Fox 20 Audio

Fox Page 18 Text and audio

そして、みぎがわの　トラゴロウが　ひだりがわの　トラゴロウに　いった。

「ぼくは　これから　たけやぶに　かえって
ひるねを　はじめるから、　おまえは　そのあいだに　にくまんじゅうを　さがして　もってこい。



Translation :
And, the tiger on the right said to the tiger on the left 

"After this, I'm going back to the bamboo grove to take a nap. In the meantime, you will search for meat bun and bring it back to me"


Japanese Verb Conjugation
ひるね　昼寝

ひるねする - plain form
ひるねします - MASU form
ひるねした - PAST form
ひるねしない - Negative form

Time Concepts

How's the weather ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=5SNrXa_wGZw

Japanese expressions

それから - and than, after that

そうですか - that's so, however

そうですね  - that's so, isn't it

そうですよ 

そうです - that is so, that is right.

でも - but however

だから - so, therefore

では - than, well, so, well then


また - again

Fox 16 - Learn Japanese from story boos

そのとたん　ばりばりんと　すごい尾とがして、　たるは　ばらばらに　こわれてしまった。

As soon as the bell chimed, there was a loud ripping sound and the barrel was broken into pieces !

そして　こわれたたるの　あいだに　にひきのとらが　びっくりしたように　かおを　みあわせながら　すわっていた。

When the barrel was broken, there were 2 tigers sitting down, and they seemed surprised to see each other!

Japanese Verb Conjugation.
すわる　座る　

すわります - Masu
すわりません - Masu Negative
すわりました - Masu Past
すわりませんでした - Masu Past Negative
すわって - TE
すわった - Past
すわらない - Negative

How's the weather?

How to say "I think" in Japanese

A) Example with Noun + Copula:

For example, 明日は休みです (ashita wa yasumi desu) means “tomorrow is a holiday.”

To turn this into an “I think” statement, first change the copula です (desu) to plain form だ (da)

The plain form of the sentence is 明日は休みだ (ashita wa yasumi da)

The second step is to add 〜と思います (~to omoimasu) to the end of the sentence.

B) な-adjectives (na-adjectives):

Both nouns and na-adjectives use だ (da) before 〜と思います (to omoimasu).

Let’s see an example with the na-adjective 親切な (shinsetsu na) which means kind.

先生はとても親切です (sensei wa totemo shinsetsu desu) means “My teacher is very kind.”

To change to an “I think” statement, first change です (desu) to だ (da)

Then, add 〜と思います (~to omoimasu) to the end of the sentence.

The result is an “I think” statement: 先生はとても親切だと思います (Sensei wa totemo shinsetsu da to omoimasu) – I think my teacher is very kind.

C) い-adjectives (i-adjectives) and verbs:

For i-adjectives and verbs, DO NOT put だ (da) before 〜と思います (to omoimasu)

猫は可愛いです (neko wa kawaii desu) means “Cats are cute.”

To make the plain form of an i-adjective, just take off です (desu)

To make it an “I think” statement, just add 〜と思います (~to omoimasu) to the end of the sentence.

The result is an “I think” statement: 猫は可愛いと思います (Neko wa kawaii to omoimasu) – I think cats are cute.

How to wonder

あいだに = aidani

Credit : Maggie Sensei

★間に = あいだに = aidani 

*How to form:

* noun + の ( = no) +  間に ( aida ni)

Ex. 休み時間の間に

= yasumi jikan no aida ni

= During the break 

* verb (dictionary form / progressive form ている ( = teiru) ) / +   間に ( aida ni)

Ex. マギーがいる間に／いない間に

= Maggie ga iru aida ni / inai aida ni

= While Maggie is here / is gone 

Ex. 寝ている間に

= Nete iru aida ni

= While sleeping

*How to use: ~ 間に ( = aida ni )  ~ 

(1) While / During (A),  you want to do something/ You have to do something.

→You choose that time period to do something. / You do something intentionally during the time period.

Let’s compare the following sentences:

Ex. 母がいない間、ゲームで遊んでいた。

= Haga ga inai aida, geemu de ason de ita.

= While my mother was away, I had been playing the game. 

→The whole time when my mother was away, I was playing the game.

Ex. 母がいない間にゲームで遊んだ。

= Haha ga inai aida ni geemu de ason da.

= While my mom was away, I played the game.

→I would get in trouble if my mother found out I was playing the game too much so I took out the game as soon as my mom went out and played the game until she came back.

So you use 間に ( = aida ni) when you take advantage of the time to do something.

Ex. 休みの間に漢字を200個覚えた。

= Yasumi no aida ni kanji wo nihyakko oboeta.

= I learned 200 kanji during the holidays.

Ex. 親が出かけている間に部屋の片付けをしないといけない。

= Oyaga dekakete iru aida ni heya no katazuke wo shinai to ikenai.

