Basic English Conversations Teachers Guide

CONTENTS Introduction Using the Introduction Section of the Book Teaching Part 1 (Topics) Teaching Part 2 (Situations) Teaching Part 3 (My Conversations) Conducting and Grading Speaking Tests Conducting the Part 1 Final Test Grading the Final Part 1 Test Conducting the Part 2 Final Test Grading the Final Part 2 Test Translations of Japanese Parts of Basic English Conversations OrientationGetting Ready to Learn English Conversations with the Teacher Topic 1Whats your name? Topic 2Where are you from? Topic 3What do you do? Topic 4Do you have any brothers or sisters? Topic 5Do you have a part-time job? Topic 6What do you do in your free time? Topic 7Do you like sports? Topic 8What are you doing this weekend? Topic 9Do you have any plans for the summer? Situation 1Conversations with a New Teacher Situation 2Conversations with a Tourist Situation 3Conversations with a Business Person Situation 4Conversations with an International Student My Conversations (Introduction) Conversations with Friends 13 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 34 36 38 40 9 9 11 11 2 3 4 7 8

Introduction If you have read the introduction to Basic English Conversations, you will know that the central aim of the book is to teach the students the language they need for simple conversations so that you can then teach them how to actually have those conversations. At first glance, you may feel that the example conversations rely too heavily on an over-simplified question/answer format. This is a valid observation, but it is my belief that students need to learn simplified dialogues such as these to practice basic language before they can move on to deal with the subtleties of authentic exchanges. A criticism I often hear of contemporary conversation textbooks is that they seem to presume that the students know the language already and simply need an opportunity to practice it. If you have felt this to be the case with textbooks that you have used in the past, you may well find that you prefer the more old-fashioned approach taken in Basic English Conversations. There are four main parts to the book: The Introduction section is designed to give students an orientation to learning English conversation and introduce them to language that they will need in order to communicate with their teachers. Part 1 of the book is a series of nine units based on simple questions about personal information. The example conversations present the language of basic questions and answers, and at the end of the unit, there is a page for students to write their own answers to all the questions they have learned. This section of the book is designed to lead to a final interview test with the teacher. Part 2 of the book gives examples of conversations in four situations that Japanese students of English could possibly find themselves in. This section is designed to lead to a role-play test at the end of the semester. The final section of the book is designed to encourage students to try using English with each other outside the classroom. A Japanese introduction explains why this is a good idea, and a series of example conversations presents students with language that they could use with their friends. If you have any questions or comments about Basic English Conversations, please email me at info@btbpress.com. David Barker, April 2009

Using the Introduction Section of the Book This part of the book should be introduced at the beginning of the course. One method for introducing the students to basic classroom English is described below. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Ask the students to read the conversations and the Japanese points that follow. Play the recordings of the conversations and ask the students to read as they listen. Play the recording of Conversation 1 and ask students to read aloud along with the CD. Choose a student to read through the conversation with you. Make sure that his or her pronunciation is correct. Demonstrate again with a few other students. Repeat the process for all the other conversations. Put students in groups or pairs and tell them to take turns playing the role of teacher and students as they read through the conversations. Tell them to practice each conversation until they can do them all without looking at their books. This will probably take up most of the first lesson. Tell students that they should read the OrientationGetting Ready to Learn English section before they come to the next class and be ready to discuss it. In the next class, review the classroom language by asking students to practice it in pairs or groups and then testing individual students to see if they can do the conversations with you without looking at their books. When you have finished that, put them in groups to discuss what they read in OrientationGetting Ready to Learn English. If you have low-level students, it is probably wise to suggest that they do this in Japanese. As they talk, go around each group to ask if they have any questions for you about what they have read. (Note that an English translation of the orientation is included at the end of this guide.) When you are satisfied that the students have understood and discussed the orientation, tell them to turn to page 21 and read the explanation of the Part 1 test. (If you are going to follow a different procedure for the test, give them a handout explaining it, and tell them to paste it over the explanation in their book.) Explain that you will be covering one unit per week, and stress the need for students to practice the conversations extensively in order to pass the test.

Teaching Part 1 (Topics) The following is a description of a somewhat old-fashioned (but highly effective) method of teaching the basic conversations: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ask the students to read each of the conversations and the Japanese points that follow. Play the recordings of all the conversations and ask the students to read along silently. Play the first conversation again, and ask students to read aloud with the CD. Practice the conversation with a few individual students. Repeat this process for all the conversations. Put students in pairs or groups to practice each conversation. Ask students to write their own answers to all the questions at the end of the unit. Walk around and check as they do this. Make sure they know that you both want and expect them to ask you to check the answers they are writing. 8. 9. Put students in pairs or groups to practice each conversation, this time substituting their own answers for the answers in the book. Choose a couple of strong students to demonstrate how to practice putting together questions from different conversations (and varying the style of their answers) to create an original dialogue. For example, one variation of the conversations in Topic 1 might go something like this: T: Hi, Im David. S: Im Takamasa Watanabe. Please call me Taka. T: Okay. Nice to meet you, Taka. How do you spell your family name S: Sorry? T: How do you spell your last name? S: Oh, its W-A-T-A-N-A-B-E. One very effective way of practicing these conversations is to have students sit in rows facing each other with the role of teacher assigned to one row, and the role of student assigned to the other. After a set period of practice, simply rotate one side so that everyone is now working with a new partner. When you have rotated the line fully, swap the roles so that teachers are now students, and students are teachers.

