Finding the Event Registration Desk | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. この建物の中はとてもきれいですね。

   This building feels very clean inside.

   この

   this

   建物

   building

   中

   inside

   とても

   very

   きれい

   clean; neat

   ですね

   is ..., isn't it?

   More detail

   この means “this” and is a demonstrative used before a noun: この建物 means “this building.” Its referent is the building being indicated in the situation; the form itself does not identify a person or a grammatical gender. 建物 means “building.” It is a noun. The の immediately after it links 建物 to 中, giving the pattern [noun]の中, “inside the [noun].” 中 means “inside” or “interior” here. In この建物の中, it refers to the inside of this building. Example: 部屋の中 means “inside the room.” とても is an adverb meaning “very.” It intensifies the following description: とてもきれい means “very clean.” きれい is a na-adjective, meaning “clean” here. The fixed translation selects the cleanliness sense; in other contexts, the same word can mean “beautiful” or “neat.” Before a noun, it commonly appears as きれいな, as in きれいな部屋, “a clean room.” In this sentence it is followed by the polite copula rather than directly modifying a noun. ですね combines the polite copula です with the sentence-ending particle ね. After きれい, it makes a polite statement and presents it as something the speaker expects the listener to recognize or agree with. The ね does not change the adjective into a question by itself. Together, この建物の中 means “inside this building,” とてもきれい means “is very clean,” and ですね gives the polite, shared-observation tone. The complete utterance means: “This building feels very clean inside.”

2. 高い天井で、ロビーが広く感じます。

   The high ceiling makes the lobby feel open.

   高い

   high; tall

   天井

   ceiling

   ロビー

   lobby

   広く

   spaciously; in an open-feeling way

   感じます

   feel; sense

   More detail

   高い means “high” here and modifies 天井 (“ceiling”). It is an i-adjective, whose basic form is 高い. Before a noun, this form remains 高い: 高い山 means “a high mountain.” The same word can mean “expensive” with prices, but that is not the meaning in this sentence. 天井 means “ceiling.” The chunk 高い天井 is therefore “a high ceiling”: 高い describes the height of 天井. ロビー means “lobby.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In ロビーが, が marks the lobby as the grammatical subject of the perception: the lobby is what feels spacious. It does not mean that the lobby itself is the experiencer. 広く is the adverbial form of the i-adjective 広い (“wide; spacious”). For an i-adjective, replacing final い with く allows it to connect to a following verb or expression: 広い → 広く. Thus 広く感じます means “feel spacious/open,” rather than simply “is spacious.” Example: この部屋は広く見えます。 — “This room looks spacious.” Here 広く describes how the room appears. 感じます is the polite nonpast form of 感じる, meaning “to feel” or “to sense.” The polite ending ます presents the statement in a polite style. In this sentence, 広く感じます expresses the speaker’s perception that the lobby feels open; it does not simply assert a measured physical width. A useful related pattern is XをYと感じる, meaning “feel X as Y” or “feel that X is Y,” for example 静けさを心地よいと感じる — “feel the quietness to be pleasant.” This differs from the present sentence, where ロビーが is the subject and 広く describes how it feels. The particle で after 高い天井 marks the circumstance or cause here, supported by the fixed translation: “with/because of the high ceiling.” The structure is therefore 高い天井で、ロビーが広く感じます: “With the high ceiling, the lobby feels spacious/open.”

3. イベントの受付を探しましょう。

   Let's find the event desk for registration.

   イベント

   event

   受付

   reception desk; registration desk

   探しましょう

   let’s look for

   More detail

   イベント means “event.” It is a noun and can combine with の to specify a relation: イベントの受付 means “the event’s registration desk” or, naturally here, “the registration desk for the event.” 受付 means the reception or registration desk in this sentence. It is a noun used for a place or function where people register or are received. The same word can also refer to the reception/registration process, depending on context. 探しましょう means “let’s look for” or “let’s find.” Its base form is 探す, “to look for; to search for.” The form 探しましょう uses the polite volitional ending -ましょう, which presents a suggestion for the speaker and listener to do something together. For example, 駅を探しましょう。 means “Let’s look for the station.” The particle を marks 受付 as the object of 探しましょう: it is the thing being looked for. Thus, イベントの受付を探しましょう。 assembles as “Let’s look for the registration desk for the event.”

