<obaasan returns to find Frank bowing to

a piece of sushi>

[OBAASAN]
フランクさん、 何を
しています か？ KANJI FOCUS
furanku san, nani o shite imasu ka?

[FRANK]
ともだちに はなして
います よ。
何
tomodachi ni hanashite imasu yo.

[OBAASAN] ともだちは だれ？

tomodachi wa dare? meaning: what, how
これ です。 many
pronounced: ka, nan,
[FRANK] kore desu.
nani
<Frank points to the sushi> examples:

それは すし です。 何人 nan nin - how

many people?
すしは たべもの です 何か nani ka -
[OBAASAN] よ。 something
ともだち 何？ nani? - What?
じゃない。 何時ですか？ nan ji
sore wa sushi desu. sushi wa tabemono desu yo. tomodachi ja desu ka? - What
nai.
time is it?
[FRANK] ああ！ ほんとう？
aa! hontou?

はい。 ほんとう です よ。
[OBAASAN]
それは はなしません。
 hai. hontou desu yo. sore wa hanashimasen.

translation
FIRST FROM CHAPTER 3:

Obaasan - Well then, let's go.

Frank - Where?
Obaasan - A sushi restaurant
Frank - I wonder what sushi is? Wait!
<gets to the restaurant>
Hello!
<no responce>
Hello! How are you?
Clerk - That's sushi, you know.
Frank - Ah! This is sushi. Hello, Mr. Sushi!
Clerk - Excuse me. That is sushi. It's not a human
Frank - I'm not human either.
Clerk - Oh. Well if that's the case, please continue

AND FROM CHAPTER 4:

<obaasan returns; Frank is bowing to a piece of sushi>

Obaasan - Frank, What are you doing?
Frank - I'm talking to my friend!
Obaasan - Who is your friend?
Frank - This is.
Obaasan - That is sushi. Sushi is food! Not a friend.
Frank - Oh! really?!
Obaasan - Yes, it's true. It doen't speak.

何を しています か？ nani o shite imasu ka? - what are you

doing? | this is a good sentence to memorize.
何 nani - what | same as nan || first studied in chapter 2
しています shite imasu - is doing | usually makes verbs into ING verbs -
Usage will be covered later
ともだちに tomodachi ni - to a friend | tomodachi (friend) is also good to
know
はなして います hanashite imasu - speaking, talking
だれ？ dare? - who? | another important question word
たべもの tabemono - food | do you remember nomimono? drink - mono
means "thing" so 'a thing to eat'
ほんとう？ hontou? - really? Are you sure? Are you kidding? | This is
probably one of the top 10 most useful Japanese words!
はなしません。 hanashimasen - not speak, not talk - whenever you
see the masen it is always negative

• フランクさん、 何を しています か？ furanku

san, nani o shiteimasu ka? - [Frank, what are you doing?] You can
change the verb too!
Example:
nani o tabemasu ka? [What are you eating? or probably What do you
want to eat.]
• ともだちに はなして います よ。 tomodachi ni
hanashite imasu yo - [I'm talking to my friend.] || The particle ni is used
often when 'to' is used. amerika ni iku. [I am going to America.] and
anata ni ageru. [I will give something to you.]
~te imasu when added to verbs makes the ~ing form:
tabete imasu - eating (tabemasu) || mite imasu - seeing (mimasu)
• ともだちは だれ？ tomodachi wa dare? - [Who is the
friend?] lit. 'friend who?' Very often words are dropped in Japanese if
they are understood by the speaker and listener. Even the important
desu verb isn't totally necessary. Of course the "correct" form would be,
'tomodachi wa dare desu ka?'
• これ です。 kore desu - [It's this] || there isn't an 'it'
• それは すし です。 すしは たべもの
です よ。 ともだち じゃない。 sore wa sushi
desu. sushi wa tabemono desu yo. tomodachi janai - [That is sushi.
Sushi is a food. Not a friend.] || Do you remember in Chapter 2 nomi
mono (a drink)? Well tabe mono (a food) is related. Of course the tabe
comes from the verb tabemasu (to eat) and nomi comes from the verb
nomimasu (to drink), but what is mono? mono means 'thing.' So
tabemono is 'eat thing.'
• ああ！ ほんとう？ aa! hontou? - [Ah! Really?!] Again this is
casual speech so the ver (desu) is dropped. hontou is very, very useful!
hontou desu yo.
• はい。 ほんとう です よ。 それは
はなしません。 hai. hontou desu yo. sore wa hanashimasen. -
[Yes, it's true. That doesn't talk.] || The yo is just added for stress, really
it isn't necessary. hanashimasen means 'not speak' we will get to 'can't
speak' soon... Stay tuned!