トフィック「ぜひ、僕をゲスト先生にしてください。」
Toffik ”Zehi, boku wo gesuto sensei ni shite kudasai.
Toffik “Definitely have me on as a guest teacher.”
Hi everyone!
We have been having many GREAT guest teachers.
本当に感謝しています。
= Hontou ni kansha shiteimasu.
= We REALLY appreciate it.
Today, one cute doggie from Poland has volunteered to be a guest teacher.
His name is トフィック (Toffik).
When I saw his picture, my heart melted. ❤️
(As I always do… 😀)
トフィック「ぜひ、僕をゲスト先生にしてください。」
= Toffik ”Zehi, boku wo gesuto sensei ni shite kudasai.
= Toffik “Definitely have me on as a guest teacher.”
How could we say “no” when he looked at me with those eyes?
So Toffik Sensei will teach you the word ぜひ ( = zehi)
************************
こんにちは、はじめまして！トッフィックです。
= Konnichiwa! Hajimemashite! Toffik desu.
Hello!!Cześć! Nice to meet you! I’m Toffik.
今日は、ポーランドからみなに日本語をがんばって教えます。
= Kyou wa, pourando kara mina ni nihongo wo ganbatte oshiemasu.
= Today, from Poland, I will do my best to teach you Japanese.
As Maggie sensei told you, I will teach you the word ぜひ ( = zehi)
First, let’s look at the original meaning of this word
是 = ze = right
非 = hi = wrong
是非 = ぜひ ( = zehi) = right or wrong, pros and cons
Ex. 物事の是非を考える
= Monogoto no zehi wo kangaeru
= to consider the right and wrong of things
Ex. 原発の是非を問う。
= Genpatsu no zehi wo tou.
= To question the need for nuclear power (←question whether having nuclear power generation is right or wrong)
（原発 (= genpatsu) is an abbreviation of 原子力発電 ( = genshiryoku hatsuden))
Hmm, it doesn’t look like a word that we use often in everyday conversation, does it?
But actually, it is a VERY useful word, and we use it very often in conversation.
Note: When it is used in the meaning of “right or wrong”, you use kanji.
And when it is used as an adverb ⏬, you usually write it in hiragana.
★How to use ぜひ ( = zehi)
1) When you invite someone or when you suggest someone to do something enthusiastically.
For example, when you invite someone to your BBQ party, you say
明日、バーベキューパーティーをやるから
= Ashita baabekyuu paatei wo yaru kara
= We are having a BBQ party tomorrow so…
and continue depending on how much you want them to come to the party.
⏬
Ex. 1) 来て下さいね。
= Kite kudasai ne.
Ex. 2) よかったら、来て下さいね。
= Yokattara kite kudasai ne.
Ex.3) できたら、来てくださいね。
= Dekitara, kite kudasai ne.
Ex. 4) 必ず来て下さいね。
= Kanarazu kite kudasai ne.
Ex. 5) 絶対に来て下さいね。
= Zettai ni kite kudasai ne.
Ex. 6) きっと来て下さいね。
= Kitto kite kudasai ne.
Ex. 7) ぜひ、来て下さいね。
= Zehi, kite kudasai ne.
Basically, they all mean “please come” but there is a difference.
1) simply means “please come”
2) Please come if you feel like coming. (It’s all up to you.)
3) Please come if you can. (if it is possible if you can make it.)
***
4) 5) & 6) are more demanding
4) ＆ 5) →Be sure to come to the party (you must come no matter what. )
Basically, they are very similar. If there is, in my opinion,
絶対に ( = zettai ni) and 必ず ( = kanarazu) are stronger than きっと ( = kitto) and express strong demand.
(必ず ( = kanarazu) implies strong obligation. 絶対に ( = zettaini) shows the speaker’s strong feeling.)
***
Now compare to 1)~ 4), 7) ぜひ ( = zehi) shows the speaker’s sincere feelings that you want them to come. (I hope you can come. / I’d love to have you at the party.)
Ex. あの映画面白いから是非、観ててみて。(casual)
= Ano eiga omoshiroi kara zehi, mite mite.
= You should see the movie. It’s so interesting!
Ex. このスイカとても甘いですよ。是非、奥さんと食べてみて下さい。
= Kono suika totemo amai desuyo. Zehi, okusan to tabete mite kudasai.
= This watermelon is very sweet. Please enjoy it with your wife (by all means.)
