In this workshop you will practice a short, practical exchange in Japanese. You will ask whether a supermarket is near here, understand a simple yes or no answer, and catch one direction: turn right at the traffic light. You will also hear how to ask how long it takes on foot and how to say the supermarket is near the station. You can play both roles with the recordings. There is no automatic scoring, so use the answer checks after each task to confirm what you said or chose.
Asking whether a supermarket is near here
Start with the question that checks whether a supermarket exists nearby. The line «この ちかくに スーパーは ありますか。» means 'Is there a supermarket near here?' The part kono chikaku ni means 'near here', and arimasu ka asks whether something exists. If you already know a supermarket exists but you do not know where it is, use the more direct question «スーパーは どこですか。», which means 'Where is the supermarket?' Listen to both once, then repeat them slowly. Keep the rhythm steady and make the final ka clear. These two questions are your main tools in this workshop.
Understanding yes and no answers
After you ask, you need to catch the first word of the answer. The line «はい、あります。» means 'Yes, there is.' It confirms that a supermarket exists, but it does not tell you the exact location. The line «いいえ、ありません。» means 'No, there isn't.' The ending arimasen is the polite negative form. When you hear hai, expect a positive answer. When you hear iie, expect a negative answer. Practice saying both answers aloud so your ear and mouth learn the pair together.
Catching a direction and a walking time
In the longer exchange, speaker A asks the near-here question and speaker B gives a positive answer plus a direction. The direction line «はい、あります。あの しんごうを みぎに まがってください。» means 'Yes, there is. Please turn right at that traffic light.' Notice migi ni magatte kudasai: migi means 'right' and magatte kudasai means 'please turn'. This is an instruction to turn right, not a statement that something is on the right. Speaker A then checks the direction and asks about walking time in «みぎですね。あるいて どのくらいですか。», which means 'Right, got it. About how long does it take on foot?' Speaker B answers in «あるいて ごふんぐらいです。スーパーは えきの ちかくに あります。», which means 'About five minutes on foot. The supermarket is near the station.' The word eki means 'station', and chikaku ni arimasu means 'is near'.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
スーパーは どこですか。
Where is the supermarket?
sūpā wa doko desu ka
この ちかくに スーパーは ありますか。
Is there a supermarket near here?
kono chikaku ni sūpā wa arimasu ka
はい、あります。
Yes, there is.
hai, arimasu
いいえ、ありません。
No, there isn't.
iie, arimasen
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
すみません、この ちかくに スーパーは ありますか。
Excuse me, is there a supermarket near here?はい、あります。あの しんごうを みぎに まがってください。
Yes, there is. Please turn right at that traffic light.みぎですね。あるいて どのくらいですか。
Right, got it. About how long does it take on foot?あるいて ごふんぐらいです。スーパーは えきの ちかくに あります。
About five minutes on foot. The supermarket is near the station.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided exchange: ask and answer
You are standing on a street in a fictional town. You want to know if a supermarket is near here. You will play both roles using the recordings.
Your task: First, play the role of the person asking. Say the question from «この ちかくに スーパーは ありますか。» aloud. Then play the role of a helpful local person and answer with the positive line from «はい、あります。». Repeat the pair three times. Then switch: answer with the negative line from «いいえ、ありません。» instead, and repeat the pair three more times.
Reply comprehension: choose the right response
You will hear or read two short answers and decide what each one means. This checks whether you can separate a yes answer from a no answer.
Your task: Look at the line «はい、あります。» and the line «いいえ、ありません。». For each one, decide: does it mean a supermarket exists nearby, or does it mean no supermarket exists nearby? Say your choice aloud in English, then say the Japanese line aloud. Next, listen to the longer direction line «はい、あります。あの しんごうを みぎに まがってください。». Decide whether the speaker is telling you to turn right or telling you that something is on the right.
Recall with correct roles
Now you will rebuild the longer exchange from memory with the correct roles. Speaker A is the person asking. Speaker B is the local person answering.
Your task: Say speaker A's first line from «すみません、この ちかくに スーパーは ありますか。» aloud. Then say speaker B's answer and direction from «はい、あります。あの しんごうを みぎに まがってください。». Next, say speaker A's check and walking-time question from «みぎですね。あるいて どのくらいですか。». Finally, say speaker B's closing answer from «あるいて ごふんぐらいです。スーパーは えきの ちかくに あります。». Do the whole exchange once without looking, then check yourself against the recordings.
Common questions
What is the difference between the two questions I can ask?
Use «この ちかくに スーパーは ありますか。» when you are standing somewhere and want to know whether a supermarket exists near here. Use «スーパーは どこですか。» when you already know a supermarket exists but you do not know where it is. Both are polite and useful. Start with «この ちかくに スーパーは ありますか。» when you are unsure, and use «スーパーは どこですか。» when you need the location.
How do I know if the answer is yes or no?
Listen to the first word. The line «はい、あります。» starts with hai and means 'Yes, there is.' The line «いいえ、ありません。» starts with iie and means 'No, there isn't.' The ending arimasen in «いいえ、ありません。» is the polite negative form. If you hear hai, a supermarket exists nearby. If you hear iie, it does not.
Sources and further reading
- japanese: ask for a supermarketChecked September 2026
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