= I have to clean up my room when my parents are away.

Ex. マギー先生が寝ている間におやつをとった人は誰ですか？

= Maggie sensei ga nete iru aida ni oyatsu wo totta hito wa dare desu ka?

= Who took Maggie Sensei’s snack while she was sleeping?

Ex. 彼を待っている間にジュースを買いに行った。

= Kare wo matte iru aida ni juusu wo kaini itta.

= While I was waiting for him I went to buy juice.

Ex. 父がまだ元気な間に富士山を見せてあげたい。

= Chichi ga mada genki na aida ni fujisan wo misete agetai.

= I’d love to show my dad Mt.Fuji while he is still healthy and energetic.

Ex. 若い間にいろいろな国に旅行をしておいた方がいいよ。

= Wakai aida ni iroirona kuni ni ryokou wo shite oita hou ga ii.

= You should travel as much as possible while you are young.

Another usage is 

(2) While / During (A),  someone do/did something/ something happened.

So in this usage, you don’t control your action. You just state what happened during the time period. 

Ex. 留守をしている間に宅急便が来た。

= Rusu wo shite iru aida ni takkyuubin ga kita.

= While I was away, the delivery service came.

Note: You can’t say

留守をしている間、宅急便が来た。(incorrect)

= Rusu wo shite iru aida, takkyuubin ga kita.

Because as we explained above, 宅急便が来た ( = takkyuubin ga kita) is just one time action. 

Ex. 彼は知らない間に出かけてしまった。

= Kare wa shiranai aida ni dekakete shimatta.

= I was gone before he realized it.

(* You can also say 知らぬ間に ( = shiranu mani ) )

Ex. 喫茶店でお茶を飲んでいる間に雨がやんでいた。

= Kissaten de ocha wo nonde iru aida ni ame ga  yande ita.

= It stopped raining while I was having a cup of tea at the coffee shop.

You can also indicate certain time period

Ex. ここ２ヶ月の間に随分日本語が上達してきた。

= Koko nikagetsu no aida ni zuibun nihongo ga joutatsu shite kita.

間 = aida

CREDIT : Maggie Sensei

We are going to teach you the difference between 間  ( = aida) and 間に ( aida ni) today.

The word 間 ( = aida) means

1) between: to indicate the physical location “between A and B 

Ex. 名古屋は東京と大阪の間にあります。

= Nagoya wa Toukyou to Oosaka no aida ni arimasu.]

= Nagoya is between Tokyo and Osaka.

2) to indicate the time period between A and B 

Ex. ９時から６時の間、仕事です。

= Kuji kara rokuji no aida, shigoto desu.

= I work from nine to six.

Now what we are going to focus on today is 

3)  “during some time period”, “while doing something” / “while something is in certain state” 

You use both 間 ( = aida ) and 間に ( = aida ni ) but they are slightly different.

Let’s look at each one individually.

★間  = あいだ = aida  

* How to form:

* noun + の ( = no) + 間 ( = aida)

* verb ( dictionary form/progressive tense ) ている( = teiru) /  +  間 ( = aida)

* adjective + 間 ( = aida) + は ( = wa) 

*How to use:

You use 間 ( = aida) when you do something the whole time during a certain period of time

→on-going actions during a certain period of time.

Ex. 夏の間、塾で勉強をしていた。

= Natsu no aida, juku de benkyou wo shiteita.

= I had been studying at a cram school during the summer. 

Ex. 子供が、食事の間、ずっとテレビを観ていたので注意した。

= Kodomo ga, shokuji no aida, zutto terebi wo mite ita node chuui shita.

= I scolded my child because they were watching TV the whole time during their meal.

Ex. 母が出かけている間、昼寝をしていた。

= Haha ga dekakete iru aida, hirune wo shiteita.

= I was taking a nap while my mother was away.

Ex. 私が旅行で留守の間、花に水をあげてください。

= Watashi ga ryokou de rusu no aida, hana ni mizu wo agete kudasai.

= Please water the flowers while I am gone on my trip.

Ex. 彼は私がしゃべっている間、ずっと黙って聞いていた。

= Kare wa watashi ga shabette iru aida zutto damatte kiite ita.

= He kept quiet and just listened to me while I was talking. 

Ex. 私が買い物をしている間、そこで本を読んで待っていてくれる？

= Watashi ga kaimono wo shite iru aida, soko de hon wo yonde matte ite kureru?

= Can you read a book and wait for me there while I shop?

Ex. デートの間、携帯の電源を切っておいた。

= Deeto no aida, keitai no dengen wo kitte oita.

= During my date, I turned off my cellphone. 

Note: 間は ( = aida wa)

When you emphasize what came before, you use 間は ( = aida wa).

