Lesson Four:
You Have a Lot of Cats, Don't You!
 Neko ga sen-biki iru no?!?

I want. I need. You have. I don't have. I take. You don't have anymore? Tough. Gimme gimme never gets. Ain't you learned your manners yet?

There are a lot of things in life that we have or need. For example, I have two mountain bikes; two beautiful mountain bikes that love to work their tires off for me on those steep steep climbs up and then spread their wings on the wicked descents back down to civilization. Maybe I don't need two bikes, but I have them. There is a computer that I have sitting in one of my rooms (if I didn't have a computer you wouldn't have this lesson in front of you right now). It used to be a luxury (want) but has since become a need. I have spam coming out of the wazoo every morning I get up and check my mail. I don't need that. I do need you folks to continue enjoying these lessons. So, for now, I have a following. Or I could say, there is a fairly large group of people who have accessed these lessons are are patiently (impatiently?) awaiting the next lesson which is far too far late in coming.

It is always important to know what is yours and what isn't, if there is something there or if there isn't. If I said to you, "There is a murderer lurking in that alley." would you venture down it? What if I knew there was a murderer there but couldn't tell you so because I didn't know how? How would I explain to the police when they found your remains that I knew there was danger lurking in the darkness, but did not have the ability to tell the victim? Can you say, "good morning, fellow inmate"? Sure, I knew you could. So in this lesson we will learn how to say "I have" and "There is" because at times it can be important.

From now on, new words will be color-coded, easy for you to distinguish in the sentences. (My apologies to color-blind people).

And we have a special treat for you today. The voice you will be listening to is none other than my beautiful wife. I hope you enjoy her voice.

The Lead-in

The verb arimasu (aru) means there is and have when you are referring to objects. If you are talking about the possession of people (not politically correct these days), living things or the existence of living things, you would use the verb imasu (iru) to express your thoughts. In the last lesson we learned that desu means to be but with these two new verbs your conversation strategies expand exponentially. Arimasu and imasu are the "polite" forms of the verbs aru and iru respectively, which is not to say that aru or iru is "impolite". Rather, they tend to be used in more casual conversations with family and friends, or when writing books, papers, etc. (although you could use the more polite version when writing to friends, etc. if you so wish. Women tend to use the polite version more often than men do, but that is a cultural thing here in Japan. It seems to be acceptable if men act more impolite on a common basis (although this too is falling into disfavor with many women who find many young men unmannered these days - as an aside, foreign men are viewed by Japanese women to have much better manners than their Japanese counterpart - just for all you single guys out there).

Here is an example of what it would look like in a simple sentence:

1. Anata no ie ni neko ga imasu. (There is a cat in your house.)
2. Watashi no poketto no naka ni sakana no niku ga aru. (I have some fish meat in my pocket.)
3. Boku no mawari ni neko ga sen-biki iru! Tasukete!! (There are 1000 cats around me! Help!!)

The Form

Arimasuand imasu can be used to indicate location as well if used in the following pattern: A wa B ni arimasu/imasu where A is the topic of discussion and B is the place. In this case you must use ni before arimasu/imasu in order to designate the location.

1. Neko wa soko ni imasu. (There is a cat there.)
2. Sakana no niku wa koko ni arimasu. (There is some fish meat here.)

You could also use the previously-learned pattern of A wa B desu to designate a similar meaning:

1. Neko wa soko desu. (The cat is "that place.")
2. Sakana no niku wa koko desu. (The fish meat is "this place.")

Either pattern is fine, but since today we are focusing on arimasuand imasu, let's stick with that pattern, shall we? If you have forgotten how to use desu, please refer back to Lesson Two or Lesson Three of the FREE! Japanese Lessons.

Now you can switch around the location of the location in the sentence and put it in the beginning. If you wanted to do that, you would say, B ni A ga arimasu/imasu where B is still the location and A is the topic. If you notice, ga has replaced wa in this case. Why? Simply, because A wa tends to be stuck at the beginning of a sentence but A ga does not have this restriction. If you switch A and B around like this you are also changing the importance of A and B in relation to each other (the difference between the and a). You could also look at this as A wa is already understood or noticed while A ga is noticed for the first time. A wa can also be used when comparing two things, even if one of the two is not actually mentioned (or present) - see example 7. and 8. below.

