5.5 Set phrases at the Dinner Table Language Lesson

5.5 Set phrases at the Dinner Table
Language & Culture Lessons
O genki desu ka? Watashi wa totemo genki desu.
In today’s lesson, we will go over the set phrases that can be used at the dinner table you have learned in the Lesson 5.1
of the Rocket Japanese Interactive Audio Course. Then you will learn how to thank someone for doing something.
In the Culture section, I talk about the honorific language (polite language). This is a very complicated field even for
native speakers of Japanese. So don’t worry if you don’t feel like you understood it completely. My aim here is just to give
you a brief introduction.
Jā hajimemash ō!
Language Lesson
At the dinner table
In Lesson 5.1 "At the Dinner table" of the Rocket Japanese Interactive Audio Course, you’ve learned quite a few set
phrases you can use at the dinner table.
もっと　いかが　ですか？·もっと　どう　ですか？
Motto ikaga desu ka? / Motto dō desu ka?
Would you like more (food/drink)?
いただきます
Itadakimasu.
What you say before eating.
Itadakimasu! literally means “I will eat it” in a humble form (explained later in the Culture section). You can use this
phrase also when someone offers you food and you want to accept it.
On the other hand, you can use the following phrase when you don’t want to accept the food.
いいえ,けっこうです。
Ie, kekkō desu.
No thank you / I'm fine
What do you say when you have finished eating?
ごちそうさまでした·ごちそうさま
Gochisō sama deshita / Gochisōsama
Thank you for this delicious meal.
This expression literally means "It was a poor meal" but it is just simply a humble reply to the thank you from the
guest:
おそまつさまでした
Osomatsu sama deshita.
It was a poor meal (humble reply to a guest's thank you)
おなかがいっぱいです
Onaka ga ippai desu.
I am full!
The onaka means your tummy and the word ippai means full.
おなか　が　すきました
Onaka ga sukimashita.
I am hungry!
The word sukimashita literally means "it has emptied." You are saying that your tummy is now empty.
Saying thank you
Thank you for ~ - ~kurete arigatō gozaimashita
Now, let’s learn how to thank someone for doing something for you.
よんで　くれて　どう　もありがとう　ございました
Yonde kurete dōmo arigatō gozaimashita.
Thank you very much for inviting me.
きて　くれて　ありがとう
Kite kurete arigatō.
Thank you for coming.
First of all, let’s remember many levels of formality in “thank you” mentioned in Lesson 1.7 "How to ask for
Something".
Arigatō gozaimasu is more formal than arigatō. For thanking someone for something they have already done, you can
make arigatō gozaimasu into past tense, arigatō gozaimashita
Thanking someone for doing something involves Te-form.
∼くれてありがとうございました
~kurete arigatō gozaimashita.
Thank you for doing ∼(for me)
The te-form of the verb representing something they did for you.
Can you figure out how to thank someone for teaching you something (oshiemasu ) or helping you with something
(tasukemasu )?
おしえて　くれて　ありがとう　ございました。
Oshiete kurete arigatō gozaimashita.
Thank you for teaching me.
たすけて　くれ　てありがとう　ございました。
Tasukete kurete arigatō gozaimashita.
Thank you for helping me.
Yoku dekimashita! Well done!
Culture
Honorifics (respectful and humble)
In the Japanese culture, politeness is very important.
We have a form of language that we use when talking to or talking about people who are at a superior standing to
ourselves, such as your boss and your teacher.
This form of language is called honorifics.
Today, I’d like to give you a simple overview of what the honorifics means so that you will have at least a vague idea
of how it works.
The honorifics are different from whether you are being formal or informal.
I have explained previously about the "masu " ending in the Newsletter Part 11. This masu ending is formal as
opposed to informal or casual.
Let’s suppose you are on a very friendly term with a few of your colleagues. Usually you talk to them in a very casual
manner using casual language. However, in a very formal meeting, you would talk to them using formal language.
So the masu ending is formal in this sense.
Also you would use formal language to strangers and people you just met even in informal setting.
The masu ending is not considered honorific but it is considered neutral.
The honorifics are to be used when the relationship between you and this person (the person you are talking to or
the person you are talking about) is clear in that they are at a superior standing which deserves your respect, such as
your boss, your customer, your teacher, your girl friend’s father and so on.
The neutral language is used with strangers and other people that you don’t know all that too well.
The casual language is used with your family and friends.
Within the honorifics, there are two types of verb forms: respectful and humble.
Simply speaking, the respectful form of verb is used for actions performed by your superiors and the humble form of
verb is used for actions performed by yourself.
Let’s take an example of the verb "eat."
Taberu
Casual or plain
Tabemasu
Neutral formal
Meshiagarimasu
Honorific respectful
Itadakimasu
Honorific humble
Casual question from a brother to a sister:
Ringo, taberu?
Rather formal but neutral conversation from colleague A to B:
Ringo, tabemasuka?
Student asking if the teacher will eat the apple:
Student:
Ringo, meshiagarimasuka?
(being respectful)
Teacher:
Hai, tabemasu.
(being neutral)
Ringo, tabemasuka?
(being neutral)
Student accepting from the teacher:
Teacher:
Student:
Hai, itadakimasu.
(being humble)
There are times when both parties use respectful and humble languages to each other at the same time when they
feel they deserve similar kind of "respect."
Neighbor A:
Ringo, meshiagarimasuka?
(being respectful)
Neighbor B:
Hai, itadakimasu.
(being humble)
Well, I’ll stop at this for the moment. The honorifics are the part of Japanese where you can easily get lost. Even when
you are a native speaker of Japanese!
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