Ex. 母が出かけている間は、弟の面倒をみなくてはいけない。

= Haha ga dekakete iru aida wa, otouto no mendou wo minakute wa ikenai.

= When my mother is away, I have to look after my little brother.

(I don’t usually have to look after him but when my mom is away, I do.)

Ex. 子供が小さい間は、働きに行くのが難しい。

= Kodomo ga chiisai aida wa, hataraki ni iku no ga muzukashii.

= When my child is little it is hard to go to work.

(But maybe when my child grows up, it will be easier for me to go to work.)

Ex.僕がいない間は、部屋を好きに使っていいよ。(male speech)

= Boku ga inai aida wa, heya wo suki ni tsukatte iiyo.

= Feel free to use my room while I’m gone.

Ex. 赤ちゃんが寝ている間は、静かにして。

= Akachan ga nete iru aida wa, shizuka ni shite.

= Try to keep quiet while the baby is sleeping.

******

かもしれません

かもしれません kamoshiremasen

かもしれません (kamoshiremasen) is also used to express the speaker's inference or guess about what may possibly happen, though he or she cannot be absolutely certain.

When the speaker says かもしれません (kamoshiremasen), he or she is also aware that the opposite could be true. The degree of certainty is much lower than that of でしょう (deshou) in this case.

Both Japanese expressions share the same sentence patterns. So following that of でしょう (deshou), the sentence patterns of かもしれません (kamoshiremasen) are...

Verb plain-form	かもしれません
い-adjective plain-form	かもしれません
な-adjective plain-form (～だ)	かもしれません
Noun plain-form (～だ)	かもしれません

Note: For な-adjective & noun, remove the ending だ before かもしれません

Examples

1.	約束の時間に間に合わないかもしれません。 yakusoku no jikan ni maniawanai kamoshiremasen Meaning: We might not be in time for the appointment.
2.	東京は今日寒いかもしれません。 toukyou wa kyou samui kamoshiremasen Meaning: It might be cold in Tokyo today.
3.	山田さんは田中さんが好き だ かも知れません。 yamada san wa tanaka san ga suki da kamoshiremasen Meaning: There is a possibility that Mr Yamada likes Ms Tanaka.
4.	鈴木さんの部屋は電気がついていません。もう部屋にいないかもしれません。 suzuki san no heya wa denki ga tsuite imasen. mou heya ni inai kamoshiremasen Meaning: The light in Mr Suzuki's room is off. He might have left his room already.
5.	もしかしたら3月に卒業できないかもしれません。 moshikashitara san gatsu ni sotsugyou dekinai kamoshiremasen Meaning: There is a possibility that I might be unable to graduate in March.
6.	大きい地震があるかもしれませんから、旅行の前に保険に入ろうと思っています。 ookii jishin ga aru kamoshiremasen kara, ryokou no mae ni hoken ni hairou to omotte imasu Meaning: There is a possibility of a big earthquake, therefore I am thinking of getting the insurance before my trip.

Some Points to Note

1. In example 6, if I were to say 大きい地震があるでしょうから (ookii jishin ga aru deshou kara), it will sound very weird. It's like I am predicting and are 90% sure that there will be a big earthquake happening and therefore I have to get the insurance.

Although we can't really predict whether an earthquake is going to happen, there is still a possibility that it may happen. However the possibility is very much lower (may be 1% or lower). In this case, かもしれません (kamoshiremasen) is more appropriate.

2. The adverb もしかしたら (moshikashitara), which means "perhaps", is used quite often with かもしれません (kamoshiremasen), just like in example 5 above.

3. かもしれない (kamoshirenai) is the plain-form of かもしれません (kamoshiremasen).

Deshou でしょう

でしょう deshou

でしょう (deshou) is normally used to express the speaker's inference or guess from some information he or she has. The sentence patterns are as follow...

Verb plain-form	でしょう
い-adjective plain-form	でしょう
な-adjective plain-form (～だ)	でしょう
Noun plain-form (～だ)	でしょう

Note: For な-adjective & noun, remove the ending だ before でしょう

For example, after looking at the dark sky, you think that it's going to rain. You can say this...

• 空がとても暗いですから、雨が降るでしょう。
  sora ga totemo kurai desu kara, ame ga furu deshou
  
  Meaning: The sky is very dark, it will probably rain.

In fact, でしょう (deshou) is always used in the weather forecast in Japan. When you are listening to the Japanese news next time, take note of whether the Japanese weathercaster has used this Japanese expression.

More Examples

1.	あのレストランの前にはいつも大勢人がいますから、有名 だ でしょう。 ano resutoran no mae niwa itsumo oozei hito ga imasu kara, yuumei da deshou Meaning: There are always many people crowded in front of that restaurant. (Therefore) it might be famous.
2.	マイクさんは十年日本に住んでいましたから、たぶん奥さんは日本人 だ でしょう。 maiku san wa juunen nihon ni sunde imashita kara, tabun okusan wa nihonjin da deshou Meaning: Mike had lived in Japan for ten years. (Therefore) his wife might probably be a Japanese.