As students gradually master the language they need for the basic exchanges, you will be able to provide instruction to individuals on how they can make their conversations sound more natural. At the end of the class, choose a few students to do mock run-throughs of the test based just on the material they have covered in that lesson. Give the class feedback on how those students performance would have been graded on the test. If you do this every week, students will begin to get a feel of what they are going to have to do to pass the test. As you move through the topics, begin each class by testing two or three students. Ask them questions covering all the topics they have studied so far, but not necessarily in the same order as the book (or in exactly the same way). It is a good idea to deliberately include questions that the students will not understand in order to get them used to saying Sorry? and I dont understand. When the students have finished practicing the language from each new topic, give them time to practice building up conversations that include everything they have studied so far. It is important for students to understand the importance of constantly reviewing and practicing everything they have learned. If you take two classes at the beginning of the semester to cover the introduction, you should finish all the topics in week 11. This will give you at least two or three weeks to do practice tests and give feedback on individual performances. Once students have learned the language they need, you will find that you have more time to focus on points like responding appropriately, giving extra information, and using non-verbal communication. Note: Let me see Some teachers who have looked at Basic English Conversations have commented that no attempt is made to teach the kinds of expressions that native speakers often use as the glue that holds real conversations together. This is a deliberate omission. Expressions such as Let me see and Sounds good undoubtedly play an important role in conversations between fluent speakers of English, but using them correctly requires a very high level of communicative and pragmatic competence. In the hands of students who do not have this level of competence, their usage often sounds comical and absurd. For example, it is all very well teaching students that Let me see is a good expression to gain thinking time in a conversation, but what about an exchange like this?

A: Whats your name? B: Let me see Any native speaker would know that this is inappropriate, but how would a student be able to make that judgment? In fact, the above conversation is a real example that I heard countless times in tests of students who had been taught to use this expression when they wanted time to think. Here are two other examples from a more recent test that stick in my mind: A: How long are you staying? B: Only five days. A: Oh, sounds bad. A: Whats your wifes name? B: Yuko. A: Oh, sounds good! These are obviously mistaken extensions of the phrase Sounds good, which is a perfectly natural expression, particularly in American English. However, as the examples above demonstrate, it is actually extremely difficult for students to judge when it is appropriate to use this expression and when it is not. I would argue that the same is true for many of the other expressions that are commonly taught to (and generally misused by) elementary level students. If you disagree, try writing an explanation of the conditions that need to apply for sounds good and let me see to be used appropriately. This should make it clear how complex the usage of these expressions actually is. To summarize, the philosophy of Basic English Conversations is that while there may be value in teaching simple techniques like repeating the last part of what someone has said and using Really? to show surprise or interest, students of the level at which the book is aimed need to achieve fluency by learning how to say what they want to say, not by trying to make up for not knowing enough language by plugging in random expressions.

Teaching Part 2 (Situations) Part 2 of Basic English Conversations can be taught in a very similar way to Part 1. The two main differences are (a) the extra page for students to write their own ideas about questions to ask, and (b) the need for students to create identities for each of the situations in order to help one another practice. If you have extremely low-level students, you may choose to ask them only to memorize the questions in the book, but for most students, it will be more interesting if they try to create additional questions that they can ask in the test. The biggest difference between Parts 1 and 2 is that in Part 2, students have to lead the conversation, which means they will have to vary what they ask according to the answers they are given. It will not be possible for them to learn how to do this if they only practice the conversations as written in the book, so each student will have to create an identity for each of the situations. If every student creates their own identity (including name, nationality, age, etc.) then everyone will be able to get the practice they need simply by continually changing their practice partner. Creating new identities can actually be a lot of fun, and it makes the practice more interesting for all the students when they have no idea how their partner is going to respond to their questions. After students have listened to the recordings and practiced reading the conversations from the book, the next step will be for them to cross out the answers in the book and write new ones. Once they have done this, you can use the same technique of putting them in rows to practice with each other. You can then go around and give feedback on the two key points of (a) responding appropriately to somebodys answer and (b) putting questions together in a logical and appropriate order to build a conversation. If you have very low-level students, you can easily adjust the difficulty of the book by changing the number of situations that students are required to cover in a semester, but we have found that four is not unrealistic even for very low-level non-English majors.

Teaching Part 3 (My Conversations) This section of the book can be introduced at any stage of the course, but the earlier it is done, the more time you will have to convince students of the value of using English with each other outside the classroom. The easiest way to introduce this section is simply to ask students to read the introduction beginning on page 92 and then discuss its contents with you and/or their classmates. Although it is not realistic to expect that every student will take to this idea, it is entirely possible that one or two might be persuaded to give it a try. If this happens, others may be convinced to join in when they see the progress their friends are making. You can show students that you are serious about the idea by asking them to write a translation of a conversation they have had with a friend in the My Conversations section every week for homework. You can then set aside time in every class for students to show you and each other what they have written. If you see one or two that are particularly useful, you can write the corrected version on the board and ask everyone to copy it. As explained in the Japanese introduction to this section, it is not possible to to become fluent in English with only two or three classes a week. Of course, it is not easy to persuade students to use English with each other outside the classroom, but I believe that it is every English teachers duty to at least try, if only for the sake of your own motivation. I have been successful in doing this with only a very small number of students, but those students provided me with some of my richest teaching experiences. From discussions with other teachers and observations of my own students, I have concluded that Japanese students generally do not try to use English with each other because they do not believe there is any value in that kind of practice, and teachers do not really push the idea because they do not believe that students would ever do it. This is an unfortunate cycle, but it is one that can be broken if the teacher makes a concerted effort to sell the idea to students. If and when you are successful in doing this (if you havent been already), you will be amazed at the progress students are able to make even over the course of a single semester.

Conducting and Grading Speaking Tests Conducting the Part 1 Final Test The structure of the Part 1 test is very simple. You will need around three-four minutes to test one student, although if you have a big class, it is possible to reduce this to around two and a half minutes. At the beginning of the test, ask the student to sit down, and switch on your timer. Ask the student a variety of questions from the book, and ask appropriate follow-up questions depending on his or her answers. At some point of the test, include a more difficult question to test the students ability to ask for clarification and say that they do not understand. (Explaining in the class that you are going to do this in the test actually makes it much easier for the students to get used to doing this in practice.) When you think you have heard enough to make a judgment of the students grade, say Thank you. That is the end of the test. Grading the Final Part 1 Test Over the past ten years, I (and teachers I have worked with) have experimented with every kind of rubric that has been invented. Inevitably, we have found that using complicated and detailed rubrics in such short tests, particularly where the grader and interlocutor are the same person, is actually counter-productive. For this reason, I recommend using a very basic guide for grading final speaking tests. The criteria given in the explanation of the speaking test in the book are very simple. A student who is able to (a) understand most of the questions you ask, (b) provide accurate answers to most of them with a reasonable degree of fluency (i.e. show clear evidence of practice), and (c) seek clarification when he or she does not understand will pass the test. A student who can do all of this and who also impresses you in one area of their performance will be awarded a B grade, even if they have some weaknesses. A student who has no real weaknesses and who impresses you in two or more areas of their performance will be awarded an A grade. Some examples of areas of performance in which a student might impress the examiner are given below. Pronunciation Fluency Accuracy

