Trying to find a good ChatGPT prompt

I’ve been slow on learning Japanese and wanted to seek the help of the polyvalent ChatGPT. Here’s what happened, please tell me how I should go around to make the prompt or responses better (I tried the basics of basics first and I’ll try more complicated stuff after i refine a good prompt) :

User

This chat will be dedicated to learning japanese. What I want to do is to be given sentences in japanese and have you explain how this sentence was formed, the grammar, vocabulary, etc.

You will write the sentence :

\- in normal japanese.

\- In normal japanese with furigana next to the kanjis written like (this)

\- In romaji

\- A translation in english

\- A lot of explanation on how the sentence is formed, why is it written like this, the grammar, vocabulary, and others.

ChatGPT

Certainly! I’d be happy to help you with learning Japanese. Please provide me with a sentence or a topic you’d like me to assist you with, and I’ll provide the sentence in the formats you mentioned, along with a detailed explanation of its grammar, vocabulary, and structure.

User

Talk to me about simple stuff a beginner should understand. Name? age? where do you live?

These kind of questions

You may also precise when the sentence you formed is polite or casual and explain the difference between them

ChatGPT

Sure! Let’s start with some basic sentences and questions. I’ll provide the sentences in different formats as you requested, along with explanations of their grammar, vocabulary, and politeness levels.

What is your name?

お名前は何ですか？(おなまえはなんですか？)

Onamae wa nan desu ka?

Translation: What is your name?

Explanation:

お名前 (おなまえ, onamae) means “name.” It is a polite way to ask someone’s name.

は (wa) is a particle used to mark the topic of the sentence. It indicates that the speaker is asking about the name.

何 (なん, nan) means “what.” It is used to ask for information about something.

ですか (desu ka) is a polite question-ending expression. It makes the sentence a question.

How old are you?

おいくつですか？(おいくつですか？)

Oikutsu desu ka?

Translation: How old are you?

Explanation:

おいくつ (oikutsu) is a polite way to ask someone’s age.

ですか (desu ka) is a polite question-ending expression.

Where do you live?

どちらにお住まいですか？(どちらにおすまいですか？)

Dochira ni o-sumai desu ka?

Translation: Where do you live?

Explanation:

どちら (dochira) means “where” or “which.” It is a polite way to ask about a location.

に (ni) is a particle used to indicate the direction or target of an action. Here, it indicates the location the person lives in.

お住まい (おすまい, o-sumai) is a polite expression for “live” or “reside.”

ですか (desu ka) is a polite question-ending expression.

In terms of politeness, the sentences provided are in a polite form (usually referred to as “keigo” or respectful language). Polite language is commonly used when speaking to someone you don’t know well, someone older or of higher social status, or in formal situations. If you would like to learn about casual language or other specific topics, feel free to let me know!

User

Thank you, could you do the same in casual form?

ChatGPT

Certainly! Here are the same sentences in a casual form:

What is your name?

お名前は何？(おなまえはなん？)

Onamae wa nan?

Translation: What is your name?

Explanation:

お名前 (おなまえ, onamae) means “name.” It is a casual way to ask someone’s name.

は (wa) is a particle used to mark the topic of the sentence. It indicates that the speaker is asking about the name.

何 (なん, nan) means “what.” It is used to ask for information about something. The casual form does not require the polite ですか (desu ka) at the end.

How old are you?

何歳？(なんさい？)

Nansai?

Translation: How old are you?

Explanation:

何 (なん, nan) means “what.” It is used to ask for information about something.

歳 (さい, sai) means “years old.” It is a casual way to ask someone’s age. The casual form does not require the polite ですか (desu ka) at the end.

Where do you live?

どこに住んでる？(どこにすんでる？)

Doko ni sunderu?

Translation: Where do you live?

Explanation:

どこ (doko) means “where.” It is a casual way to ask about a location.

に (ni) is a particle used to indicate the direction or target of an action. Here, it indicates the location the person lives in.

住んでる (すんでる, sunderu) is the casual form of 住む (すむ, sumu), which means “to live” or “to reside.” The casual form replaces the polite お住まい (おすまい, o-sumai) used in the previous sentence.

In casual language, the sentences have a more familiar and informal tone. They are typically used when speaking to friends, family, or people of similar age or social status. If you have any more questions or if there’s anything else you’d like to learn, feel free to ask!

User

There is a problem : You said Onamae was polite before and now you say it’s casual

Can it be used for both? In that case you should not precise polite or casual.

Same case for Doko.

Could you elaborate on Sai (years old)?

ChatGPT

I apologize for the confusion. You’re right, the word “onamae” and “doko” can be used in both polite and casual contexts. Let’s clarify their usage:

お名前 (onamae) or 名前 (namae):

These terms can be used both politely and casually to mean “name.”

お名前 (onamae) is a more respectful and formal way to ask for someone’s name, often used in polite situations.

名前 (namae) is the casual form used in informal conversations among friends or peers.

どこ (doko):

どこ (doko) means “where” and can be used both politely and casually.

It is suitable for various contexts, whether formal or informal.

Now, let’s elaborate on “sai” (years old):

歳 (さい, sai) is a counter for “years of age” in Japanese. It follows a number to indicate a person’s age. For example, 10 years old is “じゅっさい” (jussai), and 25 years old is “にじゅうごさい” (nijūgosai).

When asking someone’s age using “sai” in a question, you can simply say “何歳？” (なんさい？, nansai?) in casual language or “おいくつですか？” (おいくつですか？, oikutsu desu ka?) in polite language.

To respond to the question, you can say your age followed by “歳” (さい, sai) in both casual and polite contexts. For example, “25歳です” (にじゅうごさいです, nijūgosai desu) means “I am 25 years old.”

I hope this clarifies the usage of these words and provides a better understanding. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!