February 03, 2025

Nihongo no Tane 167: 会話 Conversation | Japanese Immersion podcast

3 minutes

In this episode of Nihongo no Tane, Yumi shares her recent conversations with her mother and younger sister in Japan. She reflects on how her elderly mother has developed a habit of one-sided conversations, often hanging up as soon as she’s finished speaking. She also considers her own role as a listener rather than a talker and how being a good listener can be a rare and valuable trait. Tune in for an insightful and relatable discussion on family dynamics, communication, and the importance of listening.

KEY VOCABULARY:

超(こ)えて高齢(こうれい) — Exceeding old age; being very elderly. 超(こ)えて is the te-form of 超(こ)える, meaning "to exceed" or "to go beyond." 高齢(こうれい) means "old age" or "elderly."

一方的(いっぽうてき)に — One-sidedly; unilaterally; without considering the other person. 一方的(いっぽうてき) means "one-sided" or "lacking reciprocity." に is an adverbial particle making it function as an adverb.

まどろっこしい — Frustratingly slow; tedious; sluggish. An adjective describing something that feels slow or inefficient, causing impatience.

返(かえ)そう — Let’s return (something); Let’s respond. 返(かえ)す means "to return" or "to give back," often used for responses. 〜そう is a volitional form indicating intention, like "let’s" or "I will."

終(お)わらされてしまう — To be forced to end (unwillingly); to be made to stop. 終(お)わらされる is the passive causative form of 終(お)わる ("to end"), meaning "to be made to end." 〜てしまう expresses completion or regret, often implying something happened against one's will.

不快(ふかい)なもの — Something unpleasant; something uncomfortable. 不快(ふかい) means "unpleasant" or "discomfort." な makes 不快(ふかい) function as an adjective. もの means "thing," referring to something abstract (a feeling, experience, etc.).

話(はな)しぶりに — Way of talking; manner of speaking. 話(はな)しぶり is a noun meaning "speaking style" or "way of talking." に is a particle indicating the manner or context of something.

不満(ふまん) — Dissatisfaction; complaint; discontent. 不(ふ) is a prefix meaning "not" or "negative." 満(まん) means "full" or "satisfaction," so together, 不満(ふまん) means "not satisfied."

ぶちまけてくれました — (They) vented; (They) spilled everything out. ぶちまける is a slangy, emphatic verb meaning "to pour out one's feelings" or "to reveal everything." 〜てくれました indicates that the action was done for the speaker’s benefit.

うんざりしていたみたい — Seemed to be fed up; looked tired of it. うんざりする means "to be fed up" or "to be sick of something." していた is the past progressive form, indicating ongoing frustration. みたい is a suffix meaning "seems like" or "appears to be."

小一時間(こいちじかん) — About an hour; nearly an hour. 小(こ) in this case means "slightly less than." 一時間(いちじかん) means "one hour."

態度(たいど) — Attitude; manner; behavior. A noun referring to a person’s demeanor, approach, or attitude in a situation.

聞(き)き役(やく)に回(まわ)ること — Taking on the listener’s role; becoming the listener. 聞(き)き役(やく) means "listener role," someone who listens rather than talks. に回(まわ)る means "to take on the role of" or "to turn into." こと turns the phrase into a noun ("the act of taking on the listener role").

発信(はっしん)する — To transmit; to send out information. 発信(はっしん) means "transmission," often used for communication or broadcasting. する makes it a verb ("to transmit" or "to share information").

近況(きんきょう) — Recent situation; current status. 近(きん) means "near" or "recent." 況(きょう) means "condition" or "situation," so together, it means "recent condition" or "current updates."

語(かた)る — To talk about; to tell (a story); to narrate. A formal or literary verb meaning "to tell" or "to recount."

案外(あんがい) — Unexpectedly; surprisingly. 案(あん) means "plan" or "idea." 外(がい) means "outside," so together, it suggests something turning out differently than expected.

ほっとする — To feel relieved; to feel at ease. ほっと is an onomatopoeic word for relief or relaxation. する turns it into a verb, meaning "to feel relieved."

For upper beginners to intermediates. Listen to the short podcast and then answer the comprehension questions on the website: https://thejapanesepage.com/nihongonotane-index/

Take a quiz on this episode here:

https://thejapanesepage.com/podcast-nihongonotane-167

If you are a Makoto+ member, you can find the transcript, English translation, key vocabulary, and a downloadable PDF for printing:

https://MakotoPlus.com/podcast-nihongonotane-167-m

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By TheJapanesePage.com

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