Since it was lost... (translation help)

[deepbluevibes]

I never got to c/p and print out the translation help I got from the old forums. ;_;

So... here's the sentences again, a bit modified.

All of the sentences i'd *like* translated into casual speak... but to be more specific, I'm going to be mostly talking to teenage guys/girls around my age, 17-21 or so. (and no, these are not to hit on girls. -_-)

So I don't want to come off young and immature, but I don't want to come off old and stuck up/serious either.

If you CAN/feel like it, can you also do a translation of the words themselves (don't worry about translating particles) under the sentence?

Thanks SO much for this.. really appreciate it. I learn Japanese vocab extremely fast this way for some reason, so that's why I'm requesting it.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"What's going on?"

"Hey, what's up/going on?"

"You want to go do something today?" (meant as, want to go to the mall/park/arcade/wherever, not on a date)

"I'm slow at speaking Japanese... sorry."

"Can you talk a bit slower?"

"Is there anything interesting going on today?"

"My hobbies? I play drums, tennis, sing, write music, and edit/film music videos."

"I'm only here until October 24th."

"Do you have e-mail/Instant Messanger name?"

"Can I get your e-mail/Instant Messanger name? I'll give you mine also."

"Call me sometime!"

"I'll call you later."

"Do you play any sports/musical instruments?"

"I'm just out shopping for friends right now."

"Do you mind if I ask you something/some stuff?"

"What's the best food to eat around here?"

"My favorite music? Rock, and jazz."

"Can I get your cell phone #? I'll give you mine also."

"Wanna go do this again sometime?"

"Are there any good clubs around here?"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This isn't homework either, as someone else mentioned that the other day. I'm learning Japanese, it's like I said though, sentence structure I get; i just have a weak vocabulary, and by getting basic sentences like these translated, I learn more and more words.

So yeah.. thanks bunches guys. I do film, music, 3d graphics, a bunch of other shit so if you need somethin in return, ill try to do it.

[deepbluevibes]

wow.. only thread without a reply but 55 views @_@ :p

[Henjin]

I still had the thread in my cache.

Hapacheese posted:
Haha... This better not be for your homework or something:

"You want to hang out sometime?"
Itsuka issho ni asobi ni ikanai?
(Sometime together play go)

"You want to hang out now?"
Ima dokoka asobi ni ikanai?
(Now somewhere play go)

"Call me sometime?"
Chikai uchi ni denwa shite.
(Soon timeframe call please)
or
Denwa shite.
(Call please)

"Email me sometime?"
Chikai uchi ni me-ru shite.
(Soon timeframe email please)
or
Me-ru shite.
(Email please)

"I'm a drummer, singer, tennis player, film producer and a writer."
Watashi/Boku/Ore ha doramu to tenisu wo yattari, firumu purodhu-sa- ya raita- mo suru.
(I play tennis and the drums, and also produce films and am a writer.)

"I'm from Modesto, California, USA."
Watashi/Boku/Ore ha kariforunia shuu no modesuto toiu machi ni sunderu.
(I California state Modesto called city live in)

"You want to go somewhere else?"
Dokoka chigau toko iku?
(Somewhere different place go)

"My favorite bands/music are..."
Watashi/Boku/Ore no suki na bando/ongaku ha...
(My favored band/music...)

"I was going to go to ____ today."
Kyou ha _______ o shiyou to omotteta.
(Today ________ do was thinking of)

"Did you want to go somewhere else instead?"
Dokoka chigau toko ikitai?
(Somewhere different place like to go?)

"Don't worry if you can't speak english; I can speak a little Japanese."
Eigo shaberenakutemo daijyoubu. Watashi/Boku/Ore ha nihongo hanaseru kara.
(English cannot speak is okay. I Japanese speak because.)

"Sorry for being slow at this..."
Osokute gomen ne...
(Slow sorry)

"Do you have email/website/aim name/cell phone #"?
Me-ru/webusaito/(no idea... Pierrot?)/keitai bangou toka motteru?
(Email/website/sorry, never said this word in japanese/cell number etc have?)

"Can I have it? I'll give you mine also."
Moratte ii? Watashi/Boku/Ore no mo ageru kara.
(Have okay? Mine also give because)



Wow, that's a lot of Engrish.
And are you planning to take these to Japan to hit on chicks???

Pierrot le Fou posted:
Formal followed by Casual (non-dialect) Japanese for each of the following:


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"You want to hang out sometime?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



いつか出かけましょうか？
"itsuka dekakemashouka?"

いつか出かけようか？
"itsuka dekakeyouka?"

[lit. "shall we go out (literally go out somewhere, not date) sometime?"]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"You want to hang out now?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



今会いましょうか？
"ima aimashouka?"

今会おうか？
"ima aouka?"

[lit. "shall we meet now?"]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Call me sometime?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



また電話をして下さい。
"mata denwa wo shitekudasai."

