:h: 「マギー先生、レポートは今週中に提出すればいいですか？」

(=Maggie sensei, repouto wa konshuu juuni teishutsu sureba iidesu ka?)

“Miss Maggie, will it be OK if I turn in the report by the end of the week?”

「いいえ、明日の８時１７分きっかりに持って来て！」

(=Iie, asu no hachiji juunanafun kikkari ni motte kite!)

“No, bring it at 8:17 sharp tomorrow! “

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Sorry!! I accidently deleted the lesson and this is a back-up draft file so it might be a bit different from the one I published earlier. I deeply apologize for the people who made commnents,too. They are gone…. :sad:

OK, since the lessons that I have posted have been a bit difficult for the beginners, I will teach you more basic stuff today.

We’ll see the time related vocabulary today.

Here are very basic time units :

• 時（＝toki or ji) : time / hour(s)

• 時間（＝jikan) : time / hour(s)

• 分 (=fun / bun/ pun/ ppun) : minute(s)

• 秒 (=byou) : second(s)

• 日（＝nichi / hi ) : day(s)

• 週(=shuu) : week(s)

• 月(=tsuki / getsu/ gatsu ) : month(s)

• 年(=toshi / nen) : year(s)

*How do you say “every ~” ? :

You simply put 毎(=mai) on top.

• Everyday : 毎日 (=mainichi)
• Every week : 毎週 (=maishuu)
• Every month : 毎月 (=maitsuki)
• Every year : 毎年 (=maitoshi)

Ex. マギーは毎年ハワイに行きます。(=Maggie wa maitoshi hawai ni ikimasu.) Maggie goes to Hawaii every year.

Note : If you want to say “every Monday“　→毎週月曜日(=maishuu getsuyoubi)
and if you want to say “on the 10th of each month” →毎月１０日に(=maitsuki touka ni)
and “on the January 1st every year” → 毎年１月１日に（maitoshi ichigatu tsuitachi ni)

*How about “every other“?

Whether you put 隔(=kaku) on top or number+ time unit + おきに(=okini)

• Every other week : 隔週 (=kakushuu)
• Every other month : 隔月 (=kakutsuki)
• Every other day : 隔日(=kaku jitsu) or 一日おきに(=ichinichi oki ni)
• Every other year : 隔年 (=kaku nen) or一年おきに (=Ichinen oki ni))

Note 1) :

隔週でピアノを習いに行っている。(Kakushuu de piano wo narai ni itte iru.) =

一週間おきにピアノを習いに行っている。(=Isshuukan oki i piano wo narai ni itteiru.)

I go take a piano lesson every other week

隔(=kaku) is usually for written Japanese. (Except 隔週(=kakushuu) as I showed in the above example.) So if we want to say “every other day” we use 一日おきに(=ichinichi oki ni) more than 隔日(=kaku jitsu) in conversation.

Note 2) : The difference between おきに(=okini) and 毎に(=gotoni)

二日おきに (=futsuka oki ni) every three days ↔二日毎に(=futsuka gotoni)　every two days

*How do you say “next ~“?

You put “来”(=rai) in front of the time unit.

• Next year : 来年(=rainen)
• Next week : 来週 (=raishuu)
Note : Coming week is 次週 (=jishuu)

*When you want to say “the following day/ week / year “, you put 翌 (=yoku)

• The following day : 翌日 (=yokujitsu)
• The following week : 翌週 (=yokushuu)
• The following year : 翌年 (=yokutoshi/yokunen)

*How about “last week/month/year”?

You add “先”(=sen)

• Last week : 先週(=senshuu)
• Last month : 先月(=sengetsu)

Note : 先日 (=senjitsu) means ” the other day”
Ex. 先日はお世話になりました。(Senjitsu wa osewa ni narimashita.) Thank you for taking care of me / helping me the other day.

*If you want to say “previous ~” you put “前の“(=mae no) or “前 ”（=zen)

• Previous year : 前の年 (=mae no toshi) or 前年(=zennen)
• Previous month : 前の月(=mae no tsuki)
• Previous day: 前の日(=mae no hi) or 前日(=zennjitu)

*How do you say once (or twice) a year/month/day?

• Once a year : （毎年）一年に一回 (=(maitoshi) ichinen ni ikkai) / （毎年）一年に一度 (=(maitoshi) ichinen ni ichido)

• Twice a month : 毎月二回 (=maitsuki nikai) or 毎月二度 (=maitsuki nido)

*How do you say “for ~ days/weeks/months”?

