1. Ano kata no namae wa nan desu ka.

This sentence means literally " As for the name of that person over there, what is it?" a better English translation would be "That person over there, what is her name?" The sentence pattern is "Noun wa nan desu ka?" which translates as "What is noun"

Examples:	Sore wa nan desu ka.
		What is that?

		Ano inu no namae wa nan desu ka.
		What is that dogs name? (inu=dog)

2. Oostoraria no doko desu ka.

This sentence means "Where in Australia?" The construction is "Noun no doko desu ka." Doko means "where" and doko desu ka is a familiar way of asking where a place is. The particle no refers to the noun and can mean "within", so you also could say "What part of Australia?". Wa can be used in place of no to ask where a person or something is.

Examples:	Itaria no doko desu ka.
		Where in Italy?

		Waatamanu-san no inu wa doko desu ka.
		Where is Mr. Waterman's dog?

3. Saa, watashi wa shirimasen.

This sentence means "Well, I don't know (but can find out)." Shirimasen is the present negative form of the verb shiru which means "to know". Shirimasen can mean "I don't know", "He/She doesn't know", "We don't know", or "They don't know", depending on the context of the sentence. Since watashi wa is here as the subject, the meaning is clear.

Examples:	Sumisu-san wa shirimasen.
		Mr. Smith doesn't know.

		Watashi no tomodachi wa shirimasen.
		My friend doesn't know.

4. Meariisan, kochira wa suzuki-san desu.

This sentence means "Mary, this is Mr. Suzuki". Kochira literally means "this direction". But, in this case, it has a special meaning which is "this person". Kochira is used when introducing people.

Examples:	Mearii-san, kochira wa Miraa-san desu.
		Mary, this is Mr. Miller.

		Kimura-san, kochira wa Sumisu-san desu.
		Mr. Kimura, this is Mr. Smith.

5. Suzuki-san wa Tookyoo-umare desu ka.

This sentence literally means "Mr. Suzuki, is Tokyo the place of your origin?" A better translation into English would be "Mr. Suzuki, is your home in Tokyo?" or "Were you born in Tokyo?". Adding umare, which means "born", to the end of a place designates the place as the person's home.

Examples:	Rozenbaawa-san wa Munhen-umare desu.
		Mr. Rosenbauer is from Munich (Munchen).

		Gaadana-san wa Rondon-umare desu.
		Mr. Gardner is from London.

6. Iie, Kyoto desu.

This sentence means "No, it is in Kyoto", referring to where Mr. Suzuki's home is. As has been explained before, you do not have to repeat watakushi wa Kyoto-umare desu. The subject (I) is clear. You can say Kyoto desu or Kyoto-umare desu, if the previous statement explains the situation clearly.

Examples:	Waatamanu-san wa Daarasu-umare desu ka.
		Mr. Waterman,is your home in Dallas?

		Iie, Rondon desu.
		No, it is in London.

1. Whenever you describe your home or birthplace in Japanese, umare is a useful word. Simply add it to the end of your town, state or country.

2. Shirimasen means "I don't know (but could find out)". This means that though you do not know the answer, it can be obtained. This is a more polite way than simply saying "I don't know".

3. Japanese people tend to ask where you are from in order to feel comfortable with the person they are speaking to. They like to find out as much information as possible about you. Be prepared to be asked such questions as where you are from, what your favorite American foods are, if you like sushi, what is your blood type, or what are your hobbies.