Learn how to introduce yourself and ask other people basic questions.

You will practice:

• Saying your name, nationality, job, and hometown
• Talking about your family
• Talking about your hobbies and interests
• Asking someone where they are from
• Asking what someone does
• Asking what someone likes

Example sentence patterns:

• Watashi wa Rieko desu.I am Rieko.
• Tokyo ni sunde imasu.I live in Tokyo.
• Eigo no sensei desu.I am an English teacher.
• Ryokō ga suki desu.I like traveling.

Learn how Japanese sentences are different from English sentences.

Students will study:

• The basic word order of Japanese
• How to form affirmative and negative sentences
• How to make questions
• How subjects are often omitted in Japanese
• How to use polite verb endings

Basic structure: Topic + information + verb

Example:

• Watashi wa sushi o tabemasu.I eat sushi.
• Ashita Tokyo ni ikimasu.I will go to Tokyo tomorrow.

Learn how particles connect words and show their function in a sentence.

Students will practice:

• wa for the topic
• ga for the subject or emphasis
• o for the object
• ni for time and destination
• de for the place of an action
• no for possession
• to for “with” or “and”

Examples:

• Watashi wa gakusei desu.I am a student.
• Pan o tabemasu.I eat bread.
• Shinjuku ni ikimasu.I go to Shinjuku.
• Resutoran de tabemasu.I eat at a restaurant.

Learn how to talk about present, future, and past actions.

Students will practice:

• Present and future forms
• Past forms
• Negative forms
• Past-negative forms
• Common daily verbs

Common verbs include:

eat · drink · go · come · see · buy · speak · study · work · sleep

Examples:

• Mainichi benkyō shimasu.I study every day.
• Kinō benkyō shimashita.I studied yesterday.
• Kyō wa benkyō shimasen.I will not study today.

Learn how to explain your daily schedule and activities.

Students will practice talking about:

• What time they wake up
• What they do in the morning
• Work or school schedules
• Meals
• Evening activities
• Weekend plans

Example:

• Asa shichi-ji ni okimasu.I wake up at seven in the morning.
• Hachi-ji kara hatarakimasu.I work from eight o’clock.
• Yoru eiga o mimasu.I watch a movie at night.

Learn how to use Japanese adjectives.

Students will study:

• i-adjectives
• na-adjectives
• Positive and negative descriptions
• Present and past descriptions
• Connecting two descriptions

Examples:

• Kono machi wa nigiyaka desu.This town is lively.
• Kono ryōri wa oishii desu.This food is delicious.
• Heya wa hirokute kirei desu.The room is spacious and clean.

Learn how to express preferences and abilities.

Students will practice:

• Saying what they like or dislike
• Talking about favorite food, music, and activities
• Saying what they are good or bad at
• Saying what they can or cannot do

Examples:

• Nihon no ongaku ga suki desu.I like Japanese music.
• Kanji wa amari tokui ja arimasen.I am not very good at kanji.
• Nihongo o sukoshi hanasemasu.I can speak a little Japanese.

Practice conversations at restaurants, cafés, and shops.

Students will learn how to:

• Ask what a dish contains
• Order food and drinks
• Ask for recommendations
• Request something without a certain ingredient
• Change an order
• Ask for another item
• Ask for the bill

Example expressions:

• Osusume wa nan desu ka?What do you recommend?
• Niku nashi ni dekimasu ka?Can you make it without meat?
• Kore o hitotsu onegai shimasu.I would like one of these.
• Mō hitotsu kudasai.Please give me one more.

Learn how to communicate in shops and compare different items.

Students will practice:

• Asking about prices
• Asking about size and color
• Comparing two products
• Asking to try something on
• Asking whether another item is available
• Talking about what they want to buy

Examples:

• Motto ōkii saizu wa arimasu ka?Do you have a larger size?
• Kuro to shiro, dochira ga ii desu ka?Which is better, black or white?
• Kono hō ga yasui desu.This one is cheaper.

Learn how to ask more detailed questions in Japanese.

Students will practice using:

• What
• Who
• Where
• When
• Why
• Which
• How
• How many
• How much

Examples:

• Doko de kaemasu ka?Where can I buy it?
• Nan-ji ni hajimarimasu ka?What time does it start?
• Dōyatte ikimasu ka?How do I get there?
• Dono kurai kakarimasu ka?How long does it take?

Learn how to understand and give basic directions.

Students will practice:

• Asking how to reach a destination
• Understanding train and bus information
• Asking where to transfer
• Asking how long a journey takes
• Explaining a destination to a taxi driver
• Understanding simple announcements

Example expressions:

• Shinjuku made dōyatte ikimasu ka?How do I get to Shinjuku?
• Doko de norikaemasu ka?Where do I transfer?
• Kono densha wa Shibuya ni tomarimasu ka?Does this train stop at Shibuya?

Learn how to talk about future plans and past experiences.

Students will practice:

• Talking about weekend plans
• Saying where they want to go
• Talking about past trips
• Saying what they have experienced
• Inviting someone to do something

Examples:

• Kyōto ni ikitai desu.I want to go to Kyoto.
• Nihon ryōri o tabeta koto ga arimasu.I have eaten Japanese food before.
• Issho ni ikimasen ka?Would you like to go together?