Learn Japanese! This Japanese item might be more than you bargained for. Seriously, if you want to say things like “This gift is more than I bargained for!” you will learn how to do it here. Also, if you have any questions about formal and informal Japanese, this is the place to look. In this article for Japanese beginners, discover the many ways to use Nakanaka, a Japanese adverb that means “quite, considerably,” or “more than expected.” Plus, you’ll find a comprehensive review of formal and informal Japanese speech with the helpful graphics included. Don’t miss out on the one important exception to the rule that you’ll only find here!
Vocabulary: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
okaeri – “welcome back, welcome home”
Tadaima. – “I’m home.”
Ryokoo – “outward journey”
nakanaka – “quite, very, considerably”
tanoshii – “nice, fun” (adjective ending -i)
samui – “cold” (adjective ending -i)
kimochi – “feeling”
tsuaa – “tower”
toshiyori – “old, old”
ooi – “many, much” (adjective ending -i)
hanasu – “speak, speak” (verb 1)
Roppongi – “Roppongi” (a city in Tokyo)
kurabu – “disco, club”
tsurete iku – “take someone” (verb 1)
wakai – “joven” (adjective ending -i)
Grammar: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
Useful phrases and vocabulary
nakanaka
Nakanaka is an adverb that means “quite a lot” or “more than expected”.
For instance:
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Kono hon wa naka naka omoshiroi me.
“This book is quite interesting.”
toshiyori
Toshiyori means “older people”. The honorific prefix or often precedes this word.
tsurete iku
In Beginner Series Season 4 Article 17, you learned the use of the following words:
motte iku – “take something”
tsurete iku – “take someone or an animal”
kuru mound – “bring something”
tsurete kuru – “for bring someone or an animal “
* The address is marked with me gold or and the object is marked by or.
Examples:
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Watashi wa paatii ni wain or motte ikimasu.
“I’ll bring wine to the party.”
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Watashi wa paatii ni kareshi or tsurete ikimasu.
I’m taking my boyfriend to the party.
Iku vs. Kuru
Generally, iku corresponds to “to go”, and kuru corresponds to “to come” in English. However, we describe the action of the speaker approaching the listener with iku, no kuru.
For instance:
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Watashi wa anata not ie neither shichi-ji nor ikimasu.
“I’m going to go to your house at seven.” (Literally: “I will go to your house at seven”).
-
Ima ikimasu.
“I’m going.” (Literally: “I’m leaving”).
Grammar review
In this article, we will learn more about formal and informal speech by reviewing the past form of adjectives.
“It was cold.”
Informal: samukatta.
Formal: samukatta desu.
“It was not cold.”
Informal: samukunakatta.
Formal: samukunakatta desu.
We explain how to form the past tense of noun and adjective sentences in Nihongo Doojoo Newbie Series Style You and Beyond Articles 23 and 24. You have reviewed the conjugations of unpassed adjectives in article 29 of season 4 for beginners.
Conjugation of –I adjective ending: tanoshii – “fun”
Part of speech / Informal speech / Formal speech
Affirmative not past / tanoshii / tanoshii desu
Affirmative Past / tanoshikatta / tanoshikatta desu
No negative past / tanoshiku nai / tanoshiku nai desu GOLD tanoshiku arimasen
Negative past / tanoshiku nakatta / tanoshiku nakatta desu GOLD tanoshiku arimasen deshita
Exception!!!
Informal / Affirmative not past / Affirmative Past / No negative past / Negative past
Informal / ii / yokatta / yokunai / yoku nakatta
Conjugation of –n / A adjective: blessed – “Convenient”
Part of speech / Informal speech / Formal speech
Affirmative not past / benri gives / benri desu
Affirmative Past / benri datta / benri deshita
No negative past / benri ja nai GOLD benri dewa nai / benri ja nai desu GOLD benri dewa nai desu GOLD benri ja arimasen GOLD benri dewa arimasen
Negative past / benri ja nakatta GOLD benri dewa nakatta / benri ja nakatta desu GOLD benri dewa nakattadesu GOLD benri ja arimasen deshita GOLD benri dewa arimasen deshita
*Ha is a contraction of dewa and it is less formal.
*nai desu is more direct than arimasen.
Practice 1
Rewrite the following sentences in the past tense without changing the politeness level.
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Tokyo wa omoshiroi.
_____
- Hachii-gatsu wa atsui desu. (*hachi-gatsu means “August” and *atsui means “hot”) ______
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Samuku arimasen.
______
- Nihon-go wa kantan desu. (*Kantan means “easy”) ______
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Watashi wa genki janai.
______
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Eigo wa kantan dewa arimasen.
______
Practice 2
Answer the following questions in Japanese.
- Kyoo, isogashikatta desu ka. (*isogashii means “busy”. _____
-
Kyoo, samukatta desu ka.
_____
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Kono ressun wa kantan deshita ka.
____
