Choosing an Event Activity | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. すみません、今参加できるイベントはどれですか。

   Excuse me, which events can we join now?

   すみません

   Excuse me; sorry

   今

   now

   参加できる

   can participate; can join

   イベント

   event

   どれ

   which one

   ですか

   is it?; question ending

   More detail

   すみません is a conventional polite apology and also an attention-getter, so it can introduce a question to a staff member or another person. In this utterance it is best understood as “Excuse me,” rather than as a claim that the speaker has done something wrong. 今 means “now” or “at present.” It sets the time for the availability expressed by the following phrase. 参加できる means “can participate” or “can join” here. Its base expression is 参加する, “to participate,” and 参加できる expresses ability or possibility. With a Japanese する-verb such as 参加する, the relevant pattern is noun + できる: 参加 + できる. Example: 参加できます。— “I can participate.” The polite ending in that example is ます; the observed form here is the plain form できる. イベント is a noun meaning “event.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In 参加できるイベント, it is modified by the preceding clause: “an event that one can participate in” or, in this question, “an event one can join.” Japanese does not mark the plural in this noun, so the translation may use “event” or “events” according to the intended context. どれ asks “which one?” or “which option?” among identifiable alternatives. Here it asks which available event or option qualifies; the following context mentions a guided walk and a dance session as the alternatives. It does not itself name a particular event. ですか adds a polite question to the noun-based expression どれです (“which one it is”). です is the polite copular form, and か marks the sentence as a question. The possibility meaning comes from 参加できる, not from ですか. Together, 今参加できるイベント means “the event or events that can be joined now,” and どれですか asks which option that is. With the opening すみません, the complete utterance is: “Excuse me, which events can we join now?”

2. ガイド付きの散歩とダンスの活動から選べます。

   You can choose between a guided walk and a dance session.

   ガイド付き

   guided

   散歩

   walk

   ダンス

   dance

   活動

   activity

   選べます

   can choose

   More detail

   ガイド付き means “guided” here. ガイド is “guide,” and 付き is a suffix meaning “with” or “provided with.” Together, they describe something accompanied by a guide. The の after this phrase links the description to the following noun: ガイド付きの散歩 = “a guided walk.” 散歩 means “walk” or “stroll.” It is a noun that can also be used in compounds and with の, as in 散歩の時間 (“walk time”). Here it is the first selectable option, modified by ガイド付きの. ダンス means “dance.” It is a noun, commonly used for a dance activity or session. In ダンスの活動, の connects it to 活動, giving the meaning “a dance activity.” 活動 means “activity.” In this sentence, ダンスの活動 refers naturally to a dance session or activity rather than to the abstract idea of activity in general. The pattern [type]の活動 can identify an activity by its type; for example, スポーツの活動 means “a sports activity.” This is a new example, not information from the supplied conversation. 選べます means “can choose.” Its base form is 選ぶ (“to choose”), and 選べます is its polite potential form: 選ぶ → 選べる (“can choose”) → 選べます (polite “can choose”). The subject is not stated in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation identifies the intended subject as “you.” The unlisted connector と joins the two options: 散歩とダンス means “the walk and the dance.” から after the combined options marks the source or set from which a choice is made. Thus, AとBから選べます is a reusable pattern meaning “you can choose from A and B.” Putting the utterance together, ガイド付きの散歩とダンスの活動から選べます。 means “You can choose between a guided walk and a dance session.” The polite ending makes the statement suitable for a courteous exchange.

3. ガイド付きの散歩はどんなものですか。

   What is the guided walk like?

   ガイド付き

   guided

   散歩

   walk

   どんなもの

   what kind of thing; what ... like

   ですか

   is it?

   More detail

   ガイド付き modifies the noun that follows it: it means “guided” or “with a guide.” The pattern X付きのN describes an N that comes with X or has X provided. Here, ガイド付きの散歩 is a guided walk; の links the description to 散歩. 散歩 means a walk or stroll. It is a noun and can also be used with verbs, for example: 散歩します。 — “I take a walk.” どんなもの asks what kind or sort of thing something is. どんな asks about the nature, type, or qualities of a noun, while もの means “thing” here. In this sentence, the combination naturally asks what the guided walk is like. For a different noun, the same pattern can be reused: どんな活動ですか。 — “What kind of activity is it?” ですか turns the preceding expression into a polite question. です is the polite copular form, and か marks the sentence as a question. It does not itself specify a quantity or a particular kind of “is.” Together, ガイド付きの散歩 identifies the topic, and どんなものですか asks for its type or characteristics: “What is the guided walk like?”

