You're a college student visiting another city. You can't afford to stay in a hotel, so you want to stay at a friend's small apartment. After explaining your situation, you ask him like this.
Listen, do you mind if I crash on your couch for a night or two?
Your mother is visiting you from out of town. She wants to go to a museum while you're at work one day. You have to explain how to get there by train, so you start by saying:
You need to take the express train.
You can "ride" a train, or you can "take" a train. What's the difference?
You use "ride" when you want to talk about the experience of riding, or when you want to describe something that happened while you were riding the train:
I love riding the train in the middle of the day when it's not crowded.
I was riding the train, and this guy next to me started telling me a story about how he had just gotten out of prison.
As I was riding the train home, I realized that I'd left my keys in the closet at work.
You use "take" when you want to talk about how you get somewhere:
Just take the #3 train to 72nd Street and I'll meet you there.
Do you think it'll be faster to take the train or try to catch a bus?
An "express" train is supposed to go faster than a local train because it doesn't stop as often. The express train stops at more major stops.
"Express" means "fast" in a few other phrases:
Your nephew is visiting your house. He seems to be cold. You want to offer to turn the heat up. You say:
I can adjust the temperature, if you want.
A coworker is visiting you at your home for the first time. You want to be polite, so you offer him something to drink:
Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?
Your younger sister is coming to visit you. She hasn't bought her plane tickets yet, and she's waiting to get the best price. You think it's cheaper to buy your tickets early, so you advise her:
You ought to go ahead and book it soon.
You're visiting your cousin's house. She offers you something to drink. You don't know her that well, so you want to be polite and request something easy for her to get. You say:
Sure, I'll take whatever you have.
You have people visiting you at your home. You want them to feel comfortable, so you're going to offer them a drink. You ask:
Can I get you something to drink?
Your friend Kazu was supposed to come visit you from out of town, but he cancelled his trip. You told your friend Jamie, who knows Kazu, and she's disappointed that he's not coming. She says:
Oh, that's too bad.
disappointment, friend, visitor, 日本語サポート You live in New York. A friend was supposed to come to visit you from out of town next month, but he emailed to say that he can't come. He wrote:
I'm really sorry, but I won't be able to make it to New York next month.
apology, be able to, friend, future, intensifier, visitor You've made plans to visit a friend that you haven't seen for a while. You tell them:
I'm looking forward to seeing you.
excitement, friend, future, gerund, progressive aspect, visitor 