question about "desu"[problem solved,chat if you want] | Page 1 | ~Let's Speak Japanese~ | Guild Forums

Kuniumi_Kawazoe

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:03 pm

In my lessons,I have learned that the u in "desu" is not pronounced.But I have friends who say otherwise,not even as a preference,but claiming it as fact.It's probably a noobish question,but I just want some clarification.Is the u pronounced or not?

Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 1:35 pm

I say desu, but the u almost disappear by itself. (but I'm a noob too sweatdrop )

Faliry

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igashijin

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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:32 pm

The U is reduced and almost entirely non-present.

The syllable ends with a rather lispy 's' sound.

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:17 pm

Think of "desu" as saying DESSS.

The "u" is hardly pronounced. Usually if you do hear it pronounced the person is using it for affect or being cute. I think in Kyoto-ben (kyoto dialect) it may be pronounced because it is a feminine type sound. Otherwise, you don't hear it.

*When I was in my beginning Japanese class I was so hurt that it wasn't pronounced "de-su". After living there and hearing someone say "de-su" instead of DESSSS it sounded very strange to me OR I was watching a comedian on TV.

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Kuniumi_Kawazoe

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Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 3:16 pm

Thanks guys.I kinda had a feeling my friends were wrong on this one.Not to rub it in their faces or anything,but they do start bragging quite a bit when they get something right,so I might just use this one against them someday.Not rubbing it in their face(repetition helps),just to keep them from doing it to me.
Anyway,thanks again guys.Feel free to chat this thread up if you want.

Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:03 am

whats it mean???

Hoshioni

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EmotronPlays

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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:03 pm

Just a heads up for future variation you'll encounter the fallowing

Arimasu (Ah/Uh-ree-moss) "Ah/Uh" depending on your accent, I say 'uh'
Arimasen (Ah/Uh-ree-moss-en)

Imasu (E-moss)
Imasan (E-moss-en)

Arimasu is used for non people
Imasu is used for people

"Hito wa suwatte imasu"
Person who is sitting

"Kuruma wa wakai arimasu"
Car is new

Imasen and Arimasen are negative, imply something that isn't.

"Hito wa suwatte imasen"
Person who is not sitting

"Kuruma wa wakai arimasen"
Car is not new.

If you do programmed exercises watch out, they might throw in double negatives and swich things around, but that gets more advanced.

For example
Person 1: "Hito wa suwatte imasen"
Person 2: "Iie. Hito wa suwatte imasu"
Person 1: "Hai. Hito wa suwatte imasu"

(Translated)
Person 1: "Person is not sitting" (Person makes a false observation)
Person 2: "No. The person is sitting" (Person corrects the other)
Person 1: "Yes. The person is sitting" (Person realizes their mistake)

Generally without a translation your goal would be to figure out the matching phrase to a picture between various people standing and/or sitting. Rosetta Stone beats the s**t out of my brain when it does that.

Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:12 pm

Hoshioni

whats it mean???

I don't think it has a speciffic meaning, at least not that I know of yet I'm still a novice, it's more of a subjective term to imply an expression.

Imasu (confirms it) "Person who is pretty"
Imasuen (negates it) "Person who is not not pretty"
Arimasu (confirms it) "Object that is pretty"
Arimasen (negates it) "Object that is not pretty"

Desu is more like 'Over' as people talk over CB radios like cops and truckers. But I've observed by my Japanese friends who converse in Nihango back and forth that they aren't saying Desu a lot nor do you hear it in songs. So that leads me to believe it's more formalized/uniform expression of conversing. I know it more in single statements like naming something vs talking about it in conversation.

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m o r i k k o

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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:52 am

Sephroe Zion

Just a heads up for future variation you'll encounter the fallowing

Arimasu (Ah/Uh-ree-moss) "Ah/Uh" depending on your accent, I say 'uh'
Arimasen (Ah/Uh-ree-moss-en)

Imasu (E-moss)
Imasan (E-moss-en)

Arimasu is used for non people
Imasu is used for people

"Hito wa suwatte imasu"
Person who is sitting

"Kuruma wa wakai arimasu"
Car is new

Imasen and Arimasen are negative, imply something that isn't.

"Hito wa suwatte imasen"
Person who is not sitting

"Kuruma wa wakai arimasen"
Car is not new.

If you do programmed exercises watch out, they might throw in double negatives and swich things around, but that gets more advanced.

For example
Person 1: "Hito wa suwatte imasen"
Person 2: "Iie. Hito wa suwatte imasu"
Person 1: "Hai. Hito wa suwatte imasu"

(Translated)
Person 1: "Person is not sitting" (Person makes a false observation)
Person 2: "No. The person is sitting" (Person corrects the other)
Person 1: "Yes. The person is sitting" (Person realizes their mistake)

Generally without a translation your goal would be to figure out the matching phrase to a picture between various people standing and/or sitting. Rosetta Stone beats the s**t out of my brain when it does that.

you don't exactly pronunce the 'en', either.
I usually hear (as an example) 'kikoemase..n.'
the en is usually very lightly pronunced.

Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 8:02 pm

momoeri -

Sephroe Zion

Just a heads up for future variation you'll encounter the fallowing

Arimasu (Ah/Uh-ree-moss) "Ah/Uh" depending on your accent, I say 'uh'
Arimasen (Ah/Uh-ree-moss-en)

Imasu (E-moss)
Imasan (E-moss-en)

Arimasu is used for non people
Imasu is used for people

"Hito wa suwatte imasu"
Person who is sitting

"Kuruma wa wakai arimasu"
Car is new

Imasen and Arimasen are negative, imply something that isn't.

"Hito wa suwatte imasen"
Person who is not sitting

"Kuruma wa wakai arimasen"
Car is not new.

If you do programmed exercises watch out, they might throw in double negatives and swich things around, but that gets more advanced.

For example
Person 1: "Hito wa suwatte imasen"
Person 2: "Iie. Hito wa suwatte imasu"
Person 1: "Hai. Hito wa suwatte imasu"

(Translated)
Person 1: "Person is not sitting" (Person makes a false observation)
Person 2: "No. The person is sitting" (Person corrects the other)
Person 1: "Yes. The person is sitting" (Person realizes their mistake)

Generally without a translation your goal would be to figure out the matching phrase to a picture between various people standing and/or sitting. Rosetta Stone beats the s**t out of my brain when it does that.

you don't exactly pronunce the 'en', either.
I usually hear (as an example) 'kikoemase..n.'
the en is usually very lightly pronunced.

Subtle variances like that generally come down to accent. For example New York vs Texas vs California, etc.. Kyoto differs from Tokyo so I tend to leave those finer details for natives to inform me unless the person has been speaking Japanese for a long time. The Rosetta Stone program I use pronounces it, so I'm going by that.

EmotronPlays

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megaman2040

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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:50 pm

In my experience, the 'u' in 'desu' is generally not pronounced, if the 'desu' copula is even used.

Only if the speaker is being EXTREMELY polite do they pronounce the 'u'.

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