1. Toire wa asoko ni arimasu. (The toilet is over there.) - does this ring a bell?
2. Asoko ni koban ga arimasu. (There is a police box over there.)
3. Shini-so! Tabako-ya wa soko ni aru no? (I'm dying! The smoke shop is over there?)
4. Shini-so! Soko ni Tabako-ya ga aru no? (I'm dying! There is a smoke shop over there?)
5. Inu wa niwa ni imasu. (The dog is in the garden)
6. Niwa ni inu ga imasu. (There is a dog in the garden.)
7. Sakana wa niwa no ike ni imasu. Neko wa ike no soba ni imasu.
(The fish is in the pond in the garden. The cat is beside the pond.)
8. Sakana wa niwa no ike ni imasu. (The fish is in the pond (wherever the cat may be).)

The Form, Part B

Sentences can become pretty complicated at this stage. The nice thing about Japanese, though, is that you can often omit a lot of words that you would need to have in English. Whereas English cannot function without a subject (be it a noun or pronoun), the subject in Japanese can be omitted altogether if it is already known. Watch:

1a. Watashi (ni) wa neko ga yon-hiki imasu. (I have four cats - hiki is the counter for small animals)
1b. Ippai imasu, ne. (You certainly do have a lot!)
- note, the "you" (anata) is missing in the Japanese.
2a. Imasu. ((I) have (some).)
2b. Takusan imasu. ((I) have a lot.
2c. Kyodai ga takusan imasu. (There are many brothers & sisters/
(I) have a lot of brothers & sisters.)
2d. Watashi (ni) wa kyodai ga takusan imasu. ((I) have many brothers & sisters.)

In number 2. if all of the subjects are known, you can simply say, Imasu (2a) to say the same thing as you would say in (2d) and therefore save yourself a lot of time and breath (especially if you are in a really smoky place and the cigarette smoke is killing you). It makes the language really handy, don't you think?

There is one other pattern that you should be aware of and that is ni wa will sometimes be used in place of wa. See the examples below:

1. Otooto ni wa tomodachi ga ippai imasu. (My brother has many friends.)
2. Kono heya ni wa shii-dii pureyaa ga arimasu ka? (Does this room have a CD player?)

One Final Note (+/-):

When you change from positive tense to negative tense, you usually switch the ga to wa.

1. Otooto ni wa tomodachi wa amari imasen. (My brother doesn't have many friends.)
2. Kono heya ni wa shii-dii pureyaa wa arimasen ka? (Doesn't this room have a CD player?)

Plurals

Unlike English where we put an s at the end of nouns to indicate more than one (in most cases), Japanese does not have singular and plural nouns (in most cases). This would mean that neko could mean cat or cats, depending on the situation. Usually it is understood in the context of the sentence.

However, with pronouns such as I (watashi/boku), you (anata/kimi), he (kare), she (kanojo) we pluralize them by adding -tachi to the end of the noun. We becomes watashi-tachi, you becomes anata-tachi, they becomes kare-tachi or kanojo-tachi. With kare or kanojo, one could also use the form -ra instead of -tachi to signify the plural (this is more informal). Here are just a few examples for you to look at:

1. Watashi-tachi wa ginko ni ikitai. (We want to go to the bank.)
2. Kanojo-tachi wa Nihon ni imasu. (They are in Japan.)
3. Kare-ra ni wa rippa-na ie ga arimasu. (They have a splendid house.)

But, but but but but but, if you attach the plural -tachi to people's names, it takes on a different meaning:

1. Yamamoto-san-tachi. (Mr./Mrs. Yamamoto and those around them. (often the family)
2. Keiko-chan-tachi. (Keiko and her buddies.)

And if you grab that tachi with two hands and swing it around the room you can do some very serious damage because a tachi is the two-handed long sword of Japanese samurai days. Interesting, yes?

Renshuu: Practice Makes Perfect

1. Practice changing the sentences around. If it says, "There is an A there", change it to "The A is there" and vice-versa. Then listen to the answer by clicking on the headphones. Also, try to write down the meaning of each of the sentences for practice. You should be able to put it together if you have come this far. If you are really stumped, send an e-mail to sensei by writing to info @ japanippon (dot) com for details. (be sure to quote exactly what you are looking for - he is not omniscient).