Correct use of more advanced vocabulary or structures Particularly natural non-verbal communication A failing grade will only be given where one or more of the following applies. The student repeatedly fails to comprehend basic questions from the book. The student repeatedly makes mistakes with (or is unable to produce) simple answers to basic questions. The student is unable to seek clarification when asked a question that he or she cannot understand. The students answers lack fluency to a degree that suggests a complete absence of practice. The students pronunciation is so poor that it is frequently difficult to understand what he or she is saying. The students non-verbal communication is so inappropriate as to make the examiner feel uncomfortable. If you are using Basic English Conversations in tandem with other teachers, you may find it helpful to swap classes for the test to avoid any danger of bias. (We have found that doing this also makes students take the test more seriously.) If you have access to video cameras, it is an excellent idea to record all the tests so that teachers can get second opinions on students they found difficult to grade. Videos of your own students being tested by another teacher also provide valuable feedback for you on what you have taught effectively and what your students appear to have missed. If you do not have access to video cameras, all the teachers will need to be standardized before the test. This can be done in the last lesson before the tests with all the classes in one large room so that students and teachers can all get a clear idea about what is required. Choose a few volunteers from each class and do a mock test with them at the front of the classroom. Let students listen as teachers discuss how they would grade that test. After you have done this a few times, you will find that it is not all that difficult to get everyone on the same page. If you do not have much experience of doing speaking tests, you may like to go through this procedure one time earlier in the semester using only the topics the students have studied up to that point. This will give both teachers and students useful feedback on what they need to work on.

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Conducting the Part 2 Final Test The logistics for the Part 2 test are very similar to those for Part 1. The biggest difference is that when students walk into the test room, they are presented with four cards lying face-down on a table. On each of the cards is written either New Teacher, Tourist, Business Person, or International Student. The student picks a card, turns it over, and shows it to you. Give them a minute to compose themselves, then start the timer and say Please begin. Before the test, you will need to create identities for each of the situations. (Let students know prior to the test that you are not going to be yourself.) As the student asks you questions, respond and, where appropriate, ask questions in return. (Many of these will be basic questions from Part 1 of the book, so make sure that you remind students to review these throughout the second semester.) When the set period of time has elapsed, choose an appropriate point to end the conversation, and say, Thank you. That is the end of the test. We have experimented with asking students to end the conversation appropriately, but found that this was actually an extremely difficult skill for them to master. We also found that allowing students to control the length of the test was problematic because some of the less motivated ones would memorize just enough to get through one minute or so perfectly and then finish the conversation. However, if your students have a higher degree of motivation, you may like to make the ability to finish the conversation naturally a requirement of the test. Grading the Final Part 2 Test The final test should be graded according to the criteria given in the explanation in the book. C, B, and A grades should be awarded on the same basis as in the Part 1 test. Students should be awarded a passing grade if they are more or less able to meet the stipulated requirements. Failing grades should be given to students to whom one or more of the following conditions apply. The student repeatedly makes mistakes with basic questions that they should have memorized. The students lack of fluency suggests that they have not put sufficient effort into practicing for the test. The student freezes and is unable to continue the conversation even when given

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sufficient time (and smiles of encouragment!) The student asks questions in a completely unnatural order and/or continually fails to respond to or follow up on answers. (This will happen with students who have just made a last-ditch effort to memorize all the questions the night before the test and who are thus unable to do anything other than ask them in a set order with no regard to the testers responses. The students pronunciation is so poor that it is frequently difficult to understand what they are asking. The students non-verbal communication is so inappropriate that the tester feels uncomfortable talking to them.

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Translations of Japanese Parts of Basic English Conversations OrientationGetting Ready to Learn English If your goal is to learn English, you will need to do a lot of study of the language, but there is something else that you will need to learn in addition: you will need to learn how to learn a language. People often ask me how long it took me to learn Japanese, and they are surprised when I answer, about six months. However, that was the period after I finally figured out how to study effectively. Before that, I spent around two years of total frustration using poor methods of study and an inappropriate approach. In other words, it only took me about six months to learn Japanese, but it took me two years to learn how to learn it. When you are learning a language, starting off with the wrong way of thinking can result in a lot of frustration and wasted time, and many people even give up altogether because of this. In this section, I will answer the questions that Japanese people often ask me about learning English, and I will also correct some commonly held misconceptions. Why cant Japanese people speak English even though they study it for six years? This is a question I am often asked, but the answer is really quite simple. Japanese schools focus not on learning English, but rather on the analysis of English as a linguistic system. The aim is to understand basic principles of English grammar and make comparisons with Japanese through direct translation. In other words, what Japanese people study in school is actually a completely different field to the study of English as a foreign language. (By the way, this is not because high school teachers want to teach in this way, but simply because that is what they need to teach in order to get students through university entrance examinations.) However, this is not the only reason that so many Japanese people cannot speak English after studying it for six years. Foreign languages are not something that can be mastered with a couple of lessons a week in a classroom. In fact, far from being surprising that someone has not learned English after six years of this kind of study, it would actually be miraculous if they had! This is easy to understand if you compare learning a language to learning a sport. For example, if someone studied the techniques of skiing or snowboarding in a classroom two or three times a week, we would not expect them to actually be able to go to a mountain and instantly do it no matter how long they had been studying. Learning

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a language is very similar. What you learned about English in junior high and high school was certainly not meaningless, but you should expect to do about ten times that amount of work if you really want to be able to communicate in English. We Japanese are not good at English! This is something I often hear, but it is completely mistaken. As I explained above, no one in the world can learn a foreign language simply by studying it a couple of times a week in a classroom. Actually, British people, Americans, Australians and other people from countries where English is a first language all study at least one foreign language at school, but hardly any of us can speak the language that we studied. Japanese culture places great importance on the concept of humility, but in the case of English, this has developed to the point of being an inferiority complex. If you actually look around you, you will find countless Japanese people who speak English extremely well. If you add the numbers of people who, whilst not being completely proficient can at least communicate at a basic level, that number increases tenfold. In other words, Japan is doing much better at teaching and learning foreign languages than many other countries. The idea that We Japanese are not good at learning English is simply not true. Learning a foreign language is difficult for people of any nationality, but if you are prepared to do the necessary study and practice, it is something that any normal person can achieve. Dont you have to study abroad to speak English? This is absolutely not the case. There are many fluent Japanese speakers of English who have never left Japan, and there are many Japanese people who have lived in English-speaking countries for years without learning the language. Of course, with the same level of effort and application, a person living in an English-speaking country would expect to improve quicker than somebody living in Japan, but effort and determination are much more important than environment in the learning of a foreign language. (If you want to learn more about how you can learn to develop your English without studying abroad, please read Using English outside the Classroom beginning on page 92.)