また電話をしてね。
"mata denwa wo shitene."

[lit. "call me again"]

いつか電話をかけてくれたら喜びます。
"itsuka denwa wo kakete kuretara yorokobimasu"

[lit. "if you were to call me sometime, it'd make me happy."]

いつか電話をかけてくれてね。
"itsuka denwa wo kaketekuretene"

[lit. "call me sometime"]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Email me sometime?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



またメールを送ってくれてください。
"mata meeru wo okutte kurete kudasai"

またメールを送ってくれてね。
"mata meeru wo okutte kuretene"

[lit. "please send me an e-mail again sometime"]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"I'm a drummer, singer, tennis player, film producer and a writer."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



太鼓も歌う事もテニスも映画を作る事も書くのが好きです。
"taiko mo utau koto mo tenisu mo eiga wo tsukuru koto mo kaku no ga suki desu."

太鼓も歌う事もテニスも映画を作る事も書くのが好きだ。
"taiko mo utau koto mo tenisu mo eiga wo tsukuru koto mo kaku no ga suki da."

[lit. "I like the drums, singing, tennis, making movies, and writing."]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"I'm from Modesto, California, USA."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



アメリカのカリフォニア州のモデストと言う町に住んでいます。
"amerika no karifonia shuu no modesuto to iu machi ni sundeimasu."

アメリカのカリフォニア州のモデストと言う町に住んでいる。
"amerika no karifonia shuu no modesuto to iu machi ni sundeiru."

[lit. "I live in Modesto, California, USA."]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"You want to go somewhere else?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



どこか行きましょうか？
"doko ka ikimashouka?"

どこか行こうか？
"doko ka ikouka?"

[lit. "shall we go somewhere?"]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"My favorite bands/music are..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



一番好きな音楽は．．．です。
"ichiban sukina ongaku wa ______ desu."

一番好きな音楽は．．．だ。
"ichiban sukina ongaku wa ______ da."


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"I was going to go to ____ today."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



～に行くつもりでした...
"_____ ni iku tsumori deshita..."

～に行くつもりだった...
"_____ ni iku tsumori datta..."

[lit. "I had intended to go to ______"]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Did you want to go somewhere else instead?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



他の所に行く方が良いですか？
"hokano tokoro ni iku hou ga ii desu ka?"

他の所に行く方が良いの？
"hokano tokoro ni iku hou ga ii no?"

[lit. "Would you prefer to go someplace else?"]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Don't worry if you can't speak english; I can speak a little Japanese."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



少し日本語が喋れるから英語が喋れなくても心配ないです。
"sukoshi nihongo ga shabereru kara eigo ga shaberenakutemo shinpainai desu."

少し日本語が喋れるから英語が喋れなくても心配ないね。
"sukoshi nihongo ga shabereru kara eigo ga shaberenakutemo shinpainai ne."

[lit. "I can speak a little Japanese, so don't worry if you can't speak any English."]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Sorry for being slow at this..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



遅くてごめんなさい。
"osokute gomen nasai."

遅くてごめんね。
"osokute gomen ne."

[lit. "Sorry I'm being slow."]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Do you have email/website/aim name/cell phone #"?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



-and- [putting 'em together]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Can I have it? I'll give you mine also."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



メール = e-mail [meeru]
ウェブサイト = website [Uebusaito]
No idea 'bout 'IM Name' in Japanese
携帯番号 = cell phone number [keitai bangou]

～を聞いても良いですか？
"_____ wo kiitemo ii desu ka?"

～を聞いていい？
"_____ wo kiite ii?"

[lit. "May I ask for your _____?"]
_________________
[center]What a waste.[/center]

Back to top


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"You want to hang out sometime?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



いつか出かけましょうか？
"itsuka dekakemashouka?"

いつか出かけようか？
"itsuka dekakeyouka?"

[lit. "shall we go out (literally go out somewhere, not date) sometime?"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



いつか = sometime
出かける = to go out (and have fun)
か？ = question marker


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"You want to hang out now?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



今会いましょうか？
"ima aimashouka?"

今会おうか？
"ima aouka?"

[lit. "shall we meet now?"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



今【いま】 = now
会う【あう】 = to meet
か？ = question marker


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Call me sometime?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



また電話をして下さい。
"mata denwa wo shitekudasai."

また電話をしてね。
"mata denwa wo shitene."

[lit. "call me again"]

いつか電話をかけてくれたら喜びます。
"itsuka denwa wo kakete kuretara yorokobimasu"

[lit. "if you were to call me sometime, it'd make me happy."]

