最近の生活Recent Life and Routines
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe your current schedule, routines, and responsibilities in more detail than in Volume I.
- Talk about habits and changes in habits using expressions such as「ようになりました」and「ことが多い」.
- Compare your present routine with the past using「前より」.
- Sequence related actions using「てから」to show that one event happens after another.
- Use an expanded range of frequency expressions to describe how often something happens.
- Read a short mixed-script passage about someone's weekly schedule and daily responsibilities.
- Write a connected description of your own recent routine, including at least one change and one sequenced action.
Communication Scenario
Emma's new online conversation group asks each member to post a short weekly update describing their current routine, so that partners with different schedules and time zones can find good times to talk. Yuki reads Emma's post and replies with her own routine, noticing that both of their schedules have shifted recently. Over the next few messages, they compare how their responsibilities, study habits, and free time have changed since they last talked in detail.
- This chapter expands your ability to describe schedules, responsibilities, and habits, and to mark how those things have changed recently.
- By the end of the chapter, you will complete a performance task that includes a written routine description, a spoken comparison of past and present habits, and a listening task based on someone else's schedule.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter controls vocabulary for recent life, shifting schedules, responsibilities, and habits. Several items recycle Volume I daily-life vocabulary in new combinations; new items support describing schedules and responsibilities more precisely.
Schedule and Routine
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 予定 | よてい | schedule; plan (recycled) |
| 習慣 | しゅうかん | habit; custom |
| 責任 | せきにん | responsibility |
| 平日 | へいじつ | weekday |
| 週末 | しゅうまつ | weekend (recycled) |
「習慣」and「責任」are new items in this chapter. Their grammar in this chapter is limited to use as ordinary nouns; no additional grammar is introduced through them.
Frequency
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 毎日 | まいにち | every day (recycled) |
| 週に二回 | しゅうにかい | twice a week |
| たいてい | たいてい | usually |
| たまに | たまに | occasionally |
| めったに〜ない | めったに〜ない | rarely |
Change and Continuation
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 忙しくなりました | いそがしくなりました | became busy (recycled adjective + なる) |
| 早く起きる | はやくおきる | get up early (recycled) |
| 前より | まえより | more than before |
| 続けている | つづけている | am continuing (recycled) |
This chapter assumes strong control of Volume I vocabulary for daily routines, such as words for getting up, going to school or work, eating meals, and going to sleep. The new items above let you talk about that same daily life with more precision and more attention to frequency and change.
Script and Kanji Focus
This chapter introduces new kanji for activity, schedule, responsibility, and frequency, alongside continued furigana reduction on consolidated Volume I kanji.
予定, 習慣, 責任, and 平日 are new productive kanji for this chapter and keep furigana support in all readings and exercises until a later chapter's matrix marks them as consolidated. Meanwhile, Volume I kanji already marked consolidated, such as 元気, 生活, and 友, continue to appear without furigana, following the pattern established in Chapter 1.
れんしゅう — Practice: Write 予定, 習慣, 責任, and 平日 three times each, then use each one once in a sentence about your own week.
Pronunciation Review
Several new words in this chapter contain long vowels and geminate consonants that are easy to shorten or drop when speaking quickly. Practice these contrasts before the Model Dialogue:
- Long vowel: しゅうかん (habit) versus a shortened mispronunciation without the long ゅう
- Long vowel: しゅうまつ (weekend) — hold the long vowel for its full two morae
- Moraic ん in せきにん (responsibility), held for a full beat before the pause
Read the vocabulary tables above aloud slowly, then again at a natural pace, checking that each long vowel and each moraic ん keeps its full timing.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter authorizes 「ようになりました」as a formulaic pattern for describing a new habit, 「ことが多い」for describing what happens often, 「前より」for comparing present routines to the past, 「てから」for sequencing actions, and an expanded set of frequency expressions. No additional grammar paradigm is introduced.
1. Describing a new habit with 「ようになりました」
Purpose: to describe a habit or ability that has newly developed. In this chapter, this pattern is used formulaically with a small set of familiar verbs; its full internal grammar is not analyzed here.
- 毎朝、早く起きるようになりました。I've started getting up early every morning (a new habit).
- 週末に運動するようになりました。I've started exercising on weekends.
2. Describing what happens often with 「ことが多い」
Purpose: to describe an action or situation that occurs frequently, without claiming it happens every single time.
- 平日は忙しいことが多いです。Weekdays are often busy.
- 週末は家で勉強することが多いです。On weekends, I often study at home.
