Food 1
This and That
When you do something to a noun, like when you eat something or drink something, put を (o) after the thing that receives the action.
Also, you may notice that verbs in Japanese often end with ‑ます (‑masu). Notice that ‑ます (‑masu) verbs can refer to either the present or the future, depending on context. It’s like when we say I’m eating now or I’m eating dinner later in English!
野菜を食べます。
Yasai o tabemasu.
(I) eat vegetables.
Yasai o tabemasu.
(I) eat vegetables.
どれを飲みますか？
Dore o nomimasu ka?
Which one will you drink?
Dore o nomimasu ka?
Which one will you drink?
You can also use を (o) when asking for something! Just put it after the thing you want, then add please!
これをください。
Kore o kudasai.
This one, please.
Kore o kudasai.
This one, please.
You might see that the pronunciation of を is often written as wo. But when it’s used in a sentence this way, the sound is closer to just o!
Verbs
To say something like I do not eat or I do not drink, just change ‑ます (masu) to ‑ません (masen)! Like with questions, it’s common to use は (wa) in the negative sentences, instead of を (o).
| Affirmative | Negative |
| ご飯を食べます。 Gohan o tabemasu.(I) eat rice. | ご飯は食べません。 Gohan wa tabemasen.(I) do not eat rice. |
| お茶をのみます。 Ocha o nomimasu.(I) drink tea. | お茶は飲みません。 Ocha wa nomimasen.(I) do not drink tea. |
By the way, even though ご飯 (gohan) means rice, it’s also often used to mean meal.
それ vs. あれ
それ (sore) and あれ (are) both mean that, so what’s the difference?
それ (sore) is to talk about things near the listener. (As opposed to これ (kore), which refers to things near the speaker.)
それは何ですか？
Sore wa nan desu ka?
What is that?
Sore wa nan desu ka?
What is that?
あれ (are) refers to something that isn’t near the speaker or the listener!
あれは何ですか？
Are wa nan desu ka?
What is that (over there)?
Are wa nan desu ka?
What is that (over there)?
Let’s eat!
Japanese people usually say these phrases before and after eating. It’s simply good etiquette to do so!
Before the meal, say いただきます (itadakimasu). People also often put their hands together (like in prayer) while saying it to show their gratitude. The phrase comes from Japan’s roots in Buddhism, which teaches respect for all living things. This includes the plants, the animals, and all the people who made your meal possible!
いただきます！
itadakimasu!
Let’s eat!
itadakimasu!
Let’s eat!
Afterwards, show your thanks again with ごちそうさまでした (gochisо̄samadeshita).