Learn Japanese Language On-line  Video Series

Welcome to our learn Japanese language video page. Here we have posted some Japanese language videos to help those interested in learning some basic Japanese grammar.

Learn Japanese Language Video Content Description #1
In this short video, Takanori looks specifically at the use of the particle "o" as it is used to describe or denote its relationship with a noun and verb. Meaning "o" as a particle and marker of the object to the verb is discussed.

To expand a bit on what Mr. Takanori says in the video, the particle "o" occurs in most basic sentences in the following  manner. Noun + "o" + verb. So in his example  "eat sushi", sushi (noun) comes first then comes "o" then comes eat(verb). So it is the opposite order of English.  or (I) sushi eat.

What was not mentioned in the video is that "o" establishes a close relationship with the noun sushi. It has an exhaustively close relationship. It tells us what acts upon what. So in other words it tells us what was eaten - sushi. Sushi was eaten. To try to make it even clearer just ask yourself what was X-ed. "o" tells you what was acted upon /eaten/drank/thrown/studied etc. So when you hear "o" as a particle you should know that in a basic sentence that a noun is coming next to tell you what was acted upon. "o" is one of the most fundamental particles necessary to learn the Japanese language.

He also spends a few minutes differentiating it from the "o" that is used to proceed nouns in order to add a measure of politeness to a noun as in words like: sushi which changes to "osushi". Or "kane" which changes to "okane". "osushi" is "sushi" and "okane" means "money" in English.

Learn Japanese Language Video Content Description #2
In slightly over 3 minutes our host Takanori will look at conjugating between present tense which he will often refer to as perfective tense and imperfective tense or past tense. More specifically he illustrates it in polite distal style using "masu" and "mashita" Two verb forms - wakaru (understand) and its past "wakarimashita" (understood) is explained. His second example is "tabemasu" (eat) and "tabemashita" (ate).

Video Content Description #3
In this video, basic sentence order not involving main verbs gets briefly looked into. Examples are: This is my bag - or "kore wa watshino kaban. And - Is this my bag? - or "kore wa watashi no kaban desu ka?"

One might make note of the following. Desu is being explained as the equivalent of the b-verb "is" or "am" or "are" Depending on what the English subject would be. "Desu" is not a copula. It is a distal style final predicate used for creating either emotional distance or politeness between two parties. Although almost every single native Japanese teacher who teaches a sentence as simple as "This is a bag." Will give the Japanese translation of "Kore wa watashi no kaban desu.

In actuality both "kaban" and "kaban desu" have exactly the same meaning. It is actually nothing more than a stylistic difference between them.

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