You add “間“(＝kan) after the number.

Ex. for two days: 二日間(Futsuka kan) / for two years : 3年間 (=san nenkan)

*How to count days:

Even if you can count all the numbers in Japanese ex. ichi, ni, san,etc, you may have a little trouble remembering how to count a day or refering certain dates.
For example, May 4th is not “gogatsu yon-nichi”. It is “gogatsu yokka”.
And if we want to say “I will stay in Tokyo for three days”, we usually say

東京に三日間滞在します。(=Toukyou ni mikka kan taizai shimasu.) not “san-nichikan”.

Here are some more examples of how to read the dates.

( Note : We use both Arabic number and kanji when we write numbers.)

• 一日(=tsuitachi) The first / (ichinichi) one day

Note: When you count a day, you don’t use tsuitachi. You use ichinichi.

• 二日(=futsuka) The second, two days
• 三日 (=mikka) The third, three days
• 四日 (=yokka) the fouth, four days
• 五日 (=Itsuka) The fifth, five days
• 六日 (=muika) The sixth, six days
• 七日 (=nanoka) the seventh, seven days
• 八日 (=youka) the eighth, eight days
• 九日 (=kokonoka) the ninth, nine days
• 十日 (=touka) the tenth, ten days
• 二十日(=hatsuka）the twentieth, twenty days

* However, in some occasions we hear people saying with regular way of reading numbers,
Ex. ８日間 (hachinichi kan) instead of “youka-kan”. (=for eight days.)

*How to count years:

Just add “年”(=nen)

Ex. ３年 (=san nen) Three years

Note : “Three and a half years” is 三年半 (=san nen han)

*How to count months:

You add “ヶ月” (=kagetsu)in the end.

Ex. 1ヶ月 (=ikkagetsu), ２ヶ月(=ni kagetsu)

*How to count weeks:

〜週間(~shuukan)

Ex. 2週間　(=ni shuukan) two weeks

OK, here are the basic units.

• 今日 (=kyou) : today (本日(=honjitsu) more formal *)
• 明日 (=ashita／asu) : tomorrow ( 明日(=myounichi) more formal *)
• 明後日 (=asatte) : the day after tomorrow ( 明後日(=myougonichi) more formal*)
• 一昨日 (=ototoi) : the day before yetserday ( 一昨日(=issakujitu) more formal*)

* You may hear/see this in a business situation or on the news

•明々後日（しあさって）(=shiasatte) three days from now

•一昨々日(さきおととい）(=sakiototoi) three days ago

* How do you say “~ ago“?

You add “前” (=mae) in the end.

• 二日前 (=futuka mae) : two days ago
• 三日前 (=mikka mae) : three days ago
• ２、３日前（=ni san nichi mae) : a couple of days ago
• ９時間前(=kujikan mae) : nine hours ago
• 一週間前(=isshuukan mae) : a week ago
• ２ヶ月前 (=nikagetsu mae) : two months ago.
• ４年前 (=yonen mae) four years ago

* How about “~ later” or “after ~“?

You put “後”(=go) in the end.

数年後(=suunen go) a couple of (or several) years later

２週間後(=nishuukan go) two weeks later

* How do you say “~end of (mohth, year)?

You put “末”(=matsu) in the end.

週末(=shuu matsu) weekend

月末(=getsu matsu) end of month

年末(=nenmatsu) year-end

世紀末(=seikimatsu) end of the century

Months : 月(=tsuki):

• January : 一月 ／1月(=ichigatsu)
• February : 二月 ／2月(=nigatsu)
• March : 三月 ／3月(=sangatsu)
• April : 四月／4月 (=shigatsu)
• May : 五月／5月 (=gogatsu)
• J une : 六月／6月 (=rokugatsu)
• July : 七月／7月 (hichigatsu/nanagatsu)
• August : 八月／8月 (hachigatsu)
• September : 九月／9月 (=kugatsu)
• October : 十月／10月 (=juugatsu)
• November : 十一月 ／11月(juuichigatsu)
• December : 十二月／12月 (=juuni gatsu)

The days of the week : 曜日(=youbi):

• Monday : 月曜日 (=getsuyoubi)
• Tuesday : 火曜日 (=kayoubi)
• Wednesday : 水曜日 (=suiyoubi)
• Thursday : 木曜日 (=mokuyoubi)
• Friday : 金曜日 (=kinyoubi)
• Saturday : 土曜日 (=doyoubi)
• Sunday : 日曜日(=nichiyoubi)

Ex.日曜日は何もしない。(=Nichiyoubi wa nanimo shinai.) “I don’t do anything on Sundays.”

