00:01
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast. Hey guys,how's it going? This is from Alare-san.
英語には関詞、付加算、加算付加算名詞があって日本語にはありません。
See that? Countable? Yeah, countable and also 関詞like a, the. Oh yeah. Those ones. Yes.
日本語にはそれはないと。英語ネイティブが日本語を勉強するとき、机の上に本があるという文章を初めて見たときに、
机の上にある本は一冊なのか、それとも何冊かあるのか、その定義がなくて気持ち悪く感じたというエピソードも聞いたことがあります。
Because it changes, right? There's a book, thereare books. Yeah. If you say there are, there's abook, then that's like one book.
Right. If you say in Japan, it's going to be 本がある,then you don't know. It doesn't matter how much,yeah.
So, do you feel so? Have you ever felt like that?I mean, that's a very specific scenario, so I'venever been placed in that scenario, so no.
But I can, I can understand how that's a mysteryof like, so give me more specific details if Ihave to get the sentence correct.
Like, is there one or two, because I can't, Ican't, you know, construct a sentence if I don'tknow the amount of book.
Yeah, I see. Understandable, understandable.
But you never faced like a trouble like that? No,no.
Like, um, okay, in anything like, um,動画機の動画撮ってさ、you don't specify like a video orvideos, but it's okay, it's normal.
Oh, yeah. So, um, in those cases, you, I saysomething like, we shot a video or some videosyesterday.
So, right, I said a singular version, and thenlike the multiple version, I connected it with anor.
That's how I would handle it if I was in thatsituation.
Oh, okay. So, let's say if you were learningJapanese, and then somebody says to you, like,あのビデオ撮ってさ。
And then, are you like, questioning, like, is it,or you don't care about it, is it like one video?
I see, I see. Like as an English speaker, when I'mcommunicating in Japanese.
03:04
Yeah, let's say like, um, ちょっと明日友達呼んでるからさ。
And like, is it one friend or like friends? I see,I see.
Does that happen? That has never happened to me.
Because I'm speaking in the context of theJapanese realm.
I'm like, right, you're, you're too good atJapanese.
I guess I'm too used to the Japanese communitythat it doesn't, I don't feel anything.
I see, I see.
I think I'm just as same as the other Japanese.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right, right, right, right.
Yeah.
So, this person has heard this kind of story.
And so, why do you think English doesn't careabout the singular and plural here?
That's because it's you.
In English, you and you guys are you, right?
Yeah.
I see.
I see.
True.
I didn't know that.
What do you mean?
I didn't know that you can also mean multiplepeople.
Oh, okay.
So, I've always used you when I'm only talkingabout one person.
Okay.
When I'm talking about multiple yous, I would sayy'all or you guys.
I see.
Or all of you is how I would say it.
Oh, okay.
Yeah, I've never used you to mean multiple people.
Wow, that's a new thing.
I didn't even know that that was possible.
Wow.
Yeah.
Is it like in general or is it your thing?
I think it's in general.
In general?
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah, I think so.
I see, I see.
So, in English, if you say you, that's just you,only you, one you.
And if you want to say many people, you would sayyou guys.
Yeah, you guys, y'all, you all.
Changing to different ones.
Right.
Oh, I see.
I see.
That's a new, I think new eye-opener for thisquestion, I think.
Is that what you learned in Japan?
Yes, exactly.
You could mean singular or multiple?
Yeah, anata slash anata-tachi.
Well, for me, that's wrong.
From my perspective, that's wrong.
I see.
I've never used you in a multiple people, so.
I think that's one of the biggest surprise toEnglish learner in Japan, I guess.
06:05
Here.
So, that makes sense then.
You're just defining, it's plural or singular.
Singular?
Yeah.
Right, right.
I see, I see.
I didn't know that.
I didn't know that.
I didn't know that.
That doesn't make sense.
Which one?
You can't use you for both singular and multiple.
Then you would not know.
It doesn't make sense.
Yeah.
You can't use that.
How does that make sense?
Where does that come from in Japanese textbook?
Yeah, yeah.
It's weird.
Yeah.
By the way, in French, you say chu, that's singleyou, you.
In plural you, you say vu.
You have two words.
Okay.
So, it's separated.
Yes.
Okay.
But when you, they have like keigo.
And when you're speaking keigo, you use vu, evenif you are a single you.
So, if it's keigo, it's both vu?
Yes, yes, yes.
So, if it's keigo, you don't know?
You don't know.
Oh.
You don't say vu, vu.
No.
Well, you can say like that.
Vu.
Vu, guys.
That's true.
Just like that.
We add something like you or kind of to make itmore understandable.
Okay.
Yeah.
And also, in French, you have like katsuyo inverbs and so many varieties.
So, that's also a hint.
Okay.
It differs if you're singular or plural or ifyou're feminine or masculine.
So, you kind of understand if you use the same vu.
I see, I see, I see.
Got it, got it, got it, got it.
Yeah.
But yeah.
So.
Right.
Yeah, I really want to know where does that comefrom, Japanese you, anata slash anata tachi.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, I guess it's a grammatical thing, right?
So, like in America, that's grammatically shouldhave been like that as well.
Oh, okay.
Right.
But I guess modern like conversations, you don'tsay that.
You don't do that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh.
Yeah.
All right.
Thanks again, guys.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
