A1 — Lesson 1

はじめましてha·ji·me·ma·shi·te！

Nice to Meet You!
Goal: Introduce yourself and describe others using desu and ja arimasen.
1Patterns2m
2Vocab2m
3Convo3m
4Memory3m
5Drill A3m
6Drill B3m
7Dialog3m
8Roleplay4m
9Wrap-up2m
Page 1

Today's Patterns

Tutor: Read each pattern aloud. Student repeats after you.
PATTERN 1 — Saying what something IS
Watashi wa [gakusei] desu. — I am a [student].
PATTERN 2 — Saying what something IS NOT
Watashi wa [sensei] ja arimasen. — I am not a [teacher].
Page 2

Vocabulary

Tutor: Read each word aloud. Student repeats.

Nouns

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
学生ga·ku·se·i gakuseistudent
先生se·n·se·i senseiteacher
医者i·sha ishadoctor
会社員ka·i·sha·i·n kaishainoffice worker
友達to·mo·da·chi tomodachifriend

Adjectives

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
親切shi·n·se·tsuなna shinsetsu nakind
元気ge·n·kiなna genki naenergetic / well

Quick check — say these in Japanese

1. "I am a student."
2. "She is a doctor."
3. "I am not a teacher."
Page 3

Guided Conversation

Context: Tom meets Yuki at a language exchange event.

Tutor: Read together. Then swap roles and read again.
Tom
Nice to meet you! I am Tom. I am a student.
Yuki
Nice to meet you! I am Yuki. I am a teacher.
Tom
Pleased to meet you! Who is that person?
Yuki
That is Mr. Tanaka. Mr. Tanaka is a doctor. Mr. Tanaka is very kind.
Page 4

Memory Check

Tutor: Student fills in blanks from the hints. Try to go faster this time!
Tom
"Nice to meet you! I am Tom. I am a student."
hajimemashite watashi wa Tomu gakusei desu
Yuki
Nice to meet you! I am Yuki. I am a teacher.
Tom
"Pleased to meet you! Who is that person?"
yoroshiku onegaishimasu ano hito wa dare desu ka
Yuki
That is Mr. Tanaka. Mr. Tanaka is a doctor.
Page 5

Pattern Drill A — ___は___です

___ wa ___ desu  ·  "___ is ___"

1. Read together

I am a student.
She is a doctor.
Mr. Tanaka is a teacher.

2. Fill in the blanks

I am an office worker.
He is a friend.

3. Translate into Japanese

"I am a student."
watashigakuseidesu
"She is a teacher."
kanojosenseidesu
Page 6

Pattern Drill B — ___は___じゃありません

___ wa ___ ja arimasen  ·  "___ is not ___"

1. Read together

I am not a teacher.
He is not a doctor.
She is not an office worker.

2. Fill in the blanks

I am not a student.
Mr. Tanaka is not a teacher.

3. Translate into Japanese

"I am not a doctor."
watashiishaja arimasen
"He is not an office worker."
karekaishainja arimasen
Page 7

Short Dialogues

Tutor: Read your line. Student speaks the blank using the hint.

1 — "What is your job?"

Tutor
What is your job?
Student
"I am a student."
watashi wagakuseidesu

2 — "Is Mr. Tanaka a teacher?"

Student
"Is Mr. Tanaka a teacher?"
Tanaka-san wasenseidesu ka
Tutor
No, Mr. Tanaka is a doctor.

3 — "Are you a teacher?"

Tutor
Are you a teacher?
Student
"No, I am not a teacher. I am a student."
iie sensei ja arimasen gakusei desu
Page 8

Roleplay — First Day at Japanese Class

You just arrived at a Japanese class abroad. Meet another student (the tutor) and introduce yourself!

Rules
✓ Say your name and role using desu
✓ Ask at least 1 question using desu ka?
✓ Say 1 thing that is NOT true using ja arimasen
✗ No answering with just hai or iie — full sentences only

Phrase bank

Watashi wa ___ desu. — "I am ___."
___ wa ___ desu ka? — "Is ___ a ___?"
Watashi wa ___ ja arimasen. — "I am not ___."
Pleased to meet you!
Tutor: Start with "はじめましてha·ji·me·ma·shi·te！私wa·ta·shiはwa___ですde·su。" — Point to the phrase bank if the student is stuck.
Page 9

Mission Complete!

Tutor: "Great job today! You did amazing!" — Check off each mission while reading it aloud.
✓
Pattern 1 — ___はwa___ですde·su。
I can say what something IS in Japanese.
✓
Pattern 2 — ___はwa___じゃありませんja·a·ri·ma·se·n。
I can say what something IS NOT.
✓
Goal — I introduced myself at Japanese class!

Read one more time

I am a student.
She is a doctor.
I am not a teacher.
Mr. Tanaka is very kind.
Tutor: "Perfect! See you in the next lesson!" — 完璧ka·n·pe·kiですde·su！ またma·ta 次tsu·giのno 授業ju·gyouでde 会aいましょう！