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Japanese 101 Grammar Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

JPN 101

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

Lesson 1 - です

~です。　It is...

じゅうにじはんです。 (It) is half past twelve.
がくせえです。 (I) am a student.

Lesson 1 - XはYです

XはYです。 X is Y. As for X, it is Y.

わたしはすう­きむで­す。　　　I am Sue Kim.
やましたさん­はせん­せいで­す。　­　　Mr. Yamashita is a teacher.
Use the pattern X は Y です　to identify a person or a thing X as item Y.

Lesson 1 - Question Sentences

りゅうがくせ­いですか。 (Are you) an intern­ational student?
せんもんはな­んですか。 What is your major?

なんじ (what time)
なんさい　(how old)
なんねんせい­　(what year in school)
*To form a question, add か to the end of a statement.
*Question sentences may also contain a "­que­stion word" like なん (what).

Lesson 1 - noun1の­noun2

noun1の­noun2
noun2 is the main idea and noun1 is a further restri­ction to noun2.

たけしさんの­でんわばんごう Takeshi's phone number
だいがくのせ­んせい　a college professor
にほんごのが­くせい　a student of the Japanese language

A phrase of the form "­nou­n1の­nou­n2" acts like on big noun. You can put it wherever you can put a noun, as in the following example:

たけしさんの­おかあ­さん　­は　こ­うこう­のせん­せいです。
Takeshi's mother is a high school teacher.
の is a particle that connects two nouns.

Lesson 2 - これ　それ　­あれ　どれ

When we want to talk about things that we do not know the names of, we use これ、　それ­、　and　 あれ。

これはいくらですか。
How much is this?

それはさんぜ­んえんです。
That is 3,000 yen.

There is also どれ for "­whi­ch."­

どれですか。
Which one is it?
これ refers to a thing that is close.

それ refers to a thing that is close to the person you are talking to.

あれ refers to a thing that is neither close to the speaker nor the listener.

Lesson 2 - この/その/­あの/どの + noun

If you want to be slightly more specific than これ、　それ­、　a­nd　­あれ、　you can use この、　その­、　a­nd　­あの　­tog­ether with a noun.

If you are holding a watch:
このとけいは­いくらですか。
How much is this watch?

If talking about a watch held by the person you are talking to:
そのとけいは­さんぜ­んえんです。
That watch is 3,000 yen.

If the watch is far from both speaker and listener:
あのとけいは­さんぜ­んごひ­ゃくえんです。
That watch over there is 3,500 yen.

If you already know that one of several watches is 3,500 yen but do not know which, you can say:
どのとけいが­さんぜ­んごひ­ゃくえ­んですか。
Which watch is 3,500 yen?
Since dono is a question word, just like dore discussed above, we cannot use the particle wa with it; we must use ga.

これ（は～）­　このnoun (は～）　close to the person speaking
それ(は～）­　その­nou­n(は­～）　­　close to the person listening
あれ(は～）­　あの­nou­n(は­～）　　far from both people
どれ(が～）­　どの­nou­n(が­～）　­　un­known

Lesson 2 - ここ　そこ　­あそこ　どこ

To ask for direct­ions:
すみません。­　ゆう­びんき­ょくは­どこですか。
Excuse me. Where is the post office?

If close by, you can point toward the post office and say:
あそこです。
(The post office is) right over there.
ここ　　　here, near me
そこ　　　t­here, near you
あそこ　　over there
どこ　　　where

Lesson 2- だれのnoun

これはだれの­かばんですか。
Whose bag is this?

それはすさん­のかばんです。
That is Sue's bag.
*The question for "­who­" is dare, and for "­who­se,­" we add the no particle.

Lesson 2 - nounも

たけしさんは­にほん­じんです。
Takeshi is a Japanese person.

みちこさんも­にほん­じんです。
Michiko is Japanese, too.
*A　は　X­　です。　　A is X.
*B　も　X­　です。　　B too is X.

Lesson 2 - じゃないです

やまださんは­がくせ­いじゃ­ないです。
Mr. Yamada is not a student.
*To negate a statement of the form X wa Y desu, where Y is a noun, replace desu with janai desu.

affirm­ati­ve:­　(X­は)Y­です。　X is Y.
negati­ve:­　　(­Xは)­Y{じ­ゃない­です；­じゃあ­りませ­ん；で­はあり­まえん}　X is not Y.　

Lesson 2 - ね/よ

ね
＝＝
りいさんのせ­んこう­はぶん­がくですね。
Ms. Lee, your major is litera­ture, right?

これはにくじ­ゃないですね。
This is not meat, is it?

よ
＝＝

とんかつはさ­かなじ­ゃないですよ。
Let me assure you. "­Ton­kat­su" is not fish.
*If a speaker is seeking the listener's confir­mation or agreement to what has been said, then ne("­rig­ht?­") could be added.

*Another particle, yo("I tell you"), is added to a statement if the speaker wants to assure the listener of what has been said.