意見を上げるための柔らかいフレーズ

Once I went out for dinner with a Japanese friend. She was from Osaka, so I asked her, “Do you know a good restaurant in Namba?” She said no, so I was surprised, because she was born and raised (生まれ育った) there. About two weeks later, we walked by a restaurant, and she said, “Oh, this is my favorite restaurant.” I was really surprised, and I asked her, “Why didn’t you tell me about it last time?”

She said, “You asked me if I knew a good restaurant, but I don’t know much about food.” I guess she wasn’t a gourmet, so she didn’t want to give me advice about food. I think a lot of my students are reluctant to (抵抗がある) say their opinions about things they aren’t experts about.

Today, I’d like to talk about some ways to say your opinion if you don’t have confidence (自信がなかったら) or don’t want to speak directly.

The first one is “I don’t know much about ～, but I think...”(詳しく分からないけど。。。と思います。)
例：I don’t know much about politics, but I think Obama is a good president.
 
Another useful phrase is, “It’s just my opinion, but I think...”(私の個人的な意見ですが。。。と思います。)
例：It’s just my opinion, but I think it was a great movie.”

If you use these phrases, no one will blame you if you are wrong of if they disagree with you.

If you want to recommend something, but you don’t have confidence, it’s good to say something like:

“If you...I recommend...”(～が好きなら～がお勧めです。)
例：If you like spicy food, then I recommend Yumyum Thai Restaurant.

or

“Personally, I...” (個人的に)
例：Personally, I really like Asakusa.”

Here are some sentences. Can you say them in English?
1.    私の個人的な意見ですが、テレビのCMは多すぎると思います。
2.    個人的には、駅の向こうのうどん屋さんがすごく好きです。
3.    アウトドアが好きなら、カナダがお勧めです。
4.    経済について詳しく分からないけど、円高になると思います。
5.    私の個人的な意見ですが、時代遅れに見えると思います。
6.    日本の伝統文化に興味があったら、この博物館がお勧めです。
7.    栄養について詳しく分からないけど、豆腐は体にすごくいいと思います。
8.    個人的には、清水寺はとてもきれいだとおもいます。

If you write your answers in the comments of this blog, I will check them. このブログのコメントに答えを書いてくれたら、チェックします。） You don't have to use your real name　and more than one ｐerson (１人以上） can do it.

ネイティブ・スピーカーがよく使うけど日本人が使わない英語ーDo you know (2)

A few weeks ago, I talked about using "Do you know..." and "Could you tell me..." to make your questions sound softer (柔らかく聞こえるために）. That pattern is just for "wh" questions (who, what, where, why, when, how). Today, I'd like to talk about "yes/no" questions.
Imagine you want to know if someone is coming to a party. One way is to say, "Is Bob coming to the party?" (ボブさんはパーティーに参加する予定ですか。) But a more polite way is to ask, "Do you know if Bob is coming to the party?" （ボブさんはパーティに参加する予定か知っていますか。）
Last time, we studied how to use the answer to make the question（答えを使って質問を作る方法）. Today is the same. Here are some examples:
1. Q. Does Mark like Japanese food?
A. Yes, Mark likes Japanese food.
→Do you know if Mark likes Japanese food?
2. Q. Is Mr. Suzuki in the office today?
A. Yes, Mr. Suzuki is in the office today.
→Could you tell me if Mr. Suzuki is in the office today?

Here are some practice sentences. Use "Do you know..." or "Could you tell me..." to make them softer.

1. Is there a post office near here?
2. Can Chris speak Japanese?
3. Is smoking prohibited (禁止）here?
4. Has Susan ever been to China?
5. Is Mr. James available (都合がよい）on Thursday?
6. Is it possible to make a reservation online?
7. Will Fred be able to attend (さんかする）the meeting?
8. Does Ms. Wilson have experience with sales?

If you write the answers in the comments, I will check them for you.