3. Comparing with the past using 「前より」
Purpose: to compare a current situation with an earlier one, without needing a full comparison-clause grammar system.
- 前より忙しくなりました。I've become busier than before.
- 前より早く起きています。I'm getting up earlier than before.
4. Sequencing actions with 「てから」
Purpose: to show that one action happens, and only after it is finished does the next action happen. This builds on the て-form reviewed in Chapter 1.
- 朝ご飯を食べてから、学校に行きます。After eating breakfast, I go to school.
- 宿題をしてから、テレビを見ます。After doing my homework, I watch television.
5. Expanded frequency expressions
Purpose: to describe how often something happens with more precision than 毎日 and たまに alone.
- 週に二回、ジムに行きます。I go to the gym twice a week.
- めったに朝ご飯を食べません。I rarely eat breakfast.
Error: Using「ことが多い」to mean the same thing as「いつも」(always), as in *「毎日、必ずジムに行くことが多いです」.
Correction: 週末はジムに行くことが多いです。 — 「ことが多い」describes something that happens often, not something that happens without exception. Reserve いつも or 毎日 for situations that are truly constant.
Grammar Review Practice
- Write one sentence describing a new habit using ようになりました.
- Write one sentence describing something you do often, using ことが多い.
- Write one sentence comparing your current routine to the past, using 前より.
- Write one sentence sequencing two actions with てから.
- Write one sentence using a frequency expression other than 毎日 or たまに.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Yuki and Emma message each other about their current weekly schedules.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- Why does Emma say her weekdays have become busy?
- What new morning habit has Yuki developed?
- How often does Emma exercise?
Guided Practice
タスク１ — Schedule interview. With a partner (or on your own, imagining a partner), ask and answer about weekday and weekend routines, using at least one frequency expression from this chapter.
タスク２ — Before and after. Choose one part of your routine that has changed recently. Write one sentence about how it used to be and one sentence about how it is now, using 前より or ようになりました.
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 — Emma describes her week
最近、平日はとても忙しい。新しいアルバイトの責任が多くなった。朝、起きてから、すぐ準備をして、アルバイトに行くことが多い。週末はたいてい家にいるけど、たまに友だちと会う。前より自由な時間が少なくなった。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Note what Emma does after waking up, how she usually spends weekends, and how her free time has changed compared to before. Compare your notes with a partner or check them against the passage.
This script uses plain style, appropriate for a private voice memo rather than a message to someone Emma does not know well.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Quick answers
- 平日は忙しいことが多いですか。
- 週末、何をすることが多いですか。
- 前より忙しくなりましたか。
コミュニケーションタスク — Comparing schedules
With a partner, compare your current weekday and weekend routines. Each person should use at least one frequency expression, one てから sequence, and one 前より comparison.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: Recorded routine description
Record yourself describing your typical week in about one minute, including at least one new habit and one comparison with the past, in polite style.
Reading Practice
Read the following short schedule description, then answer the questions below.
週間スケジュールの投稿 — Emma's weekly-schedule post
皆さん、こんにちは。最近の予定を紹介します。平日は学校が終わってから、アルバイトに行くことが多いです。アルバイトの責任が前より多くなりました。週末は宿題をしてから、友だちと会うことが多いです。週に二回、日本語の会話グループに参加する習慣ができました。これは新しい習慣ですが、とても楽しいです。
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What does Emma usually do after school on weekdays?
- How has Emma's part-time job responsibility changed?
- What new habit has Emma developed, and how often does she do it?
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will write a short description of your own recent routine, using the four-part Building Block pattern from the Grammar section.
- State your current general schedule in one or two sentences, noting whether weekdays or weekends are busier.
- Describe one sequenced pair of daily actions, using てから.
- Add one frequency statement about something you do regularly, using an expression other than 毎日 or たまに where possible.
- Add one comparison with your past routine, using 前より or ようになりました.
- Revise and check using the checklist below before finalizing your description.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- I described my current schedule clearly.
- I used てから to sequence at least one pair of actions rather than listing them separately.
- I used at least one frequency expression accurately.
- I compared my current routine with the past using 前より or ようになりました.
- I kept one consistent register throughout.
- I kept furigana on 予定, 習慣, 責任, and 平日, and removed it from consolidated Volume I kanji.
- I ended each sentence with 。 and used consistent script and punctuation throughout.
Culture and Communication
Describing oneself as 忙しい (busy) is a common way to open a casual update among many Japanese speakers, though how much detail follows, and how directly someone complains about being busy, can vary by relationship, workplace norms, and individual style.