いつか電話をかけてくれてね。
"itsuka denwa wo kaketekuretene"

[lit. "call me sometime"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



また = again/later (later again, as opposed to present again)
電話【でんわ】 = telephone
して = to do (in present perfect ～て form)
ください = please
ね = okay?
かける = to call
くれる = to receive (therefore かけてくれる is to receive a call)


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Email me sometime?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



またメールを送ってくれてください。
"mata meeru wo okutte kurete kudasai"

またメールを送ってくれてね。
"mata meeru wo okutte kuretene"

[lit. "please send me an e-mail again sometime"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



また = again/later
メール = e-mail
送る【おくる】 = to send
くれる = to receive (therefore 送ってくれる is to receive a sent object)


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"I'm a drummer, singer, tennis player, film producer and a writer."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



太鼓も歌う事もテニスも映画を作る事も書くのが好きです。
"taiko mo utau koto mo tenisu mo eiga wo tsukuru koto mo kaku no ga suki desu."

太鼓も歌う事もテニスも映画を作る事も書くのが好きだ。
"taiko mo utau koto mo tenisu mo eiga wo tsukuru koto mo kaku no ga suki da."

[lit. "I like the drums, singing, tennis, making movies, and writing."]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



太鼓【たいこ】 = drum
歌う【うたう】 = to sing
事【こと】 = fact/act (歌う事 is the act of singing, or the noun form of the verb)
テニス = tennis
映画【えいが】 = movie
を = direct object marker
作る【つくる】 = to make
事【こと】 = fact/act
書く【かく】 = to write
のが = added to create a noun form object out of a verb (when added to 書く)
好き【すき】 = like
です = 'to be'

The も is an object/subject marker that refers to 'also'. So I like 'both' (for lack of a better word) tennis, and drums, and singing, etc...


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"I'm from Modesto, California, USA."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



アメリカのカリフォニア州のモデストと言う町に住んでいます。
"amerika no karifonia shuu no modesuto to iu machi ni sundeimasu."

アメリカのカリフォニア州のモデストと言う町に住んでいる。
"amerika no karifonia shuu no modesuto to iu machi ni sundeiru."

[lit. "I live in Modesto, California, USA."]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



と言う【という】 = which is called
町【まち】 = town

Therefore モデストと言う町 means 'the town that is named'

住む【すむ】 = to live (as in reside)


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"You want to go somewhere else?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



どこか行きましょうか？
"doko ka ikimashouka?"

どこか行こうか？
"doko ka ikouka?"

[lit. "shall we go somewhere?"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



どこか = somewhere
行く = to go


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"My favorite bands/music are..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



一番好きな音楽は．．．です。
"ichiban sukina ongaku wa ______ desu."

一番好きな音楽は．．．だ。
"ichiban sukina ongaku wa ______ da."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



一番【いちばん】 = number 1, favourite
好きな = noun-modifying adjective 'to like'
音楽【おんがく】 = music


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"I was going to go to ____ today."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



～に行くつもりでした...
"_____ ni iku tsumori deshita..."

～に行くつもりだった...
"_____ ni iku tsumori datta..."

[lit. "I had intended to go to ______"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



に = destination marker
行く【いく】　= to go
つもり = plan


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Did you want to go somewhere else instead?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



他の所に行く方が良いですか？
"hokano tokoro ni iku hou ga ii desu ka?"

他の所に行く方が良いの？
"hokano tokoro ni iku hou ga ii no?"

[lit. "Would you prefer to go someplace else?"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



他の【ほかの】 = another
所【ところ】 = place
に = destination marker
行く【いく】 = to go
方が【ほうが】 = verb-follower indicating preference
良い【いい】 = good

So 'another place destination to go is good?' roughly.


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Don't worry if you can't speak english; I can speak a little Japanese."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



少し日本語が喋れるから英語が喋れなくても心配ないです。
"sukoshi nihongo ga shabereru kara eigo ga shaberenakutemo shinpainai desu."

少し日本語が喋れるから英語が喋れなくても心配ないね。
"sukoshi nihongo ga shabereru kara eigo ga shaberenakutemo shinpainai ne."

[lit. "I can speak a little Japanese, so don't worry if you can't speak any English."]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



少し【すこし】 = a little
日本語【にほんご】 = Japanese
が = indirect object marker
喋れる【しゃべれる】 = to be able to speak
から = therefore, so
英語【えいご】 = english
が = indirect object marker
喋れなくても【しゃべれなくても】 = even if you cannot speak
心配【しんぱい】 = worry
ない = none


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Sorry for being slow at this..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



遅くてごめんなさい。
"osokute gomen nasai."

遅くてごめんね。
"osokute gomen ne."

[lit. "Sorry I'm being slow."]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



遅い【おそい】 = late (遅くて is the adverbial form, like slowly)
ごめん「なさい」 = sorry (nasai is a more polite ending)


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierrot le Fou:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Do you have email/website/aim name/cell phone #"?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



-and- [putting 'em together]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
deepbluevibes:
"Can I have it? I'll give you mine also."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



メール = e-mail [meeru]
ウェブサイト = website [Uebusaito]
No idea 'bout 'IM Name' in Japanese
携帯番号 = cell phone number [keitai bangou]

～を聞いても良いですか？
"_____ wo kiitemo ii desu ka?"

