Beginning Japanese for Professionals: Book 1

16 1-1-4 Adverbs Adverbs appear before the verb in a Japanese sentence and indicate how much, how often, or in what manner something happens. Amari and zenzen combine with a negative and indicate the degree to which something happens. ( Zenzen combined with an affirmative indicates an unexpected degree in colloquial Japanese) Amari tabemasen. I don’t eat it very much. Zenzen hanashimasen. I do not speak it at all. Yoku means ‘well, a lot, or frequently’ depending on the context . Yoku wakarimasu. I understand well. Yoku kaimasu . I buy it a lot/often. Drills and Exercises A. Listen to the audio. Following the first two model exchanges, respond to each cue. Cue: Shimasu ka. Do you play? Response: Ee, yoku shimasu. Yes, we play a lot. Cue: Tabemasu ka. Do you eat this? Response: Ee, yoku tabemasu. Yes, I eat it a lot. B. Cue: Shimasu ka. Do you do it? Response: Iie, amari shimasen nee. No, we don’t do it much. Cue: Tabemasu ka. Do you eat it? Response: Iie, amari tabemasen nee. No, I don’t eat it much. C. Cue: Shimasen ka. Don’t you play? Response: Ee, zenzen shimasen nee. Right, I don’t at all. Cue: Tabemasen ka. Don’t you eat it? Response: Ee, zenzen tabemasen nee. Right, we don’t eat it at all. D. Say it in Japanese. You are talking about a Japanese dish. You’ve been asked if you eat it. 1. No, I don’t eat it at all. 2. No, I don’t eat it very often. 3. Yes, I eat it often. 4. Yes, I make it sometimes. 5. Yes, I make it often. E. Act in Japanese. 1. Ms. Honda is watching a Chinese video. Find out if she understands it. 2. Ms. Honda is talking about a video game. Ask if she plays it often.