Today's Short Conversation
the author of both the contents and the page itself is
Mitsuhiro Tagata (C) 1996
Return to GSIA 45-968 Fall 96:
If your computer cannot display Japanese at all, go back to the homepage, and click the clickable icon ![[mediate]](icons/shicon.gif)
to the right of the clickable line of text.
DIALOGUE:
Mr. Kawaguchi, 25, had been working for XYZ Electric Company for 3 years. As usual, he arrived at his office on the 30th floor of the XYZ Building in Shinjuku at 8:30. Opening the door to the office, he said aloud,
「おはようございます」
Several people acknowledged him and each said,
「ああ、川口さん、おはようございます」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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EXPLANATION:
Many offices in Japanese companies are different from those in America in that there are 10 to 30 people working in a single large office. In the morning when coming into the office, saying おはようごさいます aloud to the people in there is supposed to be a good practice.
DIALOGUE:
Mr. Kawaguchi came to the Osaka branch of XYZ Electric Company today. After he drank in the Umeda-area with his colleague in the evening, they found they were lost.
Mr. Kawaguchi tried to ask a passer-by how to go to the JR-Osaka station:
「すいません。ＪＲの大阪駅へはどう行ったらいいですか」
The woman knew the city very well. She said,
「この道をまっすぐ行くと、右側に見えてきますよ」
They thanked her.
「わかりました。どうも」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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EXPLANATION:
The way to ask a way to go to somewhere is universal. The opening of the conversation is すいません, which means "Excuse me." The ending is どうも, meaning "Thanks". どうも is a casual way to thank for something. In many cases, this expression is enough. If you really want to express your gratitude, you can say (本当に)どうもありがとうございます.
DIALOGUE:
Mr. Kawaguchi and his colleague went to a Ramen restaurant at the lunch time. Soon after they seated themselves at a table, a waitress came to them:
「御注文はお決まりですか」
Mr. Kawaguchi's favarite was miso-ramen (soybean past noodle).
「ええと、僕は味噌ラーメン」
His colleague had no preference. He just ordered the same thing.
「僕もそれにするよ」
The waitress was trained to repeat the customers' order.
「かしこまりました。味噌ラーメンがお二つですね」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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EXPLANATION:
Notice that the waitress is using very polite expressions like 御注文, お決まり, かしこまりました and お二つ, while the two salerymen (サラリーマン) are using their ordinary way of talking: ending a sentence without です, and using よ at the end of a sentence. The よ is the colloquial ending of a sentence, which makes the speech more friendly. The literal meaning of 僕は味噌ラーメン is "I am miso-ramen", but the actual meaning is "I'll order miso-ramen". The も in 僕もそれにするよ is the same as English "too" or "also". The それ means "it", and refers to 味噌ラーメン.
DIALOGUE:
While Mr. Kawaguchi were working on his papers, his colleague Mr. Takagi told him a news. The time of the day's meeting had been changed:
「川口さん、今日の会議の時間が変わったようですよ」
Mr. Kawaguchi didn't know of that, and asked him the new time of the meeting:
「何時になったんですか」
The original meeting time was at 3 o'clock, but it shifted one hour later and the meeting would be held at 4 o'clock:
「三時の予定だったのが、一時間遅らせて、四時からになったんですよ」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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EXPLANATION:
The phrase ようですよ means "It seems that..." The final よ is a colloquial ending of a sentence, which makes the conversation more friendly. The phrase なったんですか is the same as なりましたか. The level of politeness is lower in the former expression. The meaning is "become+past+question". The final phrase なったんですよ is an affirmative version of なったんですか. The meaning is the same as なりました.
DIALOGUE:
Today Mr. Kawaguchi felt bad, so he went to see a doctor. His doctor, Dr. Ooshiro asked him if he had a temperature:
「熱はありますか」
Mr. Kawaguchi had already checked his temperature. It was 37.5 C (Celsius):
「はい。３７度５分です」
Dr. Ooshiro asked if he coughed a lot:
「せきはどうですか」
Mr. Kawaguchi had some cough:
「少し出ます」
Then, the doctor checked Mr. Kawaguchi's other conditions and decided he had a cold.
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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EXPLANATION:
In Japan, they use Celsius for temperature. 36.5 is supposed to be normal, and more than 37.0 is considered as having a temperature. When saying about human's temperature, they use 度（ど）and 分（ぶ）. For example, 36.5C is ３６度５分.