Ex. ぜひ、また日本に来て下さい。
= Zehi, mata nihon ni kite kudasai.
= You definitely have to come back to Japan.
Ex. ぜひ、一度、うちに遊びにいらして下さい。(formal)
= Zehi, ichido, uchi ni asobini irashite kudasai.
= Please come and visit my house sometime.
Ex. この商品をぜひ、お試し下さい。
= Kono shouhin wo zehi, otameshi kudasai .
= PLEASE try this product.
Ex. マギー先生のサイトは役に立つからぜひ、チェックしてみて。
= Maggie sensei no saito wa yaku ni tatsu kara zehi, chekku shite mite.
= Maggie Sensei’s site is useful so do check it out.
Ex. 今度来るときはぜひ、お母さんも連れて来て下さい。
= Kondo kuru toki wa zehi, okaasan mo tsurete kite kudasai.
= Please bring your mother the next time you come here.
Ex. 日本の桜をぜひ、見に来て下さい。
= Nihon no sakura wo zehi, mini kite kudasai.
= Please come see cherry blossoms in Japan.
3) When you REALLY want to do something / show your strong desire: Would love to do something
Ex. 大学を卒業するまでに、ぜひ、一度日本に行ってみたいです。
= Daigaku wo sotsugyou surumadeni, zehi , ichido nihon ni itte mitai desu.
= I would love to go visit Japan once before I graduate from the college.
Ex. 母がぜひ、お会いしてみたいと申しております。(formal)
= Haha ga zehi, oai shitai to moushite orimasu.
= My mother said she would love to see you.
Ex. 東京に来たらぜひ、知らせて下さい。
= Toukyou ni kitara zehi, shirasete kudasai.
= Definitely tell me if you come to Tokyo.
Ex. フレンチブルをぜひ、飼ってみたい。
= Furenchi buru wo zehi, katte mitai.
= I would love to have a French bulldog.
Ex. 機会があったらぜひ、ご一緒させて下さい。(polite)
= Kikai ga attara zehi, goissho sasete kudasai.
=(Please allow me to accompany you if I have a chance.)
= I would love to go there with you if I have a chance.
Note: We also say ぜひ共 = ぜひとも=zehitomo
It sounds slightly stronger than 是非 = ぜひ( = zehi).
⬇︎ (Stronger)
Ex. 機会があったらぜひとも、ご一緒させてください。
=Kikai ga attara zehi tomo, goissho sasete kudasai.
3) When someone invites you to do something, you accept it showing how eager you are to do something by using ぜひ ( = zehi).
➡︎ Yes, I’d love to ~!
For example, your friend tells you,
Ex. いいお店を見つけたんだけど今度、一緒に行かない？
= Ii omise wo mitsuketan dakedo kondo, issho ni ikanai?
= I found a nice restaurant (bar). Do you want to go there with me sometime?
You can simply say
Ex. うん、連れていって
= Un, tsurete itte.
= Yeah, take me there.
If you want to show more enthusiasm, just add ぜひ = zehi.
Ex. うん、ぜひ、連れていって
= Un, zehi tsurete itte.
= Yes! Take me there by all means.
or
Ex. うん、行ってみたい。
= Un, itte mitai.
= Yeah, I want to go.
⬇︎ Much more enthusiastic
Ex. うん、ぜひ、行ってみたい。
= Un, zehi, itte mitai.
= Yeah, I’d love to.
Sometimes you can just say ぜひ ( = zehi).
Ex. 次の日曜日、うちに来る？
= Tsugi no nichiyoubi, uchi ni kuru?
= Do you want to come over next Sunday?
ぜひ！
= Zehi!
= By all means!
⭐️ Variation :
Ex. 最近、子猫を飼ったんだけど会う？ (casual)
=Saikin, koneko wo kattan dakedo au?
= I just got a kitten recently. Do you want to see him/her?
Ex. それは、もうぜひ！！
= Sorewa, mou zehi!!
= Yes, by all means!!!
Ex. ぜひぜひ！
= zehizehi!
これで僕のレッスンを終わります。みんな、読んでくれてありがとう！
= Kore de boku no ressun wo owarimasu. Minna, yonde kurete arigatou!
= OK, I will wrap up my lesson here. Thank you for studying this lesson, everyone!
****************
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
トフィック先生、レッスン、ありがとう！
= Toffik Sensei, ressun, arigatou!
= Thank you for the lesson, Toffik sensei!
ぜひ、またゲスト先生として来て下さい!
