F2F Class Notes 16th February (Peter)
I’m study for a Japanese company – I studied with a Japanese company
I learned* Japanese for three years – I studied Japanese for three years.
* Note: the verb “to learn” is a completed action, such as 学会 and cannot take place over a period of time.
I can say a little Korean – I can speak a little Korean/I know a little Korean
*Note: the verb “to say” is called a transitive verb; this means you can only use it with an object. The verb “to speak” is both a transitive and intransitive verb, with means you can use it both with and without an object.
Passionate – having passion for something.
Ex. Learning Japanese was easy for me because I am passionate about the language.
Imply – to say or show without doing so directly.
Ex. His facial expression implied that he was very happy to see me.
Arabic – the Arabic language 阿拉伯语
Ex. In Dubai, Arabic is spoken.
Farsi – the Persian language
Ex. In Iran, Farsi is spoken.
Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs
To say + object
Ex. He often says that he loves me. (We cannot use the word “to speak” here)
To speak
Ex. He’s very shy and does not like to speak.
To speak + object
Ex. He can speak four languages fluently. (We normally only use the transitive verb “to speak” when talking about languages)
Interesting fact: the verb “to drink” changes meaning depending on if it has an object or not. If you use the word with no object, it implies that you are talking about alcohol.
Ex. I don’t drink tea.
Ex. I don’t drink. = I don’t drink alcohol.
Comments are closed.