The phrase 〜はありますか can be used when asking the existence of something. For example, if you want to ask if there are sunglasses in a store, you can say サングラスはありますか. The phrase 〜はどうですか is the same as "How about ~?" Therefore, in the same store, you can say カメラはどうですか to ask if there are cameras.
DIALOGUE:
Today Mr. Kawaguchi and his colleague, Mr. Endou, were discussing investment in a company. The two were friends since their college days. Mr. Endou didn't like the investment in the company:
「この会社は危ないと思うよ」
Mr. Kawaguchi asked for the reason:
「どうして」
Pointing at a chart on the desk, Mr. Endou explained the sales of the company has been rapidly decreased for the last two years:
「見てみろよ。過去二年の間に、売上高が急速に減っている」
Mr. Kawaguchi agreed with him, and concluded that it was better not to invest in the company:
「なるほど。確かにそうだな。この会社への投資は避けた方が良さそうだな」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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VOCABULARY:
会社（かいしゃ）= company; 危ない（あぶない）= risky; 過去（かこ）= the past; 間（あいだ）= time span; 売上高（うりあげだか）= sales; 急速に（きゅうそくに）= rapidly; 減る（へる）= to decrease; 確かに（たしかに）= surely; 投資（とうし）= investment; 避ける（さける）= to avoid; 良い（よい）= good.
EXPLANATION:
The phrase と思うよ/と思いますが is a useful expression to give one's opinion to others. The former is used only between close friends and between family members. Notice that Mr. Kawaguchi and Mr. Endou use this kind of non-polite endings for their ocnversation: 見てみろよ and …だな. This is because they are friends since the college. Otherwise, they would use 見て下さい and …ですね. The expression …た方が良さそうですね will be useful when you want to give your opinion that "It is better to do something."
DIALOGUE:
Today Mr. Kawaguchi visited the company's research center. At lunch time, he happened to eat with three researchers of the center. He asked them what kind of research they were doing:
「皆さん、こちらの研究所では、どんな研究をされてますか」
The middle-aged man answered first. He said he was doing experiments on super-high-speed data communication:
「私は主として、超高速データ通信の実験を行っています」
Then, another man answered. He was doing research on semiconductor production techniques:
「私はですねえ、半導体生産技術の研究をしています」
Mr. Kawaguchi asked the third man:
「そちらの方は？」
This man actually had left R&D many years ago, and he was working for the Internatioal Marketing Department:
「私は実はもう何年も前に研究開発を離れて、今は、海外営業を担当しているんです」
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VOCABULARY:
皆さん（みなさん）= everybody; 研究所（けんきゅうじょ）= research center; 研究（けんきゅう）= reserch; 私（わたし）= I; 主として（しゅとして）= mainly; 超高速（ちょうこうそく）= super-high-speed; 通信（つうしん）= communication; 実験（じっけん）= experiment; 行う（おこなう）= to do; 半導体（はんどうたい）= semiconductor; 生産（せいさん）= production; 技術（ぎじゅつ）= technique/technology; 方（かた）= person; 実は（じつは）= actually; 何年（なんねん）= some/many years; 前（まえ）= before; 開発（かいはつ）= development; 離れる（はなれる）= to leave; 今（いま）= now; 海外（かいがい）= overseas; 営業（えいぎょう）= marketing/sales; 担当する（たんとうする）= in charge of
EXPLANATION:
The phrase されていますか is a polite expression of されている, which is in turn a polite expression of している. On the other hand, the masu-form of している is しています. Therefore, されていますか is more polite than していますか. The expression 私はですねえ is basically the same as 私は, ええと. ええと is similar to Englsih "well", which is actually a meaningless word. The word ええと sounds a bit too informal, so Mr. B is using more sophisticated expression 私はですねえ. Note that 何年も前に means "many years ago", while 何年か前に means "some years ago". The particle も is used to show something is too many or too much, while the particle か is used to show the speaker is not sure how many/much there are/is.
