Japanese for English speakers Beach · Lesson 3

Shocked!

Express shock and disbelief with ありえません (ariemasen) — 'unbelievable'. Plus the superlative 一番 (ichiban) for 'the most' and 苦手 (nigate) for soft dislike.

Conversation

  1. Rocky Rocky

    シェラドンナーさん、一緒に山登りに行きませんか？

    Sheradonnā san, isshoni yama nobori ni ikimasen ka?

    Shelladonna, shall we go mountain climbing together?

    Tip: <Yamanobori> = Mountain climbing

  2. Shelladonna Shelladonna

    ロキーさん、山が苦手ですよ

    Rokī san, yama ga nigate desu yo

    Rocky, I don't like mountains

  3. Rocky Rocky

    へえ？ありえません

    Hē? Ariemasen

    Eh? Unbelievable

    Tip: <Ariemasen> = Impossible

  4. Rocky Rocky

    山は一番楽しいところですよ。

    Yama wa ichiban tanoshī tokoro desu yo

    The mountains are the most fun place possible

    Tip: <Tanoshī> = Fun <Tokoro> = Place, area

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

What does ありえません mean?

'Impossible' or 'unbelievable' — a strong expression of shock or disbelief, more emphatic than うそ.

How do you say 'the most ...' in Japanese?

Place 一番 (ichiban) before an adjective: 一番楽しい = 'the most fun', 一番安い = 'the cheapest'.

What is the difference between 嫌い and 苦手?

嫌い (kirai) is a stronger 'hate'. 苦手 (nigate) is a softer 'not good at / not a fan of' — politer when admitting dislike.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Japanese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.