Page 144 - Basic Japanese

Densha ni notte ikimashita.

I went riding on a train.

The verb norimasu ‘gets on board, rides,’ like the verbs imasu,

arimasu, and sunde imasu, takes the particle ni, here implying a
change of position. Doko de fune ni norimashita ka ‘Where did you

board the ship?’ Notice the difference between Mainichi densha ni
norimasu ‘He rides the train every day,’ and Mainichi densha ni notte

ikimasu ‘He goes (there) on the train every day.’ To get off (or out
of) a vehicle, you use the verb orimasu (orite): Kuruma o orimashita ‘I

got out of the car.’ (Basu o) doko de orimashō ka ‘Where shall we
get off (the bus)?’ Orimasu! ‘Coming out! Getting off!’

3.16 ‘As soon as’

A common way to say ‘as soon as’ is to use the gerund followed

by kara ‘after …ing,’ and then begin the next clause with sugu

‘right away, immediately.’ Go-han o tabete kara sugu sanpo ni
ikimashita ‘I went for a walk as soon as (right after) I ate dinner.’
Sometimes the gerund is followed directly by the next clause

without the particle kara. Heya ni haitte sugu sensei ni hanashimashita
‘As soon as I entered the room, I spoke to the teacher.’

[cue 03-3]

Conversation

Takeshi (T) and Shizuka (S) are talking.

T: 昨日は仕事をしましたか。