Numbers and messages
Collocations, Stage 3chunk 13 of 23Phone, photos & screens
Keeping in touch in writing: swapping numbers, then a message's round trip of send, receive and reply.
- bangou o oshierugive someone your number
- meeru o okurusend an email
- meeru ga kuruget an email
- meeru o kaesureply to a message
Mix-ups meeru o okuru (you send, o) vs meeru ga kuru (it comes to you, ga) is the same out/in split as the phone calls. 'Give me your number' is bangou oshiete, not kudasai, and kaesu 'send back' sounds like kaeru 'go home'.
bangou o oshieru
polite bangou o oshiemasugive someone your number
番号を教える ばんごうをおしえる 番号を教えます
verboshieru 教えるteach; tell, let someone knowtypical 10% of bangou
trap English 'give' pulls toward ageru or kudasai, but the everyday set is oshieru ('tell'): 'give me your number' is bangou oshiete and 'I gave him my number' is bangou oshieta. bangou ageru is heard, bangou choudai works among close friends, and bangou o kudasai sounds stiff.
Said when swapping numbers, mostly as the request bangou oshiete (give me your number), softened to bangou oshiete kurenai? Here bangou means denwa bangou (phone number). Casual speech drops o, and asking someone for theirs is bangou o kiku.
yokattara, bangou oshiete kurenai?
Could I get your number?
よかったら、番号教えてくれない？
yokattara, bangou o oshiete kuremasen ka?
Would you mind giving me your number?
よかったら、番号を教えてくれませんか？
Among friends, contacts now go over LINE: rain koukan shiyou (let's swap LINE).
Same verb: renrakusaki (contact details), meeru adoresu (email address), juusho (address), rain (LINE ID)Learn alongside: namae o oshieruMain list: oshieru (Stage 2), kiku (Stage 2), -te kurenai? (Stage 2)
meeru o okuru
polite meeru o okurimasusend an email
メールを送る メールをおくる メールを送ります
verbokuru 送るsend; see someone offtypical 19% of meeru
Said when you send or promise an email, with the person marked by ni: senpai ni meeru okutta (I emailed my senpai), ato de meeru okuru ne (I'll email you later). Sending something by email is meeru de okuru (shiryou meeru de okuru ne). Between friends, messages usually go by LINE: rain suru ne, rain okutta yo. Casual speech drops o.
ato de meeru okuru ne.
I'll email you later.
後でメール送るね。
ato de meeru o okurimasu ne.
I'll email you later.
後でメールを送りますね。
The same okuru is seeing someone off or giving them a lift (eki made okuru); meeru suru is the shorter casual version.
Same verb: rain (LINE message), messeeji (message), rinku (link), nimotsu (parcel)Learn alongside: shashin o okuru, renraku o toru, renraku ga kuru, meeru ga kuru, meeru o kaesuMain list: renraku suru (Stage 3)
meeru ga kuru
polite meeru ga kimasuget an email
メールが来る メールがくる メールが来ます
verbkuru 来るcome, arrivetypical 8% of meeru
trap Not uketoru: English makes you the subject of 'got', but Japanese makes the email the subject: meeru (ga) kita ('an email came'). meeru moratta is also fine, but kita is what you hear most; uketoru sounds stiff and is for parcels and documents.
Said when an email arrives, mostly as meeru kita (I got an email), with the sender marked by kara. The negative henji ga konai means there's no reply yet.
nanka hen na meeru kita.
I got a weird email.
なんか変なメール来た。
nanka hen na meeru ga kimashita.
I got a weird email.
なんか変なメールが来ました。
meeru now means email; a text from a friend is a rain (LINE): rain kita. henji and renraku work the same way: henji kita. Sending is meeru o okuru: okutta yo (I sent it).
Same verb: rain (LINE message), henji (reply), denwa (phone call), renraku (word from someone)Learn alongside: shashin o okuru, renraku o toru, renraku ga kuru, meeru o okuru, meeru o kaesuMain list: kuru (Stage 1), morau (Stage 2), renraku suru (Stage 3)
meeru o kaesu
polite meeru o kaeshimasureply to a message
メールを返す メールをかえす メールを返します
verbkaesu 返すgive back, return somethingtypical <1% of meeru
trap Not meeru ni kotaeru: replying to an email or text is kaesu ('send back'); kotaeru answers questions. henshin suru and henji suru are also fine.
Said about answering emails or texts, often about being slow: kaesu no wasureteta (I forgot to reply). For chat messages the noun is rain (LINE): rain kaeshite. With henji the usual verb is suru: henji shite.
gomen, meeru kaesu no wasureteta.
Sorry, I forgot to reply to your email.
ごめん、メール返すの忘れてた。
sumimasen, meeru o kaesu no wasuretemashita.
Sorry, I forgot to reply to your email.
すみません、メールを返すの忘れてました。
To call someone back, the verb is orikaesu: ato de orikaeshimasu.
Same verb: rain (LINE message), messeeji (message)Learn alongside: shashin o okuru, renraku o toru, renraku ga kuru, meeru o okuru, meeru ga kuruMain list: kaeru (Stage 1), renraku suru (Stage 3)