Beginner Season 6 S6 #12 - Don't Text and Drive in Japan
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Naomi desu. Cat here. Don't text and drive in Japan.

Now, in this lesson, you'll learn how to say, I study while listening to music in Japanese. Right. You'll learn the usage of nagara. And this conversation takes place on the street. 警察官と森の萌さんが話しています。 The conversation is between a police officer and Moe Morino. And both speakers are using formal Japanese. では、聞いてみましょう。 Let's listen to the conversation. 前の車は止まりなさい。

Oh, shit! Here, show me your license. Morino Moe-san. You were driving while calling, weren't you? No, I wasn't talking. I was listening to the loose call. I see. You were listening to the message while driving. Oh, do you know? You shouldn't touch your cell phone while driving. It's a traffic violation. What?

もう一度会話を聞いてください。 今度はゆっくり話します。 前の車、止まりなさい。 あ、しまった。 はい、免許見せてね。 森の萌えさん。

Denwa o shinagara kuruma o unten shiteimashita ne? Iie hanashite masen deshita yo. Tada rusuden o kittetandesu. Naruhodo. Messeiji o kikinagara

運転していた。 あ、知っています? 運転しながら携帯電話を触ってはいけないんですよ。 交通違反なんです。 えー、もえ、知りませんでした。

そうですか。残念。でも、違反は違反です。 今度は英語の訳と一緒に聞いてみましょう。 前の車、止まりなさい。 To the car in front, please stop. 死にます。 Oh, darn it. はい、免許見せてね。 Alright, let's see your license. 森の萌えさん。

デーマをしながら車を運転していましたね。 メスモエモリノ、You were driving while talking on your mobile phone, weren't you? ハナシテマセンデシタヨ。 No, I wasn't talking. デス電を聞いてたんです。 I was just listening to my phone messages. なるほど、メッセージを聞きながら運転していた。 I see. Driving while listening to your messages. デス電を聞いてたんです。

ああ、知っています? 運転しながら携帯電話を触ってはいけないんですよ。 ああ、交通違反なんです。 萌え知りませんでした。 はあ?萌え didn't know that. そうですか。残念。 Is that right? That's a shame. でも違反は違反です。

But a violation is a violation.

Moe-san wa kōtsu ihān o shitan deshne. Kōtsu ihān wa eigo de nan desuka? A violation of traffic rules. Kōtsu means traffic and ihān is a violation. Naruhodo. Naomi-sensei wa unten menkyō o motte imasu ka? Do you have a driver's license? Hai, motte imasu yo. Yes, I do. Kōtsu ihān o shita koto wa arimasu ka? Eto, shita koto wa...

So Naomi-sensei has indeed committed a traffic violation but has never been caught. Which is why she's with us today. So just going slightly over the speed limit a little bit. Just a little bit. Right.

キャットさんは免許持っていますか? Do I have a driver's license? 残念ながら持っていません。 Unfortunately, I do not have a driver's license. そうなんですか。 That's so embarrassing considering how old I am. じゃあ、交通違反はしたことがありませんか? ありませんね。 Of course, I have never violated traffic laws because I cannot in fact drive a vehicle legally.

ところで、携帯の違反はいくらですか? あ、ダイアログの? あ、ダイアログの、そうですね。 Does Moe have to pay a fine for using her mobile phone in the car in the dialogue? I think so. うん。 運転をしながら携帯電話は 6000 円ぐらいだと思います。

So, Naomi-sensei said that the fine for using your mobile phone in the car would be about maybe 6,000 yen. That's actually a lot less than I would have expected, but that's no reason to do it. そうですね。 みなさん、きをつけてください。 Everyone, please take care. All right, so now let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. And the first word we're going to see is 止まる to stop, to halt. とまる 止まる And next, みせる

To show, to display. And next? Just, only. And next? Okay, I see. And finally? To touch.

Okay, so now let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. And the first one we're going to look at is ただ. ただ has a few different meanings, but the ただ in this dialogue means simply, only, or just. It's sometimes used with だけ at the end of the sentence, meaning only for emphasis. ただ見ているだけです。 I'm just looking.

Or you can drop い and say ただ見てるだけです。 Which is the same meaning, I'm just looking. そうですね。 あと、前に勉強しましたが ただは無料の意味もありますよね。 So we studied this a little bit before, but you might remember that ただ also has the meaning of free, as in no charge, not having to pay for something. And the next word is なるほど、I see。

なるほど is basically used to show one's agreement or understanding of what one has just heard. 合図地の一つですよね。 It's a type of 合図地。 Yes, it's a type of 合図地 or agreeing words or just words to get the conversation going, which are frequently used in daily Japanese conversation. Agreeing words っていうんだ、合図地。 To show you're listening to what the other person is saying, I guess. なるほどね。 But なるほどって、

is used when you hear rather longer and bit complicated explanation. なるほど。 I see. It's like, I see what you mean, or I get it, or I understand in English. So when you've heard a little bit of a longer explanation, or you hear a sort of something more complicated that the other person has told you, you could say なるほど。 I see. そうです。

Now, in this lesson, you'll learn how to express two actions being performed at the same time by the same subject. For example, 私は音楽を聞きながら勉強する。 I study while listening to music. The formation is the masu stem of a verb plus nagara, which means while doing something. Right. So, first of all, how do you say to listen in Japanese? 聞く And the masu form is? 聞きます

And now take off masu to get the masu stem. Kiki. Atachi nagara. Kiki nagara. And this means while listening. Can we have a sample sentence, please? Hai. Ongaku wo kiki nagara benkyou suru. I study while listening to music. Listeners, listen and repeat. Ongaku wo kiki nagara benkyou suru. Listeners, say, I study while listening to music in Japanese.

音楽を聞きながら勉強する。 Okay, let's do one more. How do you say to eat? 食べる。 And the must form is? 食べます。 And the must stem is? 食べ。 Now, a touch ながら。 食べながら。 And this means while eating. Can we have a sample sentence? はい。 ポップコーンを食べながら映画を見る。 I watch a movie while eating popcorn. Listeners, listen and repeat.

Popcorn o tabenagara eiga o miru. Listeners, say, I watch a movie while eating popcorn. Popcorn o tabenagara eiga o miru. Ii desu ne? Can we say, eiga o minagara popcorn o taberu?

I eat popcorn while watching a movie. はい、言えます。 But your sentence sounds like eating popcorn is more important than watching a movie. It might be, for me. ところで、キャットさんは音楽を聞きながら勉強しますか? ああ、しませんね。集中できませんから。

I don't listen to music while studying because I can't concentrate. ああ、そうですよね。 But how about everyone out there? Do you listen to music while studying? Please let us know in the comments. それからリスナーの皆さんにもう一つ質問です。 So we have one more question for everybody listening. 何をしながら JapanesePod101.com を聞いていますか? What do you do while listening to JapanesePod101? Please let us know in the comments. 教えてください。

Bye. See you next time.

話してませんでしたよ。 ただ、留守電を聞いてたんです。 なるほど。 メッセージを聞きながら運転していた。 ああ、知っています? 運転しながら携帯電話を触ってはいけないんですよ。 交通違反なんです。 知りませんでした。 そうですか。 残念。 でも違反は違反です。