Day 20: Exam Day

Script

Smith: Ohayou gozaimasu, Tanaka-san.
おはようございます、田中(たなか)さん。

Tanaka: Ohayou, Sumisu-san. Kyou wa shiken desu ne.
おはよう、スミスさん。今日は試験(しけん)ですね。

Smith: Hai, sukoshi kinchou shiteimasu.
はい、少(すこ)し緊張(きんちょう)しています。

Tanaka: Watashi mo desu. Kinou wa yoku nemuremashita ka.
私もです。昨日(きのう)はよく眠(ねむ)れましたか。

Smith: Iie, benkyou shiteite nemurenakatta desu.
いいえ、勉強(べんきょう)していて眠れなかったです。

Tanaka: Sore wa taihen deshita ne. Demo, ganbarimashou.
それは大変(たいへん)でしたね。でも、がんばりましょう。

Smith: Hai, issho ni ganbarimashou.
はい、一緒(いっしょ)に頑張(がんば)りましょう。

Sensei: Minasan, shiken no junbi wa ii desu ka.
先生(せんせい): みなさん、試験(しけん)の準備(じゅんび)はいいですか。

Gakusei: Hai.
学生(がくせい): はい。

Sensei: Jaa, hajimete kudasai.
じゃあ、はじめてください。

Translation

Smith: Good morning, Mr. Tanaka.

Tanaka: Good morning, Mr. Smith. Today is the exam, right?

Smith: Yes, I'm feeling a little nervous.

Tanaka: Me too. Did you sleep well last night?

Smith: No, I was studying and couldn't sleep.

Tanaka: That must have been tough. But let's do our best.

Smith: Yes, let's do our best together.

Teacher: Everyone, are you ready for the exam?

Students: Yes.

Teacher: Okay, please begin.

Vocabulary

• 試験(しけん) (shiken) - exam
• 緊張する(きんちょうする) (kinchou suru) - to feel nervous
• 眠る(ねむる) (nemuru) - to sleep
• 勉強する(べんきょうする) (benkyou suru) - to study
• 大変(たいへん) (taihen) - tough, difficult
• 準備(じゅんび) (junbi) - preparation
• はじめる (hajimeru) - to begin

Grammar Notes

1. ～ています (Present Continuous Form)

Example: スミス: 少し緊張しています。 (Sukoshi kinchou shite imasu.) - I am feeling a little nervous.

The ～ています form is used to indicate an ongoing action or a current state. It can describe actions happening right now or habits that are consistently happening.

In Japanese, verbs do not change as extensively as in English to indicate different tenses. Instead, we use helper verbs to provide context.

Present Tense: In Japanese, the present tense can represent both present and future actions. For example, 食べます (tabemasu) means "I eat" or "I will eat," depending on the context.

Present Continuous: The ～ています form is similar to the "-ing" form in English. It is used to describe actions that are happening right now or ongoing states. In the example above, 緊張しています (kinchou shite imasu) means "I am feeling nervous."

2. ～ましょう (Let's ...)

Example: 田中: でも、頑張りましょう。 (Demo, ganbarimashou.) - But let's do our best.

The verb stem + ましょう is used to suggest doing something together, similar to "Let's..." in English. It is a polite way to invite someone to do something together, such as "Let's study" or "Let's eat."

3. ～ましたか (Did you ...?)

Example: 田中: 昨日はよく眠れましたか。 (Kinou wa yoku nemuremashita ka?) - Did you sleep well last night?

The ～ました form is used to indicate the past tense in Japanese. To make a question about a past action, we add か (ka) at the end of the sentence.

Past Tense: In Japanese, the past tense is formed by changing the verb ending. For instance, 食べます (tabemasu, "eat") becomes 食べました (tabemashita, "ate") in the past tense. Similarly, 眠る (nemuru, "to sleep") becomes 眠れました (nemuremashita, "slept well") when talking about the past.

Past Continuous: The ～ていました (te imashita) form is used to describe an action that was ongoing in the past. In the script, スミス says 勉強していて眠れなかったです (benkyou shite ite nemurenakatta desu), meaning "I was studying, so I couldn't sleep."

4. ～ていました (Past Continuous Form)

Example: スミス: 勉強していて眠れなかったです。 (Benkyou shite ite nemurenakatta desu.) - I was studying, so I couldn't sleep.

The ～ていました form is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past. It is similar to the past continuous in English, like "was doing" or "were doing." It implies that the action was in progress for some time.