XziniK

UPDATE because apparently not everyone has seen this yet the new and improved version of this is a MEGA folder

穏やかな夏の日

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The soil testing equipment on Curiosity makes a buzzing noise and the pitch of the noise changes depending on what part of an experiment Curiosity is performing, this is the way Curiosity sings to itself.

So some of the finest minds currently alive decided to take incredibly expensive important scientific equipment and mess with it until they worked out how to move in just the right way to sing Happy Birthday, then someone made a cake on Curiosity’s birthday and took it into Mission control so that a room full of brilliant scientists and engineers could throw a birthday party for a non-autonomous robot 225 million kilometres away and listen to it sing the first ever song sung on Mars*, which was Happy Birthday.

This isn’t a sad story, this a happy story about the ridiculousness of humans and the way we love things. We built a little robot and called it Curiosity and flung it into the star to go and explore places we can’t get to because it’s name is in our nature and then just because we could, we taught it how to sing.

That’s not sad, that’s awesome.

Saying AND in Japanese has always been kind of frustrating for me. It’s a concept that, in English (and in my mother tongue, Italian), feels simple and universal: you just use “and” and move on.

But in Japanese, you need to stop and think: what exactly am I connecting, and what do I actually want to say?

It’s been a long time since my last post and since my last serious effort to make a significant improvement in my Japanese, so let’s start again by breaking down something that has always confused me.

1. Connecting nouns

と = “and” (complete list)

Use と when you are listing specific things and the list is complete.

Examples:

猫と犬がいます。 = I have a cat and a dog.

日本語と英語を話します。 = I speak Japanese and English.

や = “A, B, and things like that” (incomplete list)

Use や when you mention examples but there are more things that are not listed.

Examples:

猫や犬が好きです。 = I like cats, dogs, and things like that.

本や映画を見る。 = I read books, watch movies, and do things like that.

とか = “things like A and B / for example”

とか is more casual and flexible than や.

Examples:

映画とか音楽が好きです。 = I like things like movies and music.

週末はゲームをするとか、友達と会うとかします。 = On weekends, I do things like play games or meet friends.

It can also show uncertainty:

明日とか？ = Maybe tomorrow or something?

2. Connecting adjectives

い-adjectives → くて

Remove the final い and add くて.

Examples:

安い → 安くて = cheap and...

この店は安くておいしいです。 = This shop is cheap and delicious.

な-adjectives → で

Add で.

Examples:

静か → 静かで = quiet and...

この町は静かで便利です。 = This town is quiet and convenient.

Mixing い-adjectives and な-adjectives

The rule stays the same: change the first adjective into its connecting form.

Examples:

安くて便利 = cheap and convenient

静かで面白い = quiet and interesting

3. Connecting verbs

て-form = “do A and then B / do A and B”

The て-form is the basic way to connect actions.

Examples:

起きて、顔を洗う。 = Wake up and wash my face.

ご飯を食べて、学校へ行く。 = Eat and go to school.

たり〜たりする = “do things like A and B”

Use this when listing examples of actions, not a complete list.

Structure:

Verb た-form + り + Verb た-form + り + する

Examples:

映画を見たり、本を読んだりします。 = I do things like watch movies and read books.

週末は寝たり、ゲームをしたりします。 = On weekends, I do things like sleep and play games.

4. Connecting phrases

そして = and / then

Example:

日本へ行きました。そして、日本語を勉強しました。 = I went to Japan. Then, I studied Japanese.

だから = so / therefore

Example:

雨です。だから、家にいます。 = It’s raining, so I’m staying home.

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally "Month one", February is "Month two", etc:

一月 = January

二月 = February

However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. These months’ names referenced the weather and the seasons (similar to the French Revolutionary calendar).

August is 葉月.

葉 = leaf/leaves

月 = month

So what does August have to do with leaves?

It is likely a reference to 紅葉, red autumn leaves, which many Japanese people admire, almost as much as the cherry blossom in spring.

Of course, the autumn leaf season is actually more likely to begin in September or October.