4. ガイドがゆっくり案内します。

   A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.

   ガイド

   guide

   ゆっくり

   slowly; at a leisurely pace

   案内します

   guides; leads

   More detail

   ガイド means “guide” and is the noun marked by が as the subject: the guide performs the action. Japanese often uses loanwords such as this one as nouns; ガイドが means “the guide” as the sentence’s actor here. ゆっくり describes the manner of the action. It means “slowly” or “at a leisurely pace,” and it commonly modifies a verb directly: ゆっくり話します means “speak slowly.” In this sentence it says that the guiding proceeds at a slow pace. 案内します means “guides” or “leads” here. Its base form is 案内する; 案内します is the polite non-past form. Japanese non-past forms can describe a present routine or a future action, but the fixed translation presents this utterance as “leads.” The verb 案内する can also mean showing or directing someone around, depending on what is being guided. Together, ガイドが identifies the guide as the actor, ゆっくり gives the pace, and 案内します states the action: “A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.” In the supplied context, this explains why the guided walk is easy to follow.

5. ですから、ついていきやすいです。

   So it is easy to follow.

   ですから

   so; therefore

   ついていきやすい

   easy to follow

   です。

   polite sentence ending

   More detail

   ですから means “so” or “therefore.” Here it links this sentence to the preceding reason. It is written as one conjunction in the utterance; do not treat the です inside it as a separate copula in this use. A useful pattern is A。ですから、B。 = “A. Therefore, B.” ついていきやすい means “easy to follow” here. The verb is ついていく, “to follow / go along with someone,” and its stem ついていき- combines with やすい to form “easy to do.” Thus V-stem + やすい is a reusable pattern: 読みやすい means “easy to read,” and 使いやすい means “easy to use.” The やすい part is an i-adjective; its opposite pattern is V-stem + にくい, meaning “hard to do,” as in 読みにくい, “hard to read.” The final です adds polite sentence style. Because the predicate before it is the i-adjective やすい, です is not the source of the “easy” meaning and does not turn the adjective into a noun; it politely presents the adjective predicate. Compare the less formal ついていきやすい。 with the polite ついていきやすいです。 Together, ですから introduces the conclusion, and ついていきやすいです states politely that following along is easy. The whole utterance is therefore: “So it is easy to follow.”

6. 初めてでもできそうです。

   That sounds manageable for a first try.

   初めてでも

   even for a first time

   できそうです

   seems doable

   More detail

   初めてでも means “even for a first time” in this sentence. 初めて means “the first time” or “a first attempt”; it is not a noun naming a particular activity here. The particle も adds the idea “even,” so the sentence presents being a beginner or making a first attempt as a condition that does not prevent success. Example: 初めてでも楽しめます。 — “You can enjoy it even if it is your first time.” できそうです is built from できる (“can do; be possible”) and そうです, which here expresses an appearance or likelihood based on the available impression: “seems doable” or “looks possible.” The observed form でき is the form of できる used before そうです; です makes the statement polite. This is different from a direct ability statement such as できます (“can do it”), because できそうです presents manageability as an assessment rather than a definite claim. Example: この問題はできそうです。 — “This problem looks manageable.” Together, 初めてでも sets the condition “even for a first attempt,” and できそうです gives the assessment “seems doable.” The complete meaning is therefore “That sounds manageable for a first try.” The utterance leaves the specific activity or task understood from context rather than naming it in this sentence.

7. ダンスの活動では、たくさん動きますか。

   How active is the dance session?

   ダンス

   dance

   活動

   activity; session

   では

   in/at ...

   たくさん

   a lot

   動きます

   move

   More detail

   ダンス is a noun meaning “dance.” It is a loanword written in katakana and can modify another noun: ダンスの活動 means “a dance activity/session.” The particle の links the two nouns, with the first noun specifying the type of the second. Example: 音楽の活動 means “a music activity.” 活動 is a noun meaning “activity.” Here, ダンスの活動 refers to the dance activity or session as the setting being discussed. Example: 学校の活動 means “a school activity.” では marks the setting or topic. In this sentence, ダンスの活動では means “in the dance activity/session” or “as for the dance activity.” で marks the setting where an action or state applies, while は highlights that setting as the topic. Example: 教室では日本語を話します。 means “In the classroom, I speak Japanese.” たくさん is an adverb meaning “a lot” or “much/many,” depending on what it modifies. Here it describes the amount of movement: たくさん動きます means “move a lot” or, naturally in the translation, “be very active.” Example: たくさん歩きます。 means “I walk a lot.” 動きます is the polite nonpast form of 動く, “to move.” The nonpast form can describe a habitual or expected action as well as an action viewed in the present context; here, the question asks how much movement the activity involves. 動く is the base form, and 動きます is its polite form. Example: ロボットが動きます。 means “The robot moves” or “The robot will move,” depending on context. The form itself does not specify a human subject; the subject is understood from context when it is omitted. The final か turns the preceding statement into a question. The pattern たくさん動きますか asks about a large amount of movement. Together, ダンスの活動では sets the dance activity as the setting or topic, and たくさん動きますか asks about the amount of movement there. In this utterance, with the fixed translation, the intended meaning is “How active is the dance session?”

