Lesson 4

Time and Schedules

Grammar
Pattern 1 · いま [time] です
time word いまcopula です
It is [time] now. State the current time. Use ごぜん / ごご before the hour to disambiguate a.m. vs p.m.
Examples

now noun what time noun copula particle 。

What time is it now?

2:10 [hour] + じ + [min] + ふん copula 。

— It’s 2:10.

a.m. (before the hour) noun 12:10 noun copula 。

— It’s 12:10 a.m.
Pattern 2 · [N] は [time] から [time] まで です
range からrange までcopula です
[N] is from [time] until [time]. Used for opening hours, lunch breaks, exam windows — any time range. Either end can be dropped.
Examples

bank noun particle 9 o’clock noun from (start point) particle 3 o’clock noun until (end point) particle copula 。

The bank is open from 9:00 to 3:00.

lunch break noun particle noun particle noun particle copula 。

Lunch is from 12:00 to 1:00.
Pattern 3 · [time / day] に V-ます
time にpolite verb -ます
At [clock-time / day], (subject) does V. The に particle marks the specific time point of the action. Critical: に attaches ONLY to clock times and days — NOT to relative time words (きょう, あした, まいあさ, etc).
Examples

every night relative time word — NO に 11 o’clock noun at (time) particle (ni) · time go to bed (polite) verb 。

Every night I go to bed at 11:00.

Saturday noun on (day) particle rest, take off verb 。

I rest on Saturdays.

today relative time word — no に work verb 。

I work today. (no に — relative time word)
Pattern 4 · The stamp engine — ます／ません／ました／ませんでした
stem + stamppresent ますpast ました
The four polite stamps for every verb. Attach to the stem (the part of the verb that doesn’t change). Japanese has NO separate future tense — ます covers both habitual and future.
Examples

work (positive · present/future) stem はたらき + ます 。

I work / I will work.

don’t work (negative · present/future) stem + ません 。

I don’t work / I won’t work.

worked (positive · past) stem + ました 。

I worked.

didn’t work (negative · past) stem + ませんでした 。

I didn’t work.
Pattern 5 · [N1] と [N2] (listing)
listing と
N1 and N2. The listing particle と joins TWO discrete nouns exhaustively — these and only these. For "things like…" use や (introduced L11).
Examples

day off noun particle Saturday noun and (exhaustive) particle (to) · listing Sunday noun copula 。

My days off are Saturday and Sunday.

Notes

The stamp engine — foundation of polite verbs
Every polite Japanese verb has a STEM (unchanging) + a STAMP (one of four endings). [stem] + ます = present positive. [stem] + ません = present negative. [stem] + ました = past positive. [stem] + ませんでした = past negative. In L04 the textbook gives you the stem for free — memorize it. Later (L06) you’ll produce verbs from dictionary forms. The L04 verbs: ね (sleep) / おき (wake) / はたらき (work) / やすみ (rest) / べんきょうし (study) / おわり (finish). Japanese has NO separate future tense — ます covers both "I do (habitually)" and "I will do (tomorrow)." Context picks which.
Time particle に — when YES, when NO
に attaches to a specific clock time or day to mean "AT that time." USE に with: clock times (6じ に おきます — I wake at 6:00), days of the week (どようび に やすみます — I rest on Saturday), dates (covered L05). DO NOT use に with relative time words: きょう / あした / きのう / おととい / あさって / いま / けさ / こんばん / まいあさ / まいばん / まいにち. These attach directly with no particle. Compound example: まいばん 11じ に ねます — まいばん takes nothing, 11じ takes に. This is the L04 trap.
から / まで — range markers
から = "from" (start). まで = "until / to" (end). Either or both can appear: 9じ から はたらきます (from 9:00). 5じ まで はたらきます (until 5:00). 9じ から 5じ まで はたらきます (from 9 to 5). They work for time ranges, day ranges, date ranges, and place ranges (L05) with the same logic.
Counting hours — ～じ (the trap-three)
Most hours follow standard counting, but THREE break the rules and must be memorized: 4じ = よじ (not し or よん). 7じ = しちじ (not なな). 9じ = くじ (not きゅう). なんじ = "what time." Everything else is regular: 1じ いちじ, 2じ にじ, 3じ さんじ, 5じ ごじ, 6じ ろくじ, 8じ はちじ, 10じ じゅうじ, 11じ じゅういちじ, 12じ じゅうにじ.
Counting minutes — ～ふん / ～ぷん
Minutes have a TWO-FORM reading depending on the preceding number. Use ぷん (often with small つ) after 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10: いっぷん / さんぷん / よんぷん / ろっぷん / はっぷん / じゅっぷん. Use ふん after 2, 5, 7, 9: にふん / ごふん / ななふん / きゅうふん. なんぷん = "what minute" (uses ぷん, following the 何 → ん pattern). For 30 minutes you can say 30ぷん OR はん ("half-past") — both common.
Days of the week — built from celestial bodies
Each day = [element] + ようび (曜日 — "day of the week"). The elements map to the seven classical celestial bodies, matching old astronomical naming: にち (sun) → にちようび (Sunday). げつ (moon) → げつようび (Monday). か (fire/Mars) → かようび (Tuesday). すい (water/Mercury) → すいようび (Wednesday). もく (wood/Jupiter) → もくようび (Thursday). きん (gold/Venus) → きんようび (Friday). ど (earth/Saturn) → どようび (Saturday). なんようび = "what day?"
と as exhaustive "and"
と joins TWO specific nouns with an EXHAUSTIVE sense — "these and only these." どようび と にちようび → Saturday and Sunday (and no other days). ミラーさん と さとうさん → Mr. Miller and Mr. Sato. If you want a non-exhaustive "things like…" (suggesting more in the set), use や — that arrives in L11. For L04, と only.
Phone numbers — digit-by-digit + の
Phone numbers in Japanese are read digit by digit, with の between blocks. Hyphens in writing → の in speech. 5275-2725 → ごにななご の にななにご. 03-1234-5678 → ぜろさん の いちにさんよん の ごろくななはち. Sometimes 0 is read "zero" (English borrow) instead of ぜろ — both are common.
ごぜん and ごご (a.m. / p.m.)
Japanese spoken language does not use a strict 24-hour convention. To disambiguate hours, prefix with ごぜん (a.m.) or ごご (p.m.). ごぜん 1じ → 1:00 a.m. ごご 1じ → 1:00 p.m. Order matters: ごぜん / ごご goes BEFORE the time, not after like English "AM." When context already makes it obvious (lunch hour, work end, bedtime), these are often dropped.

Practice

Q1 Tap to reveal
Answer What time is it now?
Q2 Tap to reveal
Answer The bank is from 9 to 3.
Q3 Tap to reveal
Answer I get up at 6 every morning.
Q4 Tap to reveal
Answer Did you study yesterday?
Q5 Tap to reveal
Answer — No, I didn’t study.
Q6 Tap to reveal
Answer What day is your day off?
Q7 Tap to reveal
Answer — Saturday and Sunday.
Q8 Tap to reveal
Answer What time do you go to bed every night?