Online Japanese reading corner! Read the story and improve your Japanese! "Cat in Boots" (Part 2)
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Japanese reading materials are an effective learning method, so please use them to practice grammar and kanji!
Today, we bring you the second part of "Puss in Boots."
Previous synopsis → The main character receives a cat as a present from his deceased father. The man thought cats were useless. However, the cat was an intelligent cat who could speak human language. The man wins the favor of the king and the princess because of the cat's lie, but what happens next? Let's see more!
“Cat in Boots” (Part 1) → https://nihongojikan.jp/blog/20230903-4146/
"Cat in Boots" (Part 2)
At that time, the cat ran down the road and said to the people working in the nearby fields.
Cat: "The King is coming in his carriage. If he asks you who owns this field, tell him that it belongs to Prince Carabah. If you say so, I will give you a delicious loaf of bread. ”
There is a large ranch just a short walk away.
The cat is given to the people working on the farm.
Cat: "Now the king is coming. If he asks you who owns this ranch, tell him that it belongs to Prince Caraba! I will give you delicious bread!"
Then the king's carriage came to the field.
King: "It's a large field. Hey, who does this field belong to?"
Farmer: "This all belongs to Prince Karaba!"
King: “Hoho.”
The king then went to the pasture.
King: "It's a big ranch. Who does this belong to?"
Ranchman: "This is Prince Karaba's ranch!"
King: "Prince Karaba has very large fields and ranches. That's amazing."
At that time, the cat went to the castle of the scariest demon king in the area.
In fact, all the fields and pastures from earlier belonged to this demon king.
The cat went to the Demon King to greet him.
*Demon King: A bad king. You can use magic.
Cat: "Hello! Demon King!"
Demon King: "What? This little cat? Where did it come from?"
Cat: "No~ Demon King is really amazing~! That field and this big castle are all owned by Demon King!"
The cat praised the Demon King a lot.
Cat: "I heard that the Demon King can become anything with magic. Is that true?"
Demon King: "It's true."
Cat: "Then, can you become a big lion?"
Demon King: "Of course. Gaooooo!"
The Demon King turned into a lion using magic.
Cat: "Wow! I'm scared! They'll eat me! Then, can I become a very small mouse next time?"
Demon King: "You can do it. Look."
The demon king quickly turned into a small mouse.
Demon King: "Chu-Chu!"
Cat: "Now!"
The cat ate the mouse.
Just then, the king arrived at the demon king's castle.
Cat: "Welcome, King! This is Prince Karaba's home!"
King: "How big! Prince Carabah is kind and has such a big castle and fields! He's a wonderful man!"
The king was delighted.
King: "Please marry my daughter!"
Man: “Yeah! Are you okay!”
The king's daughter also seemed to like the man.
The two got married and lived in the demon king's castle.
Cat: “Aren’t you happy to have me, master?”
How was it.
The cat lied to the king a lot, so I'm a little worried about the man and the princess after they get married. It would be terrible if the truth were known!
I guess the moral of this story is that even if you think it's useless, there are some things that are actually useful, so don't base your decision on first impressions alone.
Now, let's take a look at one grammar point from this story.
"Welcome! King! This is Prince Karaba's home!"
●How to use “I am”
If you live in Japan, you have probably heard the word ``Maimasu'' at least once.
What does "there is" mean?
① Yes
Sample1 The bag department is over there.
Sample2 The location of the venue has changed.
②～
Sample3 My name is Sato. Thank you.
Sample4 This is a suite room at our hotel.
``Maimasu'' is not an honorific or humble expression, but is a polite expression of ``there is'' or ``desu.''
Let's also look at the difference between the honorific word "Irasshamasu" and "-desu".
Sample1 (to the professor) Is this the professor's computer?
Sample 2 (To the professor I'm meeting for the first time) Um... are you Professor Sato?
In the case of Sample1, since the question is about the professor's belongings, it would be natural to use "～desu gozaimoka". If you use "Irashamasuka" here, it will give the impression that the "computer" is someone superior to you!
When asking directly about a professor (a superior) like in Sample 2, it's best to use the honorific ``~de Irasshaimuka''.
Also, when asking about the people around the professor, such as his wife and children, he uses ``Is there a way?''.
Sample3 (Looking at the photo) Is this the professor's child?
How was it.
You often hear ``～desu gozaimasu'' at restaurants, but when you try to use it when you are talking to someone, you may get confused whether to use honorifics or polite expressions.
As I explained above, we don't often use honorific words for things, even if they belong to a superior.
We regularly post grammar explanations and Japanese reading materials on our JLS blog, so please come visit us again.
See you in the next blog!
