Latest / Learn Japanese with Fexingo / Japanese Post Office - Sending a Package
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Japanese with Fexingo. I'm Lucas, and this is Luna. Luna: Hey everyone! Ready to learn some more Japanese? I'm excited. Lucas: Last episode we talked about the post office — stamps and basic questions. Today, let's take it one step further. Luna: Ooh, I love practical stuff. What are we learning? Lucas: Sending a package. Imagine you're in Japan and you want to mail something home. Luna: Oh, I've done that! It can be a bit intimidating. Lucas: Exactly. But with a few key phrases, you'll be fine. Let's start with the most important one. Lucas: To say 'I want to send this package', you say: この小包を送りたいです. Luna: この小包を送りたいです. That's a mouthful. Lucas: It is. Let's break it down. 小包 means 'small package' or 'parcel'. 送りたい means 'want to send'. And です makes it polite. Luna: Okay, so 小包 is 'small package'. 送りたい is 'want to send'. Got it. Lucas: Let's hear it again: この小包を送りたいです. Luna: この小包を送りたいです. Can I try with a different object? Like 'this letter'? Lucas: Sure! For a letter, it's この手紙を送りたいです. 手紙 means 'letter'. Luna: この手紙を送りたいです. Nice. So the pattern is just swap the object. Lucas: Exactly. Now once you say that, the clerk might ask where you're sending it. So let's learn 'to America'. Lucas: アメリカまで. 'To America'. Luna: アメリカまで. Simple enough. What about 'to Australia'? Lucas: オーストラリアまで. Just the country name plus まで. Luna: オーストラリアまで. That's easy. Lucas: Now you'll also want to ask about the postage. The phrase is: 料金はいくらですか. 'How much is the postage?' Luna: 料金はいくらですか. 料金 is 'fee' or 'charge', right? Lucas: Yes! 料金 is 'fee'. And いくら is 'how much'. So literally 'fee is how much?' Luna: 料金はいくらですか. I can see myself using that a lot. Lucas: Let's put it all together in a mini conversation. You walk up to the counter and say: この小包を送りたいです. To America. Luna: この小包を送りたいです. アメリカまで. Lucas: Then the clerk tells you the postage. But you can also ask: 料金はいくらですか. Luna: 料金はいくらですか. Perfect. So I'm all set to send a package now. Lucas: Almost. You might also need to say 'this, please' when handing over the package. That's just これをお願いします. Luna: Ah, we learned that before. これをお願いします. So after asking the price, you hand it over and say that. Lucas: Right. Let's do a role-play. I'll be the clerk. You come in with a package. Luna: Sumimasen. この小包を送りたいです. アメリカまで. Lucas: Hai, kashikomarimashita. 料金は千二百円です. Luna: 料金はいくらですか? Oh wait, you already said it. Okay, I'll say: はい、これをお願いします. Lucas: Perfect. That's exactly how it goes. Let's review the key phrases one more time. Lucas: この小包を送りたいです. Luna: この小包を送りたいです. Lucas: アメリカまで. Luna: アメリカまで. Lucas: 料金はいくらですか. Luna: 料金はいくらですか. Lucas: And just to round it out, if you want to send a letter instead: この手紙を送りたいです. Luna: この手紙を送りたいです. Got it. Lucas, I love how practical these episodes are. It makes me want to actually go to Japan and try them. Lucas: That's the idea. And speaking of keeping these episodes going, if Fexingo has been helping you make progress with Japanese, there's a way you can help us keep making them. Luna: Yeah, we do this because we love teaching, but it does take time and resources. A couple of dollars a month genuinely makes a difference. Lucas: You can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it helps keep everything ad-free. Luna: And we really appreciate every bit of support. Now, back to our phrases! Let's do one more round. Lucas: Good idea. Repeat after me: この小包を送りたいです. Luna: この小包を送りたいです. Lucas: アメリカまで. Luna: アメリカまで. Lucas: 料金はいくらですか. Luna: 料金はいくらですか. Lucas: And bonus: これをお願いします. Luna: これをお願いします. Perfect. Lucas: That's all for today. Keep practicing these phrases, and next time you're at a post office in Japan, you'll be ready. Luna: Thanks for joining us on Fexingo. See you next time!