Nihongo con Teppei (Beginner) - Ep18: 日本語以外の言葉を話しますか？

Felix's Learner Note:

Episode 18 of Nihongo con Teppei tackles a question every language learner gets asked sooner or later: 日本語以外の言葉を話しますか — do you speak any languages other than Japanese? Teppei opens with his usual cheerleading — 毎日毎日日本語を勉強してますね、頑張ってください (you study Japanese every day, keep it up!) — and then sets up the scenario that triggers the question: you introduce yourself to a Japanese person with 今日はクリスです、よろしくお願いします (hi, I'm Chris, nice to meet you), and they reply with the compliment that always follows — 日本語上手ですね、日本語うまいですね (your Japanese is really good!).

From there the episode models a full, natural answer. In the role-play, Chris answers 僕はアメリカ人なので英語を話します (since I'm American, I speak English), explains that アメリカでは英語が母国語 (English is the native language in America), and then adds the rest of his profile: 日本語は少し (just a little Japanese) and スペイン語を少し話します (I speak some Spanish). Teppei then answers about himself: his native language (母国語) is Japanese, he speaks English, and his Spanish is 中級くらい (about intermediate) — ペラペラじゃないけど (not fluent), but fine for 普通の会話、毎日の日常会話 (normal, everyday conversation). He's refreshingly honest about the limits: 政治家のディベート (political debates) are 早すぎて辛いことが多い — too fast, and often painful.

This is one of the most useful role-play episodes for early learners because it hands you a complete, reusable script for talking about your own language background. You'll drill the topic marker 〜について, the reason connector 〜ので (since I'm American...), the exclusion patterns 〜以外 and 〜のほか (other than, besides), the excess form 〜すぎる (too ~), and the frequency pattern 〜ことが多い (there are often cases of ~). By the end you can answer 何カ国語話しますか (how many languages do you speak?) with confidence — and explain exactly how fluent you are, and where you still struggle.

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📚 Grammar Breakdown

1. 〜以外／〜のほか（除外・追加）
Meaning: Other than ~ / besides ~ / apart from ~
In Text: 日本語以外の言葉 (languages other than Japanese), 日本語のほか、それ以外 (besides Japanese — the rest).
Note: 〜以外 (igai) means "other than X" and 〜のほか (no hoka) means "besides X" — both attach directly to nouns and both show up repeatedly here. They are the key tools for describing what is not included: 日本語以外に英語も話します (besides Japanese, I also speak English). Master them and you can map out your full language profile precisely.

2. 〜すぎる（過剰）
Meaning: Too ~ / excessively ~
In Text: ちょっとね、早すぎて辛いことが多い (it's just a bit too fast, and it's often painful), 早すぎる (too fast).
Note: 〜すぎる attaches to the ます-stem of a verb or the stem of an adjective to mean "too much": 早すぎる (too fast/fast), 食べすぎる (eat too much), 難しすぎる (too difficult). It conjugates as a regular ichidan verb, so 早すぎて gives you the connective form — exactly how Teppei uses it. Essential for complaining about difficulty in natural Japanese.

3. 〜ことが多い（頻度・傾向）
Meaning: Often ~ / there are many cases where ~ / it tends to be ~
In Text: 辛いことが多い (it's often painful / there are many painful moments).
Note: 〜ことが多い attaches to the plain form of a verb and reports frequency — "it often happens that ~." Unlike よく (often), it describes a tendency you've observed rather than a simple habit, which makes it perfect for nuanced self-assessment: わからないことが多い (there are lots of things I don't understand). Pair it with 〜すぎる, as Teppei does, to describe exactly where your limits are.