October Japanese Review

October Japanese Review

1️⃣ Greeting

Japanese: こんにちは！
Romaji: Konnichiwa!
English: Hello! / Good afternoon!
Note: Standard daytime greeting. Can also be used casually anytime before evening.

2️⃣ Expressing that you were thinking about someone

Japanese: わたしは あなたの はなしを おもっていたよ。
Romaji: Watashi wa anata no hanashi o omotte ita yo.
English: I was thinking about you.

Grammar:

  • わたし (watashi) = I

  • あなた (anata) = you

  • はなし (hanashi) = story / talk / something about you

  • おもっていた (omotte ita) = was thinking

  • よ (yo) = sentence-ending particle to emphasize or inform

Tip: “おもっていた” is past continuous, good for expressing ongoing past thoughts.

3️⃣ Complimenting a project

Japanese: あなたの プロジェクト、すごいね！ おめでとう！
Romaji: Anata no purojekuto, sugoi ne! Omedetou!
English: Your project is amazing! Congratulations!

Grammar / Vocabulary:

  • すごい (sugoi) = amazing, great

  • ね (ne) = sentence-ending particle, seeking agreement or showing excitement

  • おめでとう (omedetou) = congratulations

Tip: You can add ございます (gozaimasu) for more formal: おめでとうございます.

4️⃣ Talking about someone busy but working hard

Japanese: いい人は 忙しかったね。 でも がんばったね！
Romaji: Ii hito wa isogashikatta ne. Demo ganbatta ne!
English: Good people were busy, huh. But they did their best!

Grammar / Vocabulary:

  • いい人 (ii hito) = good person / people

  • 忙しかった (isogashikatta) = was busy (past tense)

  • でも (demo) = but

  • がんばった (ganbatta) = worked hard / did their best

  • ね (ne) = softening particle

Tip: “がんばる (ganbaru)” is a very common verb in Japanese; used to encourage or praise effort.

5️⃣ Asking about an object

Japanese: 木のたんす、まだある？こわれてない？
Romaji: Ki no tansu, mada aru? Kowarete nai?
English: Do you still have the wooden chest? Is it not broken?

Grammar / Vocabulary:

  • 木 (ki) = wood

  • たんす (tansu) = chest / dresser

  • まだ (mada) = still

  • ある (aru) = exists / have

  • こわれてない (kowarete nai) = not broken

Tip: “～ている” form expresses a state; “こわれている” = is broken.

6️⃣ Asking size and fun

Japanese: 大きい？ 小さい？ たのしいね！
Romaji: Ookii? Chiisai? Tanoshii ne!
English: Big? Small? Fun, huh!

Grammar / Vocabulary:

  • 大きい (ookii) = big

  • 小さい (chiisai) = small

  • たのしい (tanoshii) = fun / enjoyable

  • ね (ne) = particle showing shared feeling

Tip: You can also say 面白い (omoshiroi) = interesting / fun.

7️⃣ Asking about health

Japanese: あなた、今元気？ 病気じゃないね？ よかった！
Romaji: Anata, ima genki? Byouki ja nai ne? Yokatta!
English: How are you now? You’re not sick, right? That’s good!

Grammar / Vocabulary:

  • 今 (ima) = now

  • 元気 (genki) = well / healthy / energetic

  • 病気 (byouki) = illness / sick

  • じゃない (ja nai) = not

  • よかった (yokatta) = I’m glad / that’s good

Tip: “元気ですか？” is the standard polite way to ask “How are you?”

✅ Lesson Summary / Key Points

  • Sentence-ending particles: よ, ね

  • Past continuous: ～ていた

  • Expressing effort: がんばる / がんばった

  • Asking about objects and states: まだある？ こわれてない？

  • Casual checking of well-being: 元気？ 病気じゃない？


watashi wa anata no hanashi o omotte ita yo.
 anata no purojekuto, sugoi ne! omedetou! 
 iin no hito wa isogashikatta ne. 
demo ganbatta ne! ki no tansu, mada aru?
 kowarete nai? ookii? chiisai? tanoshii ne! anata, ima genki? 
byouki ja nai ne? yokatta!



YO 

よ in this sentence:

  • よ is a sentence-ending particle used to emphasize information that the speaker wants to share, often something the listener might not know or something the speaker feels is important.

  • It can add a sense of reassurance, insistence, or friendliness, depending on context.

In わたしはあなたのはなしをおもっていたよ:

  • The よ gives a warm, personal nuance. It’s like saying:

    “Just so you know, I was really thinking about what you said.”

  • Without よ, the sentence would be more neutral or factual:

    わたしはあなたのはなしをおもっていた
    “I was thinking about your story.”

So, よ here is softening and personalizing the statement, making it feel caring and attentive rather than just a plain report of your thought.


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