DIALOGUE:
Mr. Kawaguchi was thinking of buying a stock. He heard that Mr. Kobayashi knew stockbroking very much. He asked him about it:
「小林さんは、株のことに詳しいんでしょう？」
His answer was not so decisive:
「ええ、まあ…」
Mr. Kawaguchi asked him if he knew a company named "Tokai Hitetsu Kinzoku":
「東海非鉄金属って会社、御存知ですか」
It seemed that he was not familiar with the company. He asked Mr. Kawaguchi how much its capital was:
「さあ、あまり聞きませんけど、資本金はいくらですか」
Mr. Kawaguchi didn't know it. He explained that his stockbroker recommended the company:
「資本金とかはわかりませんけど、証券会社の人がしきりに勧めるんですよ」
Now Mr. Kobayashi advised Mr. Kawaguchi not to buy stocks without checking the company's capital and business very much:
「そうですねえ、株は買う前に、資本金とか業績とかを、しっかり調べてから決めた方がいいですよ」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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VOCABULARY:
小林さん（こばやしさん）= [name]; 株（かぶ）= stock; 東海（とうかい）= [an area name]; 非鉄金属（ひてつきんぞく）= non-ferrous metal; 御存知（ごぞんじ）= to know; 聞く（きく）= to hear; 資本金（しほんきん）= capital; 証券会社（しょうけんがいしゃ）= securities company; 人（ひと）= person; 勧める（すすめる）= to recommend; 買う（かう）= to buy; 業績（ぎょうせき）= business results; 調べる（しらべる）= to examine; 決める（きめる）= to decide
EXPLANATION:
The expression のことに詳しいんでしょう with rising intonation is used when confirming that somebody knows something very well. Notice that Mr. Kobayashi's speech is not so decisive. The phrases ええ、まあ and そうですねえ are used to express that the speaker is not so sure about what he/she is talking about. The expression た方がいいですよ is a typical way to advise somebody.
DIALOGUE:
Today Mr. Kawaguchi happened to talk to Mr. Matsuda, an expert in fiber-optic communications:
「松田さんは、光通信の専門家でしたよね」
Mr. Matsuda said "yes":
「ええ、そうですよ」
Mr. Kawaguchi asked him how fiber-optic communications differed from normal communications:
「光通信と普通の通信と、一体どこがどう違うんですか」
Mr. Matsuda tried to answer his question with simple words:
「うーん、簡単に言うと、光通信は光ケーブルに光を乗せて通信するのに対し、普通の通信は電線に電気を乗せて通信するってことかなあ」
Mr. Kawaguchi asked what advantages fiber-optic communications had:
「どんな利点があるんですか、光通信には」
Mr. Matsuda's answer was that fiber-optic communications could send a large amount of information and rarely picks up noise with the cable:
「ああ、大量の情報が送れて、それから、雑音を拾ったりすることが少ないんですよ」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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VOCABULARY:
松田さん（まつださん）= [name]; 光通信（ひかりつうしん）= fiber-optic communications; 専門家（せんもんか）= expert; 普通の（ふつうの）= ordinary; 一体（いったい）= [intensifier]; 簡単に（かんたんに）= simply; 電線（でんせん）= electric cable; 対し（たいし）= against; 利点（りてん）= advantage; 大量の（たいりょうの）= a large amount of; 情報（じょうほう）= information; 雑音（ざつおん）= noise; 拾う（ひろう）= to pick up
EXPLANATION:
The phrase でしたよね seems to be in the past tense. This is because the speaker is talking based on his past memory. The meaning itself is, however, the present. The expression 一体 is the same as English "on earth", which is used to intensify the question. The fourth sentense is complicated. It has the structure of ＡはＢするのに対し、ＣはＤする+ってことかなあ. The final phrase ってことかなあ expresses that the speaker is talking while thinking and therefore not so sure about what he is talking about. The phrase のに対し compares the contents of the preceding sentence with those of the following sentence. As a result, the meaning of the sentence will be "While A does B, C does D, I guess." The next sentence is an inversion: the subject 光通信には is placed after the sentence. (Some grammarians may argue that this is not the subject, though.) The literal meaning of the phrase たりすることが少ない is "it is little that something will do something, etc."
DIALOGUE:
Mr. Kawaguchi was talking to his supervisor, Mr. Makino, about a new management system:
「牧野さん、最近、社内分社制度が注目されているようですけど、どう思いますか」
Mr. Makino thought that the system was actually the same as an old system:
「従来の事業部制とどう違うのかねえ。私には単に、名前を変えただけのように思えるけど」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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VOCABULARY:
牧野（まきの）= [name]; 最近（さいきん）= recently; 社内（しゃない）= in-company; 分社（ぶんしゃ）= act of dividing a company; 注目される（ちゅうもくされる）= to be publicly noticed; 思う（おもう）= to think; 従来の（じゅうらいの）= traditional; 事業部制（じぎょうぶせい）= a system of business divisions; 違う（ちがう）= different; 単に（たんに）= simply; 名前（なまえ）= name; 変える（かえる）= to change
EXPLANATION:
The phrase されているようですけど can be analyzed into されている+ようです+けど. The されている is the passive progressive of する. The ようです means "It seems that". The けど is just a connective without any special meaning. The phrase ように思える is "It seems to me that". The final が does not have a special meaning, either. Notice that Mr. Makino is not using polite forms. Sometimes supervisors talk to their inferiors like that.
