Unit 2 · これ・それ · Part 3

Saying what it is not

じゃありません

Goals

By the end of this part, you can…

Say what something is not (じゃありません)
Correct someone politely
Say who you are not, when someone has you wrong

A conversation you can have in Japanese

TanakaAre you a teacher?

YouNo, I am not a teacher. I am an office worker.

TanakaIs this your bag?

YouNo, that is not my bag.

In this part

Warm-up — vocabulary

Say it in Japanese

Tap to check your answer

Grammar 1

Saying what it is not

To say what something is not, です becomes じゃありません. Nothing else moves. じゃありません is what people say; ではありません is the same thing in writing.

Builds onSaying what something is (X は Y です)

1See how it works

Pattern

noun じゃja ありariませんmasenIt is not ~.

Where じゃ comes fromじゃ is the spoken contraction of では. Both are correct; じゃ is what you will hear.

this oneこれkore(topic)はwanotebookノートnooto(polite)ですdesuThis is a notebook.↓ これkore はwa ノートnootois notじゃjaありariませんmasenThis is not a notebook.

2Build the pieceです → じゃありません

e.g.これkoreはwaほんhonですdesuThis is a book.→これkoreはwaほんhonじゃjaありariませんmasenThis is not a book.

1たなかさんtanakasanはwaがくせいgakuseiですdesuMr. Tanaka is a student.→たなかさんtanakasanはwaがくせいgakuseiじゃjaありariませんmasenMr. Tanaka is not a student.2それsoreはwaとけいtokeiですdesuThat is a watch.→それsoreはwaとけいtokeiじゃjaありariませんmasenThat is not a watch.3わたしwatashiはwaにほんじんnihonjinですdesuI am Japanese.→わたしwatashiはwaにほんじんnihonjinじゃjaありariませんmasenI am not Japanese.

3Say it in Japanese

I am not a teacher. わたしwatashi はwa せんせいsensei じゃjaありariませんmasen。That is not a watch. あれare はwa とけいtokei じゃjaありariませんmasen。

Summary

This part at a glance

Grammar 1

Saying what it is not

noun じゃja ありariませんmasen

これkore はwa ノートnooto じゃjaありariませんmasenThis is not a notebook.

Drill — fill in the blank

Choose the right word

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1. This is not a notebook.これkoreはwaノートnooto ありariませんmasen。じゃja2. I am not a teacher.わたしwatashiはwaせんせいsensei ありariませんmasen。じゃja3. That over there is a watch.あれareはwaとけいtokei 。ですdesu

Drill — translate

Write it in Japanese

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1. This is not a notebook.これkoreはwaノートnootoじゃjaありariませんmasen。2. I am not a student.わたしwatashiはwaがくせいgakuseiじゃjaありariませんmasen。

Reading — read it aloud

えきじゃありません

Ms. Suzuki looks out of the office window with Mr. Tanaka.

すずきたなかさんtanakasan、あれareはwaえきekiですかdesu ka。えき = station

たなかいいえiie、えきekiじゃjaありariませんmasen。だいがくdaigakuですdesu。だいがく = university

すずきそうsouですかdesu ka。じゃあjaa、えきekiはwaどこdokoですかdesu ka。じゃあ = then, in that case

たなかえきekiはwaあそこasokoですdesu。

すずきあそこasokoですかdesu ka。あれareもmoだいがくdaigakuですかdesu ka。

たなかいいえiie、だいがくdaigakuじゃjaありariませんmasen。びょういんbyouinですdesu。びょういん = hospital

すずきそうsouですかdesu ka。

Reading — questions

Answer in Japanese

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1. さいしょsaishoのno「あれ」「are」はwaえきekiですかdesu ka。さいしょの = the firstえき = stationだいがく = universityいいえiie、えきekiじゃjaありariませんmasen。だいがくdaigakuですdesu。2. えきekiはwaどこdokoですかdesu ka。あそこasokoですdesu。3. つぎtsugiのno「あれ」「are」もmoだいがくdaigakuですかdesu ka。つぎの = the nextびょういん = hospitalいいえiie、だいがくdaigakuじゃjaありariませんmasen。びょういんbyouinですdesu。

By the end of this part, you can…

Say it in Japanese

Saying what it is not

This part at a glance

Choose the right word

Write it in Japanese

えき じゃ ありません

Answer in Japanese

えきじゃありません