I would like to think I am a helpful person. If someone dropped their wallet, I would probably give it back. I try not to cut in line. I ask people if I can help, when if I see them carrying heavy things. All in all, I would like to think I am pretty awesome.

I promise this lesson has a point other than patting myself on the back for being such a cool person.

But it doesn’t matter if you are even half as awesome as I am, if you don’t know the phrases to say to someone in these situations, you really have no way to help them.

In this lesson I would like to go over a few situations in which you might need to speak to a stranger, and the phrases you will need. It can be pretty scary using Japanese for your first time in Japan. But when you are confident about a few phrases and words, your will definitely be able to practice your hard earned Japanese skills.

Situation 1:

You are on the bus and in the rush to get off, someone drops their wallet. Even though you are a poor college student strapped for cash, we have already established that you are a good person so you need to get the wallet back to them. (You better not be thinking of stealing the wallet!) There are a couple of phrases you can use for this situation:

すみません、これ　［さいふ］　落としましたよ。
すみません、　これ　［さいふ］　おとしましたよ。
Excuse me, you dropped this (wallet).
Literally: "excuse me + this + [wallet] + dropped"
Note: Technically, there should be an を before 落としました, but it's more natural to leave it out when speaking.

You can either use これ which means “this” or you can name the object: さいふ “wallet” in this sentence.

It’s important to note that you are using the transitive 落とす （おとす）instead of the intransitive 落ちる（おちる）. A transitive verb is a verb that requires a driving force to complete the action. Intransitive verbs are things that happen on their own.　落ちた would just mean “it fell.”

So in this case, a person dropped the wallet, they are the driving force for the verb, and therefore we use the transitive 落とす. Transitive and intransitive verbs can be confusing, but once you learn a few simple rules they become much clearer. So if you are still a bit confused, don’t worry. You will get it.

Here is another phrase you can use for the same situation:

すみません、これは　［このさいふは］　あなたの（もの）ですか。
Excuse me, is this (wallet) yours?
Literally: "excuse me + this + は[this + wallet + は] + you + の + (thing) + is +か"
Note: Most Japanese will likely drop the もの, which makes の before it into a nominalizer (=noun substitute).

You may have heard that using あなた can be rude and you should avoid using it if you can. However, this is one of the rare cases where it is perfectly fine to use the word. Since in this case you have no way of knowing the strangers name or title, it is OK to use あなた.

Situation 2:

You are in the 百円（ひゃくえん // 100 yen） shop and there are about a million people crowded into the small store. You select your purchase (let’s say its sweets, you know you want sweets) and head up to the cashier. There is group of people that might be standing in line, but you are not sure. Better to ask them than to accidentally cut in line.

すみません、並んでいますか。
すみません、ならんでいますか。
Excuse me, are you in line?
Literally: "excuse me + lining (up) + か"

Pretty much anytime you want to talk to a stranger you should start with すみません, to which they will usually reply with a quick はい to acknowledge you.

The verb in this sentence 並ぶ （ならぶ）and it means to line up (can be used for people as well as objects).

Situation 3:

You see a mother who is trying to get her stroller down the subway stairs with two crying children clinging to her like leeches. She obviously doesn’t have enough hands to hold the kids and push the stroller safely down and is struggling. You are a hero, so you obviously want to help.

すみません、手伝いましょうか？
すみません、てつだいましょうか？
Excuse me, can I help you?
Literally: "excuse me + shall I help + か"

The verb 手伝う（てつだう） means “to help” but in a casual way. This phrase is closer to, “Can I give you a hand.” You would never use 手伝う if you were in trouble and needed help form someone, the verb for that is 助けて（たすけて）, which Niko talked about in Lesson #4.

These situations introduce just some of the phrases you will use when you first start out speaking to strangers in Japanese. Once you are comfortable, there are so many other ways to interact.

Who knows, your next すみません, could even be the beginning of a friendship.

This lesson was written by Cassy L., a guest contributor:

Bonus Phrases

見て、なんか落ちてる。
みて、　なんか　おちてる。
Look, someone dropped something. // Look, there's something on the ground.

これ百円だって。安くない？
これ　ひゃくえん　だって。　やすくない？
This is only 100 yen. Isn't that cheap?

はい、並んでます。
はい、　なんらでます。
Yes, I'm in line.

溺れそう！助けて！
おぼれそう！　たすけて！
I'm drowning! Help!