I started playing around with OpenAI's ChatGPT and I've been having a blast. I can't wait to get home to see what I can do with it. I feel like a little kid with a cool new toy. In fact, I haven't felt this way since I first got a computer, or the iPod, or even the iPod Touch or iPhone.
I have so many ideas and projects blazing around my head. This platform can do so much, and it's been like a secretary for me the past 2 weeks. But it is important to see what still are its limitations, so I can manage my expectations and not get too carried away.
So I am going to put together the uses for it that I've found important and interesting.* I am going to start with how ChatGPT can help me learn Japanese.
Here is a chat from yesterday:
...
Me:
忘れました define
ChatGPT:
"忘れました" (わすれました, wasuremashita) means "forgot" or "have forgotten" in Japanese. It is the past tense form of the verb "忘れる" (わすれる, wasureru), which means "to forget."
So, "忘れました" translates to "I forgot" or "I have forgotten."
Me:
See if I’m doing this right: I got 食べる and I can say 食べます 食べました 食べません and how do I say I did not eat?
ChatGPT:
You're on the right track! To say "I did not eat" in Japanese, you need to use the past negative form of the verb "食べる" (たべる, taberu). The correct form is:
食べませんでした (たべませんでした, tabemasen deshita)
So, "I did not eat" is "食べませんでした" (tabemasen deshita).
Me:
食べませんでした
ChatGPT:
Yes, that's correct! "食べませんでした" (たべませんでした, tabemasen deshita) means "I did not eat." You’ve formed the past negative form of the verb perfectly. Great job!
Me:
りんごを食べませんでした
ChatGPT:
Perfect! "りんごを食べませんでした" (りんごをたべませんでした, ringo o tabemasen deshita) means "I did not eat an apple." Your sentence is correct and well-formed. Keep up the good work!
Me:
を or が
ChatGPT:
In this context, "を" (wo) is the correct particle to use.
"を" is the object marker and is used to indicate the direct object of the verb. In your sentence, "りんご" (ringo, apple) is the direct object of the verb "食べませんでした" (tabemasen deshita, did not eat), so you should use "を".
So, "りんごを食べませんでした" (ringo o tabemasen deshita) is correct.
Using "が" (ga) would change the meaning. "が" is typically used as the subject marker, which isn't appropriate for marking the direct object of a verb in this sentence.
Me:
わたしがりんごを食べませんでした
ChatGPT:
"わたしがりんごを食べませんでした" (わたしがりんごをたべませんでした, watashi ga ringo o tabemasen deshita) is grammatically correct and means "I did not eat the apple."
In this sentence:
"わたしが" (watashi ga) indicates "I" as the subject of the sentence.
"りんごを" (ringo o) indicates "apple" as the direct object of the verb.
"食べませんでした" (tabemasen deshita) means "did not eat."
While "わたしはりんごを食べませんでした" (watashi wa ringo o tabemasen deshita) is more common, using "が" (ga) emphasizes the subject "I," implying contrast or focus, such as in a context where others might have eaten the apple, but "I" did not.
Both are correct, but they can be used in slightly different contexts based on what you want to emphasize.
...
(Here's me again)
So as you can see, it's quite impressive in how it can respond to questions like a Japanese teacher would if she could spit out sheets of textbook sections. What's really cool is it gives me context. It told me when to say this depending on the situation. This is where we may normally rely on teachers to get us outside of the textbook and make sure we're talking like normal people would.
What you don't see in this chat is my asking it to correct my pronunciation. It says it can't provide direct verbal feedback. So far it can just print the phonetics to guide my pronunciation, albeit exhaustively. For example:
...
Me:
can you correct my pronunciation?
ChatGPT:
Certainly! Here's a breakdown of the pronunciation for your sentence "わたしがりんごを食べませんでした":
1. わたしが (watashi ga)
わたし (wa-ta-shi)
が (ga)
2. りんごを (ringo o)
りんご (rin-go)
を (o)
3.食べませんでした (tabemasen deshita)
たべません (ta-be-ma-sen)
でした (de-shi-ta)
Putting it all together:
わたしがりんごを食べませんでした
wa-ta-shi ga rin-go o ta-be-ma-sen de-shi-ta
Here’s a slow and clear pronunciation guide:
わ (wa) as in "water"
た (ta) as in "taco"
し (shi) as in "she"
が (ga) as in "gallop"
り (ri) as in "read"
ん (n) as in "no"
ご (go) as in "go"
を (o) as in "old"
た (ta) as in "taco"
べ (be) as in "better"
ま (ma) as in "mama"
せ (se) as in "set"
ん (n) as in "no"
で (de) as in "desk"
し (shi) as in "she"
た (ta) as in "taco"
Practice saying the sentence slowly, focusing on each syllable, then gradually speed up to natural conversational speed.
...
(Me again)
Now when I try speaking into the app, it merely dictates what I'm saying. Even though it will type Japanese as I speak, it will print different words based on my pronunciation. So if I mispronounce a word, it will basically type the "wrong" word. It then corrects me based on the input, so I guess for now that is okay.
The other problem is that it cannot directly provide audio. This would be helpful to hear a native speaker pronouncing the word for reference.
GPT's voice can be too fast, and I'm still wary about its pronunciation of Japanese (particularly the 'r' sounds), but here's what happens when I ask it to repeat more slowly:
...
Me:
Can you say the word for apple slowly?
ChatGPT:
Sure! The word for apple in Japanese is "りんご" (ringo). Here's a slow breakdown:
り (ri)
ん (n)
ご (go)
So, pronounced slowly, it would be:
ri - n - go
Try saying each syllable clearly, then gradually blend them together at a natural pace.
...
(Me again)
What's cool is that it does say each individual sound to help me break it apart. But again, the audio moves a little too fast for me and I have to ask it to repeat several times to get it.
Overall it's a fantastic reference for almost all my questions about Japanese. It cannot replace a native speaker to correct my pronunciation and give me natural conversation practice just yet. But it can certainly indulge my curiosity late at night without tiring.
Give it a try!
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Enjoy!