Moto Learning Doujou: #23-2 Japanese Speaking and Writing from Scratch with Moto for JLPT N5 Beginner and Intermediate level, “Plain Style Present Negative + とき”

①Improvement of Speaking and Writing

こんにちは。モトです。I am Japanese and I am teaching Japanese. In this series, I will share my practice way for N5 Beginner and Intermediate level learners who want to review.

If learners are studying Japanese only for JLPT as test preparation, it might be difficult to improve speaking and writing Japanese actually, because the test does not cover Speaking and Writing. Thus, we set a Goal to improve Speaking and Writing in this series while learning JLPT N5 Beginner topics.

Features and Advantages

・While using Practice Sheet, we try to remember Question and Response sentences as Dialogue to learn how to use word and grammar. (Using story or dialogues, it could be easier to remember them efficiently.)

・It is also good to partially hide some words in tables in Practice Sheet by hand to check your progress or you can also change part of words and make another sentence like improvisation music.

・After Speaking, through making your sentences, you can improve Writing. (Based on your sentences, it is good to make your Practice Sheet and play Dialogues with other learners.)

・I will apply Minna no Nihongo to speaking and writing practice that covers almost all topics introduced by Genki so Genki user can also use this series.

(I will cite English translation from the textbook as it is, or I try to translate some expressions by myself. Now I am also learning English so my translation and explanation could be not correct or not natural, sorry for that.)

②Instruction of Exercise

Before Speaking & Writing exercises, check vocabulary and grammar.

Step1 Vocabulary

how to use つかいかた tsukaikata

To go buy かってきます kattekimasu

What shoud I do? どうすればいいですか。 dousurebaii

a plug socket コンセント konsento

To charge じゅうでんします jyuudensimasu

battery バッテリー batterie

Step2 Grammar

So, Today’s grammar topic is “Plain Style Present Negative + とき”.

While I referred to “使い方がわからないとき、わたしに聞いてください。” on Page 146 in Minna No Nihongo Second Edition Elementary Japanese 1, Translation & Grammar Notes – English, I used same grammar pattern and wrote another sentences by combining other words like below [*1]. To make dialogue structure, based on [*1] sentence, I wrote [*2] sentence as Person B’s line. I added “[ ] My grammar interpretation”.

“☆☆Basic Example Dialogue”

A うけつけに　ひとがいないとき、　どうすれば　いいですか。　[*1]

uketsukeni hitoga inai toki dousureba iidesuka

If there is no one at the reception, What should I do?

[Like we have already practiced last time, before とき, we can put Plain Style as　Relative Pronoun to explain とき. This time, we will continue to practice Plain Style, Present Negative= Nai form+ない.　いますis Masu form, present affirmative, いる is Plain Style Present Affirmative and いない is Plain Style, Present Negative. So, うけつけに　ひとが　いません becomes うけつけに　ひとが　いない.]

B でんわでスタッフを　よんでください。　[*2]

denwa de sutaffu wo yondekudasai

If there is no one, please make phone call to the staff.

[The textbook introduces “If and When” as translation for ―とき. So, the meaning of ―とき depends on context. If speaker is talking about “hypothetical situation”, it indicates “if” and if talking about “actual situation”, it could indicate “when”.

I guess if we use “Plain style, Past +とき”, the meaning tends to indicate “when” because “Plain style Past+とき” tends to indicate “When something actually happened,--”.

Moreover, if we want to clearly indicate “if”, It might be better to use “もし+ Plain Style+なら” that we will learn later.]

Step3　Speaking Exercise

Watch the video. You can use Speaking Practice Sheet.

Speaking Practice Video↓

https://youtu.be/-ixIiWlRtS4

“Practice Sheet”

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PV4M6CEper4jUY3i2Yf9z3F0gbz0JB2R/view?usp=sharing

Step4 Writing Exercise

(W1) Read the above “☆☆Basic Example Dialogue” between Person A and B. The Dialogue contains Grammar topic in each time.

(W2) Try to make your dialogue between Person A&B like “☆☆Basic Example Dialogue”. In your dialogue, please try to use this time grammar topic “Plain Style Present Negative + とき” appropriately. Millions of mistakes are necessary for improvement, so you do not have to hesitate.

N5 level learner, if you have difficulty to write Dialogue style sentence, it is OK to write single sentences with grammar topic and OK to use only Hiragana. (It is easy-to-read to make space between word and word).

(W3) It is good to ask your teacher or Japanese friends to correct your sentences.

“For Intermediate Level Learners”

(W4) See the below “☆Advanced Example Dialogue”. Like the example, try to use this time Grammar topic “Plain Style Present Negative + とき” at least once and make your original Dialogue. In other words, if you just use the topic at least once, you do not have to use the topic anymore and you can make your dialogue freely. It is also OK to add more Person A&B part to make longer Dialogue.

“☆Advanced Example Dialogue”

A:　すみません。学校の受付に人がいない時、どうすればいいですか。

B:　受付に電話が置いてあるので、受話器をとって1番を押してください。そうすれば、スタッフが来ます。でも、17時までに来れば、大抵は、受付に人がいるので、大丈夫だと思いますよ。それで、レッスンの申込用紙をスタッフに渡してください。

A：　わかりました。ありがとうございます。

So, like this, while using Today’s grammar topic, write your dialogue and if you add [ ] explanation and English translation, it will be helpful to understand and correct your sentences.

(If you have a difficulty to find out someone to correct your sentences and want to ask me to correct your sentences, check my “Moto Writing Doujou”.)

https://bit.ly/3xy1Hso

③Update Alert by SNS

I will continue to upload of this series for N5 Basic level. You can easily get each time update, if you follow my SNS account.

☆Twitter☆

https://twitter.com/motolearnshare

☆Facebook☆

https://www.facebook.com/motolearnshare

☆YouTube☆

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiIPOjYxFa_hAi8338SZ7dw?view_as=subscriber

④Other Activities

Need correction? →Check “Moto Writing Doujou”

https://bit.ly/3xy1Hso