Episode 5 · JLPT N5
How to Say "That Hat's Mine Too" in Japanese
この・その・あの・も
Put the thing straight after この, その or あの to name what you are pointing at, say that one is mine too with も, and hear how a brother and sister drop the polite endings.
Did you catch it?
Listen to the conversation first, with no text, the way the video plays it. Then answer.
It is home time at the gate. Yuki's bag has tipped over, and her big brother Kon is picking things up. Three things come up: an umbrella, a hat and a book.
Which one is not hers?
The conversation
会話Play any line again, or the whole scene. Tap a word to hear only that part. Hide the English to test yourself.
- Kon
Yuki — this umbrella?
- Yuki
Yeah, mine.
- Kon
That hat over there too?
- Yuki
Yeah, that one's mine too.
- Kon
That book by you as well?
- Yuki
Nope. Not mine.
- Kon
Whose?
- Yuki
Oh! It's Kenji's!
- Kon
…Kenji! Your book!
- Kenji
…Oh.
Words in this scene
単語Key vocabulary introduced in this conversation. Tap any item to view its dictionary or grammar page.
- この かさthis umbrella
- その ほんthat book
- あの ぼうしthat hat over there
- うんYeah
- ううんNope
- わたしのじゃないNot mine
The lesson
What the video teaches, to read at your own pace.
Put the thing straight after
- この 傘
- this umbrellanear me
- その 本
- that booknear you
- あの 帽子
- that hat over thereaway from us both
これ stands on its own. When you name the thing as well, use この, and put the thing straight after it. この 傘. This umbrella. その does the same for a thing near the person you are talking to. その 本. That book by you. あの is for a thing away from you both. あの 帽子. That hat over there.
The thing drops away, の stays
- 私
- I
- の
- 傘
- umbrella
- ＿＿
- known, so it drops
Say who a thing belongs to with の. 私の 傘. My umbrella. Once everyone knows what you are talking about, the thing itself drops away. 私の. Mine. の stands where the thing stood.
Say that one too
- あれ
- that one over there
- は
- about it
- も
- too
- 私の
- mine
The particle も means too. It takes the seat of は. あれは 私の means that one is mine. あれも 私の means that one is mine too. は and も never stand side by side. One or the other.
To family and friends, the endings drop
- うん
- Yeahfamily and friends · はい to anyone
- ううん
- Nopefamily and friends · いいえ to anyone
- 私のじゃない
- Not mineじゃない · じゃありません to anyone
Kon is Yuki's big brother, so the two of them talk the way family and friends do. はい becomes うん. Yeah. いいえ becomes ううん. Nope. And じゃありません becomes じゃない. Isn't. 私のじゃない. Not mine. Learn the polite forms first, and keep the short ones for family and friends.