Following event signs to the registration desk | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 壁にイベントの案内板が見えます。

   I can see the event sign on the wall.

   壁

   wall

   イベント

   event

   案内板

   sign / information board

   見えます

   can see; is visible

   More detail

   壁 means “wall” here. It is a noun and can be used in simple location patterns such as 壁にポスターがあります (“There is a poster on the wall”). The particle に marks the place where something is located or visible. イベント is a noun meaning “event.” It is also commonly used before another noun to specify its type, as in イベント会場 (“event venue”). 案内板 means “sign” or “information board.” It is a compound of 案内 (“guidance; information”) and 板 (“board”), but 案内板 functions as one noun for a board or sign that provides information. For example, 案内板を見てください means “Please look at the information board.” 見えます is the polite nonpast form of 見える. In this sentence, 見える describes something being visible from the relevant viewpoint, so 見えます means “is visible” or, naturally in English, “can see.” This differs from 見ます, the polite form of 見る, which describes someone deliberately looking at something. For example, 山が見えます means “The mountain is visible” or “I can see the mountain.” Together, 壁に sets the wall as the location, イベントの案内板が identifies the visible thing as the event’s information sign, and 見えます says that it is visible. The whole utterance means: “I can see the event sign on the wall.”

2. 受付は上の階にあると書いてあります。

   It says the desk is upstairs.

   受付

   reception desk

   上の階

   upstairs; the floor above

   ある

   be located; exist

   書いてあります

   is written; says in writing

   More detail

   受付 means a reception desk or reception counter. In this sentence it is the place being described, not a person receiving visitors. A useful related form is 受付係 (“receptionist”), which refers to the person, while 受付 can refer to the desk or reception area. 上の階 means “the floor above” or “upstairs.” 上 means “above/on top,” and 階 means “floor” of a building. The pattern Nの上 can mean “above N,” but here 上の階 is the compact noun phrase “the upper floor.” ある is the form used for something inanimate that exists or is located somewhere. In this sentence, its meaning is “is located.” A common contrast is いる, used for people and animals: for example, 受付係がいる。 means “There is a receptionist.” 書いてあります describes information that is written and remains available to read. It is formed from 書く (“write”) and the state/result pattern 〜てある: 書いてある means “has been written” or “is written.” The polite form is 書いてあります. This is different from simply saying 書きます, “write/will write,” which focuses on the act rather than the resulting written information. The clause 受付は上の階にある says that the reception desk is located upstairs. と marks this clause as the content of what is written, and 書いてあります says that this content appears in writing. Together, 受付は上の階にあると書いてあります。 means “It says the desk is upstairs.”

3. 上の階への道はわかりやすいです。

   The way upstairs is easy to follow.

   上の階

   upstairs; the upper floor

   道

   way; route

   わかりやすい

   easy to follow

   More detail

   上の階 means “the upper floor” or “upstairs” here. 上 is “upper/above,” and 階 is “floor” or “story”; の links them, so 上の階 is literally “the upper floor.” 上の階への道 means “the way to the upper floor.” The particle combination への marks the destination or direction of the noun that follows: Xへの道 is “a way to X.” Example: 駅への道 means “the way to the station.” 道 means “way,” “route,” or “path.” In this sentence it refers to a route, not necessarily a physical road. Example: この道は駅に行きます。 means “This route goes to the station.” は marks 上の階への道 as the topic. The sentence then describes that route. わかりやすい means “easy to understand” and, for directions or a route, “easy to follow.” It is an adjective formed with the useful pattern verb stem + やすい, meaning “easy to [verb].” Here it is related to わかる, “to understand,” so the route is easy for someone to understand or follow. Its opposite pattern is verb stem + にくい, “difficult to [verb]”: わかりにくい means “hard to understand.” Example: この説明はわかりやすいです。 means “This explanation is easy to understand.” です makes the statement polite. It follows the adjective わかりやすい here; the adjective itself already expresses the state, while です adds polite sentence style. Together, 上の階への道 (“the way to the upper floor”), は (topic marker), and わかりやすいです (“is easy to follow” in polite style) produce: “The way upstairs is easy to follow.”

4. 案内板がとても役に立ちます。

   The sign helps a lot.

   案内板

   sign

   とても

   very

   役に立ちます

   helps; is useful

   More detail

   案内板 means “sign” or “information board” here: a board that gives guidance or directions. The compound combines 案内 (“guidance”) with 板 (“board”), but learn 案内板 as the reusable noun for a sign or information board. Example: 案内板を見ます。 — “I look at the sign.” とても is an intensifier meaning “very” or “a lot” with the following description. It is placed before the word or expression it strengthens. Example: とても便利です。 — “It is very convenient.” 役に立ちます expresses being useful or helpful. Its base expression is 役に立つ (“to be useful”); 立ちます is the polite non-past form of 立つ within this expression. In 役に立ちます, the subject is useful or helps, rather than physically standing. Example: この地図は役に立ちます。 — “This map is useful.” Together, 案内板が marks the sign as the subject, とても strengthens the expression, and 役に立ちます says that it is helpful. The complete utterance means: “The sign helps a lot.”