～を聞いていい？
"_____ wo kiite ii?"

[lit. "May I ask for your _____?"]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



を = direct object marker
聞いても【きいても】 = to ask (for permission with も)
良い = good

So "would it be okay to ask for your number?"


That's what I think you were looking for. And uh... I just screwed up and lost my cache, so that's all I can get. Sorry.

[deepbluevibes]

thanks bunches ^^

[Henjin]

No problem. Unless you delete your internet cache daily, you probably still have a copy of the thread yourself. Just make sure to 'work offline' in IE and find the thread in your history. Just make sure you don't go back to it in the history w/ 'work offline' turned off. That's what I accidentally did and that's how I lost the cache.

[hapacheese]

Whew. I thought I was going to have to rewrite all that :)

Thanks, henjin.

[deepbluevibes]

Whew. I thought I was going to have to rewrite all that :)

Thanks, henjin.

still wondering though; the sentences you gave me don't sound too immature or anything like that, right? it's just they sound immature when directly translated to english.

[hapacheese]

Really, nobody is going to think you want to go play in a sandbox or anything. That's simply the way you say it. There are words for "hanging out," but those all mean "loitering" pretty much. You can't really ask someone to go and loiter with you ;)

[Henjin]

You can't read the tone or social context of another language by its translation. Especially not when it's a pretty literal translation. Where as 'slang' and 'informal' language in English depends a lot on the words we use, it seems like in Japanese it depends a lot more on the tenses of the words... Like the example I posted (in one thread, forget wich):
文句あるなら、はっきり言えば良いだろう。
Monku aru nara, hakkiri ieba ii darou.
It's slang, and the meaning is probably something like: "Hey, if you've got a problem with me, come out and say it."
But the literal translation is something like "If there is an issue, it would probably be good if you stated it clearly."
Looking at the literal translation, it doesn't look like something a person would say. But the tone of the Japanese phrase is totally different. Understand what I'm trying to say? (I'm confusing myself)

[hapacheese]

Actually, if you want to get that threat right, it would be better as:

文句あるなら、はっきり言ってみろ。こら。

:) The "kora" at the end is key.

[Henjin]

Heheh, cool.

I need to practice some conversation. We need to have a thread (or use one of these) for just talking about something... Some random topic we can discuss in Japanese. That'd help a lot, I think.

[hapacheese]

Oh, and just a disclaimer: if you use the above phrase and get your ass whupped by an angry mob of bousouzoku/yakuza or whatever, it ain't my fault :D

The phrase they taught Bill Murray while filming Lost in Translation is priceless as well:

誰に向かってもの言ってんだよ！
Dare ni mukatte mono ittendayo!

(Who the hell do you think you're talking to?!)

[Henjin]

Hahah. No, don't worry, I don't plan on starting any fights with anyone. lol

I just like to learn some of the slangy stuff for fun. Like:

じろじろ見るな！
(jiro jiro mira na!)

何って言ったんだよ！
(Nan tte ittanda yo!)

[hapacheese]

Some other useful phrase:

何見てんだよ。こら。
Nani mitendayo. Kora.
What are you looking at, punk? (Kora != punk, but sentence has similar nuance overall)

ふざけんじゃねぇよ。
Fuzakennjyaneeyo.
What the hell do you think you're doing? (Kinda...)
Shortened/slurred version of "fuzakeru no de ha nai" (Lit. translation: Don't mess around)

喧嘩うってんのか、おい！？
Kenka uttenno ka, oi!?
You tryin' to start a fight?!

[Henjin]

Okay, now how do I apologize and beg for mercy?

[hapacheese]

You could say what my cousin always says when I have him locked up in a jiu-jutsu arm bar or choke hold:

殿様！どうかお許を！
Tono-sama! Douka o-yurushi kudasai!
(My lord, please show mercy!)

[Henjin]

Heheh. I know '許す.'
So is 'please forgive me' '許してください'(yurushite kudasai)?

[hapacheese]

Yep. I think my version has more flava, though :D

[Henjin]

Definately.

もっと質問を考えようとしている…
(motto shitsumon wo kangaeyou to shite iru...)

Here's one. How offense is 'やろう'(yarou)?

[hapacheese]

As in このやろう?

Pretty offensive if used in polite company. It can also mean "dude" in a way. Like when you're just hanging out with the boys, you can say やろう同士で飲みに行こうぜ。 (Yarou-doushi de nomi ni ikou ze... Let's go drinking with just us guys.)

I say やろう to my friends all the time, but I'd likely get fired if I called my boss that :D

[Henjin]

Okay. Filing this away for later use. lol

How about 'やつ'(yatsu)?

And again, thanks for answering all these stupid questions. This is great.

[hapacheese]

Yatsu is very informal, too, in the exact same way yarou is. (We interrupt this program for a special report. Those of you joining the show already in progress, the "yarou" that we are talking about is the noun, not the conjugation of the verb "yaru". This has been a special announcement. Back to your regularly scheduled show.)