= Zehi, mata gesuto sensei to shite kite kudasai!
= Please come back and be a guest teacher again!
***
Could you be my Patron?
I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
34 Comments
Hello maggie sensei. I dont know where to ask this but i’ve seen zettai used as an adverb with and without ni. like 絶対食べます・絶対に食べます. any difference within the 2? from my understanding zettai is already an adverb so is it fine to just use it as is without adding ni?
Hi Matthew,
You sometimes drop に in more casual speech.
絶対に →絶対
So 絶対 is also an adverb.
ありがとうございます！
どういたしまして :)
Maggie 先生！心より感謝申し上げます。 !CHECKHEART! !heart3! boucingheart!
中国では、今日は「老师节」(教師の日）
マギ先生、中国に住んでいる生徒たちより 教師の日おめでとうございます！
(haha, I hope I said this correctly ~ )
@ミカちゃん
わ〜〜素敵なメッセージ、ありがとうございます！！とても嬉しいです。
中国には「教師の日」があるんですね。
私にとっては毎日「生徒の日」で皆に感謝していますよ !CHECKHEART!
Konnichiwa Maggie sensei boucingheart!
what is the difference between ikinari/ kyuu ni / totsuzen ni?
@Roro
Hi Roro
いきなり
突然
急に
They all mean “suddenly” or describe some unexpected matters.
A lot of time they are interchangeable.
Ex. 家を出たら雨がいきなり／突然／急に降って来た。
= Ie wo detara ame ga ikinari / totsuzen / kyuu ni futte kita.
= When I left the house, it suddenly started to rain
Ex. 彼はいきなり／突然／急に家にやってきた。
= Kare wa ikinari/ totsuzen/kyuu ni ie ni yattekita.
= He came over suddenly/ out of the blue.
(The nuance difference
いきなり is used when someone does things suddenly skipping the certain procedure.
when you are talking about something urgent or focusing on the action, we tend to use 急に
急な仕事が入った。
= Kyuuna shigoto ga haitta.
= I got an urgent business to deal with.
車は急に止まれない。
= Kuruma wa kyuu ni tomarenai.
= Cars can’t stop immediately.
And of course, there are some set phrases.
Ex. 突然の手紙、失礼します。
= Totsuzen no tegamik shitsurei shimasu.
= I am sorry to write to you out of the blue.
Xいきなりの手紙／急の手紙 are not natural
You’re my best teacher.. thank you so much :yy: boucingheart!
@Roro
You’re welcome!! boucingheart!
こんばんは、マギー先生!
Thank you for always help me! ありがとうございます!!
I hope you will help me now, too.
A Japanese said that: 2日前ですか！ペーチ来てたので見逃しました。楽しいイベントみたかった、ざんねん.
I would answer that : お気の毒に。とても楽しかったですよ~
10月にアニメコンベンションがありますできたら来てくださいね. きっと気に入ると思います.
Is this sentence correct?
I would say that: What a pity! It was fun. There will be an anime convention in October, so come if you can. I’m sure you would enjoy it.
Thank you for your help in advance! ^-^
@Fando
おはよう、Fando!
お気の毒に。とても楽しかったですよ~
→I think お気の毒に is too strong for this. How about それは残念でしたね。
10月にアニメコンベンションがありますできたら来てくださいね. きっと気に入ると思います.
→10月にアニメコンベンションがあります。できたら（As I explained in the lesson, if you want to show your friend your enthusiasm you can also say よかったら是非）来てくださいね。
気に入る is OK but for event, きっと楽しいと思います。is more natural.
Sensei thx for this lesson XD
But i’d like to ask something, can i translate zehi as ‘make sure’? So ‘zehi kite kudasai ne’ means ‘pls make sure to come’… because that words keep pop up in my head haha
@feris
Hi feris!
There are a few ways to translate the sentence with 是非.
As long as that “make sure” involves the speaker’s willingness to invite someone, yes.
Sensei, it’s me, Sandara. Can you tell me the use of the particle wo in the title below?
Ima no Obito wo.
@sandara
I already tweeted you. :)
Maggie sensei, Yukari sensei – you are absolute saints. Thanks for another really helpful lesson on how to use a common phrase that isn’t usually covered in textbooks and thanks for taking the time out to answer questions so patiently in the comments section. Reading those are always helpful as well. The comments section is like the Bonus Round of each class with you two! :D
@Jane,
Thank YOU for the nice comment!
I know everybody is trying very hard to study Japanese.
