Looks like you were a bit nervous there, Ms. Jaafar. Next time, be
bit more confident in your writing. Also, you must spell out
everything when writing. After all, this is more like a school than
a chat room (notice the professors who frequent this forum), so of
course you'll want to write a bit more formally, just for respect's
sake.
Also, I believe you've spent some time already learning the basics,
or are you new to Japanese?
As to your phrases, it depends on whom you're talking to. To your
boss at work? To the mother of your friend? Your boyfriend? Japanese
is a language where the level of respect accorded to the listener is
indicated by the choice of words used.
1. When speaking in a formal situation, last names are usually used
when addressing someone and, when known, the title held by that
person. As for first names, you'd say "Watashi wa SARAH
desu", "Watashi no namae wa SARAH desu", or "SARAH to mooshimasu".
(The last one is most concise, IMHO.) To your friends you might
say, "Boku wa SARAH da", but of course you may not need to say this
since your friends and family are likely to know your name already.
You'd only say that if, for example, your friend or someone else
close to you forgot your name and then, after you said your name,
they think someone else is Sarah. You'd add "Boku wa" to tell them
that YOU are Sarah. Otherwise, if your friend just does not
recognise you at the moment, you'd simply say, "SARAH da" or "SARAH
desu" (in a more formal situation).
2. Again, who do you talk to when you say it? Your boyfriend? Your
friend from school? Your long-lost brother? There is a word in
Japanese associated with that, "akogareru" (to yearn for something
or someone).
3. "Nani wo shite imasu ka?" (formal) Nani wo shite iru no? (casual)
Nani shite'ru ka? (vulgar) Nan' yatte'ru ka? (insulting) [The
verb "yaru" is a vulgar form of "suru", both of which mean "to do",
so it takes care to exercise restraint when considering use of this
verb in conversation. For one it is a somewhat discreet way to refer
to sexual activity. For example, consider the phrase "yatte'ru ka?"
(Are you doing it? = Are you having sex with someone?" ]
4. There are a few ways to say "friends forever" in Japanese.
E.g., "Isshoo ni, itsumo", "Itsumo kantan aiterasu" ("kantan
aiterasu": not very common phrase, meaning "to compare liver and
gall", a phrase used to refer to close friends). One phrase that
means "a friend in need is a friend indeed" is "jigoku de hotoke"
(lit., "meeting Buddha in hell"). Japanese is not like English, so
to say something in Japanese that has the same meaning as "friends
forever" in English requires a bit of homework. One thing to
remember, though. To a Japanese person, a friend is someone he/she
has known for a long time and has good feelings about, not someone
who happened to appear a few days ago. So, wait a little before
saying "Let's be friends forever" to your Japanese friend.
5. Usually, the love between a mother and her child is pretty
obvious, so to say "I love you" to your mother is no big deal,
unless she is in dire straits or something. Also, the Japanese do
not verbalise everything like we do, so saying "I love you, Mom" is
pretty deep.
6. This one's pretty easy. "Ogenki desu ka, [insert name + honorific
here]?", (to your friends) "Ogenki da no?" or (to your close
friends) "Jaa, ogenki?". In Japan, greetings vary from region to
region, so you'll have to do a bit of research. Even when using
standard Japanese, there are certain conventions to be followed when
greeting someone, especially given the emphasis on respect for
social status in Japanese society. Despite that, the aforementioned
phrases should be enough.
7. The verb for "to be tired" in Japanese is "tsukareru". To
say "exhausted", "tsukarekitta". Thus, to say "I'm tired", just
say "tsukareta yo" (to your friends) or "tsukarete imasu" (to
strangers and superiors). Sometimes you'll hear "tsukareta naa", but
this is usually used by males.
8. Easy as pie. Just say, "sumimasen". Or, when following it up with
a phrase, "sumimasen ga...".
If you want to learn Japanese, I recommend starting off with an
audio course. Pimsleur is the best one I know. Not only will it
teach you the right words, but even the right accent. One the side
you can learn kana and kanji. These are important if you want to be
able to read and write in Japanese, as well as speak and listen.
Since most likely you will be speaking more than writing in
Japanese, I say concentrate on just speaking and listening for the
first few weeks or so. Reading and writing take much longer to
learn, so don't sweat it that much. Simply take your time and, to
help things along, read a short book in Japanese every once in a
while to increase your vocabulary.
Feel free to come back for more. Just ask nicely and we'll answer
all your questions.
- Arian I.
--- In [email protected], "Sarah M.A. Jaafar"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> hi there! can u help me how to speak these words/phrase in
japanese?
>
> 1. my name is Sarah
> 2. i miss u
> 3. what are u doing?
> 4. friends forever
> 5. i love u, mummy!
> 6. how r u?
> 7. i'm so tired
> 8. excuse me
>
> that's all 4 now. hope u all can teach me. nice to know u & hope
to hear from u
>
> soon! thanx!
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Don't pick lemons.
> See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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