4. 壁のそばにある館内案内を見てみます。

   I'll check the building directory by the wall.

   壁

   wall

   のそばにある

   be beside; be near

   館内案内

   building directory

   見てみます

   will try looking; will check

   More detail

   壁 means “wall.” It is the noun used as the reference point for the location. Japanese commonly marks a nearby position with のそば, as in 駅のそば (“near the station”). のそばにある describes something located near the wall. の links 壁 to the location phrase, そば means “near” or “beside,” and に marks the location where something exists. ある is the non-past form of ある, used here for the existence or location of an inanimate thing. The clause 壁のそばにある comes before the noun it describes, giving the pattern [description] + noun: “the [noun] that is near the wall.” 館内案内 means “building directory” or “information about the inside of a building.” It is a compound noun: 館内 refers to the inside of a building or facility, and 案内 means guidance or information. Here it is the item being checked. 見てみます expresses trying the action of looking. 見る is the base verb meaning “to look” or “to check”; its て-form 見て combines with みる as an auxiliary in 〜てみる, meaning “try doing.” The polite ending ます makes the utterance polite. Here, 見てみます means “I’ll try looking” or naturally “I’ll check.” Japanese non-past polite forms can refer to a forthcoming action, while the subject is understood from context rather than stated in the sentence. Together, 壁のそばにある identifies the directory as the one located near the wall, and 館内案内を marks that directory as the object of 見てみます. Thus the utterance means: “I’ll check the building directory by the wall.”

5. イベントの受付は上の階だと書いてあります。

   It says the event desk is upstairs.

   イベント

   event

   受付

   reception desk

   上

   above; upper

   階

   floor; story

   書いてあります

   is written; says

   More detail

   イベント means “event.” It is a noun commonly used for an organized occasion or activity. Example: イベントに参加します。—“I will attend the event.” 受付 means a reception desk or reception area—the place where people register, ask for help, or receive service. In this sentence, it is the event’s desk: イベントの受付, with の linking “event” to “reception desk.” Example: 受付で名前を書きます。—“I write my name at the reception desk.” 上 means “up” or “above.” Here it appears in 上の階, literally “the upper floor.” The particle の links 上 to 階, so the first word describes which floor is meant. 上 can also describe a position above something, but its exact meaning here is “upper/upstairs.” 階 means “floor” or “story” of a building. Japanese commonly combines a number with this counter: 三階 means “the third floor.” In the fixed sentence, it has no number; 上の階 identifies the floor as the one upstairs. 書いてあります is the polite form of 書いてある: 書く (“to write”) → 書いて + ある. This construction presents something as being in a written state, often giving the meaning “it is written” or “it says” when referring to a sign, notice, or document. あります is the polite form of ある, and the subject of this expression need not be stated when it is understood from the situation. Example: 案内に入口は右だと書いてあります。—“The guide says that the entrance is on the right.” The particle と marks the content of what is written: 上の階だと書いてあります means that the written content is “it is the upper floor.” だ is the plain copula inside that quoted content; the surrounding expression 書いてあります is polite. Together, イベントの受付 identifies the event reception desk, and は makes it the topic. 上の階だと書いてあります says that the written information identifies it as being upstairs. Thus the whole utterance means: “It says the event desk is upstairs.”

6. エスカレーターと階段のどちらを使いましょうか。

   Should we take the escalator or the stairs?

   エスカレーター

   escalator

   階段

   stairs; staircase

   のどちら

   which of the two

   使いましょうか

   shall we use it?