8. こちらはもっと速く動きます。グループで簡単なステップをします。

   It moves faster, with simple steps in a group.

   こちらは

   this one; it

   もっと

   more

   速く

   faster

   動きます

   moves

   グループで

   in a group

   簡単な

   simple

   ステップ

   steps

   します

   does

   More detail

   こちらは presents “this one” or “this option” as the topic. In this context, the fixed translation identifies it as “it,” but the sentence does not specify a more concrete referent. こちら is a polite way to refer to something on this side or to a selected option; は marks the topic. もっと means “more” and increases the degree of the following description. It commonly appears with a comparative meaning: もっと速く = “faster” or literally “more quickly.” 速く is the adverbial form of the i-adjective 速い (“fast”). The ending changes from -い to -く when the adjective describes how an action is performed: 速い describes something as fast, while 速く動く means “move quickly.” もっと速く therefore means “faster/more quickly.” 動きます is the polite nonpast form of 動く, “to move.” The nonpast form can describe a present or habitual property, so here it states that the topic moves quickly rather than locating the movement at one specific past time. The polite pair is 動く (plain) and 動きます (polite). グループで means “in a group.” The particle で marks the setting or form in which an activity takes place. For example, 二人で歩きます means “We walk as two people” or more naturally “We walk in pairs.” 簡単な is the attributive form of the na-adjective 簡単だ, meaning “simple” or “easy.” Before a noun, a na-adjective uses な: 簡単なステップ means “simple steps.” This is different from an i-adjective such as 速い, which directly precedes a noun as 速い動き (“fast movement”). ステップ is a loanword meaning “step” in the context of a movement or dance routine. The plural meaning “steps” is supplied by context; Japanese nouns generally do not change form to mark singular versus plural. します is the polite nonpast form of する, “to do.” With an activity noun such as ステップ, ステップをします means “do steps” or, more naturally here, “perform steps.” The particle を marks ステップ as the object of します; します itself does not mean “steps.” Together, こちらはもっと速く動きます says “This one moves faster,” with もっと making the movement faster in comparison with an understood alternative or standard. グループで簡単なステップをします says that the activity is done in a group using simple steps. The whole utterance therefore means: “It moves faster, with simple steps in a group.”

9. 私たちにはガイド付きの散歩のほうが合っています。

   The guided walk suits us better.

   私たちには

   for us

   ガイド付き

   guided

   散歩

   walk

   のほうが

   the ... option is more suitable

   合っています

   suits; is a good fit

   More detail

   私たちには means “for us” or “as far as we are concerned.” Here, に marks the people for whom something is suitable, and は makes that group the topic or point of comparison. The form 私たち is the first-person plural pronoun “we/us”; に does not itself express a numerical count. ガイド付き means “guided” or literally “with a guide.” 付き is a useful element meaning “provided with” or “having,” attached here to ガイド (“guide”). For example, 朝食付きのホテル means “a hotel with breakfast included.” 散歩 means “a walk” or “walking.” It is a noun that can also function in compounds and noun-based expressions. In this sentence, it identifies the activity being evaluated. のほうが presents the guided walk as the more suitable option in a comparison. の links 散歩 to ほう, and ほう literally means “side” or “option”; with が, the selected option is marked as the one that better fits. A reusable pattern is Aのほうがいい, “A is better.” The comparison is understood from the context, so the sentence does not need to name the alternative explicitly. 合っています comes from the verb 合う, “to fit,” “to suit,” or “to match.” The form 合っています is polite: 合う → 合っている → 合っています. The ている form here describes a current state of suitability, rather than simply an action happening at this moment. For example, この靴は私に合っています。 means “These shoes fit me.” Together, ガイド付きの散歩 means “the guided walk,” while のほうが marks it as the better-fitting option for 私たち (“us”). The whole utterance therefore means: “The guided walk suits us better.”