Here is an example dialog:

C:　うぅ～
A:　あいつどうしたの？
B:　やつがさ、アホなんだよ。
A:　なんかあったの？
B:　「俺石鹸食べれるぜ」とかなんか言ってさ。「じゃあ、食って見ろよ」とチャレンジしたら、マジで食っ ちまったよ。
A:　アホやな．．．
C：　うぅ～

C: Uuuu...
A: Aitsu doushitano?
B: Yatsu ga sa, aho nandayo.
A: Nanka atta no?
B: "Ore sekken tabereru ze" toka nanka itte sa. "Jyaa, kutte miro yo" to charenji shitara, maji de kucchimatta yo.
A: Aho ya na...
C: Uuuu...


(Almost word for word conversation between me and my roommates in college. :D )

[Henjin]

My translation:
C: Ugh...
A: What's wrong w/ that guy?
B: That dude's a moron.
A: Why? What happened?
B: He said "I can totally eat a bar of soap." So I challenged him to "do it!" and he did!
A: Idiot...
C: Ugh...

Close?

[deepbluevibes]

So then.. can I get these sentences translated? They're from the first post, but they're ones I didn't originally have in the original post.

"What's going on?"

"Hey, what's up/going on?"

"I'm slow at speaking Japanese... sorry."

"Can you talk a bit slower?"

"Is there anything interesting going on today?"

"I'm only here until October 24th."

"I'll call you later."

"Do you play any sports/musical instruments?"

"I'm just out shopping for friends right now."

"Do you mind if I ask you something/some stuff?"

"What's the best food to eat around here?"

"My favorite music? Rock, and jazz."


Yoroshiku ^^

[hapacheese]

"What's going on?"
Please be more specific. Do you mean this in a "How's it goin'?" sort of way? Or actually "What is happening here?"

"Hey, what's up/going on?"
よ、元気？／よ、元気か？
Yo, genki? / Yo, genki ka?

"I'm slow at speaking Japanese... sorry."
すみません、日本語で話すのが得意ではないので．．．
Sumimasen, nihongo de hanasu no ga tokui de ha nai no de...

"Can you talk a bit slower?"
すみません、もう少しゆっくり話してくれますか？
Sumimasen, mou sukoshi yukkuri hanashite kureru?

"Is there anything interesting going on today?"
今日、面白いことか何かあるの？
Kyou, omoshiroi koto ka nanika aru no?

"I'm only here until October 24th."
１０月２４日までにしか日本にいない。
Jyuu gatsu nijyuu yokka made ni shika nihon ni inai.

"I'll call you later."
後で電話する。
Ato de denwa suru.

"Do you play any sports/musical instruments?"
スポーツか何かしてるの？／楽器とかやるの？
Spo-tsu ka nanika shiteru no? / Gakki toka yaru no?

"I'm just out shopping for friends right now."
今は友達と買い物してるだけ。
Ima ha tomodachi to kaimono shiteru dake.

"Do you mind if I ask you something/some stuff?"
ちょっと聞いていい？
Chotto kiite ii?

"What's the best food to eat around here?"
ここの近くの一番おいしい店ってどこ？
Koko no chikaku no ichiban oishii mise tte doko?

"My favorite music? Rock, and jazz."
好きな音楽？ロックとジャズ。
Suki na ongaku? Rokku to jazu.

[CopraSanctum]

Hapacheese, do you mind giving the formal version of the sentences as well?

[hapacheese]

"Hey, what's up/going on?"
よ、元気？／よ、元気か？
Yo, genki? / Yo, genki ka?

元気ですか？
Genki desu ka?

"I'm slow at speaking Japanese... sorry."
すみません、日本語で話すのが得意ではないので．．．
Sumimasen, nihongo de hanasu no ga tokui de ha nai no de...

すみません、日本語で話すのが得意ではありませんので．．．
Sumimasen, nihongo de hanasu no ga tokui de ha arimasen no de...

"Can you talk a bit slower?"
すみません、もう少しゆっくり話してくれる？
Sumimasen, mou sukoshi yukkuri hanashite kureru?

すみません、もう少しゆっくり話してくれますか？
Sumimasen, mou sukoshi yukkuri hanashite kuremasuka?

"Is there anything interesting going on today?"
今日、面白いことか何かあるの？
Kyou, omoshiroi koto ka nanika aru no?

今日、面白いことか何かありますか？
Kyou, omoshiroi koto ka nani ka arimasu ka?

"I'm only here until October 24th."
１０月２４日までにしか日本にいない。
Jyuu gatsu nijyuu yokka made ni shika nihon ni inai.

10月24日までにしか日本にいません。
Jyuu gatsu nijyuu yokka made ni shika nihon ni imasen.

"I'll call you later."
後で電話する。
Ato de denwa suru.

