Source: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/category/complete-guide/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 10:39:06+00:00

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In this section, we’ll learn ways to describe situations where things don’t happen.
We learned how to chain sequences of events using the te-form of the verb a few chapters back so we already know how to say, “I didn’t do this and that.” However, it is not the same as saying, “I did this without doing that.” For the latter, we need to use a different grammar.
Are (you) going to sleep without brushing (your) teeth?
Is there (a) method where (it) can be done without paying (the) handling charge?
(I) wonder what that person is doing every day, without even working?
You may have noticed we already used this form when we learned how to ask other to not do something. This is the more generic usage of the same conjugation.
Can you not eat that?
lit: Can you give (me the favor) without eating that?
lit: Please give (me the favor) without eating that.
Went out without eating anything.
「ず」 is another type of negative form of the verbs used mostly for more formal contexts and some expressions. It’s also often used with the 「に」 target particle to express the same thing as 「ないで」 we just learned. The conjugation rule is mostly the same as the regular negative form except 「ず」 is attached at the end instead of 「ない」. However, unlike the regular negative form, there is no exception for 「ある」 as it follows the same rule as all other u-verbs and becomes 「あらず」.
To think (he) went home without saying anything, (it’s) rude, isn’t it?
Is there (a) way to get by without paying (the) processing fee?
(I) can’t help but check (my) email again and again in (a) day.
lit: (I) can’t exist without checking email numerous times in (a) day.
「まま」 is a noun used to express leaving something as is without making any changes.
Is it fine just like this?
What happens if (you) sleep with contacts left on?
Yumiko-chan, (you’re) fine like that (just the way you are).
In this section, we are going to learn some ways to express actions that just happened. While one option is to use various adverbs such as 「たった今」, we will learn grammar that can be applied to the verb.
(I) just arrived at the airport.
In the previous section, we learned one usage of 「ばかり」 with nouns and adjectives to describe an abundance. We can also attach it to the end of the past tense of verbs to an action just completed.
Append 「ばかり」 to the past tense form of the verb. The result becomes a regular noun.
(I) just ate lunch so (I’m) full.
Using words (I) just learned and practice conversation.
(I) just bought it, despite that (it’s) already broken, how unbelievable.
(I) just moved so (I) don’t know what’s where at all.
Same as the previous section, 「ばかり」 can be shortened to 「ばっかり」 or 「ばっか」 for casual conversations here as well.
(You) just started going out and (you) already split up?
I just got back home now.
We already learned some grammar dealing with amounts in chapter 5. In this section, we’ll learn some other useful expressions dealing with various amounts.
「ばかり」 has many different usages some of which we’ll cover later. For example, it can have the same meaning as 「だけ」 or 「ぐらい」. However, in conversational Japanese, it’s often used to describe an abundance ie, “it’s nothing but…”. It comes after a noun or adjective just like a particle and the result becomes a noun.
Workplace is nothing but good people.
If (you) do nothing but work, (you) will lose sight of important things.
(I’ve) been eating nothing but meat lately so (I’m) trying to eat more vegetables.
In casual Japanese, it can also be shortened to just 「ばっかり」 or 「ばっか」.
Why is (your) address book nothing but girls?
「さ」 is used to convert an adjective into a scale or degree. For example, changing the adjective for “tall” to “height”.
What’s the height of (the) tallest building in the world?
As for shoe(s), don’t (you) think ease of walking is more important than looks?
The 「も」 particle can be used with an amount to describe something that’s excessive.
(I) called you even three times yesterday!
Once (I) went to America, (I) gained even 5 kilograms.
(I) was made to wait even 30 minutes by that guy!
The 「ば」 conditional and 「ほど」 can be used together to express, “the more something, the more something else.” This is essential a fixed sentence pattern.
The more fun (it) is, the more it feels like time is passing quickly.
As for recipe(s), the easier (it) is, the better it is, isn’t it?
The more (I) look, the more beautiful (she is).
We already know how to describe things as easy or difficult regular adjectives such as 「簡単」 or 「難しい」 but in this section, we’ll learn another way to describe an action as easy or difficult.
To describe an action as easy, attach 「やすい」 to the verb stem. The result is treated just like an i-adjective.
This wine is easy to drink.
Is this computer easy to use?
Please explain in a easy to understand way.
Similarly, to describe a difficult action, we can attach 「にくい」 to the verb stem.