Emma's and Yuki's routines reflect their own schools, part-time jobs, and households. Other students and workers in Japan and elsewhere may follow very different weekday and weekend patterns depending on their school system, industry, region, and family responsibilities.
Emma's polite written post to the conversation group and her plainer spoken voice memo describe similar facts about her week, but the register shifts because the audience shifts from a semi-public group to a private recording. Volume II will return to this kind of audience-based register shift in later chapters.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: *学校が終わってから、忙しくなりました。 (used to mean "school ended and then I became busy," when the two events are not in a clear sequential relationship).
Correction: 学校が終わって、忙しくなりました。 — Reserve てから for cases where one action must finish before the next clearly begins, such as eating breakfast before leaving the house. Use plain て-form linking for events that are simply connected in time.
Error: *毎日、ジムに行くことが多いです。 (combining "every day" with "often," which contradicts itself).
Correction: 週に二回、ジムに行くことが多いです。 — Choose one frequency expression that accurately matches how often the action really happens, rather than defaulting to 毎日.
Error: Writing 予定, 習慣, 責任, or 平日 without furigana because they resemble familiar kanji.
Correction: Check the Furigana / Reading-Support Matrix before deciding. These four kanji are newly introduced in this chapter and require furigana support until a later chapter's matrix marks them as consolidated.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Give at least five vocabulary items connected to schedules, responsibilities, and frequency from this chapter.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write 予定, 習慣, 責任, and 平日 from memory, and explain why they still need furigana in this chapter.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Write one sentence describing a new habit using ようになりました.
2. Write one sentence describing something that happens often, using ことが多い.
3. Write one sentence sequencing two actions with てから.
4. Write one sentence comparing your current routine with the past, using 前より.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at Emma's weekly-schedule post in the Reading Practice section. Write two sentences summarizing her routine in your own words.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Complete your routine description, following the Writing Workshop steps.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. With a partner or instructor, compare your weekday and weekend routines and answer at least one follow-up question.
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
最近の生活 — Describing recent life and routines
This performance task draws together the systems developed in this chapter. Complete all three components below.
- Written routine description: Write a description of at least six sentences covering your current weekday and weekend routines, including at least one てから sequence, one frequency expression, and one comparison with the past using 前より or ようになりました.
- Spoken comparison: Present a one-minute spoken comparison of your routine now versus a year ago, to a partner, instructor, or recording, in polite style.
- Listening check: Listen to a short routine description and correctly identify the speaker's frequency expressions, sequenced actions, and any stated changes from before.
Assessment focus: accurate use of new Chapter 2 kanji and vocabulary; correct and natural use of ようになりました, ことが多い, 前より, and てから; accurate selection of frequency expressions; connected rather than listed description of routine; correct furigana on new kanji; and comprehensible pronunciation with attention to long vowels and moraic ん.
Answer Key
Grammar Review Practice
1. Model: 毎朝、早く起きるようになりました。 2. Model: 週末は家で勉強することが多いです。 3. Model: 前より忙しくなりました。 4. Model: 朝ご飯を食べてから、学校に行きます。 5. Model: 週に二回、ジムに行きます。
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Emma's weekdays have become busy because her new part-time job comes with a lot of responsibility.
- Yuki has started getting up early every morning.
- Emma says she rarely exercises (めったに運動しません).
Listening task — Model summary
After waking up, Emma gets ready quickly and often goes to her part-time job. On weekends she is usually at home, though she occasionally meets friends. She says her free time has become less than before.
Reading — Comprehension
- After school on weekdays, Emma often goes to her part-time job.
- Emma's part-time job responsibility has increased compared to before.
- Emma has developed a new habit of joining a Japanese conversation group twice a week, and she finds it very enjoyable.
Chapter Review — Section A and B
Open-ended; check against the Core Vocabulary tables and the Script and Kanji Focus section above.
Chapter Review — Section C
Open-ended; models follow the patterns shown in the Grammar section above.
Chapter Review — Section D
Model answer: エマさんは学校が終わってから、アルバイトに行くことが多いです。週に二回、日本語の会話グループに参加する習慣ができました。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section E and F, and Practical Performance Task
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate written work against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate the spoken comparison and listening check against the assessment focus listed under the Practical Performance Task.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can describe your current schedule and responsibilities, talk about new habits and how often things happen, compare your present routine with the past, and sequence connected daily actions, supported by expanded Volume II kanji, vocabulary, and grammar.