Schedules, Part 2: Grammar and Pronunciation

Let's learn more about Japanese grammar and pronunciation.

Grammar

The Particle -ni

The time particle -ni indicates the time when an activity takes place. It can be used with clock times and in the corresponding question, “(At) what time . . .?” In English -ni is translated as at.

Nan-ji-ni okimasu-ka? (At) what time do you get up?
Roku-ji-ni okimasu. (I) get up at 6:00.
Itoo-san-wa go-ji-ni tabemasu. Mr. Itoo eats at 5:00.
Juu-ichi-ji-han-ni nemasu. (He/She) goes to bed at 11:30.

Particle List: Review

We have learned the following particles, which are written in hiragana. Do you remember what each is used for? Re-write the particles in roomaji in your notebook.

-か　-ね　-よ　-は　-が　-の　-で　-と　-も　-から　-まで　-を　-に

Asa-no + Time

In the TV lesson you heard the following two sentences, one with asa and the other with asa-no.

Asa roku-ji-han-ni okimasu. In the morning he gets up at 6:30.
Asa-no shichi-ji-han ja nai desu. It’s not 7:30 in the morning.

What is the difference? In the first sentence, one activity which takes place in the morning is mentioned. A description of additional activities which occur in the morning could follow.

Asa roku-ji-han-ni okimasu. Shichi-ji-ni tabemasu. Shichi-ji-han-ni...

In the second sentence, asa-no modifies (restricts the meaning of) the time shichi-ji-han and answers the question “Which 7:30?” The speaker is specifying 7:30 in the morning (Asa-no), not 7:30 at night (Yoru-no). The same difference in meaning applies to yoru and yoru-no.

Verb Endings: -masu/-masen

In Japanese, as in English, the same verb can have many different forms. The -masu form, which is sometimes called the nonpast, polite form, is an important one to learn. You have already been introduced to some -masu forms and to their negative equivalents which end in -masen. The -masu form of a verb can be used with any subject since it does not change for a person (I, you, she, they, etc.) and number (singular and plural). As you have already seen, the subject is often omitted from Japanese sentences if the meaning is clear from the context. This means that you can express a number of different meanings with the same sentence.

Terebi-o mimasu.
- (I) watch television.
- (You) watch television.
- (He) watches television.
- (She) watches television.
- (It) watches television. (my dog, etc.!)
- (We) watch television.
- (They) watch television.

Using the same verb, you can make sentences such as these:

Daigakusei-mo dorama-o mimasu. - The university student also watches dramas.
Fujimoto-san-no imootosan-wa dorama-o mimasu. - Mrs. Fujimoto’s younger sister watches dramas.

The negative form -masen can also be used with any subject.

Nyuusu-o mimasen.
- (I/You/We/They) don’t watch the news.
- (She/He) doesn’t watch the news.
Ano sensei-wa nyuusu-o mimasen. That teacher doesn’t watch the news.
Watashi-wa nyuusu-o mimasen. I don’t watch the news.

**Verbs Ending in -masu/-masen**
Affirmative	Negative
wakarimasu - understand/understands	wakarimasen - don’t/doesn't understand
imasu - is/are; has/have	imasen - isn’t/aren’t; doesn’t/don’t have
arimasu - is/are; has/have	arimasen - isn’t/aren’t; doesn’t/don't
mimasu - watch/watches	mimasen - don’t/doesn’t watch
okimasu - get/gets up	okimasen - don’t/doesn’t get up
nemasu - go/goes to bed	nemasen - don’t/doesn’t go to bed
tabemasu - eat/eats	tabemasen - don’t/doesn’t eat

Pronunciation

Whispered vowels

In Lesson 1 you met your first whispered vowel (the second i) in the word hajimemashite. Sometimes called devoiced vowels, these whispered vowels occur in many words. In order to pronounce Japanese words correctly, you need to be able to identify and produce whispered vowels. The Japanese vowels i and u are usually voiced, which means the vocal cords vibrate as you say them. In Lesson 5 you learned about voiced and voiceless consonants. The voiced vowels i and u become voiceless because of occurring in one of two positions:

Between two voiceless consonants (represented in roomaji by the letters k, s, sh, t, ch, ts, h, p)
- hajimemashite
- shoogaku-sei
- shitsumon
- futari
- yoroshiku
- hitori
- shichi
- hito
At the end of a word after a voiceless consonant
- desu
- arimasu
- tabemasu
- all verbs ending in -masu

Listen carefully to and imitate your course instructor and the terebi-no sensei (Irasshai video teacher) to make sure you are correctly pronouncing words with whispered vowels.

Video Lesson and Practice: -imasu/-imasen

Watch this video presentation of "Verb Series 1: -masu & -masen" and check your understanding by completing the activity below the video.

Practice Activity: Imasu Video Review

[CC BY-NC-SA 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION - INTENDED ONLY FOR USE WITHIN LESSON.
IRASSHAI VIDEO SERIES COURTESY OF GPB, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.