(Note: If you jumped straight into this lesson without reading the introduction to the FREE! Japanese Lessons, go back now and read the Important Note for Power Students. Or you can get the program you need by following the link at the bottom of this or any other lesson. Otherwise you may not be able to hear these sound-tracks - this is the last time I will be making this disclaimer. From now on, you are on your own.)

Listen to me Rei: Asoko ni niwa ga arimasu. → Niwa wa asoko ni arimasu.
1. Koko ni shii-dii ga arimasu.
Listen to me 2. Niwa no ike ni sakana ga imasu.
3. Keiko-san wa doko ni imasu ka?
4. Heya ni neko wa imasen.
5. Sono teeburu ni biiru ga takusan arimasu.

2. Produce the following sentences. Each one will get larger, but they are all complete sentences. Click on the headphones to hear the answers.

Listen to me Rei: Arimasu; takusan; okane (money); watashi wa. → Arimasu; Takusan arimasu; Okane ga takusan arimasu; Watashi wa okane ga takusan arimasu.
1. Imasen; amari; tomodachi (friend); imooto (younger sister)
Listen to me 2. Arimasu; san-gai (third floor); pooru (pool); anata-tachi no
3. Arimasu; takusan; okane; kanojo
4. Imasu; oji-san (middle-aged man); futotta; tabako-ya ni wa

3. Say the following in Japanese. Be careful of the use of wa, ga, imasu, arimasu. Click on the headphones to hear the answers.

Listen to me 1. There are (some) cats here.
2. The tobacco shop is over there.
3. Over there is a fish.
4. Honda-san is over there.
5. There is a pen there.

The Culture Pocket: Greetings at Home

When family members come and go from their homes, they usually say set phrases, which do not really have a translation into English because we don't often say anything as we leave or come. There is no order of saying the phrases, so the person remaining in the household can say farewell before the person leaving leaves, or reverse. Number 3. is often said, even if nobody is within listening distance. You can listen to the sounds and then practice them yourself.

Listen to me 1. Person leaving home: Itte kimasu / Itte mairimasu (more polite)
2. Person remaining at home: Itte irasshai / Itte'rasshai
3. Person returning home: Tadaima.
4. Person at home: O-kaeri nasai.

When visitors (o-kyaku-san) come and go, the phrases used are different (much more polite):

Listen to me Arrival: Host: Dozo, o-agari kudasai.
Guest: O-jamashimasu. / Shitsurei shimasu
Listen to me Departure: Guest: O-jama shimashita. / Shitsurei shimashita.
Host: Mata dozo. (Please come again)
Guest: Arigato gozaimasu. (Thank you.)
Guest: Ja, shitsurei shimasu. (Please excuse me; good bye)
Host: Sayonara / Sayoonara (Good bye)

Japan is still a fairly safe country (use your judgment, however and play it safe no matter where you go) so often the genkan or entrance is left unlocked when people are expected. Guests will usually open the door, announce themselves and step in without waiting for the host to invite them in. In this case the guests will say something like, gomen kudasai! The standard reply from way in the other end of the house is an exuberant hai!

When one enters a building they will be about one step below the actual floor level. This area is considered to be outside for purposes of dirty shoes. If invited in, the guest will remove the shoes, put on a pair of slippers that are offered by the host (Japanese floors are uninsulated and cold air runs below them so take those tiny slippers or risk getting chilly feet - especially in winter: our house gets down to -4C (30F) in the winter and it is worse than living in a refrigerator!) and literally step up into the living area. This is why the host says "O-agari kudasai" (literally meaning Please step up).

If you have any questions or comments, please contact sensei by writing to info @ japanippon (dot) com for details.

January 10th, 1999

Click the links below to get the program that allows you to listen to the examples.

NOTE: It seems that Qualcomm has had some copyright infringement lawsuits that it is currently dealing with and their website has been shut down. This means that this software is no longer available. Please feel free to continue with the lessons, but just skip the audio tracks. I'm very sorry about this. (Sensei, 2008/03/01)