Learn Japanese from Natives!
For those of you who are tired of studying Japanese from your minna no nihongo, and willing to speak more natural Japanese like natives, you clicked on the right page!
We post natives’ casual conversation skits for you to show how Japanese people talk in real life.There are useful key phrases you can try just from tomorrow. Enjoy!
Vol. 6 New assistant at work
Situation
Aya’s at work, talking to her new and young assistant.
It seems like she’s going to be in trouble.
Let’s learn both useful phrases at work and young teen slang.
(which is quite inappropriate at work!)
Conversation
お願（ねが）いしていたプレゼンデータ、できた？
Onegai shiteita purezen de-ta, dekita?
Have you finished the presentation data I asked for?
あー。仕掛中（しかかりちゅう）です。
Ah..Shikakari chu desu.
Oh…I’m working on it.
大丈夫（だいじょうぶ）？
明日（あした）には先方（せんぽう）へ送らないと。
Daijoubu? Ashita niwa senpou e okuranaito.
Is everything ok? We have to send it to our counterpart by tomorrow.
…でも、私（わたし）のせいじゃないんです。
どうしようもないんです。
Demo, watashino sei jya naindesu. Doushiyoumonaindesu.
But…it’s not my fault. I can’t do anything with it now.
どういうこと？
Douiu koto?
Oh…you mean…?
えっと、実（じつ）は間違えて（まちがえて）データ消（け）しちゃって。・・・助けてくれますよね。ぴえんです。
etto, Jitsu wa, machigaete de-ta keshichatte……Tasuketekuremasu yone. Pien desu.
Ah…Actually, I deleted the file accidentally.
You help me, right? It’s so “sniff”….(implying “want to cry…”)
それはこっちのセリフだよ…。
Sore wa kocchi no serifu dayo…
That’s totally my line…
Key Phrases
- 仕掛中（しかかりちゅう）Shikakari chu
– I’m working on it / It’s in progress
One of the most used phrases at work, at Aya’s former company.
However it doesn’t show how far you finished,
so if you are almost done, you’d rather say the phrase like
“もうすぐおわります” “It’s almost done.”
- 先方 Senpou – counterpart
It is commonly used in business, a polite way of addressing a counterpart in general.
- 私のせいじゃない Watashi no sei jya nai- It’s not my fault.
In a business situation, this phrase is not really appropriate to say.
So instead of making an excuse, you’d better just apologize by saying “すみません（sumimasen）”.
The opposite of this phrase is “わたしのせいです” “It’s my fault”.
- どうしようもない Doushiyoumonai – It’s hopeless / I can’t do anything with it.
Similar phrases of どうしようもない are “しかたない(shikatanai)” or “しょうがない(shouganai)”
- ぴえん Pien – sniff, sob
*Please be sure that it is a teen slang*
It means “I’m sad” in kind of a cute way, not very serious.
According to some articles on the internet, it is the most widely used teen slang in 2020. You see so many posts on instagram using the phrase!
- こっちのセリフ Kocchi no serifu – That’s my line.
“セリフ” means a “line/sentence” for play.
In the conversation above,
Aya is implying “That’s me who want a help and want to cry…”
- 仕掛中 Shikakari chu – I’m working on it / It’s in progress
- 先方 Senpou – counterpart
- 私のせいじゃない Watashi no sei jya nai- It’s not my fault.
- どうしようもない Doushiyoumonai – It’s hopeless / I can’t do anything with it.
- ぴえん Pien – sniff, sob
- こっちのセリフ Kocchi no serifu – That’s my line.
