Lesson 90: リンの 一年

N4 · Lesson 90 · 20 min — Lessons 85–89 review: ながら・ないで・まま, ところ・たばかり, 間あいだ・までに, しか・ばかり・だけでなく・ほど, amount + も・ずつ・おきに・でも

No new grammar in this lesson! We put Lessons 85–89 side by side: manner, time, quantity and range. In the questions, リン is Rin and 先生せんせい is Neko-sensei.

After this lesson, you can:

• Use ながら・ないで・まま to say HOW you do something: while ~ing, without ~ing, leaving ~ as it is
• Use ところ・たばかり・間あいだ・間あいだに・までに to say WHEN, accurately
• Use しか〜ない・ばかり・だけでなく・ほど to say "only," "nothing but," "not only," and "not as ~ as"
• Use amount + も・ずつ・おきに and でも to say "as many as ~," "~ each," "every ~ (at intervals)," and "any ~ at all"

One Year in Japan

Last time: the photo was taken in くまや. Today Rin has almost been in Japan for a year!

Use ながら・ばかり・間あいだに for actions and time, and しか・も・ずつ for amounts. Next: Mr. Kuma may finally speak...

One-Year Party at くまや

A few days later, everyone celebrates Rin at くまや. Find the lines about manner, time and quantity! Tap each line to hear the Japanese.

Words from This Year

• 最初さいしょ (saisho): at first, the beginning
• 手紙てがみ (tegami): letter
• カタカナ (katakana): katakana
• アルバイト (arubaito): part-time job
• 働はたらく (hataraku): to work
• 一杯いっぱい (ippai): one bowl, one cup
• お金かね (okane): money
• 地図ちず (chizu): map
• まよう (mayou): to get lost; to hesitate
• だんご (dango): dango (rice dumplings)
• 泣なく (naku): to cry
• 一週間いっしゅうかん (isshūkan): one week
• 一年目いちねんめ (ichinenme): first year
• 休やすみ (yasumi): holiday; break
• お祝いわい (oiwai): celebration, congratulatory gift
• 電気でんき (denki): electric light; electricity
• 傘かさを さす (kasa o sasu): to open an umbrella (to use an umbrella)

Grammar 1 / 5: Manner: ながら・ないで・まま

HOW an action is done: masu-stem + ながら = doing ~ while ~; nai-form + で = ~ without doing ~; ta-form + まま = leaving ~ as it is

• ながら: two actions at once: Drop ます from the masu-form, add ながら: 聞ききながら, しながら. The same person does both, and the later action is the main one.
• ないで: without doing ~: nai-form + で: 見みないで 来きた, 食たべないで 行いった. It means "did B without doing A."
• まま: leaving a state as it is: ta-form + まま, N + の + まま: ついた まま, くつの まま. It often feels like "it should have changed, but it didn't."

• 音楽おんがくを 聞ききながら 勉強べんきょうします。 — I study while listening to music.
• あさごはんを 食たべないで 学校がっこうへ 行いきました。 — I went to school without eating breakfast.
• 窓まどを 開あけた まま、家いえを 出でました。 — I left home with the window open.
• 雨あめなのに、傘かさを ささないで 歩あるきました。 — It was raining, but he left without an umbrella.

Grammar 2 / 5: Time: ところ・たばかり

ところ depends on the form before it: dictionary form = about to, ている = in the middle of, ta-form = just now; たばかり = it feels like only just ~

• ところ: look at the form before it: dictionary form + ところ = about to ~; ている + ところ = in the middle of ~; ta-form + ところ = just did ~ (seconds or minutes ago).
• たばかり: feels like only just: ta-form + ばかり = the speaker feels "it's only just ~." It can be minutes ago or even a year ago: 来きた ばかり.
• ばかり + の + noun: 買かった ばかりの 傘かさ, 来きた ばかりの とき: add の before a noun.

