LESSON 30
How To Be Emphatic

Phrases
There — what's that?	Sore—nan desho ka?
It's raining!	Ame ga futte (i)ru yo.
I tell you it's raining—look.	Ame ga, futte (i)-mas' ne. Mite kudasai yo.
It's raining (you say)?	Futte (i)ru-tte?
The picnic's out isn't it.	Ensoku wa dame des' ne.
It's out all right!	Dome des' yo.
It's really coming down hard!	Hidoku futte imas'
Well then, what ("how") the devil shall we do?	Sā, dō shimashō ka?
Are there any good movies on?	Ii eiga ga arimas' ka?
There is a good movie.	Ii eiga ne, arimas' yo.
But—I haven't any money.	Sh'kashi ne, o-kane ga nai yo.
So, I can't go.	Da kara ne, iku koto ga dekimasen.
Well, shall we stay home then?	Jā ne, uchi ni imashō ka?
We don't have much choice!	Sh'kata ga nai sa.
So let's look at television.	Da kara, terebi mimashō.
But it's raining, so the television won't be any good either.	Da kedo sa, ame ga futte (i)ru kara sa, terebi mo dame des'yo.

Practice
A: Kyō wa, tenki ga warui des' ne.	B: Sō ne. Hidoku futte (i)ru ne. Dame des' yo. Mainichi mainichi, iya des' ne. ("... it's annoying.") Ima, kaeru koto ga dekimasen ne.
A: Daijōbu des' yo. Mada ("still") s'koshi okane ga arimas' yo. Da kara, kuruma de kaer-imashō ("... let's go home by taxi").	B: Chotto sa. Matte ne. Shimbun o kaimas' kara.
A: Kuruma arimas' yo! Kuruma ga kimash'ta. Ato de sa, shimbun katte ne. Ima iki-mashō.	B: Daijōbu des'. Mō katta (= kaimash'ta) yo, shimbun wa. Sā, ik -mashō.

Tips

The particle ne is frequently used as a kind of polite pause, either at the end of the sentence or in the middle. An emphatic substitute for ne is sa, which is very common in Eastern Japan, including Tokyo, and various other parts of the country. You do not hear it much in Western Japan, where people are generally more soft-spoken, and many of the Western Japanese consider sa rather rude. But young people are fond of it, since it gives their speech a certain vigor and assertiveness. The particle yo is another way to be emphatic, and it is heard all over the country, more commonly at the end of a sentence than in the middle. In place of ne, country men often use na, which gives a more vigorous, but less sophisticated flavor to their speech. You also use na (and plain forms) when talking to yourself. Women often use the particle wa at the end of a sentence to soften its boldness. In rapid, friendly speech, polite forms are often replaced by plain forms, but the plain form is usually followed by some particle of emphasis or politeness. In rapid speech the first vowel of imas’ is lost in the expression -te (i) mas’ “is doing.”

A: Today the weather's terrible, isn't it.	B: Yeah, isn't it. It's really coming down! It's awful. Day after day, I hate it. Now we can't get home, can we.
A: That's OK. I've still got a little money. So let's go home by taxi.	B: Just a second. Wait up. I want to buy a paper!
A: I've got a cab! A taxi has come! Buy your paper later! Let's go now.	B: It's OK—I've got it, the newspaper. Well, let's g°.