.deshoo-ka and .. .desu-ka
Hai, nan-desu ka.
** Mr. Lerner happened to pass by Miss Yoshida when she was answering the phone, and heard her say
Dochirasama-deshoo-ka.
(May I ask who is speaking, please?)
And after that, she asked
Oyakusoku-deshoo-ka.
(Do you have an appointment? — lit.ls, it your appointment? >
Mr. Lerner noticed that she used deshoo-ka instead of desu-ka both times, and wondered if this was more polite.
& * *
In the sentences above, Miss Yoshida could have said
■ ■ Dochirasama-desu-ka. Oyakusoku-desu-ka.
But these sentences sound more demanding than those ending with deshoo-ka when spoken with the same tone. Using deshoo-ka makes a question sound less demanding. In response to someone trying to call your attention,
Hai, nan-deshoo-ka.
(Yes. What can I do for you?)
Using deshoo-ka is also recommended when politely asking about someone's opinion or wishes. For instance, saying
Kore-de yoroshii-deshoo-ka.
(Will this be all right?)
Nanji-ni ukagaeba yoroshii-deshoo-ka.
(What time would you like me to come?)
sounds more reser\red than saying Kore-de yoroshii-desu-ka or Nanji-ni ukagaeba yoroshii-desu-ka.
However, Soo-deshoo-ka cannot be used in place of Soo desu-ka (Is that so?). Soo-deshoo-ka is not a reserved version of Soo-desu-ka; rather, it indicates criticism or a negative judgment. For instance, in the following conversation Soo-desu-ka should be used.
A: Kochira-no hoo-ga ii-to omoimasu.
(I think this is better.) B: Soo-desu-ka. J a. sore-ni shimashoo.
(You do? Then I will decide on that one.)
If Soo deshoo-ka were used it would be followed by something like:
B: Soo-deshoo-ka. Sore-wa amari yoku nai-to omoimasu-ga.
(You really do? I'm afraid I don't think that's so good. >
sounds more polite than
. n-ja nai-deshoo-ka meaning 'it seems to me . .
Mr. Mori, the director of the company, showed a plan submitted by a colleague of Mr. Lerner and Mr. Takada and asked them their opinion of it. Mr. Lerner glanced through the plan and was going to say
Taihen ii-to omoimasu. (I think it is very good.)
when Mr. Takada said
Nakanaka ii-n-ja nai-deshoo-ka.
Mr. Lerner understood that Mr. Takada also approved of the plan, but he wondered what implication . . . n-ja nai-deshoo-ka has in this case.
* * *
, . .n-ja nai-deshoo-ka shows the speaker's reserve hi expressing his opinion. For instance,
H-h-ja nai-deshoo-ka.
means "I should think it is good." It does not mean "It is not good." In the same way
lku-n-ja nai-deshoo-ka.
means "It seems to me that he is going to go."
Thus, . . . n-ja nai-deshoo-ka can be replaced by ... to omoimasu as far as the substantial meaning of the statement is concerned, as in
// -to omoimasu.
it -n-ja nai-deshoo-ka.
although . . .n-ja nai-deshoo-ka sounds more reserved.
When preceded by nouns and noun-like adjectives <na adjectives), ... nan-ja nai-deshoo-ka is used as in
. Kore, Yamada-san-no nimotsu-nan.-ja nai-deshoo-ka.
(This might be Mr. Yamada's luggage.) Ano-hito. byooki-nan-ja nai-deshoo-ka.
(I'm afraid he is sick.)
In this type of sentence, the da of omoimasu changes to na as in
. . . byooki -da-to omoimasu.
. . . byooki -nan-ja nai-deshoo-ka.
da-to
10
11
... n-desu-ga used for making a request
Mr. I^erner was looking at some watches in a department store yesterday when a young woman chose a watch and handed it to the salesman, saying
Ano, okurimono-nan desu-ga . . .
(lit. This is a present, but . . J
and the salesman said Kashikomarimashita (Certainly). Mr. Lerner wondered if Okurimono-desu
can also be said in this case.
■j? * *
The young woman could have simply said Okurimono-desu (It is a present) or Okurlmono-nl shite-kudasai (Fix it like a present), too. But the ending . . .n-desu-ga is a common expression of request; by adding . . .n-desu-ga she implied ". . .so please wrap it so that it can be used as a present." . . .n-d&su-ga is used as in
lsogu-n-desu-ga . . .
(I am in a hurry — "please come tomorrow — "could you let me do it some other time?" implied.)
Ashita korarenai-n-desu-ga .. .
(I can't come tomorrow — "could you let me do it some other time?" implied.)
While simply saying Okurimono-desu, Isoglmasu or Ashita koraremasen is just stating a fact or condition, saying . . .n-desu-ga implies "so please act accordingly." (In the case of nouns and -na adjectives, nan-desu-ga is used instead of . . .n-
it
desu-ga.)
Since . . .n-desu-ga implies that one wants the other person to act in accordance with one's wishes, it can sound rather demanding depending on the situation. If you said Isogu-n-desu-ga ... in a definite tone, it might sound as if you were self-centered. Therefore it is best to start the sentence with anoo ... or sumimasen to imply your hesitation about troubling the other person, as in
Anoo . . . isogu-n-desu-ga . ..
