If, When and Could: The Grammar of Arguments
๐ฏ Today's mission briefing
We are learning to build Japanese sentences that reach past one clause โ stating what is possible with the potential form, and setting conditions with ใใใ and ใใฐ โ and to choose between the two conditionals on purpose rather than by luck.
You'll know you've got it when:
- I can form the potential of ใ-verbs, ใ-verbs and the two irregulars, and use it with ใ (or ใใจใใงใใ) to say what someone can and cannot do
- I can form both ใใใ and ใใฐ from verbs and ใ-adjectives, and explain at least two situations where only one of them works
- I can write and say a three-clause Japanese sentence that sets a condition, states a possibility and gives a consequence โ and read my own sentence aloud using the ParkSyde respelling
The sentence wall
Connects to what your guest already knows and makes them curious. Activating prior knowledge is one of the strongest predictors of new learning.
Every language learner hits the same wall, and you are standing at it right now. After a few years you can say a great many true things: ็งใฏ็ฌใๅฅฝใใงใใๅๆๆฅใซใตใใซใผใใใพใใๅงใฏๆฑไบฌใซใใพใใAll correct, all useful, all one clause long. And then someone asks you an actual question โ why do you want to go to Japan? what would you do with a year there? โ and you find you can label the world but you cannot argue about it, because arguing needs three things you have not been given yet. It needs POSSIBILITY (what could happen), it needs CONDITIONS (what happens if), and it needs JOINERY (this, therefore that; this, however that). Today you get the first two. By the end of this lesson you will be able to say something like ๆฅๆฌใซ่กใฃใใใๆฅๆฌ่ชใใใฃใจ่ฉฑใใใใใซใชใใจๆใใพใ โ if I go to Japan, I think I will become able to speak Japanese better โ which is not a label. That is a claim, with a condition and a predicted outcome. That is the beginning of a paragraph.