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Anonymous asked:
Hi! Could you guys please Make a post with apologetic sentences for when you re talking to a native speaker and want to apologize / explain you still suck? Like 'sorry for my bad English // sorry i havent learned this grammar or kanji yet etc"? Thx!
japaneselanguagestudygroup answered:
Sure! Here a few phrases you could use:
すみません
Sumimasen
Excuse me (apologetic)
私の日本語／英語が下手です。
Watashi no nihongo/eigo ga heta desu.
My Japanese/English is poor.
私の日本語／英語は悪いです。
Watashi no nihongo/eigo wa warui desu.
My Japanese/English is bad.
少しだけ日本語／英語話せます。
I speak a little Japanese/ English.
この漢字／文法は分かりません。
Kono kanji/bunpou wa wakarimasen.
I do not understand this kanji/grammar.
それは日本語でどう言いますか。
Sore wa nihongo de dou iimasu ka.
How do you say that in Japanese?
それはどう発音しますか。
Sore wa dou hatsuon shimasu ka.
How do you pronounce that?
Hope this helps!
If you’re a high beginner, you may like to learn these phrases for when you get stuck. They’ve been really handy as I moved from high beginner to intermediate level and allow me to keep conversations in all Japanese, rather than break into English.
この漢字の読み方は何ですか。
このかんじのよみかたわなんですか。
What is the reading (pronunciation) of this kanji?
(Very useful when you’re not sure whether it’s the onyomi or kunyomi.)
If you want to know if something sounds natural:
「〜」というのは普通の日本語ですか。
「〜」というのはふつうのにほんごですか。
Is ‘~’natural/normal Japanese?
「〜」は普通の日本語でなんと言いますか。
「〜」はふつうのにほんごでなんといいますか。
How do you say ‘~’ in normal/everyday Japanese?
変な日本語ですか。
へんなにほんごですか。
Is that strange Japanese? (usually if someone pulls a face when I’m trying to say something, it’s quite casual phrasing to put it like this though, so I just use it with friends and my BF)
When you get the chance try to learn the という grammar, it is incredibly useful and will allow you to keep a conversation going, whilst clarifying unknown terms and words as it progresses.
What’s the thing that ‘[description of a noun’s usage]’ called in Japanese?
e.g. 「小学生が使うの鞄」は日本語でなんという物ですか。
「しょうがくせいがつかうのかばん」はにほんごでなんという物ですか。
What’s the bag elementary school students use called in Japanese? (it’s a ランドセル).
You can also ask how to say something in traditional Japanese this way (rather than rely on katakana imported words, which are fine to use, but you need to learn the traditional words too so you can understand them when they’re used):
「ガルフレンド」というのは普通の日本語なんと言いますか。
「ガルフレンド」というのはふつうのにほんごなんといいますか。
How do you say ‘girlfriend’ in normal Japanese?
The answer to this question would be something like:
「彼女」と言います。
「かのじょ」といいます。
We say ‘kanojo′.
これはなんという木ですか。
What’s this tree called [in Japanese]?
Find out more about という here.
The next 2 phrases have basically the same usage, but one is more of a question and the other is more about saying it rhetorically I think:
なんというの…
What’s it called…. (and pause for the native speaker to help you out)
^This one is asking what something’s called, it can be used rhetorically, but typically I use it then pause and wait for help.
何だけ…
なんだけ…
What’s it called…. (and pause for the native speaker to help you out)
^This one has a more rhetorical nuance, but you can pause and wait for help.