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Making mistakes is embarrassing. This is a very understandable feeling. However, as with things like learning a sport or musical instrument, making mistakes is an integral and unavoidable part of learning a foreign language. In Japanese schools, mistakes are treated as being a bad thing, so many Japanese people naturally want to avoid making them. However, if you think about it, there is nothing embarrassing about making a mistake in a foreign language. After all, you have mastered your native language, which is all that anyone really needs to do. Speaking from experience, it seems to me that the biggest barrier to learning English for Japanese students is a lack of confidence. For example, my hearing is not great, and sometimes I cannot catch what a Japanese person has said. But as soon as I say Sorry? most Japanese people just assume that their English was incorrect and that I havent understood them, and they give up, even though the problem was not their English, but my hearing! I think that that way of thinking comes about because of an inferiority complex regarding the learning of English. If a Japanese person who cannot speak English feels inferior to a Dutch or Swiss person who can speak four or five languages, then that is understandable, but there is absolutely no need whatsoever for Japanese people to have an inferiority complex when talking to native speakers of English who can only speak their own language (i.e. most native speakers of English!) If you are trying to speak English to someone like that, you should try to think like this: I am from Japan, so I can speak Japanese. In order to communicate with you, I am making the effort to speak English. However, it is not my native language, so I will probably make some mistakes. That is unavoidable, so please do your best to understand me. If you are not prepared to make the effort to understand me, I will be happy to speak to you in Japanese, and I will not worry about your mistakes! If you can start thinking like that, it will help you to overcome any complex you have about speaking English, and studying English will become more fun. By the way, how do you feel when you hear someone from another country trying to speak Japanese? Do you think Ha! He made another mistake! This guys Japanese is weird! Im guessing that you dont. Actually, you probably think, Wow, this guy is

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trying to speak my language. Thats impressive. That is exactly what most native speakers of English think when we hear Japanese people trying to speak ours. How are native-speaking teachers of English and Japanese teachers of English different? In university, English communication classes are often taught by native speakers of English. Many of you will have met native-speaking teachers of English in high school, but in university, you may have only native-speaking teachers for your communication classes for the whole year, and your grades will be decided by those teachers. Of course, many Japanese teachers can speak English just as well as native speakers, but problems sometimes arise between native-speaking teachers of English and their Japanese students because of their different cultural backgrounds. For example, in Japan, a student who listens attentively to what the teacher says will be considered a good student. In many Western countries, however, you need to be much more active in class (asking the teacher questions and volunteering answers) in order to be thought of as a good student. In Japan, teachers usually nominate a student to answer when they ask a question. In most Western countries, however, many students will immediately raise their hands when the teacher asks a question. For that reason, a native-speaking teacher who sees no one raise their hand when she asks a question in Japan may think that the students have no interest in the lesson. Of course, native-speaking teachers and Japanese students need to learn about each others cultures, but be aware that native-speaking teachers of English may have a very different idea of what constitutes a good student than you have been used to in the past. An Example of Cultural Differences If you asked 100 native-speaking teachers of English what they would like Japanese students not to do, I think you would see a very clear winner. When a Japanese student is asked a question by a teacher, even if they know they answer, they have a tendency to confer with a friend before answering. This is not a problem in Japanese culture, and it is easy to understand the students feeling, but to Western people, this can seem very rude. Most teachers get annoyed when students do this repeatedly. If a teacher speaks to you directly, you should think of that as a conversation between just you and the teacher. If you do not understand what the teacher is asking, just say Sorry? and the teacher will repeat the question. If you still dont understand, just say, Im sorry, I dont

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understand. No teacher will think that you are being rude if you do this. In fact, the teacher will probably be really impressed. If, on the other hand, you turn and start talking to someone else when the teacher asks you a question, the teacher will feel like you are ignoring her. Just learning how to say Sorry? and Im sorry, I dont understand is a big step in improving your English, so please try using these expressions. Tips for Learning English Unfortunately, the only way to truly learn English is to study hard and practice a lot. There are no short-cuts. However, when you look at successful language learners from different countries, it is possible to see some commonalities in their study methods. 1. Actively look for chances to use the language. I often hear Japanese students complain that they have no opportunity to use English, but I have also met many Japanese people who have created for themselves here in Japan an environment similar to living in a foreign country. Even if you do not have any native speakers to practice with, there are many ways to make English a part of your everyday life. Successful language learners mould their environment to suit their needs and goals. 2. Thinking about the language in your everyday life. If the only time you ever think about English is in the classroom, you will never learn to speak it. Successful language learners go through a period where English is all they think about from morning to night, no matter where they are or what they are doing. 3. Try to use language you have learned When you learn a new word or piece of language, dont simply write it down and forget about it, experiment with it and test the boundaries of its usage. Students who do this are always asking their teachers Can I say this? How about this? Is this okay? This makes teachers very happy! In some fields of study, all you need to do is listen to and understand what the teacher tells you. In learning a foreign language, however, if you have no questions for the teacher, then you are not learning. 4. Dont give up! As with so many other things, regardless of how keen you are at the outset, all your effort will be wasted if you do not keep going. Language learning is sometimes a lot

