Welcome to Lesson 11!
Ready to make comparisons and discuss whether tasks are finished or not in Japanese? Lesson 11 at gokigen japanese blog will teach you essential patterns for comparing things, talking about completed or uncompleted actions, and adding more detail to your descriptions.
The main goals of this lesson are to enable you to:
- Express comparisons between things or people.
- Express completed or uncompleted actions.
Key grammar patterns and expressions you will master in this lesson include:
- Making Comparisons:
- Compare two items using N1 のほうが N2 より ～ (N1 no hou ga N2 yori ~), meaning “N1 is more ~ than N2” (e.g., 猫のほうが犬より好きです – I like cats more than dogs).
- Express that something is the most/best among a group using N1 の中で N2 が いちばん ～ (N1 no naka de N2 ga ichiban ~), meaning “Among N1, N2 is the most ~” (e.g., 日本料理の中で寿司がいちばん好きです – Among Japanese food, sushi is my favorite/the most liked).
- Talking About Completed/Uncompleted Actions: Learn how to say you “have already done ~” something using もう V-ました (mou V-mashita) and “have not yet done ~” something using まだ V-ていません (mada V-te imasen) (e.g., もうご飯を食べました – I have already eaten, まだ宿題をしていません – I haven’t done my homework yet).
- Replacing Nouns: Learn a concise way to refer back to a noun that has already been mentioned by using の (no) after adjectives or verb short forms (e.g., 安いのが欲しいです – I want the cheap one).
- Qualifying Nouns with Verbs: Understand how to use a verb in its short form directly before a noun to describe it, similar to a relative clause in English (e.g., 昨日見た映画 – the movie I saw yesterday).
- Particle で (De) for Means/Instrument: Learn how to use the particle で to specify the method, means, or instrument used to perform an action (“by [means]” or “with [instrument]”) (e.g., 電車で会社に行きます – I go to the office by train, ペンで書きます – I write with a pen).
By the end of Lesson 11, you’ll be able to compare different options, state which one is your favorite or the most extreme, talk about whether you’ve finished a task, describe nouns using full sentences, and explain how you do things (like how you travel or what tool you use). These patterns add significant detail and flexibility to your Japanese!
Explore the articles linked below to master comparisons, completed actions, and adding detail with particles and noun modification!
