Minna no Nihongo - Unit 4 Overview

Minna no Nihongo - Unit 4 Overview

Unit 4 introduces essential expressions and grammar used to describe time, schedules, daily activities, and asking or telling the time. This lesson also covers how to inquire about opening and closing hours of places, as well as how to talk about specific days.

1. Vocabulary (たんご)

Here are some key vocabulary words from Unit 4:

• いま (ima) – now
• ～じ (ji) – o'clock (used for telling time, e.g., 7じ = 7 o'clock)
• ～ふん／ぷん (fun/pun) – minute (e.g., 5ふん = 5 minutes)
• あさ (asa) – morning
• ひる (hiru) – noon
• ばん／よる (ban/yoru) – evening, night
• やすみ (yasumi) – rest, holiday, break
• ひるやすみ (hiruyasumi) – lunchtime
• しけん (shiken) – exam
• かいぎ (kaigi) – meeting
• びじゅつかん (bijutsukan) – art museum

2. Grammar Points (ぶんぽう)

A. Time Expressions

1. How to Ask for the Time:

   • いま なんじ ですか。 (Ima nanji desu ka?) – What time is it now?
   • Example answer: いま ８じ です。 (Ima hachi-ji desu.) – It is 8 o'clock now.

2. Expressing Time:

   • Use じ for hours and ふん／ぷん for minutes.
     • Example: いま ３じ １５ふん です。 (Ima sanji jūgo-fun desu.) – It is 3:15 now.

B. Days of the Week (ようび)

• にちようび (nichiyōbi) – Sunday
• げつようび (getsuyōbi) – Monday
• かようび (kayōbi) – Tuesday
• すいようび (suiyōbi) – Wednesday
• もくようび (mokuyōbi) – Thursday
• きんようび (kinyōbi) – Friday
• どようび (doyōbi) – Saturday

Example:

• きょうは なんようび ですか。 (Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka?) – What day is it today?
  • きょうは げつようび です。 (Kyō wa getsuyōbi desu.) – Today is Monday.

C. Sentence Structure: Describing Schedules

To describe activities, use the time + に (ni) + verb structure.

• Verb forms to know:
  • おきます (okimasu) – to wake up
  • ねます (nemasu) – to sleep
  • はたらきます (hatarakimasu) – to work
  • べんきょうします (benkyō shimasu) – to study

Examples:

• わたしは まいにち ６じに おきます。 (Watashi wa mainichi roku-ji ni okimasu.) – I wake up at 6 every day.
• かいしゃは ９じから ５じまで です。 (Kaisha wa ku-ji kara go-ji made desu.) – The office hours are from 9 to 5.

3. Example Sentences

1. いま なんじ ですか。 (Ima nanji desu ka?) – What time is it now?

   • いま １０じ です。 (Ima jūji desu.) – It is 10 o'clock.

2. びじゅつかんは なんじから なんじまで ですか。 (Bijutsukan wa nanji kara nanji made desu ka?) – What time does the art museum open and close?

   • ９じから ５じまで です。 (Ku-ji kara go-ji made desu.) – It's from 9 to 5.

3. まいにち なんじに おきますか。 (Mainichi nanji ni okimasu ka?) – What time do you wake up every day?

   • まいにち ６じに おきます。 (Mainichi roku-ji ni okimasu.) – I wake up at 6 every day.

4. Practice Sentences

• しけんは あした です。 (Shiken wa ashita desu.) – The exam is tomorrow.
• やすみは どようび と にちようび です。 (Yasumi wa doyōbi to nichiyōbi desu.) – The holidays are on Saturday and Sunday.
• わたしは しごとが あります。 (Watashi wa shigoto ga arimasu.) – I have work.

5. Summary

Unit 4 introduces telling time, describing schedules, and expressing days of the week. Focus on practicing asking and telling time, as well as using proper particles like に for indicating time. It’s also important to familiarize yourself with days of the week and simple verbs for daily activities.