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of fun, but at other times, it can be boring and frustrating. This is true for every person who learns a foreign language. The difference is not whether you have these feeling or not, but simply how you deal with them when they arrive. 5. Dont try to translate everything into your own language. When I first started studying Japanese, the thing that slowed me down the most was my habit of trying to translate everything I was learning into English. For example, in the class where the teacher was trying to explain kore, sore, and are, I couldnt get beyond thinking kore=this, sore=that, so you dont need the other one! It took a long time, but I eventually decided to stop comparing all the Japanese I was learning with English. From that instant, my speed of learning increased. If I had been able in that lesson to think Okay, so English only has this/that, but Japanese uses a different system; lets try and understand how it works I would have been able to avoid a lot of stress. If you can go beyond thinking How does this English expression compare to Japanese? and start looking just at how native speakers use it, you will find that your English starts to improve much more quickly. 6. Do the boring stuff that needs to be done. Behind anything that is generally thought of as being cool, such as sports or musical instruments, there is always a lot of very uncool practice and training. Learning a foreign language is the same. Far more important than the materials you use or the kind of practice you do is the amount of effort that you are prepared to put in. Languages were created by the human brain, so your brain is quite capable of learning all of them. In other words, learning a foreign language is purely a matter of how determined you are to succeed. If you decide to learn English, and if you are prepared to put in the required effort, your success is guaranteed. If you have understood all of these points, you will be ready to start studying English conversation. However, before you learn about the speaking test, lets look at some language that you will need to use to communicate with your teacher in the classroom.

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Conversations with the Teacher Conversation 1 When the teacher calls your name, answer in a loud voice in English. You only need to say, Im here, but raise your hand and reply in a loud voice. Conversation 2 If one of your classmates is absent, let your teacher know. If someone is not well, you can respond like this. If you dont know why he or she is absent, just say, Shes absent today, but I dont know why. Conversation 3 [Translation of He/She asked me to tell you that and explanation of what follows that in this kind of sentence. Conversation 4 [Translation of underlined phrases] Conversation 5 In Japan, some students do not say anything when they enter the classroom late. In Western cultures, it is good manners to apologize when you are late, so always do this if you are late for an English class. [Translations of common reasons for being late] Conversation 6 If you know you are going to be absent, it is good manners to tell the teacher. All you need to say is I will be absent next week. [Translation of underlined expression] Conversation 7 [Translation of underlined phrase with added explanation that teachers might not always be so understanding, so it is best not to forget your book]

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Conversation 8 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 9 If you want to go to the toilet, use this expression. However, some teachers may not want you to ask for permission, so ask your teacher in the first class, Do we need to ask you if we want to go to the toilet? Conversation 10 [Translations of underlined phrases] [Translation of underlined phrase and explanation of why students need to know where the part-time teachers room is located in their school] Conversation 11 [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 12 If you dont think the teacher knows who you are, introduce yourself like this. [Translation of useful phrases] [Translation of extra ones] [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 13 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 14 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase]

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Topic 1Whats your name? Conversation 1 Whats your name? is not grammatically wrong, but asking this suddenly can seem rude in some situations, so it is better to give your own name before you ask for the other persons. In many cases, just saying your name will be enough, as the other person will then just respond by telling you their name. Note that if you say your own name first, the your in Whats your name? should be stressed. When someone asks your name, you can reply with just your name or Its Replying in full sentences can sound strange in conversation. If you cannot catch what someone has said, say Sorry? or Pardon me? The following responses are rude in Western cultures. 1. Answering in Japanese 2. Saying nothing 3. Conferring with someone else who is not a party to the conversation When you say your name to someone from another country, say it slowly and clearly so that the person can understand you. If you say it too quickly, the other person will probably say Sorry? or Pardon me? If you pronounce the English alphabet using katakana, people will not understand you. Practice saying the alphabet with the correct pronunciation. When you shake hands with someone, always use your right hand. Grip the other persons hand so that the area between your thumb and forefinger is touching the same area of their hand. Grip the other persons hand with a reasonable amount of pressure. A handshake should last around 1-2 seconds. Conversation 2 In questions about two alternatives A and B, your voice should rise before or and fall after it. If you are asked a question with this intonation, you are being asked to choose one of the alternatives, so do not answer with yes or no. [Translations of the English words for talking about names] Conversation 3 When you say your name in English, you can use the English style of putting your first name first, or you can just follow the Japanese style, but please tell the other

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person what they should call you. However, if you only say your first name, you do not need to do this. Do not say, for example, My name is Taka. Please call me Taka. If you are speaking to someone who is familiar with Japanese names, they will probably not ask you about spelling, but if you are in a foreign country at, for example, a hotel or an airport, it is very possible that you will be asked how to spell your name. Practice doing this for both of your names until you can say their spelling fluently. Conversation 4 If you say your full name, it will be helpful for the other person if you explain your name like this. When you say Nice to meet you it is okay to shake hands, but it is not always necessary. Conversation 5 Use this way of asking when you think that you know someones name, but you are not sure. If you are asked this in the test, just say, Yes, I am or Thats right. If you have met the person before and you can remember them, say where you met. If you dont think you have met them before, just say, I dont think so. Topic 2Where are you from? Conversation 1 In a situation where your nationality is obvious (such as when you are talking to your teacher), do not say, I am from Japan in response to this question. In Japanese, shi or cho are usually added after the names of cities and towns, but we do not usually do this in English. Explain where your hometown is by saying how far it is in which direction from a major town or city. Conversation 2 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggestion for another way of asking] Where are you from? is a slightly vague question in English. Sometimes it can

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mean Where were you born? but sometimes it can mean Where do you live now? It is likely, therefore, that you will be asked Are you from there originally? as a follow-up question. Conversation 3 In Conversation 1, we said that it is not necessary to add City and Town to place names. The exception to this is cities that have the same name as a prefecture. [Translation of underlined phrase] If you are asked whether you live with your family, use that as a chance to introduce them. Conversation 4 [Translation of underlined phrase] If you ask someone to repeat something but still do not understand what they are saying, do not panic; simply say, I dont understand. As soon as you have said that, the other person will try different ways of explaining until you understand. This makes it much easier for you! Conversation 5 Use this structure if you are living by yourself away from your family. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 6 Although we said previously that it is not necessary to respond in full sentences when having a conversation, it can sound rude if you only ever give one-word answers, so try to strike a balance. (Note that if you add information after saying yes or no the problem does not arise.) If you live a long way from school, it is likely that you will be asked about your commute. Topic 3What do you do? Conversation 1 In English just What do you do? is enough to ask about someones occupation.

