#17

Telling people what you’re doing now

日本を旅行しています I've been traveling around Japan.

Skit
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Japanese
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Mi Ya is on a photo shoot in Nagano. She meets a Japanese couple, and they go to a soba restaurant.

Listen #17 (10 min.)

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Skit

Wife

おそば３つ、お願いします。

Osoba mittsu, onegai-shimasu.

Soba for three, please.

Clerk

はーい。

Haai.

Got it.

Wife

日本へは、観光ですか。

Nihon e wa, kankoo desu ka.

Are you in Japan for sightseeing?

Mi Ya

ええと、私は写真家で、日本のことを海外に紹介しています。

Eeto, watashi wa shashinka de, Nihon no koto o kaigai ni shookai-shite imasu.

Um, I'm a photographer, and I've been introducing this country to people overseas.

それで、日本を旅行しています。

Sore de, Nihon o ryokoo-shite imasu.

That's why I've been traveling around Japan.

Husband

それはすばらしいね。

Sore wa subarashii ne.

That's wonderful.

Clerk

お待たせしました。

Omatase-shimashita.

Here you go.

Vocabulary

そば／おそば

soba/osoba

buckwheat noodles

3つ

mittsu

three

お願いする

onegai-suru

order

はい

hai

yes

日本

Nihon

Japan

観光

kankoo

sightseeing

ええと

eeto

um

私

watashi

I

写真家

shashinka

photographer

こと

koto

thing

海外

kaigai

overseas

紹介する

shookai-suru

introduce

それで

sore de

that's why

旅行する

ryokoo-suru

travel

それ

sore

that

すばらしい

subarashii

wonderful

お待たせしました

omatase-shimashita

here you go

Key Phrase

Telling people what you’re doing now

日本を旅行しています。

Nihon o ryokoo-shite imasu.

I’ve been traveling around Japan.

To express something that you're doing now, use "[the verb's TE-form] + imasu." "Ryokoo-shite imasu" is the TE-form of "ryokoo-suru" or "to travel" which is "ryokoo-shite" followed by "imasu."

Learn more!

Verbs

Use It!

Listen

旅行ですか。

Ryokoo desu ka.

Are you on a trip?

はい。あちこち旅行しています。

Hai. Achikochi ryokoo-shite imasu.

Yes. I've been traveling here and there.

Try It Out!

Try telling people what you're doing now

1Which of these three choices is the correct way to say this sentence in Japanese?

I'm studying Japanese.

study Japanese

日本語を勉強する（→勉強して）

Nihongo o benkyoo-suru (→benkyoo-shite)

1

Nihongo o benkyoo-shite desu.

Sorry, wrong Answer.
2

日本語を勉強しています。

Nihongo o benkyoo-shite imasu.
3

Imasu Nihongo o benkyoo-shite.

Sorry, wrong Answer.

2Say the sentence in Japanese, using the following word(s).

I'm XXXing.

～ています。

～te imasu.

work

仕事をする（→して）

shigoto o suru (→shite)

Answer

仕事をしています。

Shigoto o shite imasu.

3Say the sentence in Japanese, using the following word(s).

I'm XXXing.

～ています。

～te imasu.

teach English

英語を教える

Eego o oshieru (→oshiete)

Answer

英語を教えています。

Eego o oshiete imasu.

Step-up

Numbers Used When Ordering

１つ: hitotsu

２つ: futatsu

３つ: mittsu

４つ: yottsu

５つ: itsutsu

Kanji

Soba (buckwheat noodles)

Culture

Kaito Is Your Food Guide!

Japanese Soba Noodles

Soba is a traditional Japanese noodle dish, made from buckwheat flour that's boiled in hot water. You can dip it in a soy-sauce-based broth or eat it in a hot bowl of mild-flavored soup.

Mori soba (cold soba with dipping broth)

Kake soba (soba in a bowl of hot soup)

At soba restaurants inside train stations, passengers can get a quick bite to eat before catching a train.

Soba noodle stand

Trip tip