5.1.7 Making Clothing Choices

• express preferences and hesitation about buying clothes

• ask for an opinion about clothes

• comment on clothing items

Academic Vocabulary: 
docchi no hou ga . . . desu ka
(どっちのほうが...ですか。)

Lesson Overview

きょうのどうし　Kyou no doushi

• おもう・おもいます　　Omou / Omoimasu： to think, to feel

• きめられる・きめまれます　Kimerareru / Kimeraremasu： to be able to decide

　　　ー　きめられません　Kimeraremasen： cannot be decided

　　　ー　きめる・きめます　　Kimeru / Kimemasu：to decide

• にあう・にあいます　　Niau / Niaimasu：to suit, to fit

　　　ー　にあってる・にあってます　Niatteru / Niattemasu： is fitting,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 is suitable

　　　ー　にあわない　Niawanai： does not suit, does not fit

Additional Vocabularies

• ええと。。。　eeto...： hmm...

• うーん。。。ちょっと　Uun... chotto：well.... (commonly used to convey hesitation)

• どっちも　Docchi mo：both / either

Particle には (ni wa)

​When you put particle "に" and particle "は" together as "には" (niwa), it forms a compound particle that indicates the specific target or recipient while also emphasizing the topic of discussion.

Example：

わたし  には  にあわない　Watashi niwa niawanai

Together, the phrase "わたしにはにあわない" (watashi niwa niawanai) translates to "It doesn't suit me" or "It doesn't look good on me."

 

The "には" emphasizes that the lack of suitability or appearance is specific to the speaker (わたし).

Phrase

• わたしにはにあわないとおもいます　Watashi niwa niawanai to omoimasu

  I don’t think it’s suit me

• どっちもすきです。きめられません　Docchi mo suki desu. Kimeraremasen

  I like both. I can’t decide

• これにします　Kore ni shimasu

  I’ll go with this one / I’ll choose this one

どっちのほうがOOとおもいますか

Add one of these words in the OO

• にあってる　Niatteru

• にあわない　Niawanai

• ちょうどいい　Choudo ii

• いい　ii

• かわいい　Kawaii
  
  
  

Which one do you think more .......?

Example

どっちのほうがにあわないとおもいますか
docchi no hou ga niawanai to omoimasu ka

Which one do you think doesn't suit (me) more?

Particle の (no)

Sometimes の is used as a pronoun to mean “one.” You can put it directly after i-adjectives, with a “na” after na-adjectives, or after verbs that are either in their dictionary form or past tense. You can’t put it by itself, because whatever comes before it determines what it is.

 

This is a lot easier to understand with examples. If you are being asked to choose between cupcakes, and you want the blue one (see, there’s the word “one” in English), you can say:

あおい  の　です　Aoi no desu

The blue one

Another Example:

あおいのがやすいですから、これにします　Aoi no ga yasui desu kara, kore ni shimasu

Because the blue one is cheap, I’ll choose this one

OOのほうがOOとおもいます

Add one of these words in the OO

• ながい　Nagai

• くろい　Kuroi

• みじかい　Mijikai

• スカート　Sukaato

• あかいズボン　Akai zubon
  
  
  

I think the ...... one is more .....

Example

ながいスカートのほうがにあってるとおもいます
Nagai sukaato no hou ga niatteru to omoimasu

I think the long skirt one is more suitable (for you/me)

Add one of these words in the OO

• にあってる　Niatteru

• にあわない　Niawanai

• ちょうどいい　Choudo ii

• いい　ii

• かわいい　Kawaii
  
  
  

OOのはOOから、OO

Red OO Section

• ながい　Nagai

• くろい　Kuroi

• みじかい　Mijikai

• スカート　Sukaato

• あかいズボン　Akai zubon
  
  
  

Because the ..... one is ......., .......

Example

ながいスカートのはにあわないから、ちょっと。。。
Nagai sukaato no wa niawanai kara, chotto....

Because The long skirt one doesn't suit me, so..../hmm....

Green OO Section

にあってる　Niatteru

にあわない　Niawanai

ちょうどいいです　Choudo ii desu

たかい　Takai

やすい　Yasui

Blue OO Section

• ちょっと。。。　Chotto....

• これにします　Kore ni shimasu
  

このOOはいかがですか

Add one of these words in the OO

• あかいズボン　akai zubon

• みじかいスカート　 mijikai sukaato

• ながいドレス　nagai doresu

• くろいくつ　　kuroi kutsu

• しろいぼうし　shiroi boushi

• あおいシャツ　aoi shatsu
  
  

How about this .......

Example

このながいスカートはいかがですか
kono nagai sukaato wa ikaga ka
How about this long skirt?

Note: いかが ikaga is a very polite expressions to inquire about someone's preference or opinion

Open Ended

Create a conversation consisting of 3-4 sentences with the following topics:

1. (1) Express preferences and hesitation about buying clothes, (2) Ask for an opinion about clothes, (3) Comment on clothing items.
   
   Use the grammar pattern you learned today and the vocabulary you learned last week