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All Japanese activities

Activities: "How to use も (mo) with numbers in Japanese?"

By: Mayumi Ito

Activity 1: Takashi’s moving day

Takashi is moving today and posting the day’s events on social media. Read each post, try to figure out which role the particular も is playing, and provide the translation for the underlined parts.
  1. さあ、今日は引越しだ。家具が少ないから、たぶん２時間もあれば終わると思う。
    Transcription: Saa, kyō wa hikkoshi da. Kagu ga sukunai kara, tabun ni jikan mo areba owaru to omou.
    Translation: Well, today is a moving day. I don’t have much furniture, so I think it’ll probably be over if I devote .
    Vocabulary
    たぶん
    Transcription: tabun
    Translation: probably
    ２時間
    Transcription: ni jikan
    Translation: two hours
    あれば
    Transcription: areba
    Translation: if I have/devote
    おわる
    Transcription: owaru
    Translation: to be over
    と思う
    Transcription: to omou
    Translation: I think
  2. 朝の９時。サトシを待っていたら、ほかに７人も手伝いに来てくれた！
    Transcription: Asa no ku ji. Satoshi o matte itara, hoka ni nana-nin mo tetsudai ni kite kureta!
    Translation: 9:00 a.m. I was waiting for Satoshi, and then came to help me!
    Vocabulary
    ほかに
    Transcription: hoka ni
    Translation: additionally
    ７人
    Transcription: nana nin
    Translation: seven people
    手伝いに来てくれた
    Transcription: tetsudai ni kite kureta
    Translation: came to help me
  3. ようこさんは、みんなの分のおにぎりも持ってきてくれた！
    Transcription: Yōko san wa, minna no bun no onigiri mo motte kite kureta!
    Translation: As for Yoko, she has brought for everybody!
    Vocabulary
    みんなの分の
    Transcription: minna no bun no
    Translation: ...for everyone
    おにぎり
    Transcription: onigiri
    Translation: rice balls
    持ってきてくれた
    Transcription: motte kite kureta
    Translation: (kindly) brought with her (something)
  4. みんなのおかげで、荷物を運び出すのに３０分もかからなかった。感謝！✌
    Transcription: Minna no okage de, nimotsu o hakobi dasu no ni sanjuppun mo kakaranakatta. Kansha!
    Translation: Thanks to everyone’s help, it took to carry out all the stuff. Thanks!
    Vocabulary
    荷物
    Transcription: nimotsu
    Translation: one’s stuff
    運び出す
    Transcription: hakobidasu
    Translation: to carry out
    ３０分
    Transcription: sanjuppun
    Translation: thirty minutes
    かからなかった
    Transcription: kakaranakatta
    Translation: didn’t take
  5. なにもない部屋で、みんなでおにぎりを食べているところ。まるで引越しパーティーだ。
    Transcription: Nani mo nai heya de, minna de onigiri o tabete iru tokoro. Marude hikkoshi pātii da.
    Translation: In the room where , we are eating rice balls together right now. It’s like having a moving party.
    Vocabulary
    なに
    Transcription: nani
    Translation: what
    ない
    Transcription: nai
    Translation: not exist; there is not
    部屋
    Transcription: heya
    Translation: room
    みんなで
    Transcription: minna de
    Translation: with everybody; together
    食べているところ
    Transcription: abete iru tokoro
    Translation: are eating right now
  6. 「さあ、お腹もいっぱいになったし、そろそろ出発するか」とサトシが言った。みんなよっこらしょと立ち上がった。
    Transcription: “Sā, onaka mo ippai ni natta shi, sorosoro shuppatsu suru ka” to Satoshi ga itta. Minna yokkorasho to tachiagatta.
    Translation: “Well, now that , shall we get going now?” said Satoshi. Everyone got on their feet languidly.
    Vocabulary
    さあ
    Transcription: sā
    Translation: now
    お腹がいっぱい
    Transcription: onaka ga ippai
    Translation: are full
    〜になったし
    Transcription: ... ni natta shi
    Translation: now that we
    have become …
    そろそろ
    Transcription: sorosoro
    Translation: by and by
    出発するか
    Transcription: shuppatsu suru ka
    Translation: shall we get going
  7. ４年間住んだこのアパートともこれでお別れだ。😢
    Transcription: Yonenkan sunda kono apāto to mo kore de owakare da.
    Translation: it’s time to part ways where I lived for four years.
    Vocabulary
    ４年間
    Transcription: yonenkan
    Translation: four years
    住んだ
    Transcription: sunda
    Translation: lived
    このアパートと
    Transcription: kono apāto to
    Translation: with this apartment
    これでお別れだ
    Transcription: kore de owakare da
    Translation: It’s time to part ways
  8. となりの部屋のおばあさんも外に出てきて、大家さんと一緒に手を振って見送ってくれた。
    Transcription: Tonari no heya no obāsan mo soto ni dete kite, ōya san to issho ni te o futte miokutte kureta.
    Translation: came outside and gave me a send-off with our landlord, both waving good-bye.
    Vocabulary
    ４年間
    Transcription: yonenkan
    Translation: four years
    住んだ
    Transcription: sunda
    Translation: lived
    このアパートと
    Transcription: kono apāto to
    Translation: with this apartment
    これでお別れだ
    Transcription: kore de owakare da
    Translation: It’s time to part ways
  9. ぼくもトラックの窓から手を振った。「いろいろとありがとうございました！」と叫びながら。
    Transcription: Boku mo torakku no mado kara te o futta. “Iroiro to arigatō gozaimashita!” to sakebinagara.
    Translation: waved good-bye from the window of the truck, shouting, “Thank you for everything!”
    Vocabulary
    ぼく
    Transcription: boku
    Translation: I (male)
    トラックの窓
    Transcription: torakku no mado
    Translation: the window of the pick-up truck
    手を振った
    Transcription: te o futta
    Translation: waved good-bye

Activity 2: How would you answer?

Let’s practice responding to questions with short answers! Use the verb given in the word bank in an appropriate form.

  1. Someone asked you how often you’ve been to Kyoto. Tell them you’ve never been there, not even once.

    Vocabulary
    たぶん
    Transcription: tabun
    Translation: probably

  2. Someone asked you how many coworkers attended a Zoom meeting you had organized. Tell them not a single person did. (Oops! You must have told them the wrong date/time or sent them the incorrect link!)

    Vocabulary
    出席する
    Transcription: shusseki suru
    Translation: to attend

  3. Someone asked you how much money you have left after a shopping spree in Akihabara, Tokyo (where you can buy cool anime goods, exciting video games, and the latest electronic gadgets). Tell them you have no money left, not even one cent.

    Vocabulary
    残っている
    Transcription: nokotte iru
    Translation: to have (something) left
    一銭
    Transcription: issen
    Translation: one cent