みんなの日本語L23-2：こんにちは。I am Japanese. To study English, I am teaching Japanese in English. Write your sentences with “Plain Style Present Negative + とき”. I will check your sentences for JLPT N5 Beginner and Intermediate learners.

**①Improvement of Writing and Speaking**

こんにちは。I am Japanese. To study English, I am teaching Japanese in English. In this series, I will share my way of practicing N5 to Beginner and Intermediate level learners who want to review grammar by writing sentences.

This series also contains Speaking exercises for Beginner level. Usually, beginners have difficulty judging which topic is more important. From Japanese speaker’s viewpoint, I will choose the more important and skip the less important grammar topics. This way, you can save time. This could be considered a shortcut.

If you try to write your answer in accordance with the “②Instruction of Exercise” below and post them within “48 hours” from posting this thread, I will try to comment on and check your sentences. Although I cannot respond to all (Especially, off topic) because I have limited time, I will try to comment. Also, I welcome you to follow my SNS and Reddit account.

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**②Instruction of Exercise**

If you are N5 Beginner level, start from “**Procedure 1”**. If you are intermediate level learner, see **“Procedure 2”**.

**“Procedure１ for Beginner Level”**

(Step1): Check “Vocabulary” meaning in the list from the below link.

(Step2): Check and understand “Grammar” from the below link.

(Step3)：You can check　“Speaking Practice Video” in the below link and get used to how to use appropriately this time grammar topic to make sentence. You can also check “Practice Sheet”. You can use it for your speaking practice.

[→The Link for Vocabulary, Grammar and Speaking Practice Sheet](https://japaneselearningscript.blogspot.com/2021/09/23-2-japanese-speaking-and-writing-from.html)

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[→Speaking Practice Video](https://youtu.be/-ixIiWlRtS4)

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(Step4): Writing Exercise:

(W1) Read “☆Basic Example Dialogue” between Person A&B below. The Dialogue contains Grammar Topic “Plain Style Present Negative + とき”.

(W2) Try to make your dialogue between Person A&B like “☆Basic Example Dialogue”. In your dialogue, please try to use this time grammar topic “Plain Style Present Negative + とき” appropriately. Millions of mistakes are necessary for improvement, so you do not have to hesitate.

N5 level learner, if you have difficulty to write Dialogue style sentence, it is OK to write single sentences with grammar topic and also OK to use only Hiragana. (It is easy-to-read to make space between word and word).

(W3) Post and share your dialogues in 48 hours from posting this thread.

**“Procedure 2 for Intermediate Level”**

(W4) Like below “☆Advanced Example Dialogue”, try to use this time Grammar topic **“**Plain Style Present Negative + とき**”** **at least once** and make your original Dialogue. In other words, if you just use the topic at least once, you do not have to use the topic anymore and you can make your dialogue freely. It is also OK to add more Person A&B part to make longer Dialogue.

(W5) Post your Dialogue in 48 hours from posting this thread.

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**③Example Dialogues**

While I referred to “使い方がわからないとき、わたしに聞いてください。” on Page 146 in Minna No Nihongo Second Edition Elementary Japanese 1, Translation & Grammar Notes – English, I used same grammar pattern and wrote another sentences by combining other words like below \[\*1\]. To make dialogue structure, based on \[\*1\] sentence, I wrote \[\*2\] sentence as Person B’s line. I added “\[ \] My grammar interpretation”.

**“☆Basic Example Dialogue”**

A: うけつけに　ひとが いない とき、　どうすれば　いいですか。　\[\*1\]

uketsukeni hitoga inai toki dousureba iidesuka

If there is no one at the reception, What should I do?

\[Like we have already practiced last time, before とき, we can put Plain Style as Relative Pronoun to explain とき. This time, we will continue to practice Plain Style, Present Negative= Nai form+ない.　いますis Masu form, present affirmative, いる is Plain Style Present Affirmative and いない is Plain Style, Present Negative. So, うけつけに　ひとが　いません becomes うけつけに　ひとが　いない.\]

B: でんわで スタッフを 　よんでください。　\[\*2\]

denwa de sutaffu wo yondekudasai

If there is no one, please make phone call to the staff.

\[The textbook introduces “If and When” as translation for ―とき. So, the meaning of ―とき depends on context. If speaker is talking about “hypothetical situation”, it indicates “if” and if talking about “actual situation”, it could indicate “when”.

I guess if we use “Plain style, Past +とき”, the meaning tends to indicate “when” because “Plain style Past+とき” tends to indicate “When something actually happened,–”.

Moreover, if we want to clearly indicate “if”, It might be better to use “もし+ Plain Style+なら” that we will learn later.\]

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**“☆Advanced Example”**

A: すみません。学校の受付（うけつけ）に人がいない時、どうすればいいですか。

B: 受付に電話が置いてあるので、受話器（じゅわき）をとって1番（いちばん）を押してください。そうすれば、スタッフが来ます。でも、17時までに来れば、大抵（たいてい）は、受付に人がいるので、大丈夫だと思いますよ。それで、レッスンの申込用紙（もうしこみようし）をスタッフに渡（わた）してください。

A: わかりました。ありがとうございます。

So, like this, if you add \[ \] explanation and English translation, it will be helpful to understand and check your sentences more accurately.

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**⑤Reference**

3A Corporation 2012, *Minna No Nihongo Second Edition – Elementary Japanese1 Translation & Grammar Notes – English*, 3A Corporation, Tokyo.

ISBN-10: 4883196046

スリーエーネットワーク（2012）, 「みんなの日本語 初級I 第版 本冊」, スリーエーネットワーク.

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**⑥Question and Comment**

If you have some questions about topic, ask me on the comment section. Although I cannot respond to all (Especially, off topic) because I have limited time, I try to comment back.

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**⑦Update Alert by SNS**

I will continue to upload of this series for N5 Basic level. You can easily get each time update, if you follow my SNS or Reddit account.

[☆Twitter☆](https://twitter.com/motolearnshare)

[☆YouTube☆](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiIPOjYxFa_hAi8338SZ7dw?view_as=subscriber)

[Grammar Topic List for JLPT N5](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YOjKcx4E9WwCacV0gUcEcKGlwaBFlKCHiRecSpvpIgY/edit#gid=0)