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Conversation 2 What grade are you in? is also possible, but that is normally used for junior highand high-school students. In America, freshman and sophomore are used to talk about university students. However, people from other English-speaking countries may not understand this, so it is safer to use first-/second-year. Conversation 3 If you are not sure what you want to do in the future say, I dont know yet or Im not sure yet. If you know what you want to do, make sure that you know how to say it in English. Conversation 4 [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 5 When you are talking about your university, use this expression. If you want to show a reaction of surprise or interest to something that somebody has said, use Really. Topic 4Do you have any brothers or sisters? Conversation 1 [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 2 This is another A or B? question, so it has the intonation shown below. You do not need to respond with a full sentence. Just both older/ both younger is fine. Conversation 3 If you have brothers or sisters, expect that you will be asked their names and occupations on the test. (It is fine for you to give this information before you are asked.)

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[Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 4 You will find yourself in trouble on the test if you are not able to explain what your brothers and sisters do. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 5 In English, people often express interest or surprise by repeating with rising intonation the last part of what somebody has said. [Translation of underlined phrase] Tell can mean give information or make a judgment. I cant tell what/who/when means I am unable to judge. You can ask either Whats he studying? or What does he study? Topic 5Do you have a part-time job? Conversation 1 If you do not have a part-time job, it is likely that you will be asked if you have ever had one. [Translation of underlined phrase and explanation that the past tense of quit is the same (and has the same pronunciation) as the infinitive] Conversation 2 When the meaning of the question is clear from the context, it is common to ask one-word questions such as Where? [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 3 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and structure for answering the question] However you respond to Do you enjoy it? it is possible that you will be asked Why? If you expand on your original answer by giving this information before you are asked, the conversation will go more smoothly.

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Conversation 4 Having been asked about your part-time job, if you are then asked What do you do? this means Tell me more about your role at your place of work. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 5 Use ... yen per hour to talk about pay. In a conversation about a part-time job, it is not strange for a teacher to ask a student whether their pay is good or not, but remember that in the West, as in Japan, people generally do not ask others about their salaries. Make sure that you have a good answer to this question prepared for the test. Topic 6What do you do in your free time? Conversation 1 What is your hobby? is not incorrect, but native speakers of English generally do not ask this. What do you do in your free time? is more natural. Conversation 2 In a conversation about books or music, it is likely that you will be asked What kind of ? and Who is your favorite? so make sure that you have answers prepared. Most Japanese people use the question Do you know? as the translation of shitteimasu ka? The natural way to ask this question is Have you heard of ? Conversation 3 If you say play with my friends it sounds very childish. A more natural way to say tomodachi to asobu is spend time/hang out with my friends. If you want to say no tomodachi use friends from Conversation 4 In a conversation about things like sports and musical instruments, it is very likely that you will be asked, How long have you been? [Translation of underlined phrase and suggestions for how to answer]

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Conversation 5 [Translation of underlined phrase] Instead of do my part-time job, it is more natural just to say I work. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 6 In British English, at the weekend is used. Like to do and like doing have the same meaning. However, when reference is made to something that is done habitually at a specified day or time (on Saturdays, when I get up in the morning, etc.) native speakers generally use like to do. Topic 7Do you like sports? Conversation 1 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggestion for another way of saying the same thing] Conversation 2 What kind of sports do you like? refers to the type of sport (team sports, outdoor sports, etc.), so What sports do you like? is more common. This is another example of the A or B? type of question. Do you remember the intonation pattern? Conversation 3 Explains that both of these English phrases can be used with the same meaning. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested structure for answers] Conversation 4 Both training and practice can be used to talk about sports. In addition to How long have you been? people who do a sport may be asked what they like about it. If you like sports, make sure that you have an answer prepared.

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Conversation 5 Many Japanese people say play ski, but play is only normally used for ball games. Sports such as skiing, surfing, and snowboarding can be used as verbs by themselves (I ski) or used as gerunds with like. For martial arts such as kendo, use do. Topic 8What are you doing this weekend? Conversation 1 Many Japanese students think that will is the way to talk about the future in English. However, if we are talking about plans or schedules, native speakers of English generally use be going to or the present continuous tense. Conversation 2 In Japanese, you would say, I have to do my part-time job but in English, we would just say, I have to work. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 3 Notice that questions like Who are you going with? can be abbreviated to just Who with? Remember that no tomodachi is friends from [Translation of underlined phrase] Many Japanese people say by my car but this is incorrect. The expression is by car. Conversation 4 As explained on the opposite page, going to and the present continuous tense are generally used to talk about plans and schedules in English. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 5 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested ways of answering] Use this expression if you have not made firm plans.

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[Translation of underlined phrase and reminder that by my car is incorrect] [Translation of underlined phrase] Topic 9Do you have any plans for the summer? Conversation 1 When you intend to do something in the future but your plans are not finalized, use be going to. Conversation 2 Vacation is American English. People from Britain, Australia, and New Zealand would say holidays. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 3 By yourself? is an abbreviation of Are you going by yourself? How long are you going for? can be abbreviated to How long for? or For how long? [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 4 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] Did you remember the correct translation for tomodachi to asobu? Conversation 5 Many Japanese people say go to there, but there is an adverb, so you only need to say go there. [Translation of underlined phrase]

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Situation 1Conversations with a New Teacher Conversation 1 In Japanese, you address teachers by putting sensei after the persons family name, but you cannot translate this by saying teacher after an English family name. (Just calling somebody teacher is also unnatural.) Some Japanese people may feel strange calling a teacher by his or her first name, but in the West, this is not a problem. If you are not sure what to call your teacher, ask him or her What should we call you? Conversation 2 There are three kinds of teachers teaching English at Japanese universities: teachers who work full-time at your university; teachers who work full-time at another university and part-time at your university; and teachers who work part-time at several universities including yours. For teachers who do not work full-time at your university, use this question to find out how to get in touch with the them if you need to ask them about something. Conversation 3 It is also possible to ask, How long have you been teaching at this university? Conversation 4 In order to keep a conversation going, you will need to react to what the other person says. Really? is a useful expression, but adding comments such as Thats a long time will make the conversation more natural. However, that is not to say that you must always add a comment. Forced comments such as Thats a short time will sound unnatural. If the teacher has really been in Japan a long time say, Thats a long time. If he or she has only been in Japan for a very short time, say for example, Only three weeks! There is no need to add more. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggestion of alternative] If the teacher says that he or she used to do something, ask if he or she still does it. If you and the teacher have a common interest, say I like too to make the conversation more interesting. [Translation of underlined phrase and explanation that so-so can sound a bit

