昔と今Then and Now
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe habits, technology, and town life using vocabulary for change, comparison, and the passage of time.
- Use ている to describe an ongoing action or a resulting state, in addition to its earlier use for habitual action.
- Describe change using なる with adjectives and nouns.
- Contrast the past and the present using 前は and 今は.
- Compare life, places, and habits across time in short connected sentences.
- Read and write short texts that describe how something has changed.
- Recognize and read the eleven new kanji introduced in this chapter, with furigana support where required.
Communication Scenario
Tom has returned from his trip to Okinawa and is now talking with Yuki's grandmother, who has lived in the same neighborhood for many years. She talks about how the town has changed since she was young, and Tom compares this with what he has noticed since arriving in Japan. Later, Tom writes a short passage for a class project comparing life now with life in the past. This chapter continues Unit IV by moving from a single trip account into broader reflection and comparison across time.
- This chapter builds on the ている pattern you have already seen for ongoing action, extending it to describe a resulting state and a background situation.
- By the end of the chapter, you will be able to describe how a place, habit, or situation has changed and compare it with how things are now.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary supports past/present comparison, change, habits, technology, and town/life changes.
Time Words for Comparison
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 昔 | むかし | long ago; the old days |
| 今 | いま | now |
| 前は | まえは | before; formerly |
| 今は | いまは | now; nowadays |
| 子供のとき | こどものとき | when (someone was) a child |
Change and Habits
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 変わります | かわります | to change (intransitive) |
| 変化 | へんか | change; transformation |
| 住みます | すみます | to live; to reside |
| 便利です | べんりです | convenient |
| 増えます | ふえます | to increase |
Town and Technology Words
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 町 | まち | town |
| 近く | ちかく | nearby; the vicinity |
| 長い | ながい | long (time or length) |
| 短い | みじかい | short (time or length) |
| スマホ | スマホ | smartphone |
Family and neighborhood words from Chapters 4 and 6, adjective forms from Chapter 9, and the plain past from Chapter 16 all return in this chapter's examples. The new material here focuses on describing change and comparing the past with the present.
Script and Kanji Focus
This chapter introduces eleven new kanji connected to time, change, and place. Furigana appears on each new kanji and is gradually reduced as these words return in later chapters.
前 and 後 already appeared in Chapter 17 in the words 前に and 後で, meaning "before" and "after" within a single sequence of events. In this chapter, the same characters appear in 前は and read as あと or ご in other words, but with a different function: comparing an earlier period of time with the present. Learn each word as its own unit rather than assuming the character always carries the same meaning or reading.
れんしゅう — Practice: Write each of the eleven kanji three times, then use each one in a short phrase from this chapter's vocabulary tables.
Pronunciation Focus
Several important words in this chapter distinguish meaning through vowel length. Practice these pairs carefully so that a comparison sentence is not misunderstood.
- 昔 むかし — long ago (short vowels throughout)
- 変わります かわります — to change (short vowel in か; do not lengthen it)
- 便利 べんり — convenient (moraic ん held for a full mora before り)
Also review the falling intonation used when making a reflective statement about the past, such as ending a sentence with 〜でしたね or a similar softened past-tense ending in natural speech.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This section introduces ている for ongoing action and resulting states, change with なる, contrast with 前は/今は, and past-present comparison.
1. ている for ongoing action and resulting states
Purpose: to describe an action in progress, a habitual action, or a state that continues as the result of a past action.
- 今、この町に住んでいます。I am living in this town now.て-form + いる: ongoing/result state
- スマホを使っています。I use (am using) a smartphone.
- 町はとても変わっています。The town has changed a great deal (and remains changed).
You have already used ている for habitual and routine actions since Chapter 7. In this chapter, notice that the same form can also describe a state that continues after a change has taken place, such as 変わっています describing the town's current, already-changed condition rather than the moment of changing.
Error: *町は変わります。 (intended: "The town has changed" as a present description)
Correction: 町は変わっています。 — Use ている to describe the current, already-changed state of the town. The plain nonpast 変わります describes a future or general change, not a present resulting condition.
2. Describing change with なる
Purpose: to state that something has become a new condition.
- 便利になりました。It has become convenient.
- 町が大きくなりました。The town has become bigger.
- スマホを使う人が多くなりました。The number of people who use smartphones has grown.