後で電話します。
Ato de denwa shimasu.

"Do you play any sports/musical instruments?"
スポーツか何かしてるの？／楽器とかやるの？
Spo-tsu ka nanika shiteru no? / Gakki toka yaru no?

スポーツか何かしてますか？／楽器とか弾いたりしますか？
Spo-tsu ka nanika shitemasuka? / Gakki toka hiitari shimasuka?

"I'm just out shopping for friends right now."
今は友達と買い物してるだけ。
Ima ha tomodachi to kaimono shiteru dake.

今は友達と買い物をしているだけです。
Ima ha tomodachi to kaimono wo shiteiru dake desu.

"Do you mind if I ask you something/some stuff?"
ちょっと聞いていい？
Chotto kiite ii?

ひとつ聞いていいですか？
Hitotsu kiite iidesuka?

"What's the best food to eat around here?"
ここの近くの一番おいしい店ってどこ？
Koko no chikaku no ichiban oishii mise tte doko?

ここの近くの一番おいしいお店はどこですか？
Koko no chikaku no ichiban oishii omise ha doko desuka?

"My favorite music? Rock, and jazz."
好きな音楽？ロックとジャズ。
Suki na ongaku? Rokku to jazu.

好きな音楽ですか？私はロックとジャズが好きです。
Suki na ongaku desuka? Watashi ha rokku to jazu ga suki desu.



Now, these aren't uber formal sonkeigo, but generic formal.

[Henjin]

"I'm just out shopping for friends right now."
今は友達と買い物してるだけ。
Ima ha tomodachi to kaimono shiteru dake.

今は友達と買い物をしているだけです。
Ima ha tomodachi to kaimono wo shiteiru dake desu.


Isn't that "I'm just shopping with friends right now"? I think he means he's out buying お土産(omiyage) for his friends... Then again, if you put the emphasis elsewhere, he's looking to get some friends for himself. Heh.

[hapacheese]

Oh, right. I misread the english. Correction:

今は友達のために買い物してるだけ。
Ima ha tomodachi no tame ni kaimono shiteru dake.

今は友達のために買い物をしてるだけです。
Ima ha tomodachi no tame ni kaimono wo shiteru dake desu.

[Henjin]

僕の日本語は下手なのに、英語はきっと上手だ。
(Boku no Nihongo ha heta na no ni, Eigo ha kitto jouzu da.)

Heh.

[deepbluevibes]

It MAY be too much of a bitch, but can you put down the meanings for the words in the sentences you just translated for me? if it's too much of a bitch

[hapacheese]

Just plug the sentences in here, and it should give you the meanings (for the most part):
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?9T

Takes way too long to do all that, dude =\

[Henjin]

Seriously, instead of waiting for that, just copy/past them into: http://www.j-talk.com/nihongo/search/index.php

Easy. ;)

EDIT: lol They say great minds think alike... and apparently, so do ours.

[deepbluevibes]

Just plug the sentences in here, and it should give you the meanings (for the most part):
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?9T

Takes way too long to do all that, dude =\

ok wtf.. i tried putting in sentences and it kept on saying that i need to select the "english dictionary". I did every single selection on that menu, how do I bypass that?

[hapacheese]

This is what I got:

今は友達のために買い物をしてるだけです。

* 今 【いま; こん】 (いま) (n-adv,n) now; the present time; just now; soon; immediately; (one) more; (こん) this; now; SP
* 友達 【ともだち】 (n) friend; companion; (P); EP
* のために for the sake of; KD
* 買い物 【かいもの】 (n) shopping; (P); EP



Are you copying and pasting the Japanese or English? Try the Japanese.

[Henjin]

Are you copying and pasting the Japanese or English? Try the Japanese.


lol

Do it word by word, and use the kana. Maybe you should try my link. It only has one box... Less confusing.

[deepbluevibes]

ok.. i would paste it word by word if i knew where a word started and ended ><

[deepbluevibes]

ohhhh, never mind. i get it now.

[deepbluevibes]

was in san francisco today, and wanted to try out my japanese on some locals... BUTTTTTTTT

I realized something. I needed a few sentences as to not sound weird/stalkerish.

Soooo...

"I'm learning japanese, and I wanted to try it out on you."

"Do you mind?" (not do you mind as in "stop annoying me.. do you mind?", do you mind as in "can I, please?"

"I'm going to Tokyo soon."

"I've got to go." (as in, i have to leave, something has came up)

"I didn't understand that at all."

"Can you say it simpler?" (is this even a correct english sentence? 0_o)

no rush at all, just whenever you guys can get to it.. thanks bunches once again. ^^

[Henjin]

"I'm learning japanese, and I wanted to try it out on you."
日本語を勉強しているのです。あなたと会話を練習できますか。
Nihongo wo benkyou shite iru no desu. Anata to kaiwa wo renshuu dekimasu ka.
"I'm studying Japanese. Can I practice conversation with you?"

