New Year's Eve, 2015

Dear students,

Thank you for studying English conversation at E-Style this year. Jack and I have enjoyed teaching you and look forward     to seeing you again in 2016. We would like to wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.

Sincerely,

Alan

なぜ知っているの？How do you know?

Hi everyone,

There is a common mistake (よくあるミス) that many English conversation students make in class: Saying "Why do you know?" instead of "How do you know?" Although 「なぜ」 is, indeed, "Why" in English, native speakers do not use it for this question. If you look it up in the dictionary (辞書で調べたら), you will see that "How" can be 「どうして」　and 「どうやって」.
So, please think of the question in the following way:
どうして［どうやって］それが分かった[を知っている]のですか。
If you do, then it will be easier to remember to use "How" instead of "Why" at the beginning of the sentence. How do I know that?
Because I'm a native speaker! (ネイティブやけん[きん]！).

See you at E-Style,

Alan

Do you have the time?

Hi everybody,

Last week, the students in my beginners class (入門 クラス) learned the phrase "Do you have 〜?" (〜があります[います]か、〜を持っていますか). This is a very good phrase to master because it can be used in many different situations. Here are some examples and explanations:

• Do you have a boyfriend/a girlfriend? 彼氏/彼女がいますか。Please remember that "boyfriend" is 「彼氏」and NOT 「男の友達」。The same usually applies for "girlfriend."
• Do you have any children? 子供がいますか。"Any" is used with the plural form (複数形) because the person asked could have more than one child or none.  
• Do you have a pet/any pets? ペットがいます(を飼っています)か。Either "a" or "any" is OK here because pet owners usually have/keep (飼う) only one of certain kinds of pets (like dogs or cats) and more than one of other kinds (like fish). 
• Do you have any money? お金を貸してくれますか。Literally (文字通り), this question means 「お金を持っていますか。」However, because almost everyone has at least a little cash, the real meaning is "Could you lend me some money?" The usual reply to this is "Why?"
• Do you have the time? 今、何時ですか。This is also difficult. If you add "to" and a verb to this question, then the meaning changes and it becomes easier to understand. For example:
• Do you have the time to study English every day? 毎日英語を勉強する時間がありますか。

Hopefully, your answer to that last question is "Yes!"

Good luck and keep studying,

Alan

どんなマドンナ？

Hi everyone,

Did you hear the big news? Madonna will perform (演奏する) at this year's Monster Bash in Manno Park! I heard this from one of my intermediate class (中級) students tonight and was amazed (驚いた) until I realized (気が付いた・分かった) that today is April 1. So, to all of you who got excited (ワクワクした) about Madonna's coming to Sanuki and eating Udon after her performance:
Happy April Fools' Day!

See you at E-Style,

Alan

Back to the Future: 3 years later VS in 3 years

Hi all,

What's your goal (目標)? One of my goals as a teacher (先生として) is to have all of my students at E-Style use the word "later" properly (適切に).

Many people who study English in Japan make the same mistake: With a time expression (時間表現), they use "later" when they should use "in" or "from now." The word "later" should be used when something starts and ends either in the past or future. Examples include the following:

• In 1993, I moved from Miami to Shodoshima. Three years later (3年後), I moved to Takamatsu.
• Next year, I'm going to move to Australia. Three years later (3年後), I'll move to New Zealand.

In either of the above examples, "after that" can be used instead of (の代わりに) "later."

Unfortunately (残念ながら),  many students use "later" when describing something that will happen after the present moment in time. A sentence like "The class will begin 10 minutes later." (授業は10分後始まります。) IS WRONG!

Instead of "later," please use either "in" or "from now." For example:

• The class will start in 10 minutes (10分後).
• My favorite TV program will begin 10 minutes from now (今から10分後). 

See you later,

Alan

P.S. Because there is no time expression in the sentence, saying "See you later" is OK.

A question of time: 「夜中」

Hi everybody,

Question: How do you say 「夜中」in English?
Most students answer this by saying "midnight." Unfortunately, this is wrong.

"Midnight" or "12 midnight" means 「午前零時」in Japanese. It is a specific (明確な) time and requires the preposition (前置詞) "at" when used in a sentence. For example:
  The movie started at (12) midnight. 映画は午前零時に始まりました。

On the other hand (一方), 「夜中」 is unspecific or even vague (曖昧) and often needs the preposition "in." The phrase "in the middle of the night" is a good translation of 「夜中」and is commonly used in conversation. An example is the following sentence:
  I woke up in the middle of the night. 夜中に目が覚めました。

If you want to be more specific when saying 「夜中」 you can use "a.m." For example:
  I got up at 3 a.m. 夜中の３時に起きました。
Again, because the time is specific (3 a.m.), the preposition "at" is needed.

Time to go,

Alan

P.S. 「午後零時」is "noon" or "12 noon" in English.

It's made of ～

Hi everyone,

This week, the beginners classes have been playing a guessing game (推測ゲーム). One student gives a hint about a common object (日常的な物) and his or her partner tries to guess what it is. Among the hints were some of the following useful expressions:

It's made of plastic and metal.      プラと金属で作られています。
It's expensive.                             (値段が)高いです。
I use it for business and pleasure. 仕事と楽しみのために使います。
I use it almost every day.             ほとんど毎日使います。
A famous brand is a type of fruit.  果物の種類は有名なブランドです。

Can you guess what it is?

See you at E-Style,

Alan