Trying on shoes and finding the right size | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. この靴は履き心地がよさそうです。

   These shoes look comfortable.

   この

   this

   靴

   shoe; shoes

   履き心地

   comfort when worn

   よさそうです

   looks good

   More detail

   この means “this” and is a demonstrative used directly before a noun: この + noun. It marks the item as close to the speaker or contextually indicated. Japanese demonstratives also include その (“that” near the listener or already mentioned) and あの (“that” over there); the exact physical distance is not specified here. 靴 means “shoe” or “shoes.” Japanese nouns generally do not change form for singular and plural, so 靴 can refer to one shoe or more than one depending on context. Here, the fixed translation supports the plural reading “these shoes.” 履き心地 means “how something feels when worn,” especially the comfort or feel of footwear. It is a noun used in patterns such as 履き心地がいい (“be comfortable to wear”) and 履き心地を確かめる (“check the wearing comfort”). The whole compound is not the general word for comfort in every situation. よさそうです expresses that something appears likely to be good based on appearance or available evidence. The relevant pattern is adjective stem + そうです: よい (“good”) has the form よさそうです, not よいそうです, before this そう. The polite ending です makes the statement polite. For example, この料理はおいしそうです。 means “This dish looks delicious.” This そうです is the appearance/inference pattern, distinct from a pattern meaning “I heard that ...”. Together, この靴 identifies the shoes, 履き心地 describes how they feel when worn, and がよさそうです says that this quality appears good. The full utterance therefore means “These shoes look comfortable.”

2. 長く歩くために作られています。

   They are made for long walks.

   長く

   for a long time; long

   歩く

   walk

   ために

   for; in order to

   作られています

   are made

   More detail

   長く modifies the following verb 歩く. It is the adverbial form of the adjective 長い (“long”): 長い → 長く. Here it describes walking for a long time or distance, matching “long walks.” This form can also modify other verbs, as in 長く待つ (“wait for a long time”). 歩く means “to walk.” It is the plain, non-past form of the verb and appears before ために to name the action that the purpose relates to. For example, 毎日歩くために靴を買います。 means “I buy shoes in order to walk every day.” ために marks purpose here: 歩くために means “for walking” or “in order to walk.” With a plain-form verb before it, this pattern commonly expresses the purpose of an action or the intended use of something. The following verb tells what is done for that purpose. 作られています means “are made” in this sentence. Its base verb is 作る (“make”); 作られ is its passive form, so the items are presented as the things made rather than naming the maker. ています presents the resulting state as current: they have been made/designed for this use. The Japanese subject is omitted; in the supplied context, the shoes are the items being discussed. Together, 長く歩くために means “for long walks” or “in order to walk for a long time,” and 作られています says that the items are made for that purpose. The whole utterance therefore means: “They are made for long walks.”

3. ここで履いてみてもいいですか。

   Can I try them on here?

   ここで

   here

   履いて

   put on (footwear)

   みてもいいですか

   may I try?

   More detail

   ここで means “here,” marking the place where the action takes place. ここ is “here,” and で marks the location of an action. For example, ここで食べます。 means “I eat here.” 履いて is the te-form of 履く, “to put on or wear something on the feet,” such as shoes or socks. The te-form connects this verb to what follows. It is different from 着る, which is used for clothing worn on the upper body. For example, 靴を履きます。 means “I put on shoes.” みてもいいですか combines Vてみる, “try doing V,” with Vてもいいですか, “may I do V?” Here, 履いてみる means “try putting them on,” and 履いてみてもいいですか asks permission to try. みる is written in hiragana here as part of this auxiliary construction; it does not mean that the speaker is simply looking at something. For example, 食べてみてもいいですか。 means “May I try eating it?” Together, ここで + 履いて + みてもいいですか produces: “Can I try them on here?” The surrounding context identifies “them” as the footwear being discussed; Japanese does not explicitly mark that English plural object in this sentence. The question asks permission to try putting the footwear on at this location.

4. このベンチを使って履いてください。

   Use this bench while you put them on.

   この

   this

   ベンチ

   bench

   使って

   use; using

   履いてください

   please put them on

   More detail

   この means “this” and directly modifies the noun that follows: この + noun = “this noun.” It identifies the noun as the relevant one in relation to the speaker or conversational setting; the form itself does not tell us anything about the noun’s number or gender. ベンチ is the noun “bench.” It is written in katakana, as is common for many borrowed words. A useful reusable pattern is このベンチ (“this bench”), with the demonstrative before the noun. 使って is the te-form of 使う (“to use”). The te-form can connect this action to another action, as here: Aを使ってB means “do B using A” or “do B while using A.” The object marker を appears with the thing used: ベンチを使う (“use a bench”). 履いてください consists of the te-form 履いて from 履く plus ください, a polite request. 履く is used for putting on or wearing footwear and other items worn on the lower body; in this utterance, the fixed translation and context identify the omitted item as the things being tried on. ください turns the te-form into a request such as “please put them on.” Together, このベンチを使って gives the means or accompanying action, and 履いてください gives the request. The whole utterance therefore means: “Use this bench while you put them on.”

