WAS £8.99   SAVE £2.70

£6.29

Description

Contents

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 Icons Used in This Book 4 Where to Go from Here 4 Chapter 1: I Say It How? Speaking Japanese 5 Basic Japanese Sounds 5 Vowel sounds 6 Consonant sounds 8 Sounding Fluent 10 Don't stress 10 Get in rhythm 10 Pitch perfectly 11 You Already Know a Little Japanese 12 Japanese words in English 12 English words used in Japanese 12 Picking Up Some Basic Phrases 13 Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics. 15 Using Appropriate Speech Styles 15 Forming Sentences 16 Introducing particles 17 Telling the topic 20 Dropping Understood Words 21 Using Pronouns 22 Demonstrative pronouns 22 Personal pronouns 23 Working with Verbs 25 Understanding basic verb forms 25 Doing the conjugation thing 26 Deciding on tense: Past or not past, that is the question 29 Speaking politely 30 Enhancing verbs with suffixes 31 Using the Verb Desu (To Be) 33 Describing Adjectives 34 Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds 39 Knowing Your Numbers 39 Numbers from 1 to 10 39 Numbers from 11 to 99 40 Numbers from 100 to 9,999 41 Numbers from 10,000 to 100,000 42 Counting with Counters 44 Counting the months 45 Counting the days 48 Reeling off the years 50 Specifying dates and times 51 Changing with the Seasons 53 Talking about the Days of the Week 54 Telling Time 55 Telling Time Relative to Now 58 Money, Money, Money 59 Exchanging money 59 Opening a bank account 60 Making deposits and withdrawals 61 Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk 63 Meeting and Greeting 63 Saying hello 63 Asking people their names 64 Addressing friends and strangers 65 Greeting all day long 68 Paying attention and saying so 69 Saying good-bye 69 Expressing Gratitude and Regret 70 Making Small Talk 71 Breaking the ice and asking questions 71 Talking about the weather 72 Asking people where they're from 73 Talking about where you're going 74 Talking about your family 74 Existing and possessing: The verbs iru and aru 76 Talking about your regular activities 78 Giving out your contact information 79 Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink and a Snack (or Meal) 81 Making the Most of Breakfast and Lunch 81 Eating breakfast in two cultures 83 Munching your lunch 84 Dining Out 85 Ordering fast food 85 Making dinner reservations 86 Ordering in a restaurant 89 Setting your table 91 Chatting with the waiter or waitress 92 Paying for your meal 93 Expressing Your Likes and Dislikes 94 Using Proper Table Manners 95 Chapter 6: Shop 'til You Drop 97 Asking for a Particular Item 97 Comparing Items 98 Saying cheaper, more expensive, better, or worse 99 Comparing two items 100 Pointing out the best one 101 Comparing three or more items 101 Shopping for Clothes 104 Asking about color 104 Using chotto for a variety of reasons 105 Finding the right size 106 Going to a Department Store 108 Negotiating Prices 109 Paying for Your Purchases 110 Going Grocery Shopping 111 Going to a butcher 111 Buying vegetables and fruit 111 Buying fresh fish 112 Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority. 113 Using the Verb Suru (To Do) 113 Exploring Fun Places 115 Visiting museums and galleries 115 Going to the theater 116 Going to bars and clubs 117 Singing like a star at a karaoke bar 119 Talking about Your Hobbies 119 Exploring Nature 119 Living the Sporting Life 121 Saying "I Can" 121 Using Your Artistic Talent 123 Giving and Receiving Invitations 125 Making a suggestion using "why don't we?" 125 Saying "let's go" and "shall we go?" 126 Inviting friends to your house 127 Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work 129 Talking about Your Job 129 Managing Your Office Equipment 130 Searching for a Job 132 Talking on the Phone 134 Calling a friend 135 Calling hotels and stores 136 Asking for what you want 137 Calling a client 139 Leaving a message 140 Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation 143 Getting Around at the Airport 143 Getting on board 143 Going through immigration 146 Going through customs 146 Getting Around Town 147 Asking about the best 148 Getting on a bus 149 Hopping on a train 150 Hailing a taxi 153 Renting a car 153 Dealing with Directions 156 Asking "where" questions 156 Answering "where" questions 158 Giving precise directions 160 Using ordinal numbers 160 Specifying how far 162 Asking "how do I get to" questions 163 Referring to locations on the street 164 Providing actions with directions 165 Chapter 10: Finding a Place to Lay Your Weary Head. 169 Getting the Accommodations of Your Choice 169 Reserving a Room 171 Checking out room size 171 Counting the number of guests 172 Indicating the length of your stay 173 Talking with insiders and outsiders 174 Comparing costs 175 Keeping track of what's yours with possessive pronouns 175 Checking In to a Hotel 177 Checking Out of a Hotel 179 Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies 181 Shouting out for Help 181 Calling the Police 184 Reporting an accident to the police 184 Finding the lost and found 187 Getting Legal Help 189 Getting Medical Help 190 Looking for a doctor 190 Pointing at your body parts 191 Complaining about your discomfort 192 Getting a diagnosis 193 Getting treatment 194 Chapter 12: Ten Favorite Japanese Expressions 195 Chapter 13: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Like a Local 197 Index 199

Back