JA Connection - Putting It Together

Lesson 4: Putting it Together - I

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Introduction

We will start with the following simple phrase and then we will build on and add to it in order to demonstrate how to put together some basic phrases of your own.
Kore wa hon desu. = This is a book.

Expanding it

Adding Adjectives
Kore wa hon desu. = This is a book.
Kore wa oki hon desu. = This is a big book.
Kore wa atsui hon desu. = This is a thick book.
Kore wa usui hon desu. = This is a thin book.

Asking Some Questions
Kore wa hon desu ka. = Is this a book?
Kore wa oki hon desu ka. = Is this a big book?
Kore wa atsui hon desu ka. = Is this a thick book?
Kore wa usui hon desu ka. = Is this a thin book?

You can also ask the last three questions in a slightly different manner.
Kono hon wa oki desu ka. = Is this book big?
Kono hon wa atsui desu ka. = Is this book thick?
Kono hon wa usui desu ka. = Is this book thin?

Looking for Confirmation
Kore wa oki hon desu ne? = This is a big book, isn't it?
Kore wa atsui hon desu ne? = This is a thick book, isn't it?
Kore wa usui hon desu ne? = This is a thin book, isn't it?

This is typically reserved for something out of the ordinary. So the phrases above would come across meaning that the book is unusually big, thick, or thin.

Answering Some Questions
Answering some questions can be as simple as yes or no (Hai or Iie). Or, expanded on a little more as follows:
Hai, so desu. = Yes, it is.
Iie, so jya arimasen. = No, it is not.

However for the sake of learning to put together phrases, it is a good idea to expand answers as follows:
Kore wa hon desu ka? / Yes / Hai, sore wa hon desu.

Note the use of Kore and Sore. Both the question and answer is made from the point of view of each respective person.

Answering No to Questions
Answering no to a question or stating something is not what was stated is different for nouns and adjectives.
Kono hon wa omoshiroku arimasen. = This book is not interesting.
Kore wa hon jya arimasen. = This is not a book.

A Note on Answering Questions
Something to keep in mind when answering a question in Japanese is that the person asking the question is looking for confirmation of what they stated/asked.
For Example: Sumisu-san wa ikimasen desu ne? = Mr. Smith is not going, is he?
In English we would answer, "No, he isn't going." if Mr. Smith was not going to go.
However, in Japanese we should answer, "Hai, Sumisu-san wa ikimasen."
This confirms what the person asked. It will be easier if you think of the answer as, "Yes, you are correct. Mr. Smith is not going."
Keeping this in mind will help you more clearly communicate when speaking Japanese with a Japanese native. Of course, if you are speaking Japanese with a non-native Japanese person, there will always be an element of doubt in both of your minds because you may be unsure whether the other person is answering in the Japanese way or not.

Asking Some More Questions
Kore wa nan desu ka? = What is this?
Sore wa nan desu ka? = What is that?
Are wa nan desu ka? = What is that over there?