Lesson 98: リンの 一週間

N4 · Lesson 98 · 20 min — Live the week before school with Rin and review the patterns from Lessons 91–97 in one go

No new grammar in this lesson! From Monday to Sunday, you practice the patterns of Lessons 91–97 inside Rin's week. In the questions, リン is Rin, くまた is Kumata, and 店長てんちょう is Mr. Kuma.

After this lesson, you can:

• Use がる・たがる, やすい・にくい and 始はじめる・出だす to talk about other people's feelings and how actions go
• Use ないといけない・なきゃ・ちゃだめ and the command form・な・なさい to say "must", "must not" and give orders
• Use てよかった・てすみません・なかなか〜ない to say "I'm glad that...", "Sorry that..." and "it just won't..."
• Use けど・それで・それに・それでも・または・ところで・って to connect your speech naturally

The Old Sign

The last week before school! Grandpa's letter says the shop gets a new name next year... So what was it called before? (看板かんばん = shop sign; そうか = "I see", said to yourself)

This week used やすい, 始はじめる, て よかった... all of Lessons 91–97 showed up! The shop is found. But where is はな now?

From Monday to Sunday

School on Monday, くまや on Wednesday, a video call on Friday, the storeroom on Sunday. Can you spot the patterns from Lessons 91–97? Tap each line to hear the Japanese. (そうか = "I see", said to yourself)

This Week's Words

• 通かよう (kayou): to go back and forth regularly; to commute (to school or work)
• 遅おくれる (okureru): to be late
• 毎年まいとし (maitoshi): every year
• 咲さく (saku): to bloom (flowers)
• 見みつかる (mitsukaru): to be found; to turn up
• おじいちゃん (ojiichan): grandpa (a warm, affectionate way to say it)
• 涙なみだ (namida): tears
• 箱はこ (hako): box
• 看板かんばん (kanban): shop sign
• 店長てんちょう (tenchō): shop manager; owner
• 花はな (hana): flower
• 全部ぜんぶ (zenbu): all; everything
• 最後さいご (saigo): last; final
• 急きゅうに (kyū ni): suddenly

Grammar 1 / 4: Feelings & Manner: がる・やすい・始はじめる

Other people's feelings: adjective stem + がる, ます-stem + たがる. Easy or hard to do: ます-stem + やすい／にくい. Starting: ます-stem + 始はじめる／出だす (suddenly).

• がる・たがる: other people's feelings: 寒さむい→寒さむがる, ほしい→ほしがる, 見みたい→見みたがる. Usually you say 「〜がって います」, which means you can tell from how the person looks.
• やすい・にくい: easy or hard to do: ます-stem + やすい = easy to...; + にくい = hard to... They change like い-adjectives: わかりやすかった, わかりにくくて.
• 始はじめる・出だす: starting: 読よみ始はじめる = start reading; 泣なき出だす = suddenly burst into tears (often with 急きゅうに).

• くまたは いつも 寒さむがって います。 — Kumata always looks cold.
• この 本ほんは 字じが 大おおきくて 読よみやすいです。 — This book has big letters, so it's easy to read.
• この 道みちは せまくて 歩あるきにくいです。 — This road is narrow, so it's hard to walk on.
• 急きゅうに 雨あめが 降ふり出だしました。 — It suddenly started raining.

Grammar 2 / 4: Rules: なきゃ・ちゃだめ・Command Form

Must: ないと いけない／なきゃ. Must not: ちゃ だめ／dictionary form + な. Order: command form. Instructions to someone younger: ます-stem + なさい.

• Must: ないと いけない・なきゃ: The formal way is なければ ならない. In conversation, people often say ないと いけない. With friends, it gets even more casual: なきゃ・なくちゃ.
• Must not: ちゃ だめ・な: The casual form of ては いけない／ては だめ is ちゃ いけない／ちゃ だめ (ては→ちゃ, では→じゃ: 急いそいじゃ だめ). Dictionary form + な is a very strong "don't!"
• Command form・なさい: 急いそぐ→急いそげ, 寝ねる→寝ねろ, する→しろ, 来くる→来こい. Parents and teachers often use ます-stem + なさい with children.

• 明日あしたは 六時ろくじに 起おきないと いけません。 — I have to get up at six tomorrow.
• もう 行いかなきゃ。 — I've got to go now.
• ここで 写真しゃしんを 撮とっちゃ だめだよ。 — You can't take photos here.
• 早はやく 寝ねなさい。 — Go to bed now.

Grammar 3 / 4: Feelings: てよかった・てすみません・なかなか

て-form + よかった = I'm glad that...; て-form + すみません = sorry for...; なかなか + negative = it just won't..., not easily

• 〜て よかった: Use the て-form for what happened, then add よかった: I'm glad that... "I'm glad it didn't..." is 〜なくて よかった.
• 〜て すみません: Use the て-form for what you did wrong, then apologize. For something already past, people often say すみませんでした.
• なかなか〜ない: It means that even after waiting or trying for a long time, it still doesn't happen: バスが なかなか 来こない, なかなか 読よめない. (なかなか + positive means "quite...", e.g. なかなか おいしい. This lesson is about "it just won't...")

• 日本にほんに 来きて よかったです。 — I'm glad I came to Japan.
• 雨あめが 降ふらなくて よかった。 — I'm glad it didn't rain.
• 電話でんわに 出でられなくて すみません。 — Sorry I couldn't answer the phone.
• バスが なかなか 来きません。 — The bus just won't come.

Grammar 4 / 4: Connecting: けど・それで・それでも・ところで

けど = but; それで = so, and then?; それに = besides; それでも = even so; または = or; ところで = by the way; って = と・という (casual)

• Contrast: けど・それでも: けど goes in the middle of a sentence: 長ながかったけど、〜. それでも goes at the start: things didn't go well, but still...
• Following on: それで・それに: それで = so (a result). It can also prompt someone with "and then?" それに = besides (adds one more reason).
• Choice, changing subject, quoting: または = or (often in explanations and notices). ところで = by the way (changing the subject). って is the casual form of と・という: 待まって いますって = (it) says they're waiting.

• 安やすかった けど、おいしくなかった。 — It was cheap, but it didn't taste good.
• 雨あめが 降ふって いました。それで、バスで 来きました。 — It was raining then, so I came by bus.
• この 店みせは 安やすいです。それに、おいしいです。 — This shop is cheap, and it tastes good, too.
• ところで、明日あしたは ひまですか。 — By the way, are you free tomorrow?
• 店長てんちょうは 明日あした 休やすむって。 — The owner said he's off tomorrow.