読デイリー読解 · Daily Dokkai
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Japanese from zero · N4 Lesson 3

Welcome to the café

いらっしゃいませ ・ 〜で ございます ・ いらっしゃる ・ いたします

In this lesson, you will learn the polite language Japanese shop and café staff use with customers: the set phrases they say every day, で ございます and ございます in place of です and あります, いらっしゃる for a customer or a boss, and いたします for what you do yourself. It is Lisa's first shift at café みどり, and Sakura is training her.

By the end you will be able to say

Welcome. I'll show you to your seat.
It's right here.
We have sandwiches too.
The manager is in today.
Certainly.

The grammar in this lesson

  1. Shop phrases: いらっしゃいませ, かしこまりました — Shop staff use a few set phrases every day: いらっしゃいませ, かしこまりました, 申し訳ございません, ありがとうございました.
  2. Extra-polite です and あります: で ございます, ございます — In a shop, です becomes で ございます and あります becomes ございます.
  3. いらっしゃる: the respectful いる, 来る and 行く — いらっしゃる is the respectful verb for being, coming and going, used about customers and people above you.
  4. いたします: the humble します — いたします is the humble form of します: staff use it for what they themselves do for the customer.