Japan

Mark a span with から and まで, and link nouns with の. Shop hours, train rides, and “morning coffee” all sit on these three small words.

Make a polite plan together: 行きましょう, 食べましょう. Invite with ませんか when you want a softer shall-we, not a decision already made.

Say what you want to do: 食べたいです, 行きたいです, 見たいです. たい rides on the ます-stem and then behaves like an い-adjective.

Ask someone to do something politely: 待ってください, 書いてください, 見てください. Learn a small て-form set you can use at a hotel desk.

Read a cafe menu in katakana: コーヒー, ケーキ, サラダ, セット. Order with これ and ください without guessing from English spelling.

Read 一 to 十, ask 何時ですか, and say clock time with 時, 分, and 半. These are the first kanji you must own as digits, not as art.

Use な-adjectives the polite way: 静かです, 静かな部屋. Learn きれい is not an い-word, and lock 好き to が — never を.

Describe things with い-adjectives: 高いです, おいしいです, 新しくないです. Put the adjective before a noun or at the end of a polite sentence — without yesterday’s past yet.

Bend polite ます: ません for I don’t, ました for I did, ませんでした for I didn’t. Same を, new tails. Breakfast in three tenses.