Small talk with coworkers: Talking about lunch plans in the break room

💬 In casual speech the little word that marks the subject, が, is often dropped. The comma marks the pause where it would go.

💬 Japanese says "station's front" where English says "in front of the station." Swap in other places: 会社の前 "in front of the office."

💬 屋 means "shop," and adding さん makes it sound friendlier: パン屋さん "bakery."

🇯🇵 Calling a shop 〜屋さん is warm, everyday speech. Locals use it naturally, much like giving the shop the same politeness as a person.

🇯🇵 This is the go-to friendly reaction to someone's news, keeping the chat warm without needing to say much. Listeners in Japan nod and react like this often to show they're following.

💬 The て form of an action plus もいいですか asks for permission: 座ってもいいですか "may I sit?"

💬 Use 〜でいいですか to check whether a suggestion works for someone: 明日でいいですか "is tomorrow okay?" 半 means "half," so 十二時半 is "twelve and a half o'clock."

🇯🇵 はい is often used just to show you heard or agree, not strictly as "yes" to a question. Here it simply acknowledges the other person before replying.

💬 大丈夫 can mean both "that's fine" and "no thanks," depending on context. Offered something, 大丈夫です usually means you're declining.

💬 Put に after a clock time to say when something happens: 三時に "at three."

💬 Use で for the place where something happens, as opposed to に, which marks a destination. Ending a sentence on ここで leaves "let's meet" unsaid, which is perfectly natural.