ネイティブ・スピーカーがよく使うけど日本人が使わない英語ーDo you know

 Imagine you are lost and want to find the train station. What would you say? Many students say, "Excuse me. Where is the station?" (すみません。駅はどこですか。） That's not wrong, but it doesn't sound very natural. (間違いではないけれどあまり自然に聞こえない。）
 The best way is to say something like "Excuse me. Do you know where the station is?" (すみません。駅はどこかを知っていますか。） It sounds softer because it shows you understand the person may not be able to answer the question.（その人が質問の答えを知らない可能性も含んでいることを表しているため柔らかく聞こえる。）
 "Softeners" like "Do you know..." or "Could you tell me..." are really useful but they are a little difficult because the word order (単語の順番）is different from a normal question.
 To make these questions, you have to think of the answer to the questions. For example:
     Q. Where is the station?
     A. The station is on Oak St.
To make the polite question, ask "Do you know" + "who/what/where/why/when/how" + the subject (主語） and verb (動詞） from the answer.

Here are some examples:
Q. What time does the bank open?
A. The bank opens at 10:00.
→Do you know what time the bank opens? (銀行は何時に開くかを知っていますか。）
Q. How far is it to Central Park?
A. It is eight blocks.
Could you tell me how far it is to Central Park? (セントラル・パークまでどれぐらい時間がかかるかを教えてもらえますか。）

Here are some questions. Can you say them more politely?

1. What time does the train arrive?
2. What is her name?
3. Where is this train bound for (行き先）?
4. How long has he worked here?
5. What is this line for?
6. Who is in charge (担当者）?
7. Why is he so angry?
8. How often do the trains run?

If you write your answers in the comments, I will check them.

Muchとmanyの不自然な使い方

 Did you study "much" and "many" in junior high school? You probably learned that "many" is for countable (数える) words and "much" is for uncountable (数えられない）words. But did you know that it sounds really unnatural (不自然）to say "I have much free time today," (今日は暇が多くある）or "I go to many parties"　(パーティによく行く)? Most English speakers say, "I have a lot of free time today" or "I go to a lot of parties."
 "Much" and "many" are usually used in negative sentences (否定文）.  It's okay to say, "I don't have much free time," or "I don't go to many parties," but in a positive sentence (肯定文), you should use "a lot."
 Sometimes, you can use "much" and "many" in positive sentences, but 90 percent of the time, you should use "a lot."
例外としては強調したい時と比べる時。例えば、"I lived in Australia many years ago."とか"This is much better."   

Try translating the sentences below into English.　There are some vocabulary hints below. 以下の文書を英語に訳してください。以下にヒントがあります。
 
1. 私はいとこがたくさんいる。    
2. あなたはあまりデザートを食べなかった。   
3. 彼はあまり髪がない。
4. 彼女はあまり機会がなかった。    
5. 我が社は従業員がたくさんいる。
6. この携帯電話はあまり機能がない。    
7. 日本は地震が多い。
8. （私たちは）あまり小麦粉がない。    
9. 彼らにはたくさんの選択がある。    
10. この街では空気汚染が多い。

If you write your answers in the comments of this blog, I will check them. このブログのコメントに答えを書いてくれたら、チェックします。）You don't have to use your real name and more than one person (二人以上） can do it. 

いとこ＝cousin
機会＝opportunities
従業員=employees
機能=functions
地震=earthquake
小麦粉=flour
選択=options
空気汚染=air pollution

Unnatural Words - 不自然な単語

Unnatural English

 Today, I'd like to talk about some unnatural (不自然） words that I hear very often. All of these words are 100 percent correct, but they all sound unnatural.

1. FINE (晴れ）
△Today was fine.
○Today was sunny.
In English, "fine" means "not bad, but not good." If you say, "Today was fine," it sounds like 「今日は大丈夫だった」.

2. FOOLISH (バカ）
△My boss is foolish.
○My boss is stupid.
○My boss is an idiot.
"Foolish" sounds a little old fashioned and a little formal, so it sounds strange to use it in everyday conversation. Stupid is an adjective (形容詞） and idiot is a noun (名詞）.


