Friendly to Senior
Care · Conversation
初めて勤められたところは、どちらだったんですか？ — Where was the first place you worked? (Care · Conversation, Friendly to Senior, JLPT N3)
You
初めて勤められたところは、どちらだったんですか？
はじめてつとめられたところは、どちらだったんですか？
Where was the first place you worked?
Romaji: Hajimete tsutomerareta tokoro wa, dochira datta n desu ka? / Reply Romaji: Tokyo no chiisana machikoujou de ne. Senpai ni kawaigatte moraimashita yo.
Reply
東京の小さな町工場でね。先輩に可愛がってもらいましたよ。
とうきょうのちいさなまちこうじょうでね。せんぱいにかわいがってもらいましたよ。
A small neighborhood factory in Tokyo. The seniors took good care of me.
Gesture & etiquette
Settle in for a longer conversation—first jobs are big stories. Mirror their energy: if they brighten, smile broadly; if they grow reflective, soften your expression. Take mental notes of names and places they mention so you can ask about them next time.
First-job memories are vivid even for very elderly people—the smells of the workplace, the first paycheck, the seniors who mentored them. 「勤められる」 is honorific passive of 「勤める」 (to be employed). 「どちら」 for location is polite. Listen for names of long-vanished companies and neighborhoods; they often unlock further stories.