DIALOGUE:
At a tea break, Mr. Kawaguchi talked with Ms. Okano about the consumption tax:
「消費税がまた上がるそうですよ」
Ms. Okano just wondered how much the tax rate would be increased:
「どれくらい上がるんですか」
It was now 4 percent, but would be raised to 6 percent:
「今まで４パーセントだったのが、６パーセントになるそうなんですよ」
Ms. Okano worried that the government would not use the raised portion of the tax for the welfare:
「そうですか。上げた分を福祉などにしっかり回してくれるといいんですけどね」
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VOCABULARY:
消費税（しょうひぜい）= consumption tax; 上がる（あがる）= to rise; 今まで（いままで）= until now; 分（ぶん）= portion; 福祉（ふくし）= welfare; しっかり= for sure; 回す（まわす）= to send as if through a curved route
EXPLANATION:
Note that 上がる is intransitive, and that 上げる is tranvitive. Sometimes 上がる is used to express the passive action "to be raised", where the speaker treats the passive action as if it is a naturally occurred event. The phrase そうですよ is a useful expression to mean "I heard that..." The phrase そうなんですよ is almost the same as そうですよ, but the former is a bit emphatic. The くれる in 回してくれる add a nuance of thankfulness to the doer of the action 回す. The phrase いいんですけどね means just "(it would be) good (if they should do so)."
DIALOGUE:
Mr. Kawaguchi and his colleagues were planning to go to a karaoke bar with the girls in the office. He asked another colleague, Mr. Sawada, if he could join them:
「沢田さん、今夜、一杯どうですか。事務の女の子たち誘って、カラオケ行こうって話が出てるんですけど」
Unfortunately, Mr. Sawada had lots of documents to be submitted by tomorrow. He had to work overtime tonight:
「いやあ、行きたいのは山々なんですが、明日までに提出しなければならない書類がたまっていて、今夜は残業なんですよ」
Mr. Kawaguchi was a bit disappointed with his reply, but he wished him a good luck:
「そうですか。じゃあ、残業がんばって下さい」
Mr. Sawada thanked him:
「ええ、どうも」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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VOCABULARY:
一杯（いっぱい）= a cup of drink; 事務（じむ）= office work; 誘う（さそう）= to invite; 話（はなし）= a plan; 出る（でる）= to come out; 山々（やまやま）= to wish I could...; 提出する（ていしゅつする）= to submit; 書類（しょるい）= document; たまっている= to be accumulated; 残業（ざんぎょう）= overtime; がんばる= to try hard
EXPLANATION:
Notice that the first sentence of Mr. Kawaguchi lacks of some particles: 事務の女の子たち（を）誘って、カラオケ（に）行こうって…. In colloquial expressions, this often happens. The phrase …たいのは山々なんですが is a very useful expression when you can't do something you want to. The literal meaning of Mr. Kawaguchi's 残業がんばって下さい is "Please try hard to do your overtime work". In Japan, people often wish others' good luck in this way. Notice that in this expression を is omitted after 残業.
DIALOGUE:
The previous day, Japan's Lower House dissolved. Mr. Kawaguchi talked to his colleague, Ms. Okano, about that:
「岡野さん、とうとう衆議院が解散しましたね」
Ms. Okano just wondered when the general election would be held:
「そうですね。総選挙はいつ頃かわかりますか」
According to the newspaper, it was planned on November 10th:
「新聞によると、十一月十日らしいですよ」
Ms. Okano didn't like elections because campains would make the city very noisy:
「そうですか。また選挙運動で、町がやかましくなりますね」
(Click the icon for the English translation:
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VOCABULARY:
衆議院（しゅうぎいん）= the Lower House; 解散する（かいさんする）= to dissolve; 総選挙（そうせんきょ）= general election; いつ頃（いつごろ）= about when; 十一（じゅういち）= eleven; 選挙運動（せんきょうんどう）= election campaign; やかましい= noisy;
EXPLANATION:
The Japan's Diet 国会（こっかい）has two houses, the House of Representatives (Lower House) 衆議院 and the House of Councilors (Upper House) 参議院（さんぎいん）. The Lower House has most of the power to legislate. The Japanese Constitution determines that a general election must be held within 40 days after the dissolution.
