Fourth Dialogue
Japanese Grammar

Let's take a look at the fourth dialogue as to its Japanese grammar and see how the Japanese translation to English comes about.

As before, I won't cover words and Japanese phrases that we have covered in the previous Japanese grammar pages.

Hoka no kuni ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?

Kuni means "country."

This is its kun-yomi reading, so this tells you that this was the old Japanese word for "country." To keep the Japanese word, they gave the chinese character an extra sound.

The on-yomi, the original Chinese sound, is koku.

Itta koto ga arimasu ka means "have you ever been (to)."

...ta koto ga arimasu is a very useful contstruction.

All you need is the plain past of any verb, add the koto ga arimasu to it and it will give you this "I have...something" English to Japanese construction.

For example:

I have read that book. To read = yomu. Its plain past is yonda, so:

Sono hon o yonda koto ga arimasu.

I have seen that movie. To see = miru. Its plain past is mita, so:

Sono eiga o mita koto ga arimasu.

Dono kuni ga ichi ban suki deshita ka?
Doushite supein ga ichi ban suki desu ka?

Dono means "which," in the sense of where there are several to choose from.

Ban means "turn, order or number."

ichi ban is the grammatical superlative, which here means "most."

Deshita is the past form of desu.

Doushite  means "why."

There is another word for "why" that you will often come across: naze.

Doushite sometimes has the meaning of "how," which naze doesn't.

De wa, watashi wa subete ga suki deshita kedo, supein no hou ga ichi ban suki desu.

subete means "all, every."

Kedo means "although."

Also written as keredo or keredomo.

no hou ga forms the comparative between two or more things, where one is better or ...er.

For example: This apple is bigger. Kono ringo no hou ga ookii desu.

Watashi wa supein no ryouri ga suki desu.
mou ichi do yukkuri hanashite kudasai.

ryou ri means "food."

Ga suki means "whatever preceeds this pattern, is liked."

This pattern also can be used for other adjectives The opposite of suki, which is kirai; jouzu and its opposite heta.

For example:

Her cooking is good. Kanojo no ryouri ga jouzu desu.

mou ichi do means "once more."

Yukkuri means "slowly."

Hanashite kudasai means "Please speak..."

Mochiron. Nani ga anata no ichi ban suki na supein no ryouri desu ka?

mochiron means "Of course, sure."

nani means "what."

Sometimes pronounced as nan, as in:

What is this? Kore wa nan desu ka?