Lesson 10: "Sugoi! Some common anime expressions"
In this lesson we are going to learn a few common expressions that you might here while watching anime. "Sugoi!" (su-goy) is often used like "Cool!" in English, but it actually used to remark that something is extraordinary. Even if it's something extraordinarily bad. But feel free to use it when you want to say something is "Cool!", because you can use it in just about the same way. Like if Yattaro does something really nifty, I can say "Yattaro, Sugoi!". You can just use it by itself too, when a giant ninja crow-bot bursts out of the ground, or the Pizza Cats save the day. "Ii" (ee) means "Good", it can also be used as a substitute for "Hai" to say "Yes", or "that's right". Sometimes when someone is excited about how good something is they might drag it out to show how exciting it is like "Iiiiii!!" (Eeeeeeeeeee!). Don't use "Ii" for food though, if food tastes good, you should say it is "delicious" = "Oishii". "Ii" is used more to express a quality of "Goodness". "Kakko" (Kah-koh) refers to appearance, so "Kakko-ii" means something with a "Good appearance", in other words, something or someone who is "Looking good!" Since you know how to say "Good", now you probably want to know how to say "Bad" too. It's "Warui" (Wah-roo-ee). Some of you "old School" gamers might remember Mario's evil counterpart, Wario, who's name is a pun on "Warui" and "Mario". Hey, whatever helps you to remember a word in Japanese...
Sugoi, Sukashii! = (You're) cool, Sukashii!
Neko-me Surashu, Sugoi! = The "Cat's Eye Slash" is extraordinary! "Me" (meh) = Eye
Ii des'. = It is good.
Pururun wa kakko-ii, ne? = Pururun looks good, doesn't she?
Mimashita ka? =Did you see?
Sore piza ga, oishii des' ka? = That pizza, is it delicious?
So des'. = It is.
Tabemasho. = Lets eat.
Warui to Karamaru iimashita. = "It's bad", Karamaru said.
Yatta! (Yaht-tah) is used when someone has finished some difficult task. It means something like "I did it!" or "We did it!", but it can also be used to say "You did it!" by adding the name of the person; "Yatta! Sukashii!" or to ask "Did you do it?"; "Yatta ka?". "Yatta no?" is sort of a cute way to ask "You did it?", guys, don't use that one if you want to sound manly. If whatever was done wasn't such a difficult task, like washing the dishes or changing the channel on TV, you can use "Shimashita" (Shee-mah-shee-tah) ="Did", which is, of course, the past tense of "Shimas'" = "Do/Does". "Ganbatte" (Gahn-baht-teh) = "do your best". It's something you can tell someone who is going off to do some task, like school, work, or fighting ninja crows. It's often used as an expression of encouragement, like "Good Luck", but there's no luck involved, you just want the person to do well. You can reply with "Ganbarimas'", which is the same word, but with the "-masu" ending. In his form it means "I'll do my best!". Ganbatte has the "-te" ending, which is used on Japanese verbs to show that you are asking someone to do whatever that verb is. We'll get into that more later. In the meantime, practice these. Ganbatte!
Ganbatte to Usa Hime iimas'. = "Do your best!", Usa Hime says.
Yattaro, yatta ka?! = Yattaro, you did it?!
Yatta! = I did it!
Mada shimashita ka? = Did (you) do it yet?
Hai, shimashita... = Yeah, (I) did it...
Iie, shimasen deshita = (I) didn't do it.
Mina-san, ganbatte, ne? = Everyone, do your best, all right?
"Mina" (Mee-nah) means "everyone" or "all of you", and you add the "-san" on to be polite. Noticed that I have left the "-san" off names in this lesson? When you are watching anime, most of the characters will know each other well enough that they aren't so formal with each other all the time (and sometimes they just don't like each other and feel no need to be polite). Just keep in mind, that if you are actually talking to Japanese people, you should be polite and use "-san" until you are sure it's OK to be less formal. If you use it more often than you really have to, that's OK, everyone will just think you're really polite.