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Minna no Nihongo, lesson 13

Lesson 13:

Lesson 13 of Minna no Nihongo, “What do you want? Wishes, plans and eating out”, teaches 7 grammar patterns, including , , , and 35 words. Here is every word with romaji and English, the grammar explained with examples, and 38 example sentences.

Updated

Grammar

Want: ほしいです

ほしい is an い-adjective meaning want. What you want takes が: くるまが ほしいです. It's for your own wishes; to ask about someone else's, put it in a question: なにが ほしいですか. The negative is ほしくないです.

  • Watashi wa kuruma ga hoshii desu. I want a car.
  • Ima nani ga ichiban hoshii desu ka. What do you want most right now?
  • Nani mo hoshikunai desu. I don't want anything.

Want to: のみたいです

To say you want to do something, swap ます for たいです: のみます → のみたいです. What you want to eat or drink can take が or を. The negative is たくないです: たべたくないです. Like ほしい, it's for your own wishes, or a question to someone else: なにが のみたいですか.

  • Nani ga nomitai desu ka. What would you like to drink?
  • Hokkaidou e ikitai desu. I want to go to Hokkaido.
  • Kyou wa nani mo tabetakunai desu. I don't want to eat anything today.

Going to do something: みに いきます

To say why you go, come or go home, put the verb without ます, or a noun like かいもの, before に: もみじを みに いきます, かいものに いきます. The place takes へ.

  • Kyouto e momiji o mi ni ikimasu. I'm going to Kyoto to see the autumn leaves.
  • Depaato e kaimono ni ikimasu. I'm going shopping at the department store.
  • Nihon e nani o shi ni kimashita ka. What did you come to Japan to do?

Somewhere, something: どこか, なにか

か after a question word makes it vague: どこか (somewhere), なにか (something). In a question they mean anywhere and anything: しゅうまつは どこか いきましたか. To answer no, use も: どこも いきませんでした.

  • Shuumatsu wa doko ka ikimashita ka. Did you go anywhere at the weekend?
  • Iie, doko mo ikimasendeshita. No, I didn't go anywhere.
  • Nodo ga kawakimashita ne. Nanika nomimasen ka. I'm thirsty. Shall we have something to drink?

About (a time): ごろ

ごろ after a time means at about that time: じゅういちじごろ ねます. For amounts, like a length of time, use ぐらい (lesson 11): いちじかんぐらい.

  • Maiban juuichiji goro nemasu. I go to bed at about eleven every night.
  • Maiasa shichiji goro okimasu. I get up at about seven every morning.

At a restaurant: ごちゅうもんは?

Staff ask ごちゅうもんは?, and you name your dish with おねがいします. しょうしょう おまち ください asks you to wait a moment, and 〜で ございます is a very polite です. To pay separately, say べつべつに おねがいします.

  • Gochuumon wa? May I take your order?
  • Tenpura teishoku o onegaishimasu. The tempura set meal, please.
  • Betsubetsuni onegaishimasu. Separately, please.

Hungry, thirsty, tired

These are said in the past, because they've just happened to you: おなかが すきました (I'm hungry), のどが かわきました (I'm thirsty), つかれました (I'm tired).

  • Onaka ga sukimashita. I'm hungry.
  • Tsukaremashita kara, nani mo shitakunai desu. I'm tired, so I don't want to do anything.

Vocabulary: 35 words

Verbs

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
asobimasu play, enjoy yourself
oyogimasu swim
mukaemasu go to meet, pick up (someone)
tsukaremasu get tiredUsually in the past: つかれました (I'm tired).
kekkonshimasu get married
kaimonoshimasu do the shopping
shokujishimasu have a meal
sanposhimasu go for a walkWhere you walk takes を: こうえんを さんぽします.

Wanting and describing

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
hoshii want (something)An い-adjective. What you want takes が: くるまが ほしいです.
taihen hard, toughA な-adjective. たいへんですね (lesson 4) sympathises.
hiroi spacious, wide
semai small, cramped (a room, a road)

Places and things to do

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
puuru swimming pool
kawa river
bijutsu art, fine arts
tsuri fishingつりに いきます (go fishing).
sukii skiingスキーを します (ski).
kaimono shoppingかいものに いきます (go shopping).

When

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
shuumatsu weekend
oshougatsu New YearThe biggest holiday in Japan, in the first days of January.
~goro about (a time)After a point in time: じゅういちじごろ. For amounts, use ぐらい (lesson 11).