A な-adjective or noun combines with に before なります, while an い-adjective changes its ending to く before なります. The past form なりました is common because change is usually reported as something that has already happened.
3. 前は and 今は for contrast
Purpose: to contrast an earlier period of time with the present.
- 前は静かでした。今はにぎやかです。Before, it was quiet. Now, it is lively.
- 前はテレビをよく見ました。今はあまり見ません。Before, I used to watch TV often. Now, I don't watch it much.
前は and 今は often appear as a paired set across two sentences, with the first sentence in the past and the second in the nonpast. This pairing is one of the clearest ways to build a two-part comparison at this level.
4. Comparing across time
Purpose: to combine time words, change expressions, and contrast into a short comparison.
- 子供のとき、この近くに店がありませんでした。今は多いです。When I was a child, there were no shops nearby. Now there are many.
- 昔は電話が少なかったですが、今はみんなスマホを持っています。Long ago there were few telephones, but now everyone has a smartphone.
These comparisons combine forms you already know, such as adjective past forms from Chapter 12 and existence expressions from Chapter 6, with this chapter's new contrast and change patterns.
昔 refers to a more distant, general past, often "long ago" or "in the old days," while 前は can refer to any earlier point being compared with now, including a fairly recent one. Both are useful for comparison, but they are not always interchangeable.
Grammar Practice
- Write a sentence describing where you live now, using 住んでいます.
- Write a sentence describing something that has become convenient or has become another new state, using なりました.
- Write a two-sentence contrast using 前は and 今は.
- Write a sentence describing a resulting present state using ている.
- Write a short comparison of two or more sentences about how a place or habit has changed.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Tom talks with Yuki's grandmother about how the neighborhood has changed since she was young.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- About how long has Yuki's grandmother lived in this town?
- According to her, what has changed the most about the town?
- What does she say about telephones when she was a child, compared with now?
Guided Practice
タスク１ — A place you know. Write two sentences comparing a place you know well now with how it was in the past, using 前は and 今は.
タスク２ — A change you have noticed. Write a sentence describing something that has become different, using なりました, and a sentence describing its present state, using ている.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud at a clear, moderate pace.
きくタスク — Ken's grandfather's town
けんさんのおじいさんは、このちかくにながくすんでいます。まえは、このまちにえきがありませんでした。いまはえきがあって、とてもべんりになりました。むかしはくるまがすくなかったですが、いまはおおいです。まちはとてもかわりました。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Note how long Ken's grandfather has lived nearby, what the town lacked before, and what has changed since then. Compare your notes with a partner or check them against the passage.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Quick answers
- 子供のとき、どこに住んでいましたか。
- 前と今で、何が一番変わりましたか。
- 今、便利になったものは何ですか。
コミュニケーションタスク — Comparing hometowns
With a partner, talk about your hometown or neighborhood. Compare how it was before with how it is now, and describe at least one change using なりました.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: A short reflection
Record yourself describing one habit or technology that has changed in your own life, using 前は, 今は, and ている.
Reading Practice
Read the following short passage and message, then answer the questions below.
町の変化 — Yuki's class project note
わたしのおばあさんは、この近くに長く住んでいます。昔は、この町にお店が少なかったです。今はお店が多くて、とても便利になりました。前は電話を持っている人が少なかったですが、今はみんなスマホを持っています。この町はとても変わりました。
メッセージ — A message from Tom
ユキさん、おばあさんの話は面白かったです。昔と今で、町がとても変わったことがよく分かりました。今度、わたしの町の変化についても話しますね。
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- According to Yuki's note, how has the number of shops in the town changed?
- What does the note say about telephones before and now?
- According to the message, what did Tom find interesting, and what does he plan to talk about next?
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will write a short comparison describing how a place, habit, or object has changed over time.
- Choose a topic. Pick a real place, habit, or piece of technology that you know has changed.
- List your ideas in English first. Note how it was before, how it is now, and one specific change.
- Write an opening sentence naming the topic and a time frame, such as 子供のとき or 昔.
- Write a sentence with 前は describing the earlier situation.
- Write a sentence with 今は describing the present situation.
- Write a sentence with なりました describing the change itself.
- Write a closing sentence with ている describing a present resulting state.
- Revise and check using the checklist below before finalizing your work.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- I named the topic and a clear time frame.
- I used 前は and 今は to build a contrast.
- I used なりました to describe a change.
