Note that the employee speaks more formally to the boss than the boss does when he answers the employee. The employee uses oraremasu while the boss uses οrehen.
In addition to its use as a stand-alone verb, oru can also replace iru as an auxiliary verb to create the progressive form of the verb. -Te oru is usually contracted to -toru.
Nani shitoru?
何しとる？
What are you doing?
11. -haru 一 はる (honorific verb conjugation)
This verb conjugation forms an integral part of Kinki's keigo 敬語, the extra polite language used to show respect to people of higher rank or to strangers. However, as Kansai-ben generally has a reputation of being less formal than standard Japanese, when truly formal language is required, such as during job interviews or intercom announcements, standard formal Japanese is usually used, therefore, the -haru form is most often heard in situations that fall somewhere between formal and informal. It is used especially by women, since they are expected to speak somewhat formally to male acquaintances but don't wish to sound cold by speaking too formally. It is also a convenient form for a company's younger employees when speaking to or about senior members, since it shows respect without sounding like excessive bootlicking. This form is used often in Kyoto, where it is considered a part of standard speech rather than keigo.
This conjugation is believed to have been derived by shortening nasaru to -haru. However, unlike nasaru, -haru can be used with nearly any verb to make it more formal.
In most places in Kansai, the -haru form is conjugated to the -i base of the verb. However, in Kyoto and surrounding areas, such as Νara, conjugation with the -a base of the verb is more common.
| Where are you going? | |
| Doko e ikiharun desu ka? | どこへ行きはるんですか？ |
| Doko e ikiharimasu ka? | どこへ行きはりますか？ |
| Doko e ikaharun desu ka? (Kyoto) | どこへ行かはるんですか？（京都) |
As in standard Japanese, a sentence in the polite form can end in either the -masu conjugation of the verb (-harimasu) or by affixing -n desu (-harun desu). The meaning of all three sentences above is essentially the same.
Nani tabeharimasu ka?
何食べはりますか？
What would you like to eat?
The -haru form can also be attached to the -te —て form of the verb to create the -ing form.
Doko e itteharun desu ka?
どこへ行ってはるんですか？
Where is he going?
Sensei, nani yūtehattan?
先生、何ゆうてはったん？
What was the teacher saying?
12. -hen —へん (negative verb conjugation)
The verb conjugation -hen is similar in usage to -nai. -Hen is attached to either the -a base or -e base of verbs in order to form the negative of verbs. It can also be attached to the -e base to produce the negative "cannot" form of verbs. For example, the verb yomu 読む (to read) in standard Japanese is conjugated yomanai 読まない, meaning "not read," or yomenai 読めない, meaning "can't read." In Kansai, yomu is conjugated yomahen 読まへん, meaning "not read," or yomehen 読めへん, meaning either "not read" or "can't read." Which of the two meanings is intended can only be determined from the context. However, when intending to say unequivocally "can't read," yomu can also be conjugated yomarehen 読まれへん.
Tο make the negative past tense, conjugate the verb with -henkatta in the same manner as -hen. For example, the past tense of ikahen 行かへん, "don't go," is ikahenkatta 行かへんかった, "didn't go."
| yomu | 読む | to read |
| yomahen | 読まへん | don't read |
| yomehen | 読めへん | can't read, don't read |
| yomarehen | 読まれへん | can't read |
| yomahenkatta | 読まへんかった | didn't read |
| yomehenkatta | 読めへんかった | couldn't read, didn't read |
| yomarehenkatta | 読まれへんかった | couldn't read |
| iku | 行く | to go |
| ikahen | 行かへん | won't go |
| ikehen | 行けへん | can't go, won't go |
| ikarehen | 行かれへん | can't go |
| ikahenkatta | 行かへんかった | didn't go |
| ikehenkatta | 行けへんかった | couldn't go, didn't go |
| ikarehenkatta | 行かれへんかった | couldn't go |
Here are a few more examples. Because the -e base conjugation is more common than the -a base form, only the -e form is shown, but most verbs can be conjugated to either base.
| taberu 食べる | tabehen 食べへん | don't eat |
| dekiru 出来る | dekehen でけへん | can't do |
| kamau 構つ | kamehen かめへん | don't mind |
| wakaru 分かる | wakarehen 分かれへん | don't understand |
Kuru 来る and suru する have two forms, one where -hen is changed to -hin.
| kuru | 来る | to come |
| kēhen | けえへん | don't come |
| kiinin | きいひん | don't come |
| korarehen | こられへん | can't come |
| suru | する | to do |
| sēhen | せえへん | don't do |
| shiihin | しいひん | don't do |
13. nen ねん (neutral sentence ending)
Sentence-ending particles, or gobi 語尾, are a Japanese grammatical form with no real equivalent in English, but, as only one minute listening to any Japanese conversation will prove, their use must be mastered in order to speak like a native. The purpose of these words, which have no intrinsic meaning, is to control the mood or tone of the sentence, something English speakers generally accomplish by changing pitch, speed, and accentuation. Some examples include the pervasive ne, na, and yo, but, as you might expect, these sentence endings differ by dialect. You may have already noticed that the sentence endings in the examples up until now differ from those used in