About This Lesson
Use Living Nearby and Getting to Class to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
どこに住んでいますか？
DOH-koh nee SOON-deh-ee-MAHS-kah? Where do you live?
B
近くに住んでいます。
CHEE-kah-koo nee SOON-deh-ee-MAHS. I live nearby.
A
ここにはどうやって来ますか？
KOH-koh nee wah DOH-yah-teh KEE-mahs-kah? How do you get here?
B
晴れの日は自転車に乗ります。
HAH-reh noh HEE wah jee-TEN-shah nee NOH-ree-MAHS. I ride my bike on sunny days.
A
雨の日はどうしますか？
AH-meh noh HEE wah DOH-shee-MAHS-kah? What about rainy days?
B
雨が降るときはバスに乗ります。
AH-meh gah FOO-roo toh-kee wah BAH-soo nee NOH-ree-MAHS. I take the bus when it rains.Word by Word
どこ
どこ means “where” in どこに住んでいますか, asking about someone’s place of residence. It commonly appears before に when asking where someone lives. Use it when asking another person for their location or place of residence.
に
に marks the place connected with living in どこに住んでいますか. A common reusable pattern is place + に + 住んでいます. Use it when stating or asking where someone lives.
住んで
住んで means “live” or “reside” here and links with います in 住んでいます to describe a continuing living situation. It is the form of 住む used before います. The reusable pattern is place + に + 住んでいます, useful when talking about where you live.
います
In 住んでいます, います helps express the continuing state of living, so the whole phrase means “live” or “reside.” It follows 住んで in a statement about residence. Use it when answering where you live.
か
か is the question marker at the end of どこに住んでいますか. It turns the polite statement into a question. A reusable pattern is a polite sentence + か when asking for information.
近く
近く means “nearby” in 近くに住んでいます. It combines with に to describe living in a nearby place. Use it when telling someone that your home is close by.
ここ
ここ means “here” in ここにはどうやって来ますか, referring to the place where the speakers are, such as the classroom. It is followed by は in this question to make the place the focus. Use it when referring to the speaker’s current place.
は
は marks the topic or focus in ここにはどうやって来ますか and 雨の日はどうしますか. Here it focuses first on “here” and then on “rainy days.” A common reuse pattern is a place or time expression + は when shifting attention to a topic or condition.
どうやって
どうやって is the whole expression meaning “how” or “by what means” in ここにはどうやって来ますか. Within it, どう asks how, while やって adds the idea of carrying something out in a particular way. It is commonly used before an action to ask about the method, such as how someone gets somewhere.
来ます
来ます means “come” or “get here” in ここにはどうやって来ますか. It is the polite form of 来る and describes coming to the place being discussed. A reusable pattern is destination + に + 来ます, useful when asking or describing arrival at a place.
晴れ
晴れ means “sunny weather” in 晴れの日. Together with の and 日, it identifies days when the weather is sunny. Use it when describing a routine that depends on sunny weather.
の
の links 晴れ with 日 in 晴れの日, making the phrase identify a day by its weather. A common reuse pattern is a description + の + noun to connect two parts of a phrase. Use it when one expression specifies or describes another noun.
日
日 means “day” in 晴れの日, referring to days characterized by sunny weather. It commonly combines with a weather expression through の, as in 晴れの日. Use it when talking about routines on particular kinds of days.
自転車
自転車 means “bicycle” in 自転車に乗ります. It names the vehicle used for travel on sunny days. A reusable pattern is vehicle + に + 乗ります, useful when explaining how you travel.
乗ります
乗ります means “ride” or “take a vehicle” in 自転車に乗ります and バスに乗ります. It is the polite form of 乗る, and the vehicle is marked with に. Use it when describing riding a bicycle or taking a bus.
雨
雨 means “rain” or “rainy weather” in 雨の日 and 雨が降る. With 日, it describes rainy days; with 降る, it is the rain that falls. Use 雨が降る when talking about rain and weather-dependent plans.
どう
どう means “how” or “what to do” in 雨の日はどうしますか. It asks how the rainy-day situation will be handled, while しますか makes the question about an action. A common reuse is どうしますか when asking what someone plans to do in a situation.
します
します means “do” in どうしますか and supplies the action being asked about. It is the polite form of する, while どう asks how the situation will be handled. Use it in questions about what action someone will take or choose.
が
が marks 雨 as the thing that falls in 雨が降るとき. It identifies the subject of 降る. A common reusable pattern is noun + が + verb when stating what is performing an action or what is occurring.
降る
降る means “fall” here specifically for rain in 雨が降る. In 雨が降るとき, this form appears before とき to describe the condition “when it rains.” Use 雨が降る when stating that rain is falling or that it is raining.
とき
とき means “when” or “at the time” in 雨が降るときは. It follows 雨が降る to specify the time or condition connected to the action that follows. A reusable pattern is clause + とき for describing what happens when a situation occurs.
バス
バス means “bus” in バスに乗ります. It names the alternative vehicle chosen when it rains. It can be used in the reusable pattern vehicle + に + 乗ります, as with 自転車に乗ります.
Grammar Points
〜ています
ここに住んでいます。
KOH-koh nee SOON-deh-ee-MAHS.I live here.
The form 〜ています can describe a current state or an ongoing situation. Here, 住んでいます means “live.”
Nで来ます
自転車で来ます。
jee-TEN-shah deh KEE-mahs.I come by bicycle.
Use で after a vehicle or means of transport to say how someone travels.
Japanese Vocabulary
ここ
pron
KOH-koh
here
ここにはどうやって来ますか?
どうする
verb
DOH-soo-roo
what to do
どうしますか
雨の日はどうしますか?
どうやって
adv
DOH-yah-teh
how; by what means
ここにはどうやって来ますか?
どこ
pron
DOH-koh
where
どこに住んでいますか?
雨
noun
AH-meh
rain
雨の日はどうしますか?
近く
adv
CHEE-kah-koo
nearby
近くに住んでいます。
自転車
noun
jee-TEN-shah
bicycle
晴れの日は自転車に乗ります。
住む
verb
SOO-moo
to live
住んでいます
どこに住んでいますか?
乗る
verb
NOH-roo
to ride; to take a vehicle
乗ります
晴れの日は自転車に乗ります。
晴れ
noun
HAH-reh
sunny weather; clear weather
晴れの日は自転車に乗ります。
日
noun
HEE
day
晴れの日は自転車に乗ります。
来る
verb
KOO-roo
to come
来ます
ここにはどうやって来ますか?
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
to live
Show Answer
住んでいますhow; by what means
Show Answer
どうやってto ride; to take a vehicle
Show Answer
乗りますwhat to do