Transitive vs. Intransitive Verb Pairs in Japanese (有対動詞) + 〜ている
Introduction This lesson brings together two essentials: transitive vs. intransitive verb pairs (有対動詞) and how 〜ている behaves with them. You’ll learn... Read more.
(short form) + ka / (short form) + ka dou ka: Beginner’s Guide to “whether/if …” in Japanese
Introduction Want to say “I don’t know if it will rain,” or “Do you remember when we went”? Japanese uses the embedded-question patterns (short form) +... Read more.
N1 to iu N2 (〜という): Beginner’s Guide to “a N2 called N1” in Japanese
Introduction Want to say “a city called Melbourne,” “a friend named John,” or “an anime called Doraemon”? Use N1 という N2. This beginner-friendly... Read more.
Mottainai: The Japanese philosophy of respecting resources/Guilt towards wasting
Have you heard of the Japanese word mottainai (もったいない, pronounced “moh-tai-nai”)? It captures the feeling that it’s a shame to waste anything valuable—food,... Read more.
V-stem + にくい: Beginner’s Guide to Saying “Hard to Do” in Japanese
Introduction Want to say “These sneakers are hard to put on” or “That company was hard to work at”? Use V-stem + にくい, a handy pattern that describes... Read more.
V-stem + やすい: Beginner’s Guide to Saying “Easy to Do” in Japanese
Introduction Want to say “This phone is easy to use” or “The teacher was easy to talk to”? Use V-stem + やすい, a super-handy pattern that describes how... Read more.
V-stem + nagara (〜ながら): Beginner’s Guide to Saying “While ~ing” in Japanese
Introduction Want to say “I study while listening to music” or “Kenta is cooking while singing”?Use V-stem + ながら. This pattern links two actions that... Read more.
V-nai de (～ないで): Beginner’s Guide to Saying “Without ~ing” in Japanese
Introduction Want to say “I went out without an umbrella” or “He sleeps without turning off the lights”? The core beginner pattern is V-ないで. It attaches... Read more.
short-present + と: Beginner’s Guide to “Whenever A Happens, B Happens” in Japanese
Introduction Want to say “Whenever I drink coffee, I can’t sleep” or “When spring comes, cherry blossoms bloom”? Japanese uses Event A (short form, present)... Read more.
toki (時): Beginner’s Guide to Saying “When (Sentence 1), Sentence 2” in Japanese
Introduction Need to say “When I study, I listen to music” or “When I went to Japan, I skied”? Use the clause pattern (Sentence 1) + 時(とき), (Sentence... Read more.