Unit 6: これ、おねがいします

1. 祇園祭はどうでしたか (Gion Matsuri wa dou deshita ka) - How was the Gion Festival?

This section covers how to ask for and give impressions about a past event or experience.

Grammar Point: Asking for Impressions 〜は どうでしたか

The pattern Noun + は + どうでしたか (wa dou deshita ka) is used to ask "How was [Noun]?" It specifically asks for someone's opinion or impression of something they have experienced in the past.

Structure:

[Past Event / Place Visited / Thing Experienced] + は + どうでしたか。

• どう (dou): "how"
• でした (deshita): The past tense of です (desu).

Example Dialogue 1: Talking about a festival

A: きのう の ぎおんまつり は どうでしたか。
   Kinou no Gion Matsuri wa dou deshita ka.
   How was the Gion Festival yesterday?

B: とても にぎやか でした。ひと が おおかったです。
   Totemo nigiyaka deshita. Hito ga ookatta desu.
   It was very lively. There were a lot of people.

Example Dialogue 2: Talking about a movie

A: その えいが は どうでしたか。
   Sono eiga wa dou deshita ka.
   How was that movie?

B: おもしろかった ですよ。
   Omoshirokatta desu yo.
   It was interesting!

Common Adjectives for Responses:

2. Comparing Two Items: 「どちら」, 「〜のほうが」, and 「〜より」

This grammar is essential for making comparisons between two things.

A. The Question: A と B と、どちらが〜ですか

To ask which of two items has more of a certain quality, you use the question word どちら (dochira), which means "which one (of two)?".

Structure:

[Item A] と [Item B] と、どちらが [Adjective] ですか。

• と (to): Particle meaning "and". Using it twice emphasizes the two items being compared. Sometimes the second と is omitted.
• どちら (dochira): "which (of two)"
• が (ga): The particle marking the subject of the description (the adjective).

Examples:

1. バス と でんしゃ と、どちらが はやい ですか。
   Basu to densha to, dochira ga hayai desu ka.
   Between the bus and the train, which is faster?

2. にほんりょうり と ちゅうごくりょうり と、どちらが すき ですか。
   Nihon ryouri to chuugoku ryouri to, dochira ga suki desu ka.
   Between Japanese food and Chinese food, which do you like more?

B. The Answer: 〜のほうが〜より〜です

There are two primary ways to answer a どちら question.

1. Full Comparison (A is more ___ than B)

This structure uses both 〜のほうが (no hou ga) and 〜より (yori).

Structure:

[Item A] のほうが [Item B] より [Adjective] です。

• 〜のほうが (no hou ga): Marks the item that "wins" the comparison. It translates to "the side of ~ is..." or more naturally, "[Item A] is more..."
• 〜より (yori): Marks the item being compared against. It means "than [Item B]".

Example Dialogue:

A: バス と でんしゃ と、どちらが はやい ですか。
   Basu to densha to, dochira ga hayai desu ka.
   Between the bus and the train, which is faster?

B: でんしゃ のほうが バス より はやい です。
   Densha no hou ga basu yori hayai desu.
   The train is faster than the bus.

2. Simple Answer (A is more ___)

Often, the 〜より B part is omitted because it's already clear from the context of the question.

Structure:

[Item A] のほうが [Adjective] です。

Example Dialogue:

A: にほん の なつ と ふゆ と、どちらが すき ですか。
   Nihon no natsu to fuyu to, dochira ga suki desu ka.
   Between summer and winter in Japan, which do you like more?

B: なつ のほうが すき です。
   Natsu no hou ga suki desu.
   I like summer more.

3. Superlatives: いちばん (ichiban) - The Most

Superlatives are used to say something is "the most ___" out of a group of three or more. The key word is いちばん (ichiban), which means "number one" or "most".

A. The Question: [Category] の中で、〜がいちばん〜ですか

To ask what is "the most ___" within a certain category, you use this structure.

