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How to Say ‘I work in Tokyo now.’ in Japanese

今は東京で働いています。

ima wa toukyou de hatarai te i masu

[ima wah TOH-kyoh de ha-ta-RA-ee teh ee mahs]

Phrase Breakdown

今は東京で

ima wa toukyou de

now, in Tokyo

'ima wa' means 'as for now'. は is pronounced 'wa'. 'Toukyou de' means 'in Tokyo'.

Example

今は大阪に住んでいます。

I live in Osaka now.

Words in this phrase

今

ima

[ima]

now

At the present moment.

Example

今、始まります。

Now, it begins.

は

[wah]

topic marker; as for

Marks 'today' as the topic. Written は but pronounced 'wa.'

Example

本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。

Thank you for giving me your time today.

東京

toukyou

[TOH-kyoh]

Tokyo

The capital city of Japan.

Example

東京に住んでいます。

I live in Tokyo.

で

[de]

Indicates the location of an action.

Example

家で食事する。

Eat at home.

働いています。

hatarai te i masu

I am working

The '-te imasu' form describes an ongoing state such as your current job.

Example

会社で働いています。

I work at a company.

Words in this phrase

働い

hatarai

[ha-ta-RA-ee]

work (te-form stem)

Stem of 働く 'to work', changed to 働い before て.

Example

銀行で働いています。

I work at a bank.

て

[teh]

and; -te form

A linking form used to connect verbs to following grammar, such as progressive or polite forms.

Example

仕事を探している人と話しました。

I spoke with a person who is looking for work.

い

[ee]

be; ongoing state part

Part of the continuous form that shows an action is currently happening.

Example

今も条件を比べている最中です。

I am still in the middle of comparing conditions.

ます

masu

[mahs]

polite verb ending

A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.

Example

予約を確認します。

I will confirm the reservation.

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