Exercise 6: Responses to Compliments

 

In your language classroom, you might be taught to refuse compliments you receive in Japanese.  However, Japanese speakers do not always refuse all the compliments they receive!  This exercise will sensitize you to various other strategies you could use in response to compliments.

While you are in Japan, if you are a non-native speaker of Japanese, people may frequently compliment you on your Japanese.  How would you respond to such compliments?  Write down what you would normally say.

A friend of your host family you met for the first time: 日本語お上手ですね。 Nihongo ojouzu desune.

1. You:

 

A friend of your host family: いや、ほんとにびっくりしました。 Iya, hontoni bikkuri shimashita.

2. You:

 

How would native speakers of Japanese deal with compliments like these? Listen and write down what they say in response to the compliments they receive for their English and analyze their strategies.

3. Listen to Dialogue 1    

     Response:    

 

 

4. Listen to Dialogue 2   

      Response:    

 

 

5. Listen to Dialogue 3    

      Response:    

 

 

6. Listen to Dialogue 4     

      Response:     

 

You can listen to More Examples.

Sample Dialogue 5    

  Transcript 5

Sample Dialogue 6 

Transcript 6

 

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