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unnatural] Conversation 5 Because the teacher has said Since I came to Japan, the next question is abbreviated to What did you do before that? The full question would be What did you do before you came to Japan? [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] Conversation 6 [Translation of underlined phrase] How was that? is a useful question that can be used to ask about a range of topics. Conversation 7 As in Japan, people in the West do not generally ask people they have just met whether they are married or not, so Do you have family here in Japan? is a more appropriate question. Of course, the teacher may also respond by talking about his or her brothers or sisters. This question is obviously relevant if the teachers husband or wife is not Japanese. However, there are also Japanese couples who met abroad, so it is okay to ask this question to any teacher. Conversation 8 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] Conversation 9 If you want to ask about a teachers Japanese ability, Can you speak Japanese? and Do you speak Japanese? are both okay. This is an example of a negative question. Negative questions are used when common sense would suggest that something is the case. For example, you would ask somebody who was wearing a jacket in the summer, Arent you hot?, and you would ask somebody who has not eaten breakfast, Arent you hungry?

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Conversation 10 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] [Translation of underlined phrase] Situation 2Conversations with a Tourist Conversation 1 Many Japanese people forget that not all Caucasians are native speakers of English. Some people may be offended if you just go up and start talking to them in English, so the first thing you should do is ask if they speak English or not. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Conversation 2 If you have been abroad yourself, you will be aware that English is often used as an international language between people from different countries. If you speak Japanese to someone who looks Asian but they do not appear to understand you, try speaking to them in English. Even if they dont know any Japanese at all, most people will have studied at least some English in school, so they may be able to manage simple conversations. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 3 [Translation of underlined phrase] The most basic questions to ask a tourist are When did you arrive? and When are you going home? Of course, you can also ask, How long have you been here? How long are you staying? and When are you going back? Conversation 4 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Conversation 5 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation]

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[Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 6 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 7 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] [Translation of underlined phrase and explanation that Japans bullet train is a major attraction for some tourists] Conversation 8 [Translation of underlined phrase] And after that? is an abbreviation of And where are you going after that? Conversation 9 [Translation of underlined phrase and explanation of the structure] [Translation of underlined phrase] In English-speaking countries, the response to a compliment is a simple Thank you. If you start being humble and protesting that the compliment is undeserved, it can actually sound as if you are fishing for more compliments. Conversation 10 Caution is required when talking about food. Note the following points: 1. 2. Japanese food is popular in other countries as well, so many people are already familiar with it before they come to Japan. Japanese people enjoy talking about food. However, people from other countries may feel uncomfortable being asked their culinary preferences by someone they hardly know. 3. It is okay to touch on the subject of food, but do not fall into the trap of asking if someone likes something and then continuing to ask about a list of other foods by just saying How about? 4. Please remember that chopsticks are common in many other countries besides

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Japan. Chinese food is popular all over the world, so many people can use them. Asking a person whether they can use chopsticks or not in any situation other than at a restaurant can be offensive. [Translation of underlined phrase and reminder of point 3 above] Situation 3Conversations with a Business Person Conversation 1 Where are you from? can be used in any of the situations. The question can be followed up by Which part of ? , but do not ask this if you are not familiar with the geography of that country. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] Conversation 2 What business are you in? is a slightly less direct way of asking someone about their occupation, but What do you do? is also acceptable. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Conversation 3 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 4 This question can also be used with a tourist. Responses such as Thats a nice hotel are an important part of any conversation. Practice a range of variations. [Translation of underlined phrase and advice that it is more natural than How are you going to? ] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] Conversation 5 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation]

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Conversation 6 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] [Explanation of structure of underlined phrase and examples of variations] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 7 Business people from other countries who visit Japan probably also visit other countries, so ask about their experiences. [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Conversation 8 Abbreviated responses such as Just Tokyo? may sound strange to Japanese students who have only learned to speak in full sentences in school, but in English conversation, this kind of language is common. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Conversation 9 There is a strong possibility that someone headed for (or already in) Japan will ask your advice on where they should go and what they should see. If you are asked if you have any recommendations, find out what that person is interested in. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 10 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Explanation of structure of underlined phrase and suggested variations] In this context, card clearly means business card. If you want to ask for someones business card ask, Do you have a business card? Note that unlike Japan, there are no special rules about exchanging business cards in the West. For example,

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there is no problem with taking a business card from somebody with just one hand. Situation 4Conversations with an International Student Conversation 1 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] If you are familiar with the place the person comes from, explain why. Remember that have heard of is generally more appropriate than know in this context. Conversation 2 Use this structure to say that you have never been to a place but would like to go in the future. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 3 You can ask where a person is from by just saying the name of a famous city in that country. If you are wrong, the other person will tell you where he or she is from. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 4 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] Tell the other person which department you are in or what you study. If it is the same, say, Me too. [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 5 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Where are you staying? and Where are you living? have the same basic meaning, but staying sounds more temporary, so it is probably more appropriate for international students. Conversation 6 How long have you been here? can be used as an alternative to When did you

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arrive? [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 7 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and note on its status as a set phrase in English] Conversation 8 It is a good idea to ask an international student why he or she wanted to come to Japan. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Conversation 9 [Translation of underlined phrase] It is a good idea to ask about the other persons university. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] Conversation 10 [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 11 [Translations of underlined phrases]