5. 踊り場はすぐ先です。

   The landing is just ahead.

   踊り場

   landing

   すぐ先

   just ahead

   です

   is; polite copula

   More detail

   踊り場 means “landing,” especially a level area on or between flights of stairs. It is a noun; the particle は marks it as the topic. Pattern: N は ... です = “As for N, it is ... .” すぐ先 means “just ahead.” すぐ adds the idea of a very short distance or immediate location, while 先 means the area ahead or farther along. This is a useful location pattern: 場所はすぐ先です = “The place is just ahead.” です is the polite copula. After a noun or noun phrase, it presents that phrase as the stated description or location: N は X です. In this sentence, it makes the statement polite; it does not itself mean “ahead.” Together, 踊り場は sets “the landing” as the topic, すぐ先 locates it immediately ahead, and です gives the sentence a polite ending: “The landing is just ahead.”

6. それなら、受付は近いはずです。

   Then the registration desk should be close.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   受付

   reception desk; registration desk

   近い

   near; close

   はずです

   should be; is expected to be

   More detail

   それなら means “then” or “in that case.” It connects the sentence to something already established and presents the next statement as a consequence of that information. Example: それなら、行きましょう。— “Then, let’s go.” 受付 is a noun for a reception or registration desk, and here the fixed translation identifies it as the registration desk. It can also refer more generally to a reception area or the act of accepting applications, depending on context. Example: 受付で聞いてください。— “Please ask at reception.” 近い is the plain present form of the Japanese i-adjective meaning “near” or “close.” Its negative form is 近くない, “not near,” and a comparative expression is もっと近い, “closer.” In this sentence, 近い describes the location of 受付; it does not by itself mean “closer.” はずです expresses an expectation or conclusion that the speaker considers well-founded: “should be” or “is expected to be.” はず is a noun meaning an expected state or outcome, and です gives the expression a polite style. The pattern verb/adjective + はずです is reusable: 彼は来るはずです。— “He should come.” With the adjective here, 近いはずです means “should be near,” rather than making an absolute guarantee. The topic marker は places 受付 as the topic, so 受付は近いはずです means “the registration desk should be close.” Combined with それなら, the whole utterance is: “Then, the registration desk should be close.”

7. 列が長くなる前に行きましょう。

   Let's go before the line gets longer.

   列

   line; queue

   長くなる

   become longer

   前に

   before

   行きましょう

   let’s go

   More detail

   列 means a line or queue. In this sentence it is the thing whose length may increase. The same noun can be used in compounds and phrases such as 列に並ぶ (“stand in line”), but here it is the subject of the clause before 前に. 長くなる means “become longer.” It combines 長い (“long”) with なる (“become”). Because 長い is an い-adjective, its い changes to く before なる: 長い → 長くなる. This describes a change of state, rather than simply saying that something is long. Example: 日が長くなる。 — “The days become longer.” 前に means “before” in this time expression. A clause or event placed before 前に gives the event that must happen first: [event] 前に [main action]. Here, the event is 列が長くなる (“the line becomes longer”), so the main action is to happen before that change. に marks the relevant time point or boundary with 前. 行きましょう means “let’s go.” It is the polite volitional form of 行く (“go”): 行く → 行きましょう. This form proposes or invites a joint action; it is not merely a statement that someone goes. Example: 一緒に行きましょう。 — “Let’s go together.” Together, 列が長くなる前に means “before the line becomes longer,” and 行きましょう proposes going. The complete utterance therefore means “Let’s go before the line gets longer.”

8. 用紙を準備しておきます。

   I will keep the form ready.

   用紙

   form

   準備しておきます

   will prepare it in advance

   More detail

   用紙 means a form or sheet of paper used for a particular purpose. It is a noun; the particle を marks it as the object of the preparation. 準備しておきます is built from 準備する “to prepare,” the connective form 準備して, and おく. Here 〜ておく means doing something beforehand so it will be ready for a later need. おきます is the polite non-past form of おく; in this sentence, the combination expresses the speaker’s intention or promise to prepare the form in advance. The preparation verb is 準備する, not おく. A reusable pattern is NをV-ておきます: “I will do V to N beforehand.” Example: 資料をコピーしておきます。 — “I will copy the materials in advance.” Together, 用紙を marks the form as what is acted on, and 準備しておきます says that the speaker will prepare it ahead of time and keep it ready. Thus the whole utterance means, “I will keep the form ready.”