Noken
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N5 · Lesson 5

Coming and going

Talk about travel: where you are going, by what means of transport, with whom and when.

Grammar

N (place) へ きます/ます/ります

place へ きます/ます/ります

The particle へ (read "e") marks the direction of movement with the verbs to go, to come and to return.

Examples

  • I'm going to Kyoto.

  • I'm going back home.

どこ[へ]も きません — "nowhere"

どこ[へ]も V (negative)

A question word + も with a negative verb negates the whole range of the question: どこも きません means "I'm not going anywhere".

Examples

  • I didn't go anywhere yesterday.

N (vehicle) で きます — means of transport

vehicle で きます/ます/ります

The particle で indicates the means of transport. For "on foot" you use いて, with no particle.

Examples

  • I go to the company by train.

  • I walk home from the station.

N (person/animal) と V — "with someone"

person と V

と marks the person (or animal) you do the action with. "Alone" is で, without と.

Examples

  • I came to Japan with my family.

  • I'm going to Tokyo alone.

いつ — "when"

いつ V ますか

いつ asks about a time without needing the particle に. In the answer, に only appears if the time is a number (a date or a clock time).

Examples

  • When did you come to Japan? …I came on 25 March.

〜よ — giving new information

S よ

The sentence-final particle よ stresses that you are giving information the listener does not have, like a friendly heads-up.

Examples

  • This train doesn't go to Koshien, you know.

そうですね — showing agreement

そうですね

It expresses agreement or sympathy with what was said ("that's true", "I agree"). Don't confuse it with そうですか, which reacts to new information.

Examples

  • The weather is nice today, isn't it? …It is.

Vocabulary

WordReadingMeaning
to go
to come
to go home
school
supermarket
station
aeroplane
ship, boat
electric train
underground, subway
Shinkansen, bullet train
bus
taxi
bicycle
on foot, walking
person, people
friend(s)
he, boyfriend
she, girlfriend
family
alone
last week
this week
next week
last month
this month
next month
last year
this year
next year
year ~
what year
month of ~
what month
the 1st of the month
the 2nd, 2 days
the 3rd, 3 days
the 4th, 4 days
the 5th, 5 days
the 6th, 6 days
the 7th, 7 days
the 8th, 8 days
the 9th, 9 days
the 10th, 10 days
the 14th, 14 days
the 20th, 20 days
the 24th, 24 days
day ~, ~ days
what day of the month, how many days
when
birthday
I agree
thank you [very much] (for something already done)
you're welcome
platform ~
next
local (train)
express (train)
super express (train)

See this lesson's vocabulary →

See also