Mr. Kawaguchi: "Good morning, everyone."
Everyone: "Good morning, Mr. Kawaguchi."
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Mr. Kawaguchi: "Excuse me. How can we go to JR-Osaka Station?"
Passer-by: "Go ahead along this street and you'll find it on the right."
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Waitress: "What would you like to eat today?"
Mr. Kawaguchi: "Well, I'll take miso-ramen."
Colleague: "Me, too."
Waitress: "I see. I'll serve you two miso-ramen here."
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Mr. Takagi: "Hey, Mr. Kawaguchi, it seems that the time of today's meeting has been changed."
Mr. Kawaguchi: "What time will it be, then?"
Mr. Takagi: "The original time was 3 o'clock, but they shifted one hour later, and it is held at 4 o'clock."
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Dr. Ooshiro: "Do you have a temperature?"
Mr. Kawaguchi: "Yes. It's 37.5 (degrees Celsius)."
Dr. Ooshiro: "How about a cough?"
Mr. Kawaguchi: "I have a little."
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Mr. Endou: "I think this company is risky."
Mr. Kawaguchi: "Why is it?"
Mr. Endou: "Look at this. The sales has rapidly gone down for the last two years."
Mr. Kawaguchi: "I see. You're right. It is better to avoid investment in the company."
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Mr. Kawaguchi: "What kind of research are you doing here?"
Mr. A: "I'm mainly doing experiments on super-high-speed data communication now."
Mr. B: "I am doing research on the production techniques of semiconductors."
Mr. Kawaguchi: "What about you?"
Mr. C: "Actually, I left R&D many years ago, and now I'm in charge of overseas marketing here."
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Mr. Kawaguchi: "Mr. Kobayashi, you are familiar with stockbrokering, aren't you?"
Mr. Kobayashi: "Well...yes..."
Mr. Kawaguchi: "Have you heard about a company named 'Tokai Hitetsu Kinzoku'?"
Mr. Kobayashi: "I don't think so. How much is its capital, by the way?"
Mr. Kawaguchi: "I don't know how much it is, but my stockbroker recommends its stocks very eagerly."
Mr. Kobayashi: "Well...it is better not to buy stocks until you've thoroughly checked the company's capital and business."
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Mr. Kawaguchi: "Mr. Matsuda, you are an expert of fiber-optic communications, aren't you?"
Mr. Matsuda: "Yes, I am."
Mr. Kawaguchi: "What on earth does that system differ from the ordinary communications system?"
Mr. Matsuda: "Let me see. Simply spoken, the fiber-optic system communicates by putting light on the fiber-optic cables, while the normal system communicates by putting electricity on the electric wires."
Mr. Kawaguchi: "What is the advantage to use fiber optics?"
Mr. Matsuda: "Fiber optics can sent a large amount of information, and it rarely picks up noise on the way."
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Mr. Kawaguchi: "Mr. Makino, it seems that the in-company companies system has recently been very popular. What do you think about that?"
Mr. Makino: "I wonder how it differs from the traditional departmental system. It seems to me that they just changed the name of the system."
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Mr. Kawaguchi: "I've heard that the consumption tax will be increased again."
Ms. Okano: "Do you know how much it will be increased?"
Mr. Kawaguchi: "It's been 4 percent, but will be 6 percent."
Ms. Okano: "I see. I wish they wouldn't fail to use the increased portion for the welfare and the like."
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Mr. Kawaguchi: "Mr. Sawada, how would you like a drink tonight? There is a plan to go to a karaoke bar with some office ladies."
Mr. Sawada: "Well, I wish I could come with you, but there are lots of documents I have to submit by tomorrow, so tonight I have to work overtime."
Mr. Kawaguchi: "I'm sorry to hear that. Then, good luck to your work tonight."
Mr. Sawada: "Thanks, Mr. Kawaguchi."
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Mr. Kawaguchi: "Ms. Okano, The Lower House has finally dissolved."
Ms. Okano: "Yes, it has. Do you know about when the general election will be held?"
Mr. Kawaguchi: "The newspaper says it will be on November 10th."
Ms. Okano: "I see. The city will be noisy again because of the election campaigns."
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Last updated on 10/12/96 by
tagata@andrew.cmu.edu
Copyright (C) 1996
Mitsuhiro Tagata
All Rights Reserved