"Do you mind?"
日本語で話しても良いですか。
Nihongo de hanashitemo ii desu ka.
"Can I speak in Japanese?"

"I'm going to Tokyo soon."
すぐに東京へ行きます。
Sugu ni Toukyou he ikimasu.
"I will go to Tokyo soon."

"I've got to go."
すみませんが帰ればなりません。
Sumimasen ga kaereba narimasen.
"Sorry, but I must go."

"I didn't understand that at all."
ぜんぜんわかりませんでした。
Zenzen wakarimasen deshita.
"I didn't understand at all."

"Can you say it simpler?"
もっと易しく話してください。
Motto yasashiku hanashite kudasai.
"Please say that simpler."

I'm curious to see how accurate that is... That's what I'd say if I had to.

[hapacheese]

Corrections... (And frankly, it would be kinda weird to just go up to someone you thought was Japanese and start asking them these things. I know a lot of Japanese girls get sick of gaijin doing this in Japan, not sure how the J-A's feel about it here. And you're in the SF Bay Area?)

"I'm learning japanese, and I wanted to try it out on you."
日本語を勉強しているのですが、あなたと会話の練習をしていいですか？
Nihongo wo benkyou shite iru no desu ga, anata to kaiwa no renshuu wo shite ii desuka?


"Do you mind?"
日本語で話しても良いですか。
Nihongo de hanashitemo ii desu ka.
"Can I speak in Japanese?"

"I'm going to Tokyo soon."
すぐに東京へ行きます。
近いうちに東京に行きます。
Chikai uchi ni toukyou ni ikimasu.
"I will go to Tokyo soon."

"I've got to go."
すみませんが、そろそろ帰らなければ行けませんので失礼させていただきます。
Sumimasen ga, sorosoro kaeranakereba ikemasen no de shitsurei sasete itadakimasu.
"Sorry, but I must go."

"I didn't understand that at all."
すみませんが、ぜんぜんわかりませんでした。
Sumimasen ga, zenzen wakarimasen deshita.
"I didn't understand at all."

"Can you say it simpler?"
もっと易しく話してください。
Motto yasashiku hanashite kudasai.
"Please say that simpler."

That's it :)

[Henjin]

Glad I wasn't too far off.

I thought about 「失礼...」, but I wasn't sure how to use it. All I know is 「失礼します」 when you're leaving.

[deepbluevibes]

Yeah, I figured they'd think it was weird.

Mainly I wanted to know this stuff because on the bart rides/bus rides over to the bay (i live 2 hours from it) there was a family of asian people looking really, really lost as to how to use the bart, and once they finally got on it, had no idea where to go in san francisco, they were like... looking all over for a map (probably a koban haha) and i wanted to be able to help out people like that.

[Henjin]

You coulda handed them a map. ;)

[hapacheese]

And well, they might not actually be Japanese. :)

[deepbluevibes]

And well, they might not actually be Japanese. :)

yeah, i figured that, i was going to ask them if they were to begin with =P

and i don't carry maps on me.. wtf? haha

[hapacheese]

If you want a conversation partner, the best thing to do is to go to a local Japanese grocery and look for the wanted ads board (they usually have one). There's often ads for conversation partners, or you can post one.


Scary thing is that the board is usually full of American guys looking for Japanese female conversation partners. It gives me the creeps every time I look...

[Henjin]

I wanted to apply for a bakery cashier position at a Japanese marketplace once... I figured they were just looking for Japanese people, though, since the entire ad was in Japanese... Probably would've been funny to ask about the job. Esp. since I don't look like the type of person to speak the language.

[Pierrot le Fou]

失礼【しつれい】 means rude. So you say, when leaving early from the company, お先に失礼します which means "I am being rude by leaving early" if translated literally. Helps to know when to use it. It's pretty polite, so generally folks only use it on the telephone (in place of 'good-bye' when talking to a non-friend) or in the office for set phrases.

[hapacheese]

Yep, or when being visited by polite company (like when I'm at my grandmother's place and she has company over).

[Pierrot le Fou]

Formal situations is more or less the point I'm trying to make. I still think it's odd when I think about it literally, but that happens with much of Japanese due to the difference from English.

deepbluevibes, you do realize that even if you memorize every sentence we've given you that you will be entirely unable to understand the responses you'll get, right? There are VERY rarely one word answers in Japanese, and if there are, then it probably isn't a good sign.

Have you debated taking a Japanese night class, or private tutoring or somesuch? Because you aren't going to learn how to communicate solely through acquiring sentences online and springing them on unsuspecting Japs.

[deepbluevibes]

le fou, I thought you read my past posts? I stated that i've been learning Japanese now from a teacher for about 5 months now, and i've had experience speaking to people who are Japanese/speak japanese.

I get all of the particles, language structure, etc. on a basic level for the most part, and i'm finding myself able to understand Japanese movies/anime/songs without even having subtitles at this point.