It’s the least we can do here. !onpu!
Hello! I have another question. I asked my teacher how to use なぜなら in a sentence, but he could not answer at the time. It happens I guess, so I have to ask you, hahaha.
It is used solely as a reply to a question? Or you can use it to explain things without a question?
@reid
Hello reid,
なぜなら means “because” and you use it to give a reason why.
なぜなら〜（だ）からです・だ
You can use it to explain things without a question.
Ex. 彼は最近とても忙しい。なぜなら試験の準備があるからだ。
= He has been very busy lately. It is because he has to prepare for the exams.
So you bring up a state and explain the reason later.
Ex. 水を大切にしなくてはいけません。なぜなら今年は雨が少ないからです。
= We have to use water carefully. It’s because there has been little rain this year.
You can give someone a reason answering their question.
「なぜ、彼は戦わないのですか？」
= Why won’t he fight?
「なぜなら、彼は戦いを好まないからです。」
= Because he doesn’t like fighting.
You may see/hear this type of usage in literature, drama or movie. (It sounds a bit too dramatic)
なぜなら is used in a formal / literal sentences.
In daily conversation, we don’t use it so much.
Ex. 「マギー、どうして食べないの？」
= How come you don’t eat, Maggie?
I wouldn’t say
「なぜならお腹がすいていないからです。」
= Because I am hungry.
I would say
「だってお腹がすいていないもん。」
（もん is a casual way to say から)
Thank you sooo much! haha, this explanation really erased all my doubts.
@reid
You’re welcome! :)
このレッソンを待ってました！
ありがとうマギー先生♪( ´▽｀)
メロディ♪
@Merorin
お待たせしました！！！
Hi. I very frequently see the particle を at the end of a sentence in songs. 西部に活力を！What does this mean?
覚えてるかな？涙の空を。
傷付かない強さよりも、傷付けない優しさを。
忘れないでね、笑顔の訳を。
いつまでも追いかけているあなたの残像を
@Sandra
Hello, Sandra.
That を is an object marker.
In lyrics or poems, they often switch the order of words.
That is called 倒置法(=touchihou), inversion of the word order in a sentence.
Let me show you what I am talking about.
The original sentence was
涙の空を(1) 覚えているかな(2) ？
→ 覚えているかな (Do you remember?) then follow (object) 涙の空を the teary sky
This is the same word order in English. Do you remember(2) the teary sky (1)? but in Japanese it is a reversed order.
The same pattern in the following sentences. (I won’t translate but will how you how they switch the word order.)
Original sentence 笑顔の訳を忘れないでね。
→忘れないでね、笑顔の訳を。
Original sentence あなたの残像をいつまでも追いかけている
→いつまでも追いかけているあなたの残像を
The only confusing part is the second line because it doesn’t have a main verb.
傷付かない強さ(B)よりも、傷付けない優しさ(A) を。
It could be Have A instead of B (more than B)
Hey, thanks for this lesson!
I have a question about something else today.
The first time I was learning japanese, my teacher told me to always use the particle が for things like “好き”, and to use で when talking about a language, like in “I speak english”.
Now I am having classes to improve my kanji and the books have examples of cases using the を particle, and the teacher said it is okay.
So I am confused, which is more correct to use? And is it common to use を in those cases?
@reid
Hello reid,
Though が好き is much more common, there are cases that you use を
When it modifies a noun.
Ex. 日本が/を好きな人 a person who likes Japan
Ex. こんな映画を/が好きな人はいない。Nobody would like such a movie.
Ex.この本が好きです。 I like this book (Xを is strange.)
Ex.あなたが好きです。I love you. (Xを is not natural)
And when you talk about something in English, you say で but when you speak English in general, you use を
私は英語を話す I speak English
私は英語で話す I speak in English
It all depends on the example sentences that your Japanese teacher taught. But I guess your teacher wanted to teach you the most common way to use the particles or didn’t want to confuse you teaching other possibilities.
OOHH! I get it! Thanks! I wish I could be your student, hahahaha.
@reid
You’re very welcome! :s:
THANKS maggie sensie :cryingfirl: !CHECKHEART! !CHECKHEART!
your website help mo so much :w:
faito ~~~ !niconico! !heartsippai!
@Sully
Hi Sully! Thank YOU for visiting this site,too!
はい、がんばりますよ〜！(= I will do my best!) !niconico!
Great job as always, love this website. Keep them coming
!happyface! !heart3!