5. 少し小さく感じます。

   They feel a little small.

   少し

   a little

   小さく

   small; in a small-feeling way

   感じます

   feel

   More detail

   少し means “a little” here and softens the degree of the impression. It can be placed before an adjective or another descriptive expression to mean “slightly.” 小さく is the adverbial form of the adjective 小さい (“small”). The change 小さい → 小さく lets the adjective modify the following verb: 小さく感じる means “feel small” or “seem small.” This is the adjective’s form in this sentence, not a form of the noun for the shoes. 感じます is the polite nonpast form of 感じる, “to feel” or “to sense.” In this pattern, X は／が Y と感じる can express “X feels Y” or “X feels that Y”; Japanese may omit the subject when it is understood. The fixed translation identifies the subject here as “they,” referring to the items being tried on. Together, 少し + 小さく + 感じます gives “feel a little small.” The Japanese sentence leaves the subject unstated, while the fixed translation supplies “they”: “They feel a little small.”

6. こちらの大きい靴を試してください。

   Try this larger pair.

   こちら

   this one / this pair

   大きい

   large; bigger

   靴

   shoes

   試してください

   please try

   More detail

   こちら is a polite proximal demonstrative: it indicates something near the speaker, and it can refer to an item such as this pair of shoes. It is not itself a noun meaning “shoe.” In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the meaning “this pair.” 大きい is the adjective meaning “large.” Before a noun, it directly modifies that noun: 大きい靴 means “large shoes.” Japanese does not change this adjective into a special comparative form; in this context, the comparison with the previously mentioned small-feeling pair makes “larger” the natural English rendering. Its base form is 大きい; its negative form is 大きくない (“not large”). 靴 means “shoe” or “shoes.” The form itself does not mark singular versus plural. Here, the fixed translation and the surrounding shoe-shopping context support understanding it as a pair, although Japanese can leave that number distinction unmarked. 試してください is a polite request meaning “please try.” It consists of 試す (“to try”) in the て-form, 試して, plus ください (“please” in this request pattern). The pattern [て-form] + ください politely asks someone to do the action: for example, 見てください means “Please look.” The sentence is assembled in this order: こちらの identifies the item as “this one/this pair,” 大きい describes it as larger, 靴 names the shoes, and 試してください asks the listener to try them. Together, こちらの大きい靴を試してください。 means “Try this larger pair.”

7. こちらの靴のほうがよく感じます。

   This pair feels better.

   こちら

   this one; this pair

   靴

   shoes; footwear

   のほうが

   the ... one is more

   よく

   better; well

   感じます

   feel; sense

   More detail

   こちら is a demonstrative meaning “this one” or “this side.” It can refer to a thing, a direction, or a person, and is often more polite or formal than これ when referring to a thing. Here, the fixed translation identifies the relevant thing as this pair of shoes; the form itself does not mark “pair.” 靴 means “shoe” or “shoes,” depending on context. Japanese does not require this noun to mark whether one shoe or a pair is intended; here, the fixed translation supports “this pair.” Example: 靴を履きます。 — “I put on shoes.” のほうが is a comparison pattern. [A] のほうが ... presents A as the option that is more [described], usually relative to another option. Here, こちらの靴のほうが presents this pair as the one with the stronger comparison. Example: こちらのほうが安いです。 — “This one is cheaper.” よく is the adverbial form used with よい/いい (“good”), and it can also mean “well.” In this comparison, it contributes the meaning “better,” not merely “well.” Example: この靴はよく合います。 — “These shoes fit well.” 感じます is the polite nonpast form of 感じる, meaning “feel” or “sense.” The -ます ending makes the statement polite, and the nonpast form can describe a present impression. Here, it describes the speaker’s impression of how the pair feels, not emotions belonging to the shoes. Example: この靴は軽く感じます。 — “These shoes feel light.” Together, こちらの靴 identifies this pair, のほうが compares it favorably with another option, and よく感じます says that it feels better to the speaker. The whole utterance means “This pair feels better.”

8. そのサイズが合っています。

   That size looks right on you.

   その

   that

   サイズ

   size

   合っています

   fits; is right

   More detail

   その means “that” and is a demonstrative placed before the noun it identifies. In this sentence, the translation identifies the relevant item as the size being discussed; the form itself does not state a number or specify a particular size label. サイズ is a noun meaning “size.” It is a loanword written in katakana. A useful pattern is その + noun, as in その靴 (“those shoes”) or その色 (“that color”). These examples are new examples, not additional facts from the fixed sentence. 合っています is the polite form of 合っている, from the verb 合う (“fit,” “suit,” or “match”). Here it describes the size as fitting correctly, giving the intended meaning “looks right on you.” The ending ます makes the expression polite; いる in 合っている presents the fitting state as continuing or currently holding. The form 合う can also describe a match between things, for example この靴は私に合います。 — “These shoes fit me.” Together, そのサイズ means “that size,” and そのサイズが合っています says that size is fitting correctly. The particle が marks the size as the thing that fits, while the polite predicate states the current fit. Thus the whole utterance means, “That size looks right on you.”