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My Conversations (Introduction) I often hear Japanese students say that they cannot practice English because they do not have any foreign friends. This is a major misconception. It is possible to do very effective English speaking practice with another Japanese person, and even by talking to yourself. In fact, if you do not practice extensively outside the classroom, the English you have been taught in your lessons will never really stick. Many people find this hard to believe, so let me explain what I mean. Have you ever had the experience of knowing what you want to say but being unable to produce the language that you need even though you know that you have studied it before? The reason for this phenomenon is to do with the structure of the human brain. Imagine that there is a tiny man living in your brain. (Of course, it might be a tiny woman, but in my brain, I have a feeling that it is a man.) This tiny mans job is to find information that has previously been stored in your brain when you ask him for it. Now this man is a very hard worker, and he keeps the files in your brain very well organized. The secret to his success is that he keeps information that is requested regularly in places that are easy to access, and pushes information that is rarely called for towards the back of his storeroom. For this reason, he will not be able to produce English words and grammar if the owner of the brain is someone who rarely uses English. When a person like that asks him to produce English, he has to go rushing around areas of the storeroom that he rarely visits brushing dust off files that he has never had to produce before. If your goal is to be able to express yourself in English effectively, you will need to persuade the tiny man that English files loaded in your brain should be kept at the front where they can be readily accessed. The only way to do this is to increase the number of times that you ask him to produce them. The more you ask him to produce the files, the higher the priority he will give to keeping them in a place where he can find them quickly. Many Japanese people express frustration that they cannot use English even though they have studied it for years. The simple reason for this is that the files they have stored in their brains have not yet been organized for easy access. If you begin to ask the tiny man to produce English files regularly, he will start to store them in more readily accessible places. If you continue doing this, you may even find in

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some cases that some English phrases become even more accessible than their Japanese equivalents. For example, one of my students who had been speaking English with her friends for several hours before going shopping mistakenly said No thank you to the woman on the checkout of a supermarket when she asked if she needed a bag. The student was very embarrassed, but it was a good example of the tiny man doing his job inside her brain. Still, many people still believe that going abroad is the best way to develop good English speaking skills. Unfortunately, this is simply not true. I know teachers of English who cannot even have simple conversations in Japanese even though they have lived here for more than ten years. Similarly, there are many Japanese people who never manage to learn English no matter how long they live in an English-speaking country. A colleague of mine, Koichi Tanaka, has studied the English of Japanese students who go to New Zealand to study. He has found that students who make the effort to use English as much as possible improve steadily, but that those who do not make little progress. In other words, it is not the case that just living in a foreign country enables you to learn the language of that country. There is also research suggesting that the complexity and accuracy of the language that students produce does not change significantly when they study in a foreign country. However, because they are using English every day, their speaking becomes faster and more fluent. Some Japanese students simply want to do enough in their English classes to pass the test and get the credits they need to graduate. However, there are many others who genuinely want to learn to speak English. Those in the former group will be able to achieve their aims simply by paying attention in class and doing a little practice. However, those in the other group will not be able to achieve their aim so easily. To those students, I send the following message: If the classroom is the only place where you use English, you will never learn to speak the language. If you do not process outside the classroom the input you get in your English lessons, those lessons will be largely meaningless. Although you may have reservations about using English with other Japanese people, you will be surprised at how

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quickly you can get accustomed to it. If you use English with your friends every day, within a few months, you will see a huge difference in the level of your English speaking. If you are really interested in English, by all means persuade your friends to try using the language with you outside the classroom. I promise that you will be amazed at the results you see in just one week. Conversations with Friends Conversation 1 What time is it? is a common everyday expression, so asking each other in English is a great way for students who want to practice English outside the classroom to get started. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] Conversation 2 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] If you want is a convenient expression that can be used at the beginning or end of a sentence. It is similar in meaning to the Japanese expressions moshi yokattara and moshi so shitai nara. Conversation 3 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Conversation 4 (text message conversation) Where are you? is one of the most common questions in text messages. To avoid writing it out in full, native speakers of English often abbreviate are to r and you to u. (It is also common to abbreviate your to ur.) [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and explanation of usage] When arranging to meet somebody, it is common to say Ill meet you in/at/by <place> in <number of minutes>. (mins is an abbreviation of minutes.)

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Conversation 5 If somebody has said previously that they want to do something, you can use this expression to find out if they still want to do it. [Translation of underlined phrase and note that it is a very common expression] [Translation of underlined phrase] If you just say the day, it is okay to say Im free on Monday, but if you specify a part of the day, you no longer need on, so you just say, for example, Im free tomorrow morning. Conversation 6 If you are talking about something the other person should also be aware of, you can say, remember? with question-like intonation at the end of a sentence. [Translation of underlined phrase] Havent you done it yet? is a negative question. You would say this in order to express surprise to someone who obviously has not done the homework. Asking Have you done the homework? in this context would be very unnatural. [Translation of underlined phrase] Youd better is an abbreviation of you had better. Should can also be used with this meaning, but had better stresses the idea of negative consequences if you do not do the suggested action. Conversation 7 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and reminder that so-so is not very common in English] [Explanation of structure of underlined phrase and notes on usage] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 8 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] Most Japanese people think that maybe is the English translation of tabun, but maybe is actually closer in meaning to kamoshirenai. When the probability of

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something is higher than that, use probably. [Translation of underlined phrase and note that it can be used for both legitimate and non-legitimate absences from work/school] Conversation 9 When talking about part-time jobs in English, it is usually not necessary to use the phrase part-time job. Native speakers of English would normally just say Are you working? or I was working last night. [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 10 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested alternative] [Translation of underlined phrase] Suggested alternative to the underlined phrase Conversation 11 [Translation of underlined phrase] In Japanese, it is possible to say fudan nani wo yaru? or fudan nani wo yatteiru. In English, however, only the present simple tense What do you do? would normally be used. If you were to ask, What are you doing in your class? it would infer that you were asking only about a temporary period around now such as this week or at the moment. Many Japanese people use I envy you as the translation of urayamashii, but this is not a very natural expression in English. Lucky you! and Thats nice/great! are more common. Conversation 12 When you want to bring up a topic that you and the other person are already familiar with, you can use You know The intonation of this kind of sentence rises at the end like a question. For example, You know Sachikos new car? You know the report we have to do for the economics class? etc. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation]

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[Translation of underlined phrase and note that text is used instead of mail in English when talking about cell phones] Conversation 13 When you are talking about starts and finishes of things that can be checked on a timetables, use What time do you? Use find out rather than know when you want to ask itsu wakaru? in English. [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variation] Conversation 14 [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations] [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and related phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase] Conversation 15 [Translation of underlined phrase] [Translation of meaning and usage of underlined phrase] [Translation of underlined phrase and suggested variations]

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