I was at the bank earlier today waiting to get a check cashed when I overheard a soft-spoken, middle-aged teller speaking Japanese to the customer she was helping. The rythm, that flow, the assurance and punctation in the words....man, I just love it.
When it was my turn, I handed her the check and she read back the amount to make sure. Without thinking I said, "soo desu." - that's right
Well, she smiled and giggled a little. This has always been my experience when I've tried practicing my Japanese on a native speaker, particularly a female, they think it is cute when a Westerner atttempts their language.
"Ah, nihongo de?" - in Japanese?
"Hai, boku sukoshi wakarimasu" - sure, I understand a little
"Doko ni benkyoo shimashita ka?" - Where did you study
"Daigakkoo ni nikai de shimashita" - Two years in college
We exchanged a few more pleasantries before she began counting the money. As she did so, I verified her count each time by a quick bow and a simple "unh." She smiled again letting me know she still thought this was cute and I was glad.
I left the bank feeling so happy I remembered as much as I had and also relieved that the teller had kept the conversation very simple since I had forgotten so much more. It was a lot of fun talking with her, I really should take a refresher course.
When it was my turn, I handed her the check and she read back the amount to make sure. Without thinking I said, "soo desu." - that's right
Well, she smiled and giggled a little. This has always been my experience when I've tried practicing my Japanese on a native speaker, particularly a female, they think it is cute when a Westerner atttempts their language.
"Ah, nihongo de?" - in Japanese?
"Hai, boku sukoshi wakarimasu" - sure, I understand a little
"Doko ni benkyoo shimashita ka?" - Where did you study
"Daigakkoo ni nikai de shimashita" - Two years in college
We exchanged a few more pleasantries before she began counting the money. As she did so, I verified her count each time by a quick bow and a simple "unh." She smiled again letting me know she still thought this was cute and I was glad.
I left the bank feeling so happy I remembered as much as I had and also relieved that the teller had kept the conversation very simple since I had forgotten so much more. It was a lot of fun talking with her, I really should take a refresher course.
when someone tells you you're right out of a comic, you should ask them which kind to see if you should be offended or not. pulp? newspaper? hentai? it's all a matter of context.