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PIMSLEUR JAPANESE
[LEVEL 1]
CONTENTS
LESSON 01 MAIN........................................................................................................ 1
LESSON 02 MAIN........................................................................................................ 3
LESSON 03 MAIN........................................................................................................ 4

LESSON 01 MAIN
Sumi-ma-sen -> Excuse me!
Ei-go -> English (language)
When used in a sentence, we add ga to say Ei-go-ga.
Wa-ka-ri-mas -> To understand (verb); I understand.
To ask Do you understand? in Japanese, you simply say Waka-ri-mas-ka?.
Any statement can be made into a question by putting ka at
the end of the sentence. ka is like a spoken question mark.
Ei-go-ga Wa-ka-ri-mas-ka? -> Do you understand English?
Ee-ye! -> No!
Ei-go-ga Wa-ka-ri-mas -> I understand English.
Wa-ka-ri-ma-sen -> I dont understand.
What makes this sentence negative is the ma-sen at the
end.
Ei-go-ga Wa-ka-ri-ma-sen -> I dont understand English.
Ee-ye! Wa-ka-ri-ma-sen -> No! I dont understand.

Ni-hon-go -> Japanese (language)

When used in a sentence, we add ga to say Ni-hon-go-ga.
Ni-hon-go-ga Wa-ka-ri-mas -> I understand Japanese.
Ni-hon-go-ga Wa-ka-ri-ma-sen -> I dont understand Japanese.
Ni-hon-go-ga Wa-ka-ri-mas-ka? -> Do you understand
Japanese?
Su-ko-shi (Sko-shi) -> A little.
Sko-shi Wa-ka-ri-mas -> I understand a little.
Ni-hon-go-ga Sko-shi Wa-ka-ri-mas -> I understand Japanese
a little.

America-jin -> American.

Ana-tha-wa ->You.
In Japanese, I and you are generally understood but there are
occasions when you have to say you or I for comparison,
contrast or emphasis.
Des (prolong the s sound) -> Are/am.
Ana-tha-wa America-jin Des -> You are an American.
Ana-tha-wa America-jin Des-ka? -> Are you an American?
Wa-tha-si-wa -> I.
Wa-tha-si-wa Des -> I am.
Wa-tha-si-wa America-jin Des -> I am an American.
Hai! -> Yes!
Hai! Sko-shi -> Yes! A little.

Hai! Wa-tha-si-wa America-jin Des -> Yes! I am an American.

LESSON 02 MAIN
Ohaio-gozai-mas -> Good Morning! (Formal Greeting)
Ohaio itself means Good Morning in Japanese but it is used
when greeting someone close to you i.e. it is an informal
greeting.
Ee -> Nice; Good.
O-then-ki -> Weather.

Ee O-then-ki Des -> It is a nice (good) weather.

Ee O-then-ki Des-ne? -> Its a nice (good) weather, isnt it?
The ne at the end of the sentence is roughly equivalent to
the English Dont you?, Isnt it?, Arent you?, Dont
you think? and so on.
The ne is added at the end when the speaker fully expects
the other person to agree. It is also like a spoken exclamation
point.
So -> So.
So Des-ne -> Its so, isnt it?; Yes! Thats right.
Ja-mata -> See You!; Goodbye.
Ni-hon-go-ga Wa-ka-ri-mas-ne? -> You understand Japanese,
dont you?
Ari-ga-to! -> Thanks! (Informal)
When you want to thank an acquaintance or a person formally,
then you say Ari-ga-to-gozai-mas.
Jo-zu -> Skilled.

Jo-zu Des -> You are skilled.

Jo-zu Des-ne? -> You are skilled, arent you?
Jo-zu Ja-ari-masen -> (I am) Not very good; not skilled.
In Japanese culture, when somebody complements you, it is
customary to downplay your ability saying something like No!
I am not very good.
Ni-hon-go-ga Jo-zu Des-ne? -> You are skilled in Japanese,
arent you?
Ei-go-ga Jo-zu Des-ne? -> You are skilled in English, arent you?

LESSON 03 MAIN
De-mo -> But.
Ma-da -> Yet.
De-mo Ma-da Jo-zu Ja-ari-masen -> But not very good (not
skilled) yet.
Yo-ku -> Well.
Yo-ku Wa-ka-ri-mas -> Understand well.
Yo-ku Wa-ka-ri-mas-en -> Dont understand well.
Ya-na -> Bad; unpleasant; disagreeable.
Ya-na O-then-ki Des-ne? -> It is bad weather, isnt it?
Do-mo -> Very much; indeed.
Do-mo Ari-ga-to-gozai-mas! -> Thank you very much!

Ko-nni-chi-wa -> Good Afternoon; Hello.

Nihon -> Japan (Country).
Nihon-jin -> Japanese (person)
Ana-tha-wa Nihon-jin Des-ka? -> Are you Japanese?
Wa-tha-shi-wa Nihon-jin Des -> I am Japanese.

Wa-tha-shi-wa Nihon-jin ja-ari-masen -> I am not Japanese.

Wa-tha-shi-wa America-jin ja-ari-masen -> I am not
American.
Ana-tha-wa? -> (And) You?
De-mo Ni-hon-go-ga Sko-shi Wa-ka-ri-mas -> But I
understand Japanese a little.
Wa-tha-shi-wa Ni-hon-go-ga Yo-ku Wa-ka-ri-masen -> I
dont understand Japanese that well.