Lesson 84: くまやの 卒業パーティー

N4 · Lesson 84 · 20 min — Lessons 80–83 review: ために・ように・のに・必要ひつよう, について・かどうか・とか, ても・のに, し・て・で

No new grammar in this lesson! We put Lessons 80–83 side by side: purpose, questions inside sentences, concession and reason. In the questions, リン is Rin, 先生せんせい is Neko-sensei and 店長てんちょう is Mr. Kuma.

After this lesson, you can:

• Use ために・ように・のに・必要ひつよう to say "in order to ~", "so that I can ~ / so that I don't ~", "used for ~" and "it is necessary to ~"
• Use について・かどうか・とか to ask "about ~" and "whether ~", and to give examples
• Tell ても (even if ~) and のに (even though ~) apart, and say ても かまわない
• Give reasons with し・〜て／〜くて・Nで, and know which ones cannot be followed by a request

The Graduation Party at くまや

Language school is over! Everyone celebrates at くまや. (卒業そつぎょう = graduation)

ために／ように give purpose, ても／のに concession, し／て／で reasons. Next: late at night, the lights at くまや are still on...

The Graduation Party at くまや

More talk from the same party. Can you find the purpose, concession and reason? Tap each line to hear the Japanese.

Party Words

• みなさん (minasan): everyone
• 卒業そつぎょう (sotsugyō): graduation
• おめでとう (omedetō): congratulations
• お祝いわい (oiwai): celebration, congratulations
• かんぱい (kanpai): cheers, a toast
• ジュース (jūsu): juice
• 泣なく (naku): to cry
• 見みつける (mitsukeru): to find
• 咲さく (saku): to bloom (flowers)
• 比くらべる (kuraberu): to compare
• 食たべ方かた (tabekata): way of eating
• 三杯さんばい (sanbai): three bowls, three cups
• 自転車じてんしゃ (jitensha): bicycle
• 通かよう (kayou): to go regularly (to school, work)
• 必要ひつよう (hitsuyō): necessary, needed (noun / な-adjective: 必要ひつような もの)
• 急いそぐ (isogu): to hurry
• かまわない (kamawanai): doesn't matter, don't mind
• 店長てんちょう (tenchō): shop manager (what Rin calls Mr. Kuma)
• のびる (nobiru): (noodles) to get soggy
• ギョーザ (gyōza): gyoza (pan-fried dumplings)
• 約束やくそく (yakusoku): promise, appointment
• 遅おくれる (okureru): to be late
• 調しらべる (shiraberu): to look up, to investigate
• 原因げんいん (gen'in): cause, reason

Grammar 1 / 4: Purpose: ために・ように・のに

"In order to ~": look at the verb. An action you do on purpose → ために. Potential form, ない-form, or things you can't control → ように.

• ために: things you do on purpose: Dictionary form (a verb you do on purpose) + ために: 入はいる ために 勉強べんきょうする. With a noun, add の: お祝いわいの ために. What follows is usually something you do on purpose.
• ように: ability, states, "not to ~": Potential form, ない-form or a verb you can't control + ように: 読よめる ように, 忘わすれない ように, 遅おくれない ように. It means "so that I can ~ / so that I don't ~".
• のに・必要ひつよう: use and need: Dictionary form + のに + 使つかう／いい／便利べんり／必要ひつよう: useful for doing ~. Dictionary form + 必要ひつようが ある = it is necessary to ~; 必要ひつようは ない = there is no need to ~.

• 日本語にほんごを 勉強べんきょうする ために、日本にほんへ 来きました。 — I came to Japan to study Japanese.
• 遅おくれない ように、早はやく 出でます。 — I leave early so that I won't be late.
• この かばんは 旅行りょこうに 行いくのに 便利べんりです。 — This bag is handy for traveling.
• 急いそぐ 必要ひつようは ありません。 — There is no need to hurry.

Grammar 2 / 4: について・かどうか・とか

Use について for "about ~". Use か／かどうか to put a question inside a sentence. Use とか for casual examples.

