2016-10-18

PTA English Practice for October -- Walking to the Castle Grounds from the Station

(Previous)

Sherry: I don't see the castle.
  This is just another busy street.

Michiko: We're facing the wrong direction.
  The castle is behind us.
[face => 向かう]

Sherry: Behind us?
  Why doesn't the subway exit open towards the castle?
[open towards 〇〇 => 〇〇に向かってひらく、戸口〇〇に向かっている]

Jun: This station is not just for the castle.
  A lot of people go to work near here.
[not just for 〇〇 => 〇〇だけのためではない]

Tom: How far is the castle?

Jun: About two hundred meters.
  We go to that stoplight on the left and turn left, ...



Jun: ... around this corner, and we can see it.
  There it is, right it front of us.

Osaka Castle and Inui Turret from corner near Temmabashi Station

Sherry: Oh? That's the castle?
  It looks so small.

Jun: That's just the turret on the northwest corner.
[turret => 櫓]

Sherry: Oh. Well, if that's just the turret
  on the northwest corner, ...

Michiko: It's called the Inui Turret.
  乾櫓 (Inui Yagura) in Japanese.

Osaka Castle -- Inui Turret from Temmabashi, closeup
Jun: Above the trees
  behind the turret,
  you can see the top
  of the main castle tower.
[I do want to get a picture of that. Maybe later. 
There it is:]

Sherry: Really?
  I can't tell.
  It looks like
  one building to me.

Tom: What does Inui mean?

Michiko: The northwest wind is a dry wind.

Sherry: It means all that?

Jun: It means "dry".
  But it also means "northwest",
  and "wind from the northwest".

Tom: Why so many meanings?

Jun: Just the history of the word
  and words it sounded like.

Tom: What are these buildings we are walking past?

Michiko: The buildings on our left
  are prefectural government buildings,
  tax offices and that kind of stuff.
[prefecture => 都道府県]
[prefectural government building => 府庁舎]

Tom: Oh. Suddenly I feel like I want to be very quiet.

Jun: That's funny.

Sherry: Why?

Jun: People often hold protests here.
  It can get very noisy.
[protest => 抗議活動]

Tom: Really? That must be interesting to see.

Michiko: Not really. Not usually.
  Sometimes the protests get a little scary.
[scary => 怖い感じをさせる]

Sherry: But it's important that people can protest.

Jun: True, ...

Tom: How about on the right?
  It looks like there's an exercise ground
  on the other side of the netting.
  Is that a school?

Michiko: Yes, honey, that's a public high school.
  There's a technical school squeezed in there, too.

Tom: It's very tight quarters.

Sherry: I think I see it now.
  I mean, I don't see it now.

Tom: What?

Sherry: I thought there was a pointed roof on the turret.
  But I don't see the pointed roof any more.

Jun: That was the top of the castle.
  Now it's hidden behind the trees.

Michiko: Well, here we are at the corner.
  We can take the walkover over there on our left,
  or we can wait for the light.
[walkover => 歩道橋の陸橋]

Sherry: Let's take the walkover.
  I don't mind climbing stairs.
  What's that building on the other side of the street, there?

Michiko: On the north of the castle?

Sherry: Yeah.

Jun: That's a private school.
  It's a combined junior high school and high school.

Michiko: There's an elementary school, too,
  on the other side of the junior high school.

Jun: Michiko and I both went there.
  The name is a little confusing.
[confuse => 混乱や矛盾を起こす]

Sherry: What's it called?

Michiko: 「追手門」 (Oh-te-mon).

Tom: Didn't you say that was
  the name of the front gate of the castle?

Jun: That's 「大手門」(Oh-te-mon).
  They're different characters.
  The school is "The gate of the pursuing hand",
  but the "big hand gate" means the front gate.

Tom: Oh-kay.

Sherry: Why is the school named like that?

Michiko: The school has a longer history than it has.

Tom: Honey, you are being very cryptic today.
[(be) cryptic => 不可解な(話をする)]


Osaka Castle west moat, looking south
Michiko: We can talk about that
  later. We came to see
  the castle, today.
  It's a nice view
  of the outer walls
  of the castle from up here
  on the walkover, isn't it?

Sherry: Yes, it is.
  Let's take some pictures.

Tom: Those moats are as big
  as they looked on the map.
  How do we get across? Swim?
[moat: 堀]

Michiko: I'll hold you clothes while you try it.

Tom: I guess I'll pass.
  It doesn't look like it would be very easy
  to go swimming there, anyway.

Jun: Or fishing. I was joking when I said that.

Tom: I thought you were joking, of course.
  Can you take a picture of Michiko and me
  with the turret behind us?