Structure:

[Category] の中で、[Question Word] が いちばん [Adjective/Verb] ですか。

• [Category] の中で (no naka de): "Among [Category]" or "In [Category]". This part sets the scope of the question.
• Question Words:
  • なに (nani): what
  • だれ (dare): who
  • どこ (doko): where
  • いつ (itsu): when
• いちばん (ichiban): most

Examples:

1. かぞく の 中で、だれ が いちばん せ が たかい ですか。
   Kazoku no naka de, dare ga ichiban se ga takai desu ka.
   In your family, who is the tallest?

2. スポーツ の 中で、なに が いちばん おもしろい ですか。
   Supootsu no naka de, nani ga ichiban omoshiroi desu ka.
   Among sports, what is the most interesting?

3. にほん で、どこ が いちばん きれいでしたか。
   Nihon de, doko ga ichiban kirei deshita ka.
   In Japan, where was the most beautiful? (Note: で can also be used instead of の中で)

4. いちねん で、いつ が いちばん すき ですか。
   Ichinen de, itsu ga ichiban suki desu ka.
   In a year, when (which season/month) do you like the most?

B. The Answer: 〜がいちばん〜です

The answer simply replaces the question word with the specific noun.

Structure:

[Noun] が いちばん [Adjective/Verb] です。

Example Dialogue:

A: クラス の 中で、だれ が いちばん にほんご が じょうず ですか。
   Kurasu no naka de, dare ga ichiban nihongo ga jouzu desu ka.
   In the class, who is the best at Japanese?

B: マリアさん が いちばん じょうず です。
   Maria-san ga ichiban jouzu desu.
   Maria is the best.

4. The Particle だけ (dake) - Only / Just

The particle だけ (dake) means "only," "just," or "nothing but." It is used to limit the scope of the word it follows.

Placement:
だけ comes directly after the noun, pronoun, or quantity it is modifying. It can replace particles like が and を, or be used alongside other particles like に or で.

Structure & Examples:

1. Noun + だけ (replaces が or を)

きのう は みず だけ のみました。
Kinou wa mizu dake nomimashita.
Yesterday, I drank only water. (mizu dake wo nomimashita is also possible but often omitted)

がくせい が ふたり だけ きました。
Gakusei ga futari dake kimashita.
Only two students came.

2. Noun + Particle + だけ

やすみ は にちようび だけ です。
Yasumi wa nichiyoubi dake desu.
The only day off is Sunday.

この バス は えき に だけ いきます。
Kono basu wa eki ni dake ikimasu.
This bus goes only to the station.

Key Point: だけ is used with affirmative sentences (e.g., 〜ます, 〜ました). This contrasts with しか, which is used with negative sentences (〜ません, 〜ませんでした) but has a similar meaning. For now, focus on using だけ with positive endings.

5. The Question Word どんな (donna) - What Kind Of?

どんな (donna) is a question word used to ask about the nature, type, or kind of something.

Crucial Rule:
どんな must always be followed by a noun. It cannot be used by itself.

Structure:

どんな + Noun + ...

Example Dialogue 1: Asking about a place

A: きょうと は どんな まち ですか。
   Kyoto wa donna machi desu ka.
   What kind of city is Kyoto?

B: ふるくて、きれいな まち です。
   Furukute, kireina machi desu.
   It's an old and beautiful city.

Example Dialogue 2: Asking about preferences

A: どんな スポーツ が すき ですか。
   Donna supootsu ga suki desu ka.
   What kind of sports do you like?

B: サッカー が すき です。
   Sakkaa ga suki desu.
   I like soccer.

何 (なに) vs. どんな

• なに (nani) asks "what". It asks for a specific item.
  • 何が好きですか。 (Nani ga suki desu ka?) - What do you like? -> サッカーが好きです。 (Sakkaa ga suki desu.)
• どんな (donna) asks "what kind of". It asks for a category or type.
  • どんな食べ物が好きですか。 (Donna tabemono ga suki desu ka?) - What kind of food do you like? -> イタリア料理が好きです。 (Itaria ryouri ga suki desu.)