• について: about ~: Noun + について + 話はなす／調しらべる／聞きく／知しって いる: 桜さくらについて 調しらべる = look up information about sakura.
• か どうか／question word + か: For a yes/no question, use plain form + か どうか: 来くるか どうか. With どこ・だれ・何なに・いつ, add only か: どこに あるか. Nouns and な-adjectives take no だ: 木きか どうか.
• とか: casual examples: AとかBとか = A and B and so on. It suggests there are more, and sounds more casual than や. Particles still follow it: ラーメンとか ギョーザとかが 好すきです (in speech, が is often dropped).

• 谷中やなかの 桜さくらについて 調しらべました。 — I looked up information about the sakura in Yanaka.
• 明日あした 店みせが 開あいて いるか どうか、聞きいて みます。 — I will ask whether the shop is open tomorrow.
• はなさんが どこに 住すんで いるか、わかりません。 — I don't know where はなさん lives.
• 京都きょうととか 大阪おおさかとかに 行いきたいです。 — I want to go to places like Kyoto and Osaka.

Grammar 3 / 4: Concession: ても・のに

ても = even if ~ (a possibility, or something general and repeated). のに = even though ~ (it already happened and was unexpected).

• ても: even if ~: て-form + も: 降ふっても, 使つかっても. い-adjective 〜くても: 古ふるくても. な-adjective or noun 〜でも: 静しずかでも, 雨あめでも. It can also describe something that happened every time in the past: 雪ゆきが 降ふっても、いつも 来きた = even when it snowed, you always came (a repeated pattern, not one surprise).
• ても かまわない: it's fine even if ~: 使つかっても かまわない = it's fine to use it (permission). A bit more formal than ても いい. To ask: 写真しゃしんを 撮とっても かまいませんか。
• のに: even though ~: Plain form + のに. Nouns and な-adjectives need な: 雨あめなのに. It talks about something that already happened, with surprise or dissatisfaction. For something that hasn't happened yet, use ても.
• How to tell the two のに apart: If 使つかう・便利べんり・必要ひつよう・いい follows, it means use (useful for doing ~). If an unexpected event that already happened follows, it means "even though ~". 通かようのに 必要ひつよう (needed for going to school) ⇔ 雨あめなのに 来きた (it was raining, but he came).

• 雨あめが 降ふっても、散歩さんぽに 行いきます。 — Even if it rains, I will go for a walk.
• 雨あめでも、くまやは 開あいて います。 — Even when it rains, くまや opens as usual.
• ここで 写真しゃしんを 撮とっても かまいませんか。 — May I take photos here?
• 日曜日にちようびなのに、店みせが 閉しまって いました。 — It was Sunday, but the shop was closed.

Grammar 4 / 4: Reason: し・て・で

し lists several reasons. 〜て／〜くて gives the cause of a feeling or result. Nで gives the cause of an event.

• し: listing reasons one by one: Plain form + し: おいしいし, 安やすいし. な-adjectives and nouns need だ: 静しずかだし, 雨あめだし. Even one し is fine. It hints that there are other reasons.
• 〜て／〜くて: cause of a feeling or result: うれしくて 泣なく, 手紙てがみが 読よめて うれしい. What follows is often a feeling, a body reaction or a natural result.
• Nで: cause of an event. Watch the second half: 病気びょうきで 休やすむ, 雪ゆきで バスが 遅おくれる. After て／で you cannot put a request or an invitation ("let's ~", "please ~"). Then use ので or から.

• この 店みせは 安やすいし、おいしいし、よく 来きます。 — This shop is cheap and tasty, so I come often.
• 手紙てがみが 読よめて、うれしかったです。 — I was happy that I could read the letter.
• 病気びょうきで 学校がっこうを 休やすみました。 — I was sick, so I took a day off from school.
• 雪ゆきで、バスが 遅おくれました。 — The bus was late because of the snow.