3. SPEAK ILL OF (悪口を言う）
△He spoke ill of me.
○He criticized me.
○He badmouthed me.
"Speak ill of" sounds very formal and old-fashioned. It's much better to use "criticize" (批判する） or the slang word "badmouth".

4. QUARREL (ケンカする）
△ I had a quarrel with my husband.
○ I had a fight with my husband.
○ I had an argument with my husband.
"Quarrel" is a little old fashioned and formal. To me, it has the nuance of a children's argument. Fight can mean both a physical fight （暴力を行使してケンカする) or an argument (口ゲンカ）. 'Argument' is alway with words.

5. INFLUENZA (インフルエンザ)
△ I have influenza.
○ I have the flu.
"Influenza" is very old fashioned. It was common in the 19th century (世紀） but now most people just say "flu." Of course, in medical English, they still say "influenza."

Here are some sentences using today's words. Can you say them in English? If you need help, there are some hints below (以下）.

1. 天気予報によると明日は晴れだろう。
2. 彼女の名前を忘れてしまった時、自分はバカと思った。
3. 他人の悪口を言うのは失礼です。
4. 口ゲンカは10分続いた。
5. 彼はインフルエンザ（のせい）で欠席した。

If you write your answers in the comments of this blog, I will check them. （このブログのコメントに答えを書いてくれたら、チェックします）You don't have to use your real name and more than one person (二人以上） can do it.

Hints:
1. According to...
2. When I...
3. It is rude...
4. ...continued for...
5. ...absent due to...

ネイティブ・スピーカーがよく使うけど日本人が使わない英語ーYou

How do you say, "京都で沢山の神社とお寺が見えます"? Many students say:
We can see a lot of shrines and temples in Kyoto.**

This is not wrong, but native English speakers almost never say it. We usually say:
You can see a lot of shrines and temples in Kyoto.  

 In this sentence, "you" is not あなた. It means 皆さん、 and it's called the "generic you" (一般のyou).

It's very easy to make a mistake when answering questions with "you" in them. For example (例えば）, if someone asks, "How do you turn on the copy machine?" you shouldn't say:
X　I press this green button.
You should say:
○You press this green button.

Here are some sentences using "you". Can you say them in English? If you need help with vocabulary, there are some hints below (以下）.

A) 明日、１０％の割引がもらえる(1).
B) 今日、富士山が見えます。
C) このお店では、お金を節約(2)できる。
D) ホーム・ビジネスで沢山のお金を稼げる(3)。
E) この用紙(4)に記入(5)しなければならない。

Hints:
1. get
2. save  money
3. earn money (with)
4. form
5. fill out

If you write your answers in the comments of this blog, I will check them. このブログのコメントに答えを書いてくれたら、チェックします。）You don't have to use your real name and more than one person (二人以上） can do it.

**Some people also say, "One can see a lot of shrines and temples in Kyoto" but this sounds too formal （改まった） for everyday conversation (日常会話）.

 

ネイティブ・スピーカーがよく使うけど日本人が使わない英語ーThere is

 How would you say, 「椅子の上に猫がいます」? A lot of students would say, "A cat is on the chair," but this does not sound very natural(自然). It is much more natural to say, "There is a cat on the chair."  "There is" is one of the most common (最も一般的) patterns in English, so if you want to make your English more natural, please try to use it every day.
 Here are some sentences using "there is". Can you say them in English?

1. 駅の隣にスーパーがあります。
2. 私の家族は４人です。
3. この報告書(report)に間違いがあります。
4. このデパートはバーゲンをやっています。（バーゲン=sale)
5. 冷蔵庫（refrigerator)の中にチキンがあります。

 If you write your answers in the comments of this blog, I will check them. このブログのコメントに答えを書いてくれたら、チェックします。）You don't have to use your real name.