Course 2, Lesson 1, Grammar Notes 9 : EXPRESSION NOTES

[Accura]

EXPRESSION NOTES

<'iku' versus 'kuru'>

When you move to a place where the listener is, you say "I'm coming." in English. However in the same situation, 'watashi wa ikimasu' is used in Japanese.

'kuru' is a movement toward the place where the speaker is.

'iku' is a movement in a direction away from the speaker.

<chotto>

'chotto' literally means "a little," "a bit," "a small amount, as in 'chotto kudasai (please give me a little) and 'chotto matte kudasai (Please wait for a moment).'

It is commonly used for a polite refusal. In this case, it means "inconvenient," "impossible," and so on.

Japanese people don't normally reject requests, suggesions, or invitations with 'iie (No)', because it sounds too direct.

A : doyoubi ni eiga o mimasenka (Will you see a movie on Saturday?)

B : doyoubi wa chotto. . . . (Saturday is not convenient. [ lit., Saturday is a little bit] .)