S^cn-D......I\^<hjT^n......
(Excuse me. I'm in rather a hurry.) Sumimasen, Ashita korarenai-n-desu-ga . . . (I'm sorry. I can't come tomorrow.)
r i
25
Yaru and ageru meaning *to give'
Mr. Lerner visited the Takadas' last Saturday. When he arrived, one of their neighbors, Mrs. Mats umoto, was about to leave. He heard her say
Sorosoro akachan-ni: miruku-o ageru jikan-cfesu-kstra. . .
(It is about time to teed the baby.)
After she left, Mr. Takada said she should have used yaru instead of ageru (to give), but Mrs. Takada
was in favor of ageru,
* * it-
It is generally explained that ageru is used when   giving  something   to  one's   equals and superiors and yaru when giving something to one's : inferiors, but there are other factors involved in deciding which one to use. One has to consider not I only to whom one gives something but also with j whom one is talking about the action of giving.
To refer to giving something to one's family 1 members when speaking with them, one can use either ageru, or yaru; men usually use yaru while women prefer ageru. as in
I
Men: Kore yaru-yoS ' ^jfl (I'll give it to you.)
Women: Kore ageru-wa.     gpn &{-f&tl0 (I'll give it to you.)
But when reporting one's giving something to one's family members in conversation with non-family members or acquaintances, it is traditionally regarded as correct to use yaru regardless of the
34
relation between the speaker and the family member to whom he has given something. Thus,
Kodomo-ni yarimashita.
(I gave it to my child.)
Haha-ni yarimashita. (I gave it to my mother.)
In this ease women also should use yaru.
This is based on the idea that one should identify oneself with one's family members when talking with someone politely, and one's own family members should be regarded as inferior to the listener. Therefore saying.
akachan-nt miruku-o ageru
is not appopriate because it sounds like one is giving something to someone else's baby. (The word akachan is used to refer to someone else's baby, while akanboo is used to refer to one's own baby; thus Mrs. Matsumoto's choice of words sounded even stranger to Mr. Takada, who follows the traditional ideas of polite speech.)
Nowadays this custom seems to be changing; many young mothers use ageru when referring to giving something to their children. Either consciously or unconsciously, they have begun to stop making a distinction between expressions used directly to their family members and those used when talking with non-family members.
55
... (suru)to ii used as I a reserved expression of advice
Mr. Lerner had to call on someone at his office I
for   business   discussions   yesterday   afternoon. |
When he was checking its location on the map, Mr. I
Takada said I
Chikatetsu-de iku-to ii-desu-yo. I
(Why don't you take the subway? — lit. It will | be good to take the subway.)
!'
Mr. Lerner thanked him and left. While walking to I
the subway station, he wondered how the expres- 1
sion iku-to ii flit, it is good if one goes) compares 1
with itta hoo-ga ii (you had better go) and ittara doo- | desu-ka (how about going?).
£ & * >
The expression . . .ta hoo-ga ii is used to advise E someone to take a certain action, as in |
Amega furisoo-da-kara, kasa-o motte-itta hoo-ga 1
ii-desu-yo. - I
(Since it looks like it's going to rain, you had | better take an umbrella with you.)
Ano-hito-wa okorippoi-kara, ki-o tsuketa hoo-ga 1
ii-yo. I
(As he gets angry easily, you had better be I careful.)
Since ... fa hoo-ga ii sounds positive, it can |
sound too pushy  in social situations.  . . . tara I
doo/ikaga-desu-ka is less forcefiil than . . . ta hoo-ga |
but it still sounds positive and enthusiastic: j
Sukoshi yasundara doo-desu-ka. i
(Why don't you take a rest?)
Sukoshi oyasumi-ni nattara ikaga-desu-ka.
(Why don't you take a rest? — more polite)
On the other hand, the dictionary form of a verb plus to ii is used to advise someone by way of proposing an effective method rather than by urging one to do something as in
Kore-o tsukau-to ii-desu-yo. (lit. It will be good to use this.) Kasa-o motte-iku-to ii-yo.
(lit It'll help to take an umbrella with you.)
Thus this expression sounds less positive and more reserved than the other two.
Ippiki and ippon (one fish and bar)
Mr. Lerner wanted to cook some fish for himself, and stopped by at the fishmonger's near his house. He asked the fishmonger, pointing to a heap of mackerel pike,
Sono sanma, ippiki kucfasai.
(Please give me one of those mackerel pike.)
He was rather proud of himself for remembering that fish should be counted with hiki instead of hitot-su (one piece), but the middle-aged fishmonger said
Hat, sanma ippon.   {^A, t5hj& b^n&hjo (.lit. OK, one bar of mackerel pike.)
Animals are usually counted with hiki as in
ippiki, nihiki, sanbiki, yonhiki, gotiiki, roppiki.,. ^
Hiki undergoes phonetic change into piki or biki depending on what precedes it. This counter is applied to all types of animals — quadrupeds, insects and reptiles, although birds are counted with wa as in ichiwa, niwa, sanba, and big animals are often counted with too.
