2.9 Conversation Reading

Kiyono:  Konnichiwa, Matto-san.

Matt:  Konnichiwa, Kiyono-san.

Kiyono:  Matto-san no otanjoubi wa itsu desu ka.

Matt:  Watashi no tanjoubi wa ku gatsu itsuka desu.  Kiyono-san no otanjoubi wa itsu desu ka.

Kiyono:  Watashi no tanjoubi wa shi gatsu juugo nichi desu.

Matt:  Midori no hi* wa itsu desu ka.

Kiyono:  Midori no hi wa go gatsu yokka desu.

Matt:  Nihongo no kurasu wa nan youbi desu ka.

Kiyono:  Nihongo no kurasu wa getsuyoubi to** mokuyoubi desu.

Matt:  Kiyono-san, sore wa nan desu ka.

Kiyono:  Kore wa fudebako desu.

Matt:  Sugoi desu ne!***
In Japanese, "you" is "anata." However, it is more common to say the person's name rather than "you".  This is very different from English!  If you were talking to Matt, you wouldn't say, "What is Matt doing on Tuesday?"

Why does Kiyono-san call Matt-san "Matto"?  If you look at the Katakana chart, there is no "t" sound by itself.  You must change foreign words to fit to the closest Katakana sounds. 

"Midori no hi" is a Japanese holiday literally translating to "Green Day."  It's a national holiday to appreciate nature.
The particle "TO" joins nouns together and can be translated as "and."

"Eigo no kurasu wa doyoubi to nichiyoubi desu." = English class is on Saturday AND Sunday. 

The particle "TO" also shows the person/people with whom someone does things and can be translated as "with" in English.

"Watashi wa Matto-san to sushi wo tabemasu." = I eat sushi WITH Matt.
The particle "NE" is always at the end of a sentence or statement. 

The speaker who uses "ne" is looking for agreement from the listener about what was just said.

Matto-san said "Sugoi desu ne!"

"Sugoi" = Wow! Awesome! Impressive!

By putting "ne" at the end of his statement, he is basically saying to Kiyono-san, "It's cool, isn't it?"


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