• これから ごはんを 食たべる ところです。 — I'm just about to eat.
• 今いま、手紙てがみを 読よんで いる ところです。 — I'm in the middle of reading a letter.
• 今いま、駅えきに 着ついた ところです。 — I just got to the station.
• 日本にほんに 来きた ばかりの とき、漢字かんじしか 読よめませんでした。 — When I had just come to Japan, I could only read kanji.

Grammar 3 / 5: Time: 間ま・間かんに・までに

〜間あいだ = all through that period; 〜間あいだに = at some point within that period; までに = a deadline (by ~)

• 〜間あいだ: all through that period: 〜間あいだ、(ずっと)〜て いました: 休やすみの 間あいだ、ずっと 手紙てがみを 読よんで いました. What follows lasts from start to finish.
• 〜間あいだに: some time within the period: 〜間あいだに + a one-time action: 寝ねて いる 間あいだに 雨あめが 降ふりました. Nouns need の: 休やすみの 間あいだに.
• まで vs までに: まで = keep doing it up to that time (五時ごじまで 働はたらく); までに = do it once before that time (五時ごじまでに 帰かえる).

• 夏休なつやすみの 間あいだ、ずっと 京都きょうとに いました。 — During the summer vacation, I stayed in Kyoto the whole time.
• 母ははが 寝ねて いる 間あいだに、手紙てがみを 書かきました。 — While Mom was sleeping, I wrote a letter.
• 金曜日きんようびまでに 宿題しゅくだいを 出だして ください。 — Please hand in your homework by Friday.
• 毎日まいにち 十時じゅうじまで 勉強べんきょうします。 — I study every day until ten o'clock.

Grammar 4 / 5: Range: しか・ばかり・だけでなく・ほど

しか〜ない = only (too little); ばかり = nothing but (too much); だけでなく〜も = not only ~ but also ~; AはBほど〜ない = A is not as ~ as B

• しか〜ない: only (feels little): N + しか + negative: 漢字かんじしか 読よめない, 一杯いっぱいしか ない. だけ is a neutral "only," and its sentence can end positively.
• ばかり: nothing but (feels too much): N + ばかり: ラーメンばかり 食たべる. V-te + ばかり いる: 泣ないて ばかり いた (did nothing but cry). ばかり goes before を (or replaces を): テレビばかり / テレビばかりを ○, テレビを ばかり ×.
• だけでなく・ほど: AだけでなくBも = not only A but also B. AはBほど〜ない = A is not as ~ as B (B is the standard of comparison).

• 財布さいふに 五百円ごひゃくえんしか ありません。 — I only have 500 yen in my wallet.
• 弟おとうとは テレビばかり 見みて います。 — My little brother is always watching TV.
• 京都きょうとだけでなく、大阪おおさかにも 行いきました。 — I went not only to Kyoto but also to Osaka.
• 今日きょうは 昨日きのうほど 寒さむくないです。 — It's not as cold today as yesterday.

Grammar 5 / 5: Quantity: も・ずつ・おきに・でも

Amount + も = as many as ~; ずつ = ~ each / ~ at a time; おきに = at intervals of ~ (one day apart = every other day); N + でも = ~ or something, question word + でも = any ~ at all

• Amount + も: as many as: 三本さんぼんも, 十時間じゅうじかんも: the speaker feels "that's a lot!" It is the opposite of しか〜ない (feels little).
• ずつ・おきに: ずつ = shared equally or the same amount each time: 一人ひとり 二ふたつずつ, 少すこしずつ. おきに = at intervals: 一日いちにちおきに (every other day), 十分じゅっぷんおきに (every ten minutes).
• でも: a casual suggestion · any ~ at all: N + でも = ~ or something (not limited to that one): お茶ちゃでも 飲のみませんか. Question word + でも = any ~ at all: いつでも, 何杯なんばいでも.

• 昨日きのうは 十時間じゅうじかんも 寝ねました。 — Yesterday I slept as many as ten hours.
• りんごを 一人ひとり 二ふたつずつ もらいました。 — Everyone got two apples each.
• バスは 十分じゅっぷんおきに 来きます。 — A bus comes every ten minutes.
• お茶ちゃでも 飲のみませんか。 — Would you like some tea or something?