I have… 3 questions.
1) From my understanding, “masu” is keigo(formal), so if I don’t wanna speak in keigo how do I say “I will do x”?
「今から話します」sounds right but
「今から話してる/話る」doesnt
2) Is it weird to jump in and out of keigo?
3) Is it necessary to learn grammar or do I just expose myself to Japanese content ad infinitum and I’ll pick it up subconsciously? (I’ve been reading LN’s)
9 comments
1. You use informal plain form as far as I know, so 今から話す
1. Hanasu
2. Yes, it is. Consistency is key. Either you’re polite or casual. Try imagining it in English.
3. Different strokes for different folks but it doesnt really matter in the long run. You’ll pick it up along the way either way. Enjoy the ride. Only one thing needs to be consistent and that’s your use of japanese.
For point 3, I definitely recommend learning grammar at least here and there, even if it’s not strictly necessary.
It is much more time-efficient than trying to pick it up over time. You can get a good idea of multiple important grammar concepts in just a single day and you will be far less likely to misunderstand how something works and then have to “unlearn” it later.
That’s the beautiful thing about Japanese: compared to English, it only has two forms: past and present! (Even ~ている is present). Granted, it IS the politeness levels that will get you.
Or in other words, so long as you’re using informal speech, 話す is perfectly acceptable.
To address point two: irl people will have a little bit of variation in how they talk. For example, if someone brings up a difficult topic in the middle of a casual conversation, they may slip into desu/masu. A teacher presenting a slide show to students might start off in desu/masu (formal presentation vibes), but drop it as the presentation continues. Two coworkers shoot the shit in casual form, but one changes the topic to something work related and switches to desu/masu. People do these things without activiely thinking about it. It also *really* depends on the person, their personality, and their individual manner of speaking
As a learner, it’s probably better to just pick a register and stick to it rather than trying to switch at odd/random points. But if you listen to how native speakers talk to each other in non-scripted, real life settings, you’ll notice more variability than you’d initially expect.
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I think you should learn up to N3 level grammar if you plan on learning how to communicate with people. That’s enough grammar to do general,everyday life stuff and navigate talking to people in simple (but not simplified) Japanese. I don’t see the point in learning a language if you aren’t going to use it for anything though
1. You’d have to use one of the plain forms. 今から話す would be right for your sentence. 話している is an in-progress action
2. Generally when addressing someone, you’d speak in an established formality level. Sometimes this rule is flexible. For example, younger people meeting in an informal setting might start off with polite language, but switch to plain forms. Other times people might switch to polite or formal speaking as a joke.
3. Learn grammar because you’ll find explanations which a native speaker will take for granted.
1. Plain form. 話す.
2. It can happen based on the mood and your relationship with the people present. Usually it’s consistent. You might use the plain form if you’re exclaiming something even in a polite context. You might use the polite form if something serious comes up in a casual context.
3. Just be sure to look up unknown grammar rather than guess, especially early on. There is also grammar that you can miss out on if you only stick to one genre.