This textbook is (a) little hard to understand.
(It’s) ok even if (it’s a) little expensive so (it’s) better that (it’s) hard to break.
If (you) don’t have (a) sharp steak knife, steak is hard to eat.
We can also use either 「づらい」 or 「がたい」 to express difficulty, which have the following differences in nuance and usages.
「にくい」 is the most generic version.
「～づらい」, which comes from 「辛い」(painful), is more subjective.
「～がたい」 is mostly limited to emotions and thoughts.
All three are attached to the verb stem and the result becomes just like an i-adjective.
(The) cellphone’s screen is dark and hard to read.
These shoes are cute but (it’s) hard to walk so (I) don’t wear (them) much.
(It) may be hard to believe but (it’s a story) that’s true.
We learned how to express the progressive form by using the verb 「いる」 with the te-form of the verb. In this section, we’ll learn some other verbs we can use with the te-form to describe other kinds of states. When using these verbs in this fashion, it is customary to use Hiragana instead of Kanji.
Till now, we have been using 「いる」 quite frequently with the te-form to express a progressive action. The other verb for existence: 「ある」 can also be used with the te-form, though the meaning is completely different.
Appending 「ある」 after the te-form of another verb is used to indicate the state of the verb as already completed. For example, you could use this grammar to ask what is written in a book as it describes a completed state of being written as opposed to “writing” or “wrote”. It also carries a nuance that the action was done as preparation for something else though it’s not as explicit as the 「～ておく」 grammar we’ll learn next.
What is it that’s written in that book?
(I) already made (the) reservation so (there’s) no need to worry.
Are headache medicine(s) placed in this store?
Because 「～てある」 by itself described state after an action was completed, the past tense described that state as being in the past, for example to imply that the state is no longer true, invalid, or contradictory.
It was written in the mail, let’s meet up at this station, you know.
The pudding (I) was placed in (the) refrigerator… No way (you) ate (it), right?
While the previous 「～てある」 grammar we learned can carry a nuance of preparation, it could only be used for completed actions. We can use the verb 「おく」 (“to place”), to describe an action specifically to prepare for something else. In addition, unlike 「～てある」, it can be used to described other tenses besides the past tense.
(I’m) going now so please leave me some desert.
Holidays are from tomorrow so (you) should withdraw cash.
(I’m) placing (the) key here so please don’t forget it, ok?
In casual speech, 「～て／～で＋おく」 can be shortened to 「とく／どく」.
The verbs “to go” and “to come” （いく and くる respectively） can be used with the te-form of another verb to add a motion. This can either be a physical motion (eg to hold and bring something) or an abstract direction/trend (eg plans for the future going forward).
How (do you) plan to live from here on out and not work?
What should (I) bring to the Nabe party tomorrow?
Noisy! Ah, (my) head has come to become hurting.
Casual speech patterns and slang in any language is rich, diverse, and constantly evolving so it’s difficult to really pin down “rules” on how to learn it. It’s best to pick it up by ear as you gain experience with conversation practice. For the beginner however, it can be quite confusing to read or hear slang that can’t be found in the dictionary.
In this section, we’ll take a look at some patterns in order to understand many common types of slang.
One common area of confusion is whether to use 「の」 or 「か」 to ask questions in casual speech. Previously, we learned that 「の」 is used to ask for or give additional explanation. This is the same for both polite and casual speech.
Do (you) have time from now?
(Why do) you have time from now?
「か」 on the other hand, is very different when used in casual speech from what we’re used to in polite speech. It’s often used to either confirm something, make a rhetorical question, or show disbelief or doubt. In order words, it’s rarely a real question at all. It’s also more rough and masculine in tone.
Like I would know that kind of thing!
Is it really ok with this?
Ah well, whatever, (it’s) fine.
It’s already late so shall (we) go home soon?
In conclusion, if you want to ask an actual question in casual speech, you’ll most likely want to use either 「の」 or just a rising intonation.
Many sounds get shortened or slurred together in slang just like any other language. For Japanese, the /r/ sounds in particular often get slurred into 「ん」. This is definitely a useful pattern to be aware of as it will make sense of a lot of words you wouldn’t normally find in a dictionary.
(I) don’t get really get it.
Hey, can (you) move from there a bit?
