Noken
es

N5 · Lesson 9

Likes and abilities

Say what you like, what you understand and what you are good at with the particle が, and give reasons with から.

Grammar

N が あります/わかります/きです…

N が あります/わかります/きです/いです/です/です

Certain predicates mark their object with が instead of を: to have (あります), to understand (わかります), to like (きです), to dislike (いです), to be good at (です) and to be bad at (です).

Examples

  • I like Italian food.

  • I understand Japanese.

  • Mr. Miller isn't much of a wine drinker.

    上手/下手 are used for skills; 好き is used for likes.

どんな N — narrowing down a preference

どんな N が きですか

どんな asks for the specific type within a category: どんなスポーツが きですか (what sport do you like?).

Examples

  • What music do you like? …I like classical music.

よく/だいたい/たくさん/し/あまり/

adverb + V/A

Adverbs of degree and quantity: よく (well/a lot), だいたい (more or less), たくさん (a lot), し (a little); あまり and require a negative predicate (あまりわかりません, わかりません).

Examples

  • I understand English well.

  • I don't drink alcohol at all.

〜から — "because"

S1 から、S2

から joins the reason (S1) to the result (S2): が ありませんから、 みません. The reason can also come afterwards, as an answer to どうして.

Examples

  • Since I have no time, I don't watch television.

どうして — "why"

どうして〜か。…〜から

どうして asks for the reason; the answer ends in から: どうして ませんでしたか。… しかったですから.

Examples

  • Why aren't you drinking? …Because I have work tomorrow.

Vocabulary

WordReadingMeaning
to understand
to have, there is
to like
to dislike
to be good at
to be no good at
drink
dish, cuisine
sport
baseball
dance
trip, journey
music
song
classical music
jazz
concert
karaoke
kabuki (traditional theatre)
painting, drawing
letter, character
Chinese characters
hiragana script
katakana script
Latin alphabet
change, coins
entrance
time
something to do
appointment, engagement
part-time job
(your) husband
(my) husband
(your) wife
(my) wife
child, (my) son
well, a lot
more or less
a lot, much
a little
nothing ~ (with a negative)
early, fast
because ~
why
please lend me
yes, of course
I'm sorry[, but…]
oh!
will you come with me?
[~] is a little difficult (refusal)
can't you?
please invite me again

See this lesson's vocabulary →

See also