Inui Turret from northwest (Ohtemon-mae) walkover

Jun: Sure. Let's got Sherry in there, too,
  And then we can trade places.

Sherry: If that's your old school, sweetheart, ...

Jun: Don't embarrass me.

Michiko: Relax, Jun. You're among friends.

Jun: But, ...

Sherry: Let's take some pictures with the school
  in the background, too.

[Sorry this is so much English. I need more pictures, but I haven't taken them, yet.]

(to be continued ...)

2016-10-16

PTA October English Class Topic: Osaka Castle (Reprise)

Yep. We are going to go to the castle again.
そうよ。また大阪城に行きます。

Last year we had a wonderful tour guide.
昨年は素晴らしいツアーガイドがいらしゃいました。

This time, I am going to pretend to be a tour guide, and we'll do the tour in English. Mea culpa.
今度は申し訳なく、私がツアーガイドの振をします。ツアーは英語で行うつもりです。

I really wanted to be already prepared, but I've been busy with classes (and my other work). I now have some time, so I will try to put up some that previews where we intend to go.
もう早用意しているはずでしたが、授業(及びその他の仕事)で忙しくてまだできていません。やっと、時間を設けることができました。行く道の予告らしきものを投稿しようと思っています。
  • (To be added shortly. Maybe.)
I was not able to put last year's notes up. (My apologies.) I may be able to resurrect them.
昨年のノートを投稿することができませんでした。(ごめんなさい。)復活させるかも知れません。

But here is the announcement of
の発表です。その投稿に
In that post, I mentioned
のことをお知らせしました。
Of course, there is other information on the web, in many places and in many languages. For example,
無論、ウェブのいろんな所に、いろんな言語で沢山の情報が他にあります。例えば
Osaka Castle Park 大阪城公園
Osaka Castle Park Birds 大阪城公園の鳥

The only preparation material that I was able to post last year was just
昨年、用意できた資材は
ぐらいでしたが、
And you might be interested in the posts on directions to the castle from last summer:
去年の夏のお城への案内投稿がもしかしてご関心かも知れません。
[Added 18 October:

Finally made time to post some of my notes from last year:
去年のノートのいくらかを投稿できました。
]

See you at the lesson.
また、今度のレッスンに宜しくおねがいします。

2016-10-15

PTA September Notes -- Shopping Vocabulary and Phrases

Finally!
Here are the notes from September's shopping class.
(Sorry this took so long.)
May I help you?
いらしゃいませ!(何かお手伝いしましょう?)
(No, thanks.) I'm just looking. / I'm just window shopping.
(ありがとうございます。特に…) 見ているだけです。
Do you have 〇〇?
〇〇の取り扱いはされていますか?・〇〇は置いていますか?
polka-dot hat
水玉模様帽子
I want something to eat/drink.
食べ物・飲み物を頂いてもいいですか?(「ほしい」=>求めている)
How about 〇〇?
〇〇は如何ですか?(どう?)
How much is (the) 〇〇?
(その・あの)〇〇は幾らですか?
Looks good.
(見た目は)良さそうです。
I'd like this/it.
これにします。(お気に入りになるでしょう。)
No, thank you.
いや、結構です。(お断りします。ありがとうございます。)
(too) expensive
値打ちが高い(高すぎる)
Here you are/go.
(こちら)はい、どうぞう。
cent
百分。特に、米ドルの100分の1
$278625.00
two hundred seventy-eight thousand six hundred twenty-five dollars
$9,812,536.27
nine million eight hundred twelve thousand five hundred thirty-six dollars and twenty-seven cents
One more time, please.
お願いします。もう一度。
Please say that again.
繰り返し(に言って)下さい。
Wait!
待て!
Would you like this?
お気に召されました?(上記を参考)
Yes, I would. (=> Yes, I would like it.)
はい、お願いします。(上記を参考)
I want it.
これにするわ!・ほしい!
too much
行き過ぎ・やりすぎ・高すぎ (expensive)
It's not this one.
こちらではありません。(こいつじゃない。)
Not this one, that one.
こいつじゃなく、あいつ。
I'd prefer that one.
こちらよりも、そちらにします。
I don't like/want this one.
こちらは要りません。(好かない・欲しくない)
This is (not) the one I need.
こちらは探していたものです。(ではありません。)
I want that one.
そちらにしたい。(上記を参考)
Could you show me that (one)? (... show it to me)
(そちらのものを)見せていただけますか?
Show me that! (Show it to me!)
見せてくれ!
I want to see/(look at) that.
それは見たい。(look at => もっとゆっくりとみる)
It's too small.
小さすぎる。
Do you have one bigger (than this)?
(こちらよりも)もっと大きいのありません?
a bigger
(より)大きいの
a shirt bigger
(より)大きいシャツ
Do you have a bigger shirt like this (one)?
これと同じような、もっと大きいシャツありますか?
Would you like 〇〇?
お気に入っていただけますか?(上記を参考。置き換え可能。)
I'd like a green one.
I'd like one in green.
緑があればほしい。(上記を参考)
I'd like one in the next size up/larger. (down/smaller)
サイズが一つ大きいの(があれば)欲しい。(また、小さい)
This 〇〇 is nice.
I like this 〇〇.
この〇〇がいいわ。(好き)
(例え、 dress/pattern/style)
ドレス、模様・様式、スタイル・格好・様式など
We have one in green.
We have a green one.
緑にあります。
We have one in the next size up/larger.
一つ大きいなら、あります。(上記を参考)
We have one in a larger size.
We have a larger size.
We have a larger one.
もっと大きいのはあります。
Do you have one in platinum
プラチナにありますか?
... in (hemp/silk/cotton/denim, etc.)
服なら、生地のヘンプ(麻)、シルク(絹)、布、デニムなどに…
denim
ジーンズのような綾織布、大概はインディゴ色

