A full conversation at the ward office: moving in, from start to finish. Tap any row to hear it, then say it out loud 2–3 times. Practise both sides: the staff's lines and yours.
Tip: 転出証明書 (てんしゅつしょうめいしょ) is the paper your old city gives you when you move out. Without it, the new ward office usually can't finish your moving-in notice, so keep it with your residence card.
Tip: The particle も (mo) means "also / too". 日も書いてください = please write the date too. 住民票もください = a residence certificate too, please.
Tip: Short answers are perfectly polite: はい、そうです。 (yes, that's right), 先週です。 (last week). Add です to make any short answer polite.
Tip: Before you leave, look at the back (裏 · うら) of your residence card and check the new address is correct.
Staff ask you to do things with the て-form of a verb + ください (kudasai). You can use it too.
| Verb | て-form | Please … | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 書く かく · kaku | 書いて | 書いてください かいてください · kaite kudasai | Please write. |
| 待つ まつ · matsu | 待って | 待ってください まってください · matte kudasai | Please wait. |
| 見せる みせる · miseru | 見せて | 見せてください みせてください · misete kudasai | Please show me. |
| 話す はなす · hanasu | 話して | 話してください はなしてください · hanashite kudasai | Please speak. |
Don't worry about the rules for making the て-form yet. For now, learn these four as set phrases. Compare with Lesson 2: the staff's extra-polite version is お書きください (おかきください), and the normal polite version is 書いてください. Both mean "please write".
The YouTube video for this lesson is coming soon.
Prefer to practise speaking? Open the interactive video with "Your turn" pauses.
Answer in the chat (romaji, hiragana, or English all fine). Use a hint only if you're stuck.
Staff: 転出証明書はお持ちですか。 You have it, and you hand it over. What do you say?
Answer: はい、あります。これです。 (hai, arimasu. kore desu) "Yes, I have it. Here it is."
| あります | (I) have it |
| これです | this is it (handing it over) |
Listen to the staff. What should you write on the form?
Answer: your previous address. 前の住所を書いてください。(まえの じゅうしょを かいてください) "Please write your previous address."
| 前の | previous (literally: of before) |
| 住所 | address |
| 書いてください | please write |
You are helping a friend at the counter. Ask the staff: "Please write it here." (ここに = here)
Answer: ここに書いてください。 (ここに かいてください · koko ni kaite kudasai)
| ここに | here (in this place) |
| 書いて | write (て-form of 書く) |
| ください | please |
Challenge: Staff: いつ引っ越しましたか。 You moved last week. Answer, then ask for one residence certificate too.
Answer: 先週です。住民票も1通ください。 (せんしゅうです。じゅうみんひょうも いっつう ください · senshū desu. jūmin-hyō mo ittsū kudasai)
| 先週 | last week (先 previous + 週 week) |
| 住民票も | a residence certificate too |
| 1通 | one copy |
住むにほんごすむにほんご · Sumu Nihongo