In this chapter, we covered may different ways to express various levels of necessity in our actions. We can now talk about required and optional activities, ask for permission, make requests, and more. This is useful for navigating through the rules and manners of society, especially one with a very different culture like Japan. Another common application of what we learned in this chapter is to talk about your duties and responsibilities either at work, home, or school.
We also learned how to give and receive things or favors. This is particularly useful for talking about gift-giving and getting assistance on various things. In particular, the section on making suggestions will allow you to ask for advice on how to best way to do things such as studying Japanese.
Below are a list of sample topics you can write about or discuss with your conversation partner (either in casual or polite form as appropriate).
What kind of things do you have to do at work or school?
How (do you) think (I) should study Japanese?
At what kind of times do (you) receive or give presents in one’s own country?
In this section, we will learn the command form, which as the name suggests, is used to issue commands to others.
「～なさい」 is the “polite” way to tell others what to do. It’s used by attaching 「なさい」 to the verb stem.
It’s polite grammatically but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re ordering others around, which is not very polite generally. It’s most commonly used by parents or other authority figures toward children.
Hurry up and prepare to go out.
Please properly keep the promised time.
Sorry. Can you look at this a bit?
I see. Seems like you have absolutely no feeling of wanting to help. (I) got it. Go ahead and do as (you) please.
Umm… senpai. There’s something I want you to move but… is it bad?
We can use the i-adjective 「欲しい」, which means “desired” or “wanted” with verbs to say you want somebody to do something. This is done by first conjugating the verb to the te-form, then attaching 「欲しい」（or ほしい） to the end of the verb. The result remains an i-adjective.
(I) want (you) to go to (the) post office but (is it) ok?
(I) don’t really understand what (you are) saying so please tell me what (you) want (me) to do clearly.
This command form is quite rude so you should use it with caution (if at all). As we learned just in this chapter, there are many other more polite ways to make a request.
In order to command others to not do an action, simply attach 「な」 to the end of the verb.
(It’s a) secret so don’t tell anybody.
Do NOT confuse this negative command with the shortened form of 「～なさい」 we just learned. The latter is using the stem of the verb while the negative command uses just the dictionary form.
The causative form gets its name because it causes something to happen either by making or letting somebody do the action. While it may seem odd to have the exact same verb form for two very different uses, we’ll find that it’s not hard to tell which is intended when given the proper context. Below are the rules for conjugating a verb to the causative form. All verbs in the causative form are ru-verbs.
For ru-verbs: Replace the last 「る」 with 「させる」.
For u-verbs: Change the last character as you would for negative verbs but attach 「せる」 instead of 「ない」.
Let me do it too.
(It’s) not good to forcibly make (someone) drink alcohol, huh?
(You’re) were already here? Sorry (I) made (you) wait.
The passive form is used to change the verb into a passive voice. A verb in the passive form is always a ru-verb. The conjugation rule for ru-verbs is the same as the rule for potential form. However, it’s not really hard to tell them apart given enough context.
For ru-verbs: Replace the last 「る」 with 「られる」.
For u-verbs: Change the last character as you would for negative verbs but attach 「れる」 instead of 「ない」.
If (my) older sister finds out, (I) don’t know what will be done (to me).
(I) don’t want to be thought of as (a) strange person.
Doesn’t it feel like (we’re) being watch by someone from just a while ago?
Even if I’m told, “Don’t go”, (it’s a) promise so (I) have to go, you know.
The causative and passive conjunctions can be used together to describe being made to do something. The rules are simple, you simple need to conjugate the verb to the causative and then conjugate the resulting ru-verb to the passive form.
Don’t (you) hate being made to wait?
As a child, (I) was made to eat various things so (I) don’t have a lot of likes/dislikes.
(You) say (you) were made to do (it) but in the end, (it) was for your benefit, right?
John: Don’t get this homework at all. Can (you) teach (me) an example sentence (that) uses させる grammar?
Alice: Ok, how about this? Let me be together with you forever. Romantic, isn’t it?
John: Ok, what about “I was made to be together with you forever”?
Alice: Sounds like (you’re) being sexually harassed.
John: Ok then, what about “Please let me be made to be with you forever”?!
Alice: (It’s) turning out like something masochist.
John: Ok ok, what about “She won’t let me be made to be with her forever”??!
Alice: Honestly, I starting to not understand it either. Why don’t (you) stop thinking about stupid Japanese?

References: In casu
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