ゆう子です、よろしくね。Hi, this is Yuko. - Grammar

In this lesson, we'll take a closer look at some new grammatical uses. Take notes as you go over the new materials. Clarify any questions you might have by contacting your instructor.

We have four topics to cover. Please select each tab, take careful notes, and practice with the examples provided. Be sure part of your practice includes speaking the examples aloud.

Think + Noun Clause
Adverbs From Adjectives
Creating Superlatives
Wonder + Noun Clause

Think + Noun Clause

In Japanese, the verb think can be followed by a noun clause as its direct object:

--になりたいと思おもいます= think that I want to become----

English reverses the order from Japanese:

Japanese: (subject + verb) と思おもいます
- （これは、パーティーに来こない）と思おもいます
English: I think (that) [new subject + verb]
- I think (that) [he will not come to the party].
  - Alternative: I do not think that he will come to the party. (English will sometimes move the negative into the "think" clause.)
- Note: English does not require the use of the connecting word "that" but you can include it for clarity.

You see a subject (I) and a verb (think) of the main clause and another complete sentence - he will not come to the party - becoming part of that main clause. That second clause is called a noun clause because it is acting as the direct object of the verb "think".

You can expand your thoughts and opinions by using this sentence structure. This variation is useful as below.

ともだちと来週らいしゅうかいものに行いきたいと思おもいます。
- I think I want to go shopping with my friends next week.
すうがくはちょっとむずかしいと思おもいます。
- I think math is a little bit hard.
このえいがはおもしろいと思おもいます。
- I think this movie is interesting.

Adverbs From Adjectives

Many adverbs are based on adjectives - this is true in English as well as Japanese:

English: quick (adjective) + ly = quickly (adverb)
Japanese: 楽たのしい (adjective: pleasant) changes to 楽たのしく (adverb: pleasantly)

For i-adjectives: change the final -i（い） to -ku（く）

Adjective：はやい　Adverb：はやく
Adjective：おそい　Adverb：おそく

For na-adjectives: change the final -na（な） to -ni（に）

Adjective：しずかな　Adverb：しずかに
Adjective：きれいな　Adverb：きれいに
Adjective：じょうずな　Adverb：じょうずに

Examples Using Adverbs Formed From Adjectives:

はやくしてください。
- Please do it quickly.
かれは、遅おそく来きました。
- He came late.
みんな、しずかに勉強べんきょうしています。
- Everyone is studying quietly.
じょうずにひらがなをかきましたね。
- You wrote Hiragana letters well, didn’t you?

Creating Superlatives

In the passage, we saw the following: 一番いちばんおもしろいまんが - the most interesting comics

Any adjective with "ichi-ban" in front of it makes the superlative degree (most) in Japanese. This part is actually easier in Japanese grammar because this rule applies to ALL adjectives. You do not need to conjugate adjectives as you do in English – good-better-best or quick-quicker-quickest, etc. Hurray!

The kanji for ichi-ban is 一番 - be sure that you can recognize this and remember that when you see it, the adjective that follows is the "most" or "-est" form, while 一番 alone can simply mean "best":

一番のともだち＝best friend(s)
これがぼくの一番いい写真しゃしんですね。
- This is the best photo of mine.
このデパートで一番高いかばんを見せてください。
- Please show me the most expensive bag in this department.

Note: In Japan “一番” means “Number ONE = best of all things,” so, it is sometimes used as a name wishing for bestselling and great success.

サッポロ一番：a brand name for a miso ramen noodle.
You now know why Daigo’s restaurant is named “レストラン一番.”

Wonder + Noun Clause

In the passage, Yuko used the expression --のかな to mean "(I) wonder [wh-question + subject + verb]

Let's explore the expression "I wonder" in Japanese. Let's first look at the following expression: noun+かな. For now, you can think of this phrase (noun+かな) rather than noun+のかな. Later on, you may go deeper into more differences in the nuances between these two expressions.

明日は、彼のたんじょう日かな。
- I wonder if tomorrow is his birthday.
- たんじょう日 is a noun.
今日は日よう日かな。
- I wonder if today is Sunday.
- 日よう日 is a noun.
これは、18才かな。
- I wonder if he is 18 years old.
- 18才 is a noun.

So, a noun can be followed by かな should be translated: I wonder if [subject] is [noun]. Again, compare Japanese word order to English:

English: I wonder if [subject] is [noun].
Japanese: [Subject-は] [noun] かな.

Let's look at another sentence in Japanese:

今年、彼は18才になるのかな。
- I wonder if he will become 18 years old this year.
- なる is a plain verb.

What is different here? Only that we have added の before かな. Both かな and のかな are used to express "I wonder" followed by a noun clause.

I wonder + wh-question - using のかな or かな

I wonder + wh-question + [subject + verb] = [subject + wh-question + plain verb] のかな
- wh-questions = who, what, when, where, why, and how
- If there is no Japanese wh-question word, insert "if/whether" as we see in the example above (なるのなく = I wonder if he will become)

Let's look at some examples to see this noun clause in action:

その店(みせ)で何をかったのかな。
- I wonder what you bought at the store.
先週(せんしゅう)、どこに行ったのかな。
- We wonder where you went last weekend.
このドレスは、いくらなのかな。
- I wonder how much this dress is.
アマンダさんは、マカデミアナッツが好(す)きかな。
- I wonder whether Amanda likes macadamia nuts.

Again, any difference in use between かな and のかな is too nuanced to worry about at this point. Just remember that if you see either at the end, you are using the phrase "I wonder" followed by a noun clause. For now, keep in mind that, in general, かな will be used after a noun.

Final Thoughts: Grammar

We covered quite a lot of ground in this lesson. Be sure to take careful notes on the information in each section and contact your instructor with any follow-up questions.

Review with examples:

Think + Noun clause: すうがくはちょっとむずかしいと思おもいます。I think math is a little bit hard.
- Japanese word order: [Subject + verb] followed by と思おもいます = I think (that) [subject + verb]
Adverbs from Adjectives: You can change an adjective into an adverb by doing the following:
- For i-adjectives: change the final -い to -く
- For na-adjectives: change the final -な to -に
Creating Superlatives: In Japanese, you can make an adjective superlative by placing 一番 in front of the adjective.
- このデパートで一番高いかばんを見せてください。Please show me the most expensive bag in this department.
Wonder + Noun Clause: using かな or のかな, you can create the following:
- I wonder + if + [subject] is [noun] = [subject] + [noun] + かな
  - 今日は日よう日かな。I wonder if today is Sunday.
- I wonder + wh-question + [subject + verb] = [subject + wh-question + verb] + のかな (or かな)
  - このドレスは、いくらなのかな。I wonder how much this dress is.

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