The counter hon used by the fishmonger is for counting thin, long things such as pencils, poles, bottles and cassette tapes. Hon also undergoes phonetic changes as in
ippon, nihon, sanbon, yonhon, gohon, roppon. . . .
I The fishmonger used hon because he regarded his
I merchandise as a lifeless object; he avoided using
I hiki, which should be used, strictly speaking, for liv-
1 ing animals.
In the same way, while living human beings
I are counted with ri or nin as in
hitori, futari, sannin, yonin, gonin, rokunin. . .
I dead persons are counted ittai (one body), nitai
I (two bodies), etc.
I Counters are used depending on how the per-
I son, animal or object is regarded in the situation.
I When one counts the number of sheets used for a
I letter, for instance, one says
I Sanmai-no nagai tegami-deshita.
\ (It was a long letter on three sheets of paper.)
I But when one counts a letter as a unit of cor-
I respondence, one uses tsuu as in
I Kyoo-wa tegami-o santsuu kaita.
|| (I wrote three letters today.)
. . . de vs.. . . ni meaning 'in/at, etc'
Mr. Lerner still sometimes makes mistakes in the use of de and ni. Today he inadvertently said
Ano-hito-wa doko-de tsutomete-imasu-ka. (Where does he work?)
and Miss Yoshida corrected him saying that he should use ni with tsutomeru. He wondered what verbs, besides iru (to bel and am (to be), are used with ni instead of de.
& £e te
As a rule, ni is used with verbs indicating existence while de is used with verbs indicating action, as in
Yamada-san-wa doko-ni imasu-ka. (Where is Mr. Yamada?) Asoko-ni ginkoo-ga arimasu-ne. (There is a bank over there.) Mainichi kaisha-de hatarakimasu.
(I work at my company every day.) Uchi-de nomu koohii-no hoo-ga oishii. (The coffee I drink at home tastes better.)
There are several other verbs commonly used to indicate existence, in addition to iru and aru, such as sumu (to live), tomaru (to stay overnight) and tsutomeru (to work for).
Doko-ni sunde-imasu-ka. (Where does he live?) Ano hoteru-ni tomarimashita. (I stayed at that hotel.)
116
Kyonen-kara kono kaisha-ni tsutometa-imasu.
^mtí<č>  ceo cítící ^táDxi/^^c
(I have been working for this company since last year.)
These verbs refer to human beings (and other living things in the case of sumu) staying at a certain place without moving around. The verb sumu refers to being settled in a certain place; in this sense, it is different from the English verb "live," which also refers to acting as a living creature. Tsutomeru emphasize one's state as a member of a company rather than actually working. Tomaru in hoteru-ni tomaru refers to staying at a certain place, just like sumu.
Actually tomaru can be used either with ni or de; when it is used to mean "to stop moving," de is used.
(1)
(2)
Asoko-ni kuruma-ga tomatte-imasu. (There is a car stopped over there.) Asoko-de kuruma-ga tomatte-imasu. (A car has stopped over there.)
are used in different situations. Namely, in <lj the speaker emphasizes the car being parked and staying still; in (2) the speaker emphasizes the car having suddenly stopped moving.
117
. - . eba ii-deshoo used to ask for instruction
When Mr. Lerner called a certain company to make an appointment with the director, a secretary asked him
Onamae:wa doo kakeba yoroshil-deshoo. (How do I write your name, please? >
She sounded very polite and pleasant. Mr. Lerner liked the expression . . . eba yoroshii-deshoo and wanted to use it himself, but wondered if it was too feminine.
=1= a. p
. , . eba ii-deshoo or eba yoroshii-deshoo (more polite) is used by both men and women to politely ask for instruction. This literally means "will it be good if I . . .?" When asking for directions, for example, it is best to say
Eki-e ikitai-n-desu-ga, doo ikeba ii-deshoo.
(I want to go to the station. How do I go?)
To ask where to transfer, you can say
Doko-de norikaereba ii-deshoo. (Where do I change trains?)
To make an appointment, one often says
Nanji-ni ukagaeba ii-deshoo.
(What time should I come?)
142
A
Doko-e ukagaeba ii-deshoo. (Where should I come to meet yon?)
When asking for instructions, a direct question using . - . desu-ka or . . - masu-ka may sound rather abrupt. For instance, when one has received a business card but is not sure how to read a name written in kanji (this often happens because some kanji can be read in various ways), it will sound abrupt to say something like
Onamaa-no yomikata-wa nan-desu-ka.
(What's the way to read your name?) Kono kanji-wa doo yominasu-ka.
(How do I read these kanji?)
It is best to say
- > Onamae-wa doo oyomi-sureba ii-deshoo. (How should I read your name, please?)
. The. . - .. eba il form is also used between friends to indicate reserve, although it will undergo a change into a familiar tone.
Nanji-ni ikeba it?
(What time shall I come? )
ikura haraeba ii-no.
(How much should I pay?)
143