Lesson 28 - What time?

In the previous lessons, you learned that the particle ni is used when using a time word. You also learned how to combine several time words together with no. Ni can also be used when talking about a place, though you would not attach it to a time word with no. This means there can be two ni's in a sentence: one for the time and one for the place. For example, let's look at a sentence: Raishuu no doyoubi no hachiji ni mise ni ikimasu. This sentence says "I will go to the shop next Saturday at 8 'o clock." Please notice the new verb at the end: ikimasu. Ikimasu means "to go". Also, mise is the place, which means shop. The place always goes after the time.

Let's learn some other places that would be useful. You already know that your own home is uchi but to talk about someone else's home, you would use ie. Eki means station and gakkou means school. If you wanted to ask "Where are you going?" you would say Doko ni ikimasu ka, since you already know from a previous lesson that doko means where. Since you learned one verb, ikimasu, there are a couple others you should learn. Kimasu means "to come" and kaerimasu means "to return home". The next verb, mimasu, means to look. Remember, since looking is an action, whatever you are looking at should be marked with o, the direct object marker, not ni. Let's practice with a dialogue between Hisato and Yu.

Hisato: Konnichi wa, Yu kun.
Yu: Konnichi wa, Hisa kun. Ashita doko ni ikimasu ka.
Hisato: Ashita Kyohei kun no ie ni ikimasu. Anata wa.
Yu: Eki ni ikimasu. Kinyoobi ni gakkou ni kite kudasai.
Hisato: Jikan ga arimasen. Shichiji ni kaerimasu.
Yu: Sou desu ka. Ja mata, Hisa kun.

In this conversation, Yu asks Hisato "Where are you going tomorrow?" Hisato replies he is going to Kyohei's house and asks "You?" Yu replies he is going to the station. He then says "Please come to school on Friday". Hisato replies Jikan ga arimasen, which means "I don't have time". (Alternatively, you can say Jikan ga arimasu for "I have time") He says he must return home at 7 'o clock. Yu says, "Really? See you later, Hisa."

Do not get the time words and places mixed up. For now, we can only say where we will go. Later on you will learn de, which will show where you do something. For example, the ni would be used in a sentence like "I am going to school" while de would be used saying "I did homework at school". You do not have to worry about de yet, though.

Vocabulary Review
行きます Ikimasu- go
来ます Kimasu- come
帰ります Kaerimasu- return home
見ます Mimasu- look/see/watch
店 Mise- shop
家 Ie- someone else's house
駅 Eki- station
学校 Gakkou- school
何処 Doko- where
時間があります/ありません Jikan ga arimasu/arimasen- I do/don't have time