
いいえ、元気ではありません。
Īe, genki dewa arimasen
No, (I) am not well.
What’s that お in the question, by the way? It’s just something for adding a little extra politeness!
Asking Questions
Asking questions in Japanese is easy! Just add か (ka) to the end of a normal sentence, after the verb!
| Statement | Question |
| 日本人です。 Nihonjin desu. (I) am Japanese. | 日本人ですか？ Nihonjin desu ka? Are (you) Japanese? |
| 学生です。 Gakusei desu. (I) am a student. | 学生ですか？ Gakusei desu ka? Are you a student? |
| イギリス出身です。 Igirisu shusshin desu. (I) am from England. | イギリス出身ですか？ Igirisu shusshin desu ka? Are you from England? |
If you want to ask something like What is your name? in Japanese, it’s more like Your name is what? And don’t forget to use か (ka)!
お名前は何ですか？
O‑namae wa nan desu ka?
What is (your) name?
O‑namae wa nan desu ka?
What is (your) name?
Languages
Remember how you use は after a noun to show what the subject is?
ジョンさんはアメリカ人です。
Jon‑san wa amerika jin desu.
John is American.
Jon‑san wa amerika jin desu.
John is American.
The word が (ga) is very similar. The difference between the two is a bit complicated. We’ll learn more along the way. But for now, when talking about what languages you speak, just remember that you usually use が in statements, and は in questions!
| Statement | Question |
| 英語が話せます。 Eigo ga hanasemasu. (I speak English.) | 英語は話せますか？ Eigo wa hanasemasu ka? (Do you speak English?) |