Joel wrote:

I’m sure Japan has it’s fair share of “Grammar Nazis” just as we do in English.

Its. =P

Anyway, I’m fairly sure one of those forms is more often used in speaking, while the other is more often used in writing. I forget which is which, but maybe that’s the reason for the correction. Or maybe it was not in keeping with the tone of the rest of what you were writing. Either way, I’ve been taught both as equally valid (and for that matter, I’ve rarely-to-never seen my native-speaking lecturers use -ありません for adjectives).

子 in front of an animal name is always read こ. It’s a prefix rather than a compound word.

Yeah, I’d have to say I regularly can’t find those threads when I’m looking for them, and I even know they’re there and what their names are.

Astralfox wrote:

What are everyone’s thoughts on the most important things for me learn? The kind of vocab/grammar that will get me through everyday situations, and keep me out of trouble.

Excuse me. Where is the train station? How much is this? I’d like to buy this, please. I plead not guilty, your honour. =)

Should I learn common Osaka-ben phrases? And should I ever try to speak them myself?

No more than you’d learn common Scottish-English phrases if you went to live in Scotland.

Should I introduce myself with my family name first?

No – as a westerner, they’ll be expecting you to go given-name surname order.

And what should I say to people if they confuse my first name for the word ‘salt’ (Theo –> シーオー).

Laugh good-naturedly – they’re probably making a joke. Unless you mumbled it, in which case say it again more clearly. しお != しいおう.

About names, I’m terrible at remembering them, and expect it to be worse with Japanese names. I’ll do my best, but it is inevitable that I will forget a few, so… how to deal with forgetting someones name in Japan? …超わくわくだよ。

Maybe すみなせんが、名前を忘れてしまったから…

Not really sure, though…

While we’re having an “I’m back” thread, I’ve been away on holidays for the last month. Got only a tiny fraction done of the Japanese study I’d intended to do (and discovered when I had a dictation test the other day that I’ve forgotten practically all of my kanji, including the ones I thought I’d learnt good and proper. Bah.)

So… I’m back. =)

Potential form is “able to do”. For う verbs, you change the -う to -える, for example: 読む －＞ 読める. For る verbs, change the る to られる, for example: 食べる －＞ 食べられる. For irregular verbs, it’s する －＞ できる and くる －＞ こられる.

There are, for once, no exceptions.

令 also looks way different in handwriting. Basically, it’s written “Japanese” style in print and “Chinese” style in handwriting, going by the names in Hashi’s article.