• Weekday(s) : 平日 (=heijitsu) ↔ Weekend : 週末 (=shuumatsu)

• Holidays :

休日 (=kyuujitsu) 、祭日 (=saijitsu) 、祝日 (=shukujitsu), : holiday

国民の祝日(=Kokumin no shukujitsu) National holidays

休み (=yasumi) Holidays, day-off, vacation

夏休み (=natsuyasumi) summer holidays(vacation)、

(お)盆休み ((o)bon yasumi) obon holidays (around Aug.13~15)

冬休み (fuyu yasumi) winter holidays

(お)正月休み((o)shougatsu yasumi) New Year’s holidays.

Ex. 夏休みに入ったらどこに行きますか？ (=Natsuyasumi ni haittara dokoni ikimasu ka?)

Where are you going in summer vacation?

Ex. 正月休みにスキーに行きました。(=Shougatsu yasumi ni sukii ni ikimashita.)

I went skiing during the New Year’s holiday.

*Here are more example sentences:

Ex. 今日は何曜日ですか？(=Kyou wa nanyoubi desu ka?) What day is today?

Ex. 今日は、月曜日です。(=Kyou wa getsuyoubi desu.) It is Monday.

Ex. 今日は何日ですか？ (=Kyou wa nannichi desu ka?) What’s the date today?

Ex. 今日は８月１５日です。(=Kyou wa hachigatsu juugonichi desu.) It’s August 15th.

Ex. 今日は１月６日、水曜日です。(=Kyou wa ichigatsu muika suiyoubi desu.) It’s January 6th, Wednesday.

*Other time related words:

• 時間 (=jikan) : time (in general)

Ex. 「今、お時間ありますか？ 」(=Ima, ojikan arimasu ka?) Do you have some time now?
Ex. 「 いえ、もう時間がありません。」(=Ie, mou jikan ga arimasen.) No, I don’t have any time left.

• 今(=ima) : now

• 先ほど(=sakihodo) : a little while ago （さっき（＝sakki)：more casual)

• 午後( =gogo) in the afternoon P.M.、午前 (=gozen) in the morning A.M.

• 朝(=asa) morning

• 昼 (=hiru) daytime

• 夕方 evening

• 晩 (=ban) evening/night

• 夜 (=yoru)　night

CF.　朝食 (=choushoku) or 朝ご（or 御）飯 (=asa gohan) : breakfast

昼食 (=chuushoku)/ 昼ご（or 御）飯(=hirugohan) : lunch

夕食 (=yuushoku) 夕飯(=yuuhan) 夕ご（or 御）飯 （＝yuugohan) or 晩（or 御)飯 dinner（＝

bangohan) / 夜食（＝Yashoku) late dinner

• 早朝 (=souchou)　early in the morning

Ex.早朝割引 (=souchou waribiki) early bird discount(specials)

• 正午 (=shougo)　at noon
• 夜中 (=yonaka)　middle of the night
• 真夜中 (=mayonaka) midnight

• 今朝 (=kesa) this morning、

• 今夜 (=kon-ya) tonight or 今晩 (=konban) tonight
• 昨夜(=sakuya) last night or 昨晩(=sakuban) last night

Ex. 昨晩は冷えましたね。(=Sakuban wa hiemashita ne.) : “It was cold last night, wasn’t it?”
Ex.今朝、何を食べましたか？(=Kesa nani wo tabemashita ka?) “What did you eat this morning?”

年 (nen) year:

１年 (=ichinen) one year、２年 (=ninen) two years、

１年間 (=ichinenkan) for a year、 ２年間(=ninenkan) for two years

１年目 (=ichinen-me) the first year、２年 目(=ninen-me) the second year、

今年(=kotoshi)　this year

去年 (=kyonen) & 昨年 (=sakunen) last year 　(昨年 (=sakunen) is more formal.)

