Lesson 72 - Go and close the window

When you tell someone to do something, you usually tell them to "go" and do it. However, in Japan, they won't tell you to "go" and do something; they'd say do something and "come" back. In essence, these two phrases mean the same thing, but just they way they are formed is different. For example, to say "Go and close the window", you would say mado o shimete kite kudasai. Kimasu is actually a very versatile verb and is used quite often in Japanese with a variety of different words. In English, it is quite hard to understand just what they are saying, and a lot of it has to be liberally understood instead of literally translated. For example, a Japanese person might say RAAMEN o tabete kimashita. It would mean "I came having eaten ramen". A sentence like aruite kimashita would be "I came walking" or just "I walked", with the coming part being understood. It can get quite complex at times, and to a foreign speaker, it might be a hard concept to grasp at first.

Let's hop right into a conversation to make it a bit easier to understand. Let's see what Sumire and Takeshi have to say to each other.

Sumire: Takeshi kun, mado o shimete kite kudasai. Samui desu ne.
Takeshi: Hai! Hasumi san wa kaette kimashita ka?
Sumire: Mada desu. ... aa! Nani o shite imashita ka? Soko kara orite kite kudasai!
Takeshi: Iie! Sumire chan wa koko ni agatte kite kudasai!
Sumire: Baka ... bangohan o tabete kimashita ka?
Takeshi: Iie. Wasurete kimashita. Onaka ga suite imasu! Ryouri o shite kite kudasai.
Sumire: Hajime ni orite kite kudasai.
Takeshi: Hai!
Sumire: Nani o tabetai desu ka?
Takeshi: Sushi ga hoshii desu.
Sumire: Sou desu ka? Soshite, chotto matte kudasai. Sugu ryouri o shimasu. Daidokoro no denki o tsukete kite kudasai.
Takeshi: Wakarimashita! Iya... denki ga kowaremasu.
Sumire: Nani?! Takeshi kun wa kowashimasu ka?
Takeshi: Chigaimasu! Aa... komarimashita ne.

Sumire begins by saying, "Takeshi, go and close the window. It's cold, isn't it?" Takeshi replies, "OK! Did Hasumi come back?" Sumire replies, "Not yet.... oh! What are you doing? Come down from there!" Orimasu is to come down. Takeshi says playfully, "No! You come up here!" Agarimasu is to come up. Sumire remarks, "Stupid... did you come having eaten dinner?" Takeshi replies, "No. I forgot. I'm hungry! Go and cook." Sumire says, "First come down." When he agrees, she continues, "What do you want to eat?" He says he wants sushi and she says, "is that so? Then hold on a little. I'll cook soon. Go and turn on the kitchen lights." Denki is lights or lamps. Takeshi replies, "Alright! Uh-oh... the lights are broken." Kowaremasu is to be broken. Sumire says, "What?! Did you break it?" Kowashimasu is to break. (Don't be confused by the two!) Takeshi replies, "I didn't! Oh... I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

Vocabulary Review
下ります Orimasu- to get down/get out
上がります Agarimasu- to come up/go up
電気 Denki- lights/lamp
壊れます Kowaremasu- to be broken
壊します Kowashimasu- to break
困ります Komarimasu- to be in trouble/be in a mess