Beginning Japanese for Professionals: Book 1

62 kono atarashii apaato this new apartment → kono atarashii no watashi no kono kaban this bag of mine → watashi no kore atarashii Amerika no kaisha new American company → atarashii Amerika no 3-2-3 ka nee ‘I wonder’ Some sentence particles can occur in combination. One common combination is ka nee ‘I wonder.’ Ka indicates doubt and nee indicates that the speaker assumes the hearer has the same doubt. In the dialogue above, Michael asks if there are cheaper apartments, assuming Ms. Honda understands his situation. Compare the following: Motto yasui no wa arimasen ka . Aren't there cheaper ones? Motto yasui no wa arimasen ka nee . I wonder if there are cheaper ones. While the first asks for an answer, the second does not demand a response because the speaker assumes that the other person shares the same question. The result is softer. Ka nee is also used as a polite response to a question when the speaker does not know the answer. Ano hito dare desu ka? Wh o is that person? - Dare desu ka nee. I wonder, too. Dare no kasa desu ka? Whose umbrella is it? - Dare no desu ka nee. I wonder whose it is, too. Drills and Exercises A. Cue: Go-en desu ka. Is it five yen? Response: Ie-ie, gojuu-en desu yo. No, no, it’s fifty yen! Cue: Nihyaku-en desu ka. Is it two hundred yen? Response: Ie-ie, nisen-en desu yo. No, no, it’s two thousand yen! B. Cue: Takai desu nee. It’s expensive, isn’t it! Response: Ee, motto yasui no wa arimasen nee. Yes, there aren’t any cheaper ones, are there. Cue: Chiisai desu nee. It’s small, isn’t it! Response: Ee, motto ookii no wa arimasen nee. Yes, there aren’t any bigger ones, are there. C. Cue: Minna, ookii desu nee. They’re all big, aren’t they! Response: Ichiban ookii no wa, dore desu ka. Which is the biggest one? Cue: Minna, furui desu nee. They’re all old, aren’t they! Response: Ichiban furui no wa, doredesu ka. Which is the oldest one?