2016-10-14

A Lad in Disneyrabia (Short Summary of the Animated Film)

Evil Jafar waited in the desert for a short thief.

He had a half a magic key to the Cave of Wonders.

The thief brought him the other half of the key.

Jafar put the two keys together and the mouth of the Cave opened up by magic.

"I only want the lamp," Jafar told the thief.

Then he lied. "You can have the rest of the treasures."

The Cave said, "Only one man may enter, someone who is better than he seems."

The thief fearfully entered the cave.

The cave suddenly and violently closed up, trapping the thief inside.

In the city, guards chased Aladdin through the streets.

Aladdin and his monkey had stolen some bread.

They saw two hungry children, and Aladdin gave them the bread.

In the palace garden, the sultan told his daughter, "You must marry a prince soon!"

Princess Jasmine said, "I don't like any of the princes."

Princess Jasmine left the palace, looking for fun.

Jafar took the sultan's magic ring from him.

He looked into the ring and asked, "Who can enter the cave?"

Aladdin was the person that the ring showed him.

In the market, a beautiful girl took an apple.

She did not pay for it.

The apple seller chased her, but Aladdin helped her escape.

The guards cornered them on a roof.

Aladdin asked her, "Do you trust me?" and they jumped off the roof.

The guards caught them amyway.

The girl was Princess Jasmine, but the guards would not listen to her.

They took Aladdin to prison, and Jasmine went back to the palace.

Aladdin met an old man in the prison.

He told Aladdin about a cave full of treasures.

Then he lied to Aladdin.

"If you bring me the lamp, you can have the rest. And you can marry Princess Jasmine."

He showed Aladdin a secret passage out of the prison.

They went to the Cave of Wonders, and Aladdin went inside.

The Cave said, "Touch nothing but the lamp."

Aladdin's monkey touched part of the treasure, and the Cave closed with them inside.

Aladdin found the lamp and dusted it off, and suddenly a genie appeared.

The genie said, "You have three wishes!"

Aladdin tricked the genie into getting them out of the cave.

He promised the genie he would use his last wish to free him.

Aladdin told the genie that he wanted to be a prince so he could marry the princess.

At the palace, Jafar hypnotized the sultan.

The sultan agreed to let Jafar marry Princess Jasmine.

Aladdin came to the palace disguised as a rich prince.

Jasmine didn't think that she liked the new prince.

He offered her a ride on his magic carpet and asked her, "Do you trust me?"

Jasmine decided she liked the new prince.

But the guards caught Aladdin again and threw him in the ocean.

Then the genie saved Aladdin.

Jafar tried to make Princess Jasmine marry him, but she refused.

Aladdin came back and broke Jafar's magic staff.

But Jafar's parrot stole the magic lamp.

With the lamp, Jafar wished to be a powerful magician.

He sent Aladdin far away and made the sultan and Princess Jasmine his slaves.

Aladdin found his magic carpet and flew back.

Princess Jasmine pretended to like Jafar, to distract him while Aladdin got the lamp back.

But Jafar saw Aladdin's reflection and stopped him from taking the lamp.

Aladdin told Jafar the genie was more powerful than he was.

So Jafar wished to be a powerful genie.

Then he had to go inside his own lamp.

The genie sent Jafar's lamp to the Cave of Wonders.

Then Aladdin wished the genie to be free.

The sultan made a new law, that a princess could marry whom she chose.

And everyone was happy.