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Grammar 3A

Loanwords
このX，そのX，あのX，どのX
Counting numbers (up to 9999) and Classifiers -ばん, -ドル, -セント

Loanwords

Japanese has a lot of loanwords (especially from English) and they are pronounced according to the Japanese phonological patterns. The loanwords borrowed from European languages are written in katakana, not hiragana. Here are some examples of loanwords that are introduced in Lesson 3A:

WORDS KATAKANA
dollar(s) ドル
cent セント
pie パイ
cake ケーキ
coffee コーヒー
pudding プリン/プディング
ice cream アイスクリーム
computer コンピューター
word processor ワープロ
typewriter タイプライター
tape テープ

Names of many (but not all) country names and foreign languages are also loanwords (see Grammar 2A):

WORDS KATAKANA
Spain スペイン
Spanish スペインご
France フランス
French フランスご
Germany ドイツ
German ドイツご
Chinese ちゅうごくご

~ご (language), which came from Chinese, is not written in katakana. It is written in hiragana/kanji.

このX，そのX，あのX，どのX

この; その; あの; どの must be followed by a nominal. Compare:

  1. これです。
    このテープです。
    **これテープです。 (ill-formed)

  2. どのワープロすか。
    それです。 or そのワープロです。
    **そのです。 (ill-formed)

れい (Examples)

  1. A: おねがいします。
    A: May I have that? (lit. I make a request.)

    B: どれですか。
    B: Which one do you mean?

    A: そのケーキです。
    A: That cake (closer to you).

    B: このケーキですか。
    B: This cake?

  2. A: どのコンピューターですか。これですか。
    A: Which computer? Do you mean this one?

    B: いえ、ちがいます。あのコンピューターです。
    B: No, I don't. I mean that computer over there.

れんしゅう (Exercises)

Complete the following dialogues based on the following situation: A customer is looking at computers and word processors.

  1. Customer: おねがいします。
    Clerk: (Which one is it?)
    Customer: (That computer near you, I mean.)

  2. Customer: いくらですか。
    Clerk: (You mean that word processor over there, right?)
    Customer: ええ、そうです。たかくないですか。
    Clerk: (No, it's inexpensive.)

Answers

Counting numbers (up to 9999) and Classifiers: -ばん, -ドル, -セント

れい (Examples)

  1. A: 何ばんですか。
    A: What number is it?

    B: 4 ばんです。
    B: It's #4.

  2. A: いくらでしたか。
    A: How much was it?

    B: 300 (さんびゃく)ドルでした。
    B: It was $300.

    A: へえ。たかかったですねえ。
    A: Wow. It was expensive, wasn't it?

  3. 17 ドル 50 セントです。
    It's $17.50.

れんしゅう (Exercises)

Express the following in Japanese.

  1. It's $500.
  2. It's 1,500 yen.
  3. (Do you mean) #30?
  4. Isn't it #300?
  5. Do you mean this dictionary? It's $125.
  6. Do you mean this typewriter? It's $100.
  7. Do you mean that cake (closer to you)? It is 280 yen.
  8. Do you mean that computer over there? It is $4600.
  9. Is it #9999?
  10. Is it #999?
  11. Was it #2790?
  12. Wasn't it $200?

Answers


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