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Only a vague understanding
Ahhh... my emo photo.... filled with confusion and a yearning to learn This blog entry is a whole bunch of conversations I've had over the past week with various Japanese people. I have a really, really small vocabulary (100 words max) and I'm not at all good at putting them in sentences, but I do love the language and do try whenever I can, which isn't often, being forbidden to speak it at work and living with a fluent English speaker who studies translation. My favourite person to speak to is Sanaes mum because she speaks Japanese, I speak English and we understand each other perfectly. I have no idea how, but I've picked up most of my Japanese from her by having these conversations.
Note: Where it says Dah dah dah is shorthand for they were speaking Japanese and I have no idea what it was about Conversation with Old Man at the Eki (English translation to follow)
Old Man: Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah
Me:
Removing my headphones Sumimasen?
Old Man: Dah dah dah dah atsui des ne dah dah dah
Me: Hai, watashi wa atsui des
Old Man: Dah dah dah kore wa, dah Amerika jin des ka?
Me: Iie, Ostraria Kara kimashita
Old Man: Eh?
Me: Ostraria
Old Man: Eeeeehh?
Me: Shidoney
Old Man: eeeeeeeeeh dah dah dah Shidoney wa atsui des ka
Me: Iie. Shidoney wa samui des
Old Man: Ahh Dah dah dah dah
Me: Nihon go Arimasen
Old Man: Demo maiwae nihon go shabeta noni
Me: Iie, iie, sumimasen, damai, sumimasen
Train arrives and I rush to a different carriage to avoid further interaction English Translation Old Man: Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah
Me:
Removing my headphones Excuse Me/I'm Sorry?
Old Man: Dah dah dah dah It's hot today isn't it dah dah dah
Me: Yes, I'm very hot
Old Man: Dah dah dah that is, So you're American aren't you?
Me: No, I come from Australia
Old Man: Huh?
Me: Australia
Old Man: Huh?
Me: Sydney
Old Man: eeeeeeeeeh dah dah dah Sydneys hot isn't it
Me: No. Sydney is cold
Old Man: Ahh Dah dah dah dah
Me: I don't speak Japanese
Old Man: But you were just speaking Japanese
Me: No, No, Excuse me/I'm sorry, Really no, Excuse me/I'm sorry
Conversation with my students in my Wednesday afternoon class Taktou: Sensei! Dah dah dah dah dah
Me: Sweetie, You are beautiful and very cute but I have no idea what you're saying
Takumi: Sensei, Sensei, Mite! Mite!
Yuna: Sensei dah dah dah ne? Sensei! ne? ne? Sensei!
Taktou: Sensei! Dah dah dah dah dah
Me: Lets do some colouring in. Colour, Colour, Colour (I am pointing to the picture to colour and pretending to scribble into the air)
Yuna: koko wa sensei nan des ka?
Me: Red pencil please
Taktou, Kesuike and Yuna at the same time: Koko wa? Sensei! Koko wa?
Me: The picture. (I have been pointing at the picture to colour in the whole time)
All students: Nani Ero? Sensei? Kok wa Sensei, Nani Ero, Sensei! Sensei! SENSEI!
Me: Red pencil. Apple. Red apple.
Takumi: (holding up red pencil ) kore wa?
Me: hai, yes whatever. Very Good Takumi! Colour, Colour, Colour (still pointing and scribbling into the nothingness)
All kids: Sensei dah dah dah
Me: Colour, Colour, Colour (still scribbling on my imaginary board in the air)
Conversation with Hitomi in the car after class (brief excerpt from conversation)
Hitomi: Do you like.... mmm?
Me: Song?
Hitomi: Hai, so, so, so
Me: Mono sugoy ne?! Whats it called?
Hitomi: Yes
Me: ahhh ok
Wait for a few seconds Me: Oh, what's the name of this song?
Hitomi:
smiles and nods her head Me: Uhhhhm… Utta onomae wa? (direct translation: song, whats your name)
Hitomi: laughs, ahh so so so.
Hitomi tells me the name in Japanese which I immediately forget as it's in Japanese and very hard for me to say let alone remember and we carry on our trip home bitching about our boss in combination broken japglish Conversation with Micchan, Mondays dance teacher Micchan: dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah. Eh?
Me: Huh? Hai
Lucy
My Korean friend: He's telling the class the assistant won't be here today cause he's off traveling with his girlfriend
(Niske! Hot little brother has a GF!) Later in class Micchan: Dah dah dah dah move kore wa dah dah migi hidali, migi, hidali
Then looks at me directly Micchan: Right, Left, Right, Left
Me: Arrigato
even though I k now the Japanese for right and left, it's nice of him to go to the trouble Then, Micchan points at me and the whole class laughs. God, I've been going here for 3 months and they're surprised I can say thank you in Japanese? Easily Impressed. Later in class Micchan: This is the last time. From the top. One more time. Only one. This is lasto. Then finish. Last time. This is the…
Me: Wakarimashta!! (I understand)
Micchan leads the class in a round of applause and then says something I couldn't say in Japanese but understand completely Micchan: (Rough translation) I'm speaking to her in English and she's speaking to me in Japanese! What's going on?
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tiffatron
tiffatron~*
leah san wa nihongo o hanasemasu ne! jyozu ni naritte imasu!
oh i SO enjoyed this hahahaha.... brilliant. thats the best way to learn tho u will be fluent in no time!!!