   More detail

   エスカレーター means “escalator.” It is a noun and can be used directly with を when it is the thing someone uses: エスカレーターを使います means “I use the escalator.” 階段 means “stairs” or “a staircase.” It is also a noun and takes を in this sentence because it is the other possible thing to use. The form itself does not mark a particular number of staircases. のどちら asks “which of the two.” Here, の connects the two alternatives—エスカレーター and 階段—to どちら, whose meaning is “which one of the two.” This construction is useful when the choice is limited to two stated options. For example: 電車とバスのどちらですか。—“Which is it, the train or the bus?” 使いましょうか is a polite proposal meaning “shall we use [it]?” The base verb is 使う, “to use.” Its polite volitional form is 使いましょう, “let’s use” or “shall we use,” and final か turns the proposal into a question. The subject is not stated in the Japanese wording; the English “we” is supported by the fixed translation and by the proposal meaning. For example: この道を使いましょうか。—“Shall we use this road?” Together, エスカレーターと階段のどちら means “which of the two, the escalator or the stairs,” and を使いましょうか asks whether the speakers should use that selected option. The complete utterance therefore means, “Should we take the escalator or the stairs?”

7. 階段を使いましょう。すぐここにあります。

   Let's take the stairs; they are right here.

   階段

   stairs

   使いましょう

   let’s use / take

   すぐ

   right nearby

   ここ

   here

   あります

   is located / exists

   More detail

   階段 means “stairs” or “staircase.” It is a noun and appears with を here because it is the thing being used: 階段を使う means “use/take the stairs.” 使いましょう is the polite volitional form of 使う, “to use.” The ending ましょう presents a suggestion involving the speaker: 使いましょう means “let’s use/take [it].” In this sentence, 階段を supplies what is being used. The polite non-volitional form is 使います, “use/will use.” すぐ is an adverb meaning “right away” or “right nearby,” depending on what it modifies. Here, together with ここにあります, it means that the stairs are very near this place: “right here.” ここ means “here,” referring to the place understood from the situation. A useful location contrast is ここ “here,” そこ “there near you,” and あそこ “over there.” These forms describe location; the sentence itself does not identify a more specific physical point. あります is the polite form of ある, used for the existence or location of something nonliving, including an object or place. ここにあります literally expresses that it “is located here.” For people and animals, Japanese normally uses います instead. The polite forms are あります and います; the choice depends on the kind of referent, not simply on whether it is singular. Together, 階段を使いましょう says “Let’s take/use the stairs,” and すぐここにあります says that they are right here. The complete utterance is therefore: “Let’s take the stairs; they are right here.”

8. 木の階段があるので、ここが暖かく感じます。

   The wooden stairs make the place feel warm.

   木の

   wooden; made of wood

   階段

   stairs; staircase

   があるので

   because there is/are

   ここ

   here; this place

   暖かく

   warm; warmly

   感じます

   feel; sense

   More detail

   木の means “wooden” here. 木 can mean “tree” or “wood,” and の links this noun to another noun as a modifier: 木の階段 means “wooden stairs.” Example: 木の机 — “a wooden desk.” 階段 means “stairs” or “staircase.” Japanese nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural, so this form does not specify a number. Example: 階段を使います。 — “I use the stairs.” があるので combines がある, used for the existence of a nonliving thing, with ので, meaning “because” or “since.” Thus 木の階段があるので gives the reason “because there are wooden stairs.” Japanese commonly uses いる for the existence of people and animals: 人がいるので — “because there are people.” ここ means “here” or “this place.” It is a location word for a place understood as near or relevant in the current situation. Here, the fixed translation identifies it as the place that feels warm; the sentence does not otherwise give that place a more specific name. 暖かく is the adverbial form of the i-adjective 暖かい, “warm”: 暖かい → 暖かく. It combines with 感じます to express that something feels warm. Example: 部屋が暖かく感じます。 — “The room feels warm.” 感じます is the polite nonpast form of 感じる, “to feel” or “to sense.” The nonpast form can describe a present impression, as here. The person having the impression is left unspoken; ここ is the place perceived as warm, not a person who literally feels something. Together, 木の階段があるので supplies the reason, and ここが暖かく感じます presents the place as feeling warm to the unspoken experiencer. The complete meaning is: “The wooden stairs make the place feel warm.”