Something, somewhere

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
nanika something, anything
dokoka somewhere, anywhereどこか いきましたか (did you go anywhere?). The answer no is どこも いきませんでした.

At a restaurant

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
gochuumon wa? may I take your order?
teishoku set mealRice, soup and a main dish on one tray: てんぷら ていしょく.
gyuudon beef on rice
shoushou omachi kudasai just a moment, please
~ de gozaimasu is ~ (a very polite です)Said by staff to customers: せんえんで ございます.
betsubetsuni separately (when paying)

Expressions

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
nodoga kawakimasu get thirstySaid in the past: のどが かわきました (I'm thirsty).
onakaga sukimasu get hungrySaid in the past: おなかが すきました (I'm hungry).
sou shimashou let's do that

Places in the book

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
hokkaidou Hokkaido (Japan's northern island)
akikkusu AKIX (a company)
ohayou terebi Ohayo TV (a TV programme)

Example sentences

  • Watashi wa kuruma ga hoshii desu. I want a car.
  • Ima nani ga ichiban hoshii desu ka. What do you want most right now?
  • Atarashii pasokon ga hoshii desu. I want a new computer.
  • Donna uchi ga hoshii desu ka. What kind of house do you want?
  • Hiroi uchi ga hoshii desu. I want a spacious house.
  • Tanjoubi ni nani ga hoshii desu ka. What do you want for your birthday?
  • Nani mo hoshikunai desu. I don't want anything.
  • Nani ga nomitai desu ka. What would you like to drink?
  • Biiru ga nomitai desu. I'd like a beer.
  • Doko e ikitai desu ka. Where do you want to go?
  • Hokkaidou e ikitai desu. I want to go to Hokkaido.
  • Kyou wa nani mo tabetakunai desu. I don't want to eat anything today.
  • Tsukaremashita kara, nani mo shitakunai desu. I'm tired, so I don't want to do anything.
  • Kyouto e momiji o mi ni ikimasu. I'm going to Kyoto to see the autumn leaves.
  • Depaato e kaimono ni ikimasu. I'm going shopping at the department store.
  • Nihon e nani o shi ni kimashita ka. What did you come to Japan to do?
  • Bijutsu no benkyou ni kimashita. I came to study art.
  • Kawa e tsuri ni ikimasu. I'm going fishing in the river.
  • Kuukou e tomodachi o mukae ni ikimasu. I'm going to the airport to pick up a friend.
  • Hirugohan o tabe ni ikimasen ka. Shall we go and have lunch?
  • Shuumatsu wa doko ka ikimashita ka. Did you go anywhere at the weekend?
  • Ee, umi e oyogi ni ikimashita. Yes, I went swimming in the sea.
  • Iie, doko mo ikimasendeshita. No, I didn't go anywhere.
  • Nodo ga kawakimashita ne. Nanika nomimasen ka. I'm thirsty. Shall we have something to drink?
  • Ee, sou shimashou. Yes, let's.
  • Onaka ga sukimashita. I'm hungry.
  • Maiban juuichiji goro nemasu. I go to bed at about eleven every night.
  • Asa kouen o sanposhimasu. In the morning I go for a walk in the park.
  • Ane wa raigetsu kekkonshimasu. My older sister is getting married next month.
  • Oshougatsu ni kuni e kaerimasu. I'm going home for New Year.
  • Watashi no heya wa semai desu. My room is small.
  • Nihongo no benkyou wa taihen desu. Studying Japanese is hard work.
  • Kouen de kodomo to asobimasu. I play with my children in the park.
  • Gochuumon wa? May I take your order?
  • Tenpura teishoku o onegaishimasu. The tempura set meal, please.
  • Shoushou omachi kudasai. Just a moment, please.
  • Senroppyakuhachijuuen de gozaimasu. That's 1,680 yen.
  • Betsubetsuni onegaishimasu. Separately, please.

Conversations to practise

In the app you play one of the speakers and choose what to say, line by line, with natural Japanese voices.

  • Separately, pleaseIt's noon, and you go for lunch with Mr. Yamada.
  • The weekendOn Monday, Ms. Sato asks about your weekend.
  • A breakYou and Mr. Miller have been walking around town all morning.

Practise lesson 13

Flashcards, spelling with kana tiles, sentence building and conversations. Free, no sign-up needed.

Start lesson 13