一昨年(=ototoshi/issakunen) two years ago

来年(=rainen) next year 再来年 (=sarainen)　year after next

２年後 (=ninen go) two years later

３年前 (=san nen mae) three years ago

数年(=suunen)　a couple of (several) years

Note: 数(=suu) means a couple (of) or several

• 数ヶ月(=suukagetsu) a couple of (several)months

• 数日(=suujitsu) a couple of (several) days

時間(=jikan) time, hour(s)

１時 (=ichiji) one o’clock 、２時 (=niji) two o’clock、３時 (sanji) three o’clock、

Ex. 今、何時ですか？ (=Ima nanji desu ka?) What time is it now?
Ex. ８時１０分前です。(=hachiji juppun mae desu.) It’s 10 minutes before eight.
Ex. 今、４時ちょうどです。(=Ima yoji choudo desu.) It’s just four o’clock sharp.
Ex. ７時半です。(=hijiji han desu.) It’s seven thirty.
Ex. ２時過ぎ (=niji sugi) It’s past two.
Ex. ６時前 (=rokuji mae) It’s before six.
Ex. ５時頃(=goji goro) Around 5 o’clock. 5ish

Note : In Japan, it is very common to use 13:00~24:00 for the time table instead of 1:00 P.M ~ 12:00 A.M.

* What particle do we need to use when we say “at +number+ o’clock”?

Usually we use “に”(=ni).

Ex. 明日何時に会いましょうか？(=Ashita nanji niaimashou ka?) What time shall we meet tomorrow?
Ex. ７時に会いましょう。(=Hichiji ni aimashou.) Let’s get together at 7 o’clock!
Ex. ９時頃に会いましょう。(=Kuji goro ni aimashou.) Let’s meet around nine.
Ex. 昨夜、２：４０に東京で地震がありました。(Sakuya niji yonjyuppu ni toukyou de jishin ga arimashita.)There was an earthquake at 2:40 last night. in Tokyo.

Ex. ８時に約束があります。(=Hachiji ni yakusoku ga arimasu.) I have an appointment (an engagement) at 8:00 tomorrow.
Ex. ９時に予定が入っています。(=Kuji ni yotei ga haitte imasu.) I have plans for 9:00 tomorrow.

• 早い(=hayai)　early まだ早い（です）(=mada hayai (desu)) It is still early.

Ex. 彼は、朝早く出かけた。(=Kare wa asa hayaku dekaketa) He left early in the morning.

• 遅い(=osoi)　　late

Ex. もう遅い（です）(=mou osoi( desu)) It is already late.

• 季節(=kisetsu) Season(s)

Ex. 季節の挨拶(=Kisetsu no aisatsu) Season’s greetings

Ex. 季節の変わり目(=Kisetsu no kawarime.)　changing seasons, turn of the year

• 四季(=shiki) four seasons:

• Spring : 春 (=haru)
• Summer : 夏 (=natsu)
• Fall : 秋(=aki)
• Winter : 冬(=fuyu)

Ex. 今は秋です。(=Ima wa aki desu.) It’s autumn now.
Ex. もうすぐ冬が来ます。(=Mousugu fuyu ga kimasu.) Winter is coming soon.

Ex. 春が来たら、会いましょう。(=Haru ga kitara, aimashou.) Let’s get together in spring.

From the picture above :

:h: 「マギー先生、レポートは今週中に提出すればいいですか？」

(=Maggie sensei, repouto wa konshuu juu ni teishutsu sureba iidesu ka?)

“Miss Maggie, is it all right if I submit the report by the end of the week?”

• 提出する(=teishutsu suru) to submit, to turn in
• 〜すればいいですか？（＝sureba ii desu ka?) Will it be OK if I + verb

• 今週中(=konnshuu chuu): sometime within the weekbefore the week is over.

~中 (=chuu/juu) ：Within ~ 今年中（kotoshi juu)、今月中 (kongetsu chuu)

「いいえ、明日の８時１７分きっかりに持って来て！」

(=Iie, asu no hachiji juunanafun kikkari ni motte kite!)

“No, bring it at 8:17 sharp tomorrow! “

• きっかり(=kikkari) = 丁度（ちょうど）(=choudo) : just, on the dot, sharp.

Note : You can also use it for money.

Ex. Just 100 yen. →きっかり（ちょうど）１００円。(=kikkari （choudo) hyakuen)

Maggie先生より (=Maggie-sensei yori) From Maggie-sensei

今日のレッスンも長くなっちゃったなあ。でも明日も明後日も毎日ここに来て勉強してね。(=Kyou no ressun mo nagaku nacchatta naa.. Demo asshita mo asatte mo mainichi koko ni kite benkyou shitene.)

It ended up a long lesson again today. But plese come back here tomorrow, the day after tomorrow…well, every day to study!