Telling time: translation help

[htran804's slave]

I'm having trouble figuring out which is the correct way of saying this. Can someone help? :o



Here goes....

Nan-ji kara nan-ji made desu ka.

I'm reading that phrase as "What time does it start and end?"

The answer is [1 o'clock >> 2:30]. Now which phrase answers the question correctly?

Ichi-ji kara desu. Ni-ji had made desu.

OR

Ichi-ji kara ni-ji han made desu.

Any help would be awesome. I've got alot more questions but I'll save them for later. :scared:

[DoctorP]

The 2nd one. I would suggest that you start using the hiragana and katakana to learn now. It will help you to progress faster. The books that you are using have both romaji and hiragana/katakana in them anyway so best to use it since it is there.

[htran804's slave]

The 2nd one. I would suggest that you start using the hiragana and katakana to learn now. It will help you to progress faster. The books that you are using have both romaji and hiragana/katakana in them anyway so best to use it since it is there.

How would hiragana/katakana help me? Any advice would be great.

[DoctorP]

How would hiragana/katakana help me? Any advice would be great.

It's better to learn to read and write it now while you are still "green" then it is to try and learn everything with romaji and then go back and re-learn it again.

It will also help you when you are outside the gates. If you can read hiragana/katakana you will be able to get around easier on your own. If you are only interested in communicating orally, then it isn't necessary.

[okisteve]

It's better to learn to read and write it now while you are still "green" then it is to try and learn everything with romaji and then go back and re-learn it again.

It will also help you when you are outside the gates. If you can read hiragana/katakana you will be able to get around easier on your own. If you are only interested in communicating orally, then it isn't necessary.

Absolutely agree. It should take you a week to learn hiragana and another week to learn katakana. Just buy a book (Tuttle's) and do the exercises. Totally mechanical stuff but it will let you progress quickly in Japanese.

[htran804's slave]

Thanks. The hiragana is extremely basic in this book (so far), and I'm trying to learn it as I go. As of right now (chapters 1 - 4) the actual vocabulary and sentences are written in English. How would I be able to learn the hiragana equivalent? Where would I buy Tuttle's?

Oh, and my main problem is putting the actual sentences together.

[DoctorP]

htran...I have some material I can send you...but I don't have access right now. PM me with your email address and I'll send you some stuff tomorrow that may help you. No need to buy a book at all.

[DoctorP]

Thanks. The hiragana is extremely basic in this book (so far), and I'm trying to learn it as I go. As of right now (chapters 1 - 4) the actual vocabulary and sentences are written in English. How would I be able to learn the hiragana equivalent?

Oh, and my main problem is putting the actual sentences together.

You are using "Japanese for Busy People 1" right? (unless UMUC changed books)

You will need to start off using both, but my point is to practice with the hiragana at the same time. Will you be on for a while tonight or sleeping soon? I'll chat with you about this if you like.

[htran804's slave]

You are using "Japanese for Busy People 1" right? (unless UMUC changed books)

You will need to start off using both, but my point is to practice with the hiragana at the same time. Will you be on for a while tonight or sleeping soon? I'll chat with you about this if you like.


I'll be up for several hours tonight. Any help would be awesome. I'll look for you in the chat room :thumbup1:

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

DoctorP & okisteve are right. Learning hiragana will definitely help. It is especially useful for mastering proper pronunciation. Katakana will be immediately useful in reading menus in Japanese, as well as understanding many foreign loan words used in daily life.

[irinajones11]

Let me introduce myself as a novice person not only to this forum but also to the Japanese dialects. Now I have been asked to visit Tokyo for an ongoing project of our company and its understood a lot of local people are involved there too. I want to know how important it is for someone like me to know the local language so that there are no problems in communicating. Provided I use English as the medium can I expect smooth operations in work?
Please tell me about this I want to be informed as much as possible before I go there.

[okisteve]

Let me introduce myself as a novice person not only to this forum but also to the Japanese dialects. Now I have been asked to visit Tokyo for an ongoing project of our company and its understood a lot of local people are involved there too. I want to know how important it is for someone like me to know the local language so that there are no problems in communicating. Provided I use English as the medium can I expect smooth operations in work?
Please tell me about this I want to be informed as much as possible before I go there.

Most likely if your company is a typical international company there will be many locals who speak good English. In any case you won't be able to learn a useful amount of Japanese in a short time. You could try however to learn a little, just to make it easier to live there, but doing business would be really hard unless you do an intensive course for at least several months.