N5 黒いねこ · chapter 1 of 47
ドアの前のねこ The cat at the door
Before you read
Hana has just moved to a new town to study. It is her first morning in her new flat. Look at the title: someone is at the door.
First read: straight through, without stopping to look anything up. Follow the story; the gaps fill themselves in.
私はハナです。 I'm Hana.
学生です。 I'm a student.
朝、私はパンを食べます。 In the morning I eat bread.
コーヒーも飲みます。 I drink coffee too.
ドアの前にねこがいます。 There's a cat in front of the door.
黒いねこです。 It's a black cat.
「こんにちは。あなたはだれですか。」 "Hello. Who are you?"
ねこは何も言いません。 The cat says nothing.
ねこの口に、小さい紙があります。 In the cat's mouth there is a small piece of paper.
紙に「三」と書いてあります。 On the paper is written "三", three.
「三？これは何ですか。」 "Three? What is this?"
ねこは行きました。 The cat went away.
New words in this chapter
- 朝 あさ — morning
- ドア — door
- 前 まえ — front; in front of
- ねこ — cat
- 黒い くろい — black
- 言う いう — to say
- 口 くち — mouth
- 小さい ちいさい — small
- 紙 かみ — paper
- 書く かく — to write
- 行く いく — to go
Grammar notes
ドアの前にねこがいます — there's a cat in front of the door
Place に thing が います/あります: 'in that place there is a thing'. Use います for people and animals, あります for things: 紙があります.
ねこは何も言いません — the cat says nothing
何も with a negative verb means 'nothing at all'. 言いません is the polite negative of 言う.
紙に「三」と書いてあります — on the paper is written 'three'
と marks the words that are written (or said). 書いてあります means 'it has been written': you see the writing, not the person who wrote it.
What happened?
Pause before reading again: answer from memory, in Japanese. Help shows a question in English.
-
ドアの前にだれがいますか。
Who is at Hana's door?
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紙に何と書いてありますか。
What is written on the paper?
In short
On Hana's first morning a black cat sits at her door with a small piece of paper in its mouth. On it is the number three. Then the cat walks away.