Some Points to Note

1. The adverb たぶん (tabun), which means "probably", is used quite often with でしょう (deshou), just like in example 2 above.

2. Sometimes だろう (darou) is used instead of でしょう (deshou), especially for man. And だろう (darou) is also the plain-form of でしょう (deshou).

3. When you are reading the above examples, the intonation for でしょう (deshou) is going down. However, if the intonation is going up, it becomes a question to someone and you are seeking his or her agreement. For example...

• あの人は田中さんでしょう。 ↘(intonation going down)
  ano hito wa tanaka san deshou
  
  Meaning: I guess that person is Ms Tanaka.

• あの人は田中さんでしょう。 ↗(intonation going up)
  ano hito wa tanaka san deshou
  
  Meaning: I guess that person is Ms Tanaka. Is my guess correct?
  (You are guessing that person is Ms Tanaka. But you want to confirm that your guess is correct)

Fox page 13 text and audio

ところが、　ハンドルを　まわそうとすると、
おもくて　なかなか　まわらない。
However, as fox tried to turn the handle, the handle was so heavy that he can hardly rotate it!


きつねは　かおをまっかにして、　よっこらしょ　うんこらしょっと　ハンドルを　まわした。

Fox's face turn red as he huffed and puffed as he rotated the handle. Urrrgghhhhhhh!


Japanese Verb Conjugation.
まわす　－　to turn, to rotate

まわします　- MASU
まわしません - MASU NEGATIVE
まわしませんでした - MASU PAST NEGATIVE 
まわして - TE
まわした - PAST
まわさない - NEGATIVE

How to use definitely

★definitely ★
.
ぜったいいく！
I will definitely go.
.
ぜったいだいじょうぶ。
It definitely will be okay.
.
ぜったいできるよ！
You can definitely do it!
.
ぜったいいったほうがいいよ！
You should definitely go.
.
★Never ★
ぜったいいわない
I will never tell you.


Credit : Miku Nihongo

How to use なかなか

Source : Maggiesensei.com

なかなか ( = nakanaka) + verb  negative form.

Ex. 体重がなかなか減らない。

= Taijuu ga nakanaka heranai.

= It is pretty hard to lose weight.

Ex. マギー先生、なかなか日本語が上手になりません。どうしたらいいですか？

= Maggie sensei, nakanaka nihongo ga jouzu ni narimasen. Doushitara iidesuka?

= Maggie sensei, my Japanese’s hasn’t improved as much as I’d hoped. What should I do?

Maggie : なかなか難しい質問ですね。

= Nakanaka muzukashii shitsumon desune.

= It is a quite difficult question, huh?

Ex. 仕事がなかなかはかどらない。

= Shigoto ga nakanaka hakadoranai.

= I can’t get my work done as I expected./ My work isn’t progressing as I expected.

Ex. なかなか準備ができないのでこちらで待っていて下さい。

= Nakanaka junbi ga dekinai node kochira de matteite kudasai.

= It is taking too time for preparation so please wait here.

Ex. 風邪がなかなか治らない。

= Kaze ga nakanaka naoranai

= It is taking me a long time to get over my cold.

Ex. いい人がなかなか見つからない。

= Ii hito ga nakanaka mitsukaranai.

= It is not so easy to find the right man(woman).

Ex.新しい単語がなかなか覚えられない。

= Atarashii tango ga nakanaka obowaranai.

= It troubles me (more than I thought) to memorize new words.

Ex.なかなか手に入らないものほど、欲しくなるものだ。

= Nakanaka te ni hairanai mono hodo, hoshiku naru monoda.

= We tend to want  what we can’t have easily.

Ex. 煙草は体に悪いとわかっていてもなかなかやめられない。

= Tabako wa karada ni warui to wakatte itemo nakanaka yamerarenai.

= I know smoking is bad for health but it is not so easy to quit smoking.

Ex. 忙しくてなかなか休みが取れない。

= Isogashikute nakanaka yasumi ga torenai.

= I’ve been so busy that it is pretty difficult to take a vacation.

Ex.心の傷はなかなか消えない。

= Kokoro no kizu wa nakanaka kienai.

= It is not so easy to remove an emotional wound.

Ex. パーティーではなかなか普段では会うことができないセレブに会うことができた。

= Paatii dewa nakanaka fudan au koto ga dekinai serebu ni au koto ga dekita.

= I got to see some famous people who I don’t usually have a chance to to see.

Ex. 昨夜は興奮してなかなか眠れなかった。

= Sakuya wa koufun shite nakanaka nemurenakatta.

= I was so excited last night that I had difficulty in falling asleep.