Lesson 2
Casual Contractions
- 1 〜ちゃう・じゃう ~chau / ~jau casual 〜てしまう The job is all done, or it happened by accident — the form you use with friends.
- 2 〜とく・どく ~toku / ~doku casual 〜ておく Getting something ready now because it will be needed later — the form you use with friends.
- 3 〜なくちゃ・〜ないと ~nakucha / ~nai to casual "must" Something you simply have to do — the "I've got to" you say to a friend or to yourself.
- 4 〜って・んだって ~tte / ~n datte casual quote / I heard Passing on what someone said, or bringing a word up — the little spoken particle that does both.
- 5 〜たって・だって ~tatte / datte casual 〜ても However much you try, the result is the same — a resigned, casual "even if".
- 6 〜っけ ~kke what was it again? You knew it but it slipped your mind — asking yourself or a friend.
- 7 〜もん・んだもん ~mon / ~n da mon because… (excuse) The reason you give when you are making an excuse or grumbling — it sounds a bit childlike.
- 8 〜てごらん ~te goran go on, try it An encouraging "go on, try it" — only ever said downward.
Lesson check
All 8 forms of this lesson together — pick the right one from its look-alikes, the way the exam does. 6/8 completes the lesson.
🔒
「しまった！かさを電車に＿。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:After 'しまった!', something unwanted has already happened.
〜ちゃった = it happened without meaning to (casual 〜てしまった). 忘れといた means left on purpose, which clashes with しまった.
「パーティーの前に、飲み物を＿ね。」 — which says 'I'll buy them in advance'?
💡 Hint:Doing it now because it'll be needed later.
〜とく = 〜ておく, getting it ready beforehand. 買っちゃう means 'I'll just go and buy it', with no sense of preparing.
「もう11時だ。明日は朝が早いから、＿。」 (talking to yourself) — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Something you can't skip now, because of tomorrow.
〜なくちゃ = I've got to (casual). 寝たって only means 'even if I sleep' and leaves the sentence hanging; 寝たっけ asks about something you forgot; 寝てごらん is said to someone else, not to yourself.
「田中さん、来月結婚する＿。」 (news you heard from a friend) — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Passing on what you heard.
〜んだって = 'I heard that…'. 〜んだもん gives your own excuse; てごらん and とく cannot attach to 結婚する at all.
「今から急い＿、終電には間に合わないよ。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:The feeling of 'even if you hurry'.
Vた＋って (急いだって) = casual 〜ても, 'even if you hurry'. じゃう, どく and だっけ carry no 'even if', so they can't lead into 'you won't make it'.
「あれ？今日の会議、何時から＿？」 (you forgot and are asking again) — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:You knew it once, but it slipped your mind.
〜だっけ = 'what was it again?', checking something you forgot. なんだもん gives an excuse, not a question; ちゃう and たって don't attach after から.
「どうして宿題しなかったの？ ― だって、眠かった＿。」 — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Giving an excuse after 'だって'.
〜んだもん = 'well, I was…' (an excuse), pairing with だって. 眠かったっけ asks yourself a question, so it doesn't answer.
「この漢字、読める？ちょっと＿。」 (a teacher to a student) — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Encouraging someone else to have a go.
Vて＋ごらん = 'go on, try' (said by a senior to a junior). 読んじゃう, 読んどく and 読まなくちゃ all talk about your own action, not someone else's.
Your score: /8