lol I forgot - ka vs. Soretomo

I forgot the difference between them and when to use them. I remember asking in the past but can't find my post. :]

Konnichiwa! *Soretomo* means "or" and connects two alternatives. For example, _"Would you like water __or__ tea?"_ *Mizu ga ii desu ka, __soretomo__ ocha ga ii desu ka?* (Also can be expressed saying: *Mizu ni shimasu ka, soretomo ocha ni shimasu ka?*) Although *'ka'* also means_ "or" _YOU CANNOT SAY: x *Mizu ga ii desu ka, __ka__ ocha ga ii desu ka?* BUT YOU COULD SAY: *Mizu ga ii desu ka, __soreka__ ocha ga ii desu ka?* :idea: *'ka'* often follows question words immediately, if it's not the end of a sentence. Such as in: *nani > nanika* (what > something) *dare > dareka* (who > someone) *itsu > itsuka* (when > sometime/someday) *naze > nazeka* (why > for some reason) *dore > doreka*(which > one or another) In such instances, the compound word is not a question but rather refers to an indefinite person, place, thing, number, time. :idea: ALSO, note that the particle *ka* between two nouns (and not at end of sentence) means "or". *Ka* when repeated after two nouns in sequence means "either ~ or ~" expressing a choice between two alternatives. *Migi ka hidari ka, dotchi? * (Right or left, which?) -Sayaka :P

Ok, I remember now. Thanks! :)

Dou itashimashite! Gambatte kudasai. -Sakaya :)

さやか先生、 I like the "tchi" romanization of ち, thinking of ち like that should help me correct my accent a bit. As such I just wanted to thank you! ありがとう～！ デレク

I learned Japanese on my own since I lived in Japan for a few years, but never got the chance to learn the proper way. I'm in a stuation where I get lost in the formal way of speaking of the parents of a 12 year old I tutor in Spanish and English...no problems with her except sometimes when she mumbles in a softer voice. Any quick tips about parents' formal grammar...?

Konnichiwa Carlos-san, The trick is using -masu and -desu endings for talking with someone else's parents. For example, if they ask "Genki?" or "Genki desu ka?" you should answer with "hai, genki desu". I don't think there is a need to talk super-polite with them - they might be more comfortable with you speaking just in -masu and -desu endings. - Sayaka ;)

hi,some leson i didn`t yet so far...like tai no desu ga,shitai no desu ga...and the imasu and shimasu ka..help me this..it was really hard for me to speak japanese very well... thank you so much...and onegaishimasu desu...

glinda-san konnichiwa, The ending "~tai no desu ga" which is attached to the stem of a verb expresses something similar to... "I'd like to do (the verb), if that's okay..." So, for example: "Tabetai no desu ga..." means "I'd like to eat, (if that's okay with you.)" "Ikitai no desu ga..." means "I'd like to go, (if that's okay with you.)" "Netai no desu ga..." means "I'd like to sleep, (if that's okay with you.)" The last ~ga makes the sentence sound more familiar and soft. This is only used in spoken Japanese. "Shitai no desu ga..." means "I want to do (some action), if that's okay with you." So, for example: "Benkyou o shitai no desu ga..." means "I'd like to study... if that's okay with you." "Ryokou o shitai no desu ga..." means "I'd like to travel... if that's okay with you." - Hope that helps! Sayaka ;)