Let's learn some more English-to-Japanese dialogues, build on the ones we know, expand your basic Japanese and get better at speaking Japanese.
For those who like to study the Japanese dialogue in Romaji, please
Let's start a new dialogue from where we left off on the previous one.
The scenario is that there is another chance meeting between Mr Suzuki and Mr Watson in a pub or hotel bar.
Try reading the Japanese dialogue first, then look at the readings for the various Japanese kanji before reading it again.
A is Harry, B is Mr Suzuki and C is Harry's wife.
The English to Japanese Dialogue
1A: Mr Suzuki. Long time, no see! １A. 鈴木さん。久しぶりですね。
How are you? お元気ですか？
1B: I'm fine. １B. ええ。おかげさまでとても元気です。
Nice to see you again. またお会いしましたね。
How are you? 調子はどうですか。
2A: I'm fine too. ２A. わたしも元気です。
By the way, this is my wife. ところで、こちらは家内です。
2C: How do you do. ２C. はじめまして、
My name's Wendy. ウエンデイです。
3B: Nice to meet you. 3B. はじめまして。
Please call me keisuke. ケイスケを呼んでください。
3C: Nice to meet you. ３C. どうぞよろしく。
How do you like イギリスのお天気は
the English weather? どう思いますか。
4B: It's not too bad. ４B. そんなに悪くないです。
We have a lot of rain 日本では梅雨の中で
in Japan too,
in the rainy season. 雨が多いです。
Would you two like a drink? 何かお飲みになりませんか。
I'm waiting for my wife 家内を待っていますから
and it would be nice to have ご一緒できて本当に
some company. 楽しいです。
5A: That would be great. ５A. ええ、お願いします。
We're going to see a movie 今晩映画へ見に
and it doesn't start for 行く予定がありますが、
もう四十分の
another 40 minutes. 後で始まります、
Sometimes you find that the readings of kanji are printed in small letters just above the kanji.
This is called furigana and is a great help for foreigners to learn Japanese kanji. Unfortunately it doesn't happen very often.
It would be a good idea to add these Japanese symbols to your memorising kanji list.
Kanji Kana Meaning
鈴木さん すずきさん Mr Suzuki
久しぶり ひさしぶり It's been a long time since we last met.
とても Very
おかげさまで A phrase to increases the politeness.
元気 げんき Cheerful.
お会い おあい A meeting.
調子 ちょうし Condition.
家内 かない My wife.
呼んで よんで Please call...
お天気 おてんき Weather. The "o" makes it politer.
悪くない わるくない Not bad.
梅雨 つゆ The rainy season.
中 なか Among.
雨 あめ Rain.
何 なに Something.
お飲み おのみ To drink. The polite version.
待って まって To wait. The continuous form.
ご一緒 いっしょ With, accompany.
本当 ほんとう Really.
楽しい たのしい Enjoyable.
お願い おねがい Please.
今晩 こんばん Tonight, this evening.
映画 えいが Movie.
見 み From みる, to see.
行き いき From 行 く, to go.
四十分 よんじゅうぷん Forty minutes.
後で あとで After.
始 はじ From 始める, to begin.
思 おも From 思う, to think.
予定 よてい Plan.へ
Next action is to just look at the conversation below, which is wriiten only in the English and see if you can say or write the Japanese sentences without looking at the English-Japanese translation.
Do it until you are perfect, checking the Japanese translation each time and correcting any mistakes.
1A: Mr Suzuki. Long time, no see.
How are you?
1B: I'm fine.
Nice to see you again.
How are you?
2A: I'm fine too.
By the way, this is my wife.
2C: How do you do.
My name's Wendy.
3B: Nice to meet you.
Please call me keisuke.
3C: Nice to meet you.
How do you like the English weather?
4B: It's not too bad.
We have a lot of rain in Japan too,
in the rainy season.
Would you two like a drink?
I'm waiting for my wife and it would be
nice to have some company.
5A: That would be great.
We're going to see a movie
and it doesn't start for
another 40 minutes.
ee ええ is another way of saying "yes."
Say it with a rising intonation and it denotes surprise too.
ne ね is a particle, which acts a bit like the English construction "Isn't that the case?"
o kage sama de おかげさまで is one one these set polite Japanese phrases, which have no real translation in English. I suppose you could say "By the grace of God..." Okage de means "Thanks to..."
Mata また means "again."
Mata o-ai shimashita ne またお会いしましたね is a bit like saying "We have met again, haven't we?"
Choushi 調子 means "condition" and in this case "physical condition."
Dou どう means "How?"
Choushi wa dou desu ka. 調子はどうですか。 means "How are you?" and is more or less the same as "o-genki desu ka?"
Ka か。doesn't require a question mark. It's not wrong to use one. Think of "か" as a question mark.
Kochira こちら is a more polte word for "this."
The other two are: that(near) = sochira and that(far) = achira.
Hajimemashite はじめまして means "How do you do?"
Douzo yoroshiku どうぞよろしく means "Nice to meet you."
yoroshiku can be translated as "regards," as in:
Give my regards to your mother. Okaasan ni yoroshiku.
When talking about someone else's wife use the word okusan.
Sonna そんな means "that kind of."
The other two are: this kind of= konna and that kind of= anna.
Sonna ni そんなに means "to that extent."
o-nomi ni narimasen ka? お飲みになりませんか This is a politer way of asking some one if they would like a drink. The "o" here being the honorific "o."
Go-issho ご一緒 means with. The "go" here being the honorific "go."
You will find a lot of Japanese words where this honorific prefix "go or o" is tagged onto the word. It doesn't seem to follow any specific rule as to which nouns require one, but does make the sentence more formal.
mi ni iku 見に行く means "going to see."
This is an interesting construction and can be used with most any verb.
For example:
...kai ni iku, which means "going to buy."
...yakyuu o shi ni iku, which means "going to play baseball."
...tabe ni iku, which means "going to eat."
he へ means the same as ni に and indicates direction.
See if you can add a few more lines to the conversation. Write the Engish as well as the Japanese translation.