English only has two kinds of demonstrative pronouns (the linguistic term for words like ‘this/these’ or ‘that/those’), which also double as demonstrative adjectives (the linguistic term for the ‘this’ in ‘this bag’ and so on). English uses the word ‘that/these’ to refer to anything that is far from the speaker, but Japanese has a third class of demonstrative pronouns for things that are neither near the speaker nor the listener. Much later in our studies, we will learn more uses for these words, but for now just remember to use ‘あれ /あの/あそこ’ when talking about something that is far away from you and the person with whom you are speaking.
Unlike English, Japanese does not have specific words for ‘my,’ ‘your,’ or ‘their’; instead, we use the appropriate pronoun or name and ‘の.’ There are many different ways to say ‘I’ or ‘me’ in Japanese, but for now, we will use the most basic word, ‘わたし.’
In the picture, the speaker is holding the pen in question. Because the book is nearer the speaker, we use a word from the ‘こ’ series and the ‘XはYです’ construction that we learned in Chapter 1:
これはわたしのペンです。
kore ha (wa) watashi no pen desu.

In the picture, the speaker is holding the pen in question. Because the book is nearer the speaker, we use a word from the ‘こ’ series and the ‘XはYです’ construction that we learned in Chapter 1:
これはわたしのペンです。
kore ha (wa) watashi no pen desu.

English only has two kinds of demonstrative pronouns (the linguistic term for words like ‘this/these’ or ‘that/those’), which also double as demonstrative adjectives (the linguistic term for the ‘this’ in ‘this bag’ and so on). English uses the word ‘that/these’ to refer to anything that is far from the speaker, but Japanese has a third class of demonstrative pronouns for things that are neither near the speaker nor the listener. Much later in our studies, we will learn more uses for these words, but for now just remember to use ‘あれ /あの/あそこ’ when talking about something that is far away from you and the person with whom you are speaking.
In Japanese, there are not separate words for ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ or ‘Ms.’; instead, we use the catch-all ‘さん.’ Note that we use this word in everyday Japanese much more often than we use ‘Mr.,’ ‘Mrs.,’ or ‘Ms.’ in English. A general rule of thumb is that you should always refer to someone with the suffix ‘さん’ if you don’t know them personally or if you want to show them respect and be polite. Note that there are exceptions to this, like when referring to your teacher, whom you should always refer to as ‘last name/surname + せんせい.’
Unlike English, Japanese does not have specific words for ‘my,’ ‘your,’ or ‘their’; instead, we use the appropriate pronoun or name and ‘の.’
In the picture, the listener is holding the book in question. Because the book is nearer the listener, we use a word from the ‘そ’ series and the ‘XはYです’ construction that we learned in Chapter 1:
それはけんさんのほんです。
sore ha (wa) ken-san no hon desu.

In the picture, the listener is holding the book in question. Because the book is nearer the listener, we use a word from the ‘そ’ series and the ‘XはYです’ construction that we learned in Chapter 1:
それはけんさんのほんです。
sore ha (wa) ken-san no hon desu.

English only has two kinds of demonstrative pronouns (the linguistic term for words like ‘this/these’ or ‘that/those’), which also double as demonstrative adjectives (the linguistic term for the ‘this’ in ‘this bag’ and so on). English uses the word ‘that/these’ to refer to anything that is far from the speaker, but Japanese has a third class of demonstrative pronouns for things that are neither near the speaker nor the listener. Much later in our studies, we will learn more uses for these words, but for now just remember to use ‘あれ /あの/あそこ’ when talking about something that is far away from you and the person with whom you are speaking.
When followed by the copula (joining word) ‘です,’ or ‘だ,’ and in a few other instances, the word ‘なに’ is shortened to ‘なん.’
In the picture, the building in question is far away from both the speaker and the listener. Because the building is in the distance, we use a word from the ‘あ’ series and the ‘XはYです’ construction that we learned in Chapter 1:
あれはなんですか。
are ha (wa) nan desu ka.

In the picture, the building in question is far away from both the speaker and the listener. Because the building is in the distance, we use a word from the ‘あ’ series and the ‘XはYです’ construction that we learned in Chapter 1:
あれはなんですか。
are ha (wa) nan desu ka.

English only has two kinds of demonstrative pronouns (the linguistic term for words like ‘this/these’ or ‘that/those’), which also double as demonstrative adjectives (the linguistic term for the ‘this’ in ‘this bag’ and so on). English uses the word ‘that/these’ to refer to anything that is far from the speaker, but Japanese has a third class of demonstrative pronouns for things that are neither near the speaker nor the listener. Much later in our studies, we will learn more uses for these words, but for now just remember to use ‘あれ /あの/あそこ’ when talking about something that is far away from you and the person with whom you are speaking.
In the picture, the dish in question is beside the speaker. Because the dish is nearer to the speaker, we use a word from the ‘こ’ series and the ‘XはYです’ construction that we learned in Chapter 1:
これはにくですか。
kore ha (wa) niku desu ka.

In the picture, the dish in question is beside the speaker. Because the dish is nearer to the speaker, we use a word from the ‘こ’ series and the ‘XはYです’ construction that we learned in Chapter 1:
これはにくですか。
kore ha (wa) niku desu ka.