The thing is, imagine a foreigner comes up to you and says "Hello, how are you today? I saw that you are playing this game; that is interesting that you play it as well, since I play this game also. My name is Dezmond."

WAAAYY too stuck up right? (i'm assuming this is from my viewpoint; i'm 19 and from california.)

Now if that same foreigner came up to you and said "Hey, what's up? My name's dezmond; you play this game also? mind if I play next?" that sounds WAY more casual and ok for a teenager like me to use.

my teacher is teaching me formal Japanese, and that's why I want to learn how to use casual Japanese, so I can make friends/sound native to the locals.

I.e. he teaches me how to say "Watashi no namae wa Dezmond desu."

I emailed some Japanese peopel through japan-guide and they said that was way too formal for my age; and I should say "Boku no namae wa dezmond de" at the very least, if not just "namae wa dezmond".

This is why I want to learn these sentences; so that instead of saying something super stuck up, I can sound like my own age group in Japanese.

=P

Also, thanks for the info on the conversation partner; but I live in the Valley of California, which basically has a very small asian population.. and a huge mexican population, haha. So there aren't any "asian food marts" around here although I know what you're talking about; the nearest one is at least an hour or so drive.

[Henjin]

IMO, you need to learn both. And unless you're traveling w/ friends or meeting friends in Japan, you'll probably use the formal Japanese more.

[hapacheese]

As in Central California? If you're in SoCal or NorCal, I can help ya, but I know nothing of Central... Except Wasco. I got stuck there once driving up from LA during college.

[deepbluevibes]

As in Central California? If you're in SoCal or NorCal, I can help ya, but I know nothing of Central... Except Wasco. I got stuck there once driving up from LA during college.

Yeah, central california. Central california is known for three things;

drugs
scott peterson
crops

there ya go. =P

IMO, you need to learn both. And unless you're traveling w/ friends or meeting friends in Japan, you'll probably use the formal Japanese more.

I figure that, but again, I want to be prepared for all situations. I'm learning kanji, hiragana, and katakana as well, and i've memorized some of the maps of tokyo, as well as subway stations, times, etc... trust me, i'm not stupid on this; i have almost an ocd complex when it comes to learning about things.

I played drums when i was first getting into them like five or six hours a day, every day; would play until my hands bled, and even when i fractured my wrist later that year (not due to drums) i would play with the cast on, the fiberglass cutting my hands.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Chances are that if you do run into Japanese-speakers your age where you are that they are second-generation (or more) Japanese in the US. That means that they likely haven't spent a lot of time speaking with people their age in Japanese, and don't know that much slang unless their parents sent them to Japanese language school to learn it (rather than teaching it themselves). I really wouldn't worry about sounding 'stuck up' as chances are that the person doesn't have complete knowledge of the nuances and whatnot of the various forms and whatnot, and even trying to sound 'casual' you'll probably have relatively awkward delivery...

The best way to learn this sort of thing would be to make friends with exchange students, as they would likely speak 'real' Japanese for your age group, as opposed to immigrant children who are so divorced from Japan at this point...

I mean, each area of Japan also has its own dialect, and a teen from Tokyo who moved to where I am and spoke like he did to his friends in Tokyo would be told he sounds like a girl and get teased to no end. The dialects for kids are so localized that it's really hard to give good advice since there's no idea of who exactly you'll be using it with.

For instance, I understand what hapa is giving you in this thread as far as advice is concerned, but at the same time I think that it sounds, well, kind of girlie as opposed to what we'd hear in Osaka...

It's just one of those things...

[deepbluevibes]

I get what you mean.

But, just for argument's sake, remember that we're talking about San Francisco here; every single one of my asian friends in SF (topping over 50+ people) has pretty good control over their respective languages, and i've had a friend of mine read entire pages in japanese as if he was reading english.

Generally i'd say that's how it is (2nd generation asian teenagers dont know their language) but around san francisco, and in california, i'd say there are a majority of exceptions. my 16 year old friend can speak fluent chinese; enough to translate anything I throw at her.

[Pierrot le Fou]

You're missing the point.

For instance, meneer, and many of the other non-native English speakers on this forum can use it perfectly fluently. They can read it, write it, and for many of them, we'd probably have no idea that they weren't a native speaker if they didn't say it. Yet if they were to go to a US High School, they would quickly seem out of place because they have no idea of the local slang.

I am not saying that these people's Japanese is bad, I am saying that they didn't grow up around that slang most likely, and therefore are going to take offense to the subtle nuance of polite versus impolite and the various ways of saying things because the lack of social context for various grammar.

It's just inevitable, and has no impact on communicative ability or language competence.

Without exposure to a peer group in that language, it is very hard to develop a comprehensive understanding of the various slang terms and what actually sounds 'proper' from someone of their age group in various situations.

[deepbluevibes]

Ah, ok. Now i get what you meant.

I agree with that, and i agreed it was weird, but what more do you want me to do?