- I used ている to describe an ongoing action or a resulting state.
- I used this chapter's vocabulary and kanji accurately, with furigana where still required.
- I ended each sentence with 。 and used consistent style within the passage.
Culture and Communication
Asking older family members or community members about how a place has changed is a common and welcomed way to practice language while learning about local history. Listeners should stay attentive and ask simple follow-up questions rather than interrupting with corrections, since the purpose of the conversation is connection as well as comprehension.
The pace and nature of change described in this chapter, such as the growth of shops or the spread of smartphones, varies widely between cities, towns, and rural areas, and between different periods of time. The examples in this chapter are for practicing the target grammar, not a claim about how every town in Japan has changed.
Conversations comparing the past and present, especially with an older relative or acquaintance, often use a warm, polite, and reflective tone. The polite forms introduced in earlier chapters remain the appropriate default here, even when the topic feels personal or nostalgic.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: *便利なりました。
Correction: 便利になりました。 — A な-adjective or a noun requires に before なります, even though the plain dictionary form of the adjective does not otherwise use に.
Error: *町が大きいなりました。
Correction: 町が大きくなりました。 — An い-adjective changes its final い to く before なります.
Error: *前は静かです。今はにぎやかでした。
Correction: 前は静かでした。今はにぎやかです。 — 前は normally pairs with a past-tense description, and 今は normally pairs with a nonpast description of the present.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Give at least four vocabulary items related to change, comparison, or town life from this chapter.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write any seven of this chapter's eleven kanji from memory, with their readings.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Write a sentence using ている for a resulting state.
2. Write a sentence describing a change using なりました.
3. Write a two-sentence contrast using 前は and 今は.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at Yuki's class project note in the Reading Practice section. Write two sentences summarizing how the town has changed.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Write a short then-and-now comparison, following the Writing Workshop steps.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. With a partner or instructor, compare a place or habit from the past and the present, using 前は/今は, なります, and ている at least once each.
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
昔と今 — Describing and comparing change over time
You will produce a connected spoken and written account comparing something in the past with the present, using the systems introduced in this chapter.
- Written: Write at least eight sentences comparing a place, habit, or object across time, including at least one 前は/今は contrast, one なりました sentence, and one ている sentence describing a resulting state.
- Spoken: Tell a partner or instructor about the same comparison aloud, adding at least one detail not included in your written work.
- Interaction: Ask a partner about a change they have noticed in their own life, and respond with a follow-up question.
- Script check: Hand-write at least seven of this chapter's eleven kanji from memory, and read aloud a short comparison passage furnished by your instructor.
Assessment focus: accurate use of ている for ongoing action and resulting states; correct formation of なります with い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and nouns; accurate contrast with 前は and 今は; accurate use of this chapter's vocabulary and kanji; and an appropriately organized, connected comparison.
Answer Key
Grammar Practice
1. Model: 東京に住んでいます。 2. Model: 町は便利になりました。 3. Model: 前は静かでした。今はにぎやかです。 4. Model: 店が増えています。 5. Model: 昔は店が少なかったですが、今は多いです。町はとても変わりました。
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Yuki's grandmother has lived in the town for about forty years.
- According to her, the shops have changed the most; there used to be few and now there are many.
- When she was a child there were no telephones, but now everyone has one.
Listening task — Model summary
Ken's grandfather has lived nearby for a long time. Before, the town had no train station. Now there is a station, and the town has become very convenient. There used to be few cars, but now there are many, and the town has changed a great deal.
Reading — Comprehension
- The number of shops used to be small and has grown to be large, making the town convenient.
- Before, few people had telephones; now everyone has a smartphone.
- Tom found the grandmother's story interesting and plans to talk about the changes in his own town next.
Chapter Review — Section A
Open-ended; check against the vocabulary tables above.
Chapter Review — Section B
Open-ended; check against the kanji grids above.
Chapter Review — Section C
Open-ended; models follow the patterns shown in the Grammar and Sentence Patterns section above.
Chapter Review — Section D
Model answer: 昔はお店が少なかったですが、今は多くて便利になりました。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section E and F
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate written work against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate spoken work against the Practical Performance Task assessment focus.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can describe an ongoing action or a resulting present state with ている, describe change using なります, contrast the past and present with 前は and 今は, and build a short connected comparison of a place, habit, or object across time.