Joining a Walking Event | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. ウォーキングイベントに参加するには、いくらかかりますか。

   How much does it cost to join the walking event?

   ウォーキングイベント

   walking event

   参加する

   to participate; to join

   には

   for; in order to

   いくら

   how much

   かかりますか

   does it cost?

   More detail

   ウォーキングイベント is a noun phrase meaning “walking event.” イベント is a loanword meaning “event,” and ウォーキング identifies the type of event here. As a noun phrase, it can be used with particles: ウォーキングイベントに参加する means “participate in the walking event.” 参加する means “to participate” or “to join” in this sentence. It is the dictionary-form verb in the reusable pattern 〜に参加する, where に marks the event or activity that someone participates in. The verb is often used for organized activities. Example: 会議に参加する。 — “I participate in the meeting.” には is に followed by the topic/contrast particle は. After a dictionary-form verb, 〜するには commonly means “in order to do 〜” or “for doing 〜.” Here, 参加するには sets participation as the condition being asked about. The は can give the condition a topical or contrastive focus; it does not itself express a numeric amount. いくら asks “how much?” It is used for an unspecified amount, especially a price or cost in this context. Example: これはいくらですか。 — “How much is this?” かかりますか comes from かかる, meaning “to cost” or “to take” when referring to an amount of money or time. In かかります, the verb has polite nonpast form; final か marks a question. Here it asks about the amount of money required, rather than stating who pays. Example: 参加費はいくらかかりますか。 — “How much is the participation fee?” Together, ウォーキングイベントに参加するには means “in order to join the walking event,” and いくらかかりますか asks “how much does it cost?” The full utterance therefore means: “How much does it cost to join the walking event?”

2. 市民は無料です。

   It is free for city residents.

   市民

   city residents; citizens

   無料

   free; no charge

   です

   is; are

   More detail

   市民 means “city residents” or “citizens” here. It is a noun referring to people who belong to a city. A useful related form is 市 (“city”), but 市民 is the people, not the city itself. Example: 市民が集まりました。 — “The city residents gathered.” 無料 means “free of charge” here. It describes something that requires no payment. It can function as a noun-like predicate or as a な-adjective before a noun: 無料です means “is free,” while 無料のイベント means “a free event.” Do not confuse it with 安い, which means “inexpensive” rather than completely without charge. Example: このサービスは無料です。 — “This service is free.” です is the polite copular form used at the end of a nonverbal predicate. Here it politely presents 無料 as the predicate; it is not an independently specific English “is” or “are” form that changes according to English number. With a noun, it can also identify or classify: 私は学生です。 — “I am a student.” The topic marker は follows 市民: 市民は means “as for city residents” or, naturally in this context, “for city residents.” The sentence then gives 無料です, “is free.” Japanese leaves the thing that is free unstated because it is understood from the context; the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning as the event or participation being free for city residents. Together, 市民は無料です。 means “It is free for city residents.”

3. 私たちは一緒に申し込みたいです。

   We would like to sign up together.

   私たち

   we; us

   一緒に

   together

   申し込みたい

   would like to sign up

   More detail

   私たち means “we” here. It is the plural form built from 私 (“I”) with たち, which can mark a group including the person referred to. The sentence’s topic marker is は, shown in the adjacent text 私たちは; it marks “we” as the topic. Example: 私たちは学生です。 — “We are students.” 一緒に means “together” and describes how the action is carried out. 一緒 is the noun meaning “togetherness” or “being together,” and に lets it function adverbially. Example: 一緒に行きましょう。 — “Let’s go together.” 申し込みたい expresses wanting to sign up or apply. The dictionary form is 申し込む (“to sign up; to apply”); its polite stem 申し込み combines with たい to form 申し込みたい, “want to sign up.” The final です in the full sentence makes the statement polite. This たい form states the speaker’s desire; it is not the past-tense form. Example: 私は講座に申し込みたいです。 — “I would like to sign up for the course.” Together, 私たちは sets “we” as the topic, 一緒に says that the action is done together, and 申し込みたいです politely says that they want to sign up. Thus the whole utterance means: “We would like to sign up together.”

4. このフォームに、お名前、住所、電話番号を書いてください。

   Please write your names, addresses, and phone numbers on this form.

   この

   this

   フォーム

   form

   お名前

   name(s)

   住所

   address(es)

   電話番号

   phone number(s)

   書いてください

   please write

   More detail

   この means “this” and appears before the noun it identifies: このフォーム means “this form.” This demonstrative is used attributively here; Japanese also has これ for “this” when it stands alone. Here it identifies the form being used for the application. フォーム is a noun meaning “form,” in the sense of a document or application form. It is a loanword written in katakana; the surrounding Japanese grammar treats it as a noun. お名前 means “name” here. 名前 is the basic noun, and the initial お is an honorific/polite element used in this expression. Japanese nouns do not generally mark singular versus plural here, so this form can fit the translated “names” as well as “name.” A useful related expression is お名前は何ですか。 (“What is your name?”), a polite way to ask for someone’s name. 住所 means “address.” It is a noun for a person’s or organization’s address. Japanese does not mark this noun as grammatically plural in the sentence, so the fixed translation’s “addresses” is understood from the intended context. 電話番号 means “phone number.” It is a compound noun: 電話 means “telephone,” and 番号 means “number.” Japanese commonly uses such compounds to specify what kind of number is meant. Here it is another item to write on the form, with number left unmarked. 書いてください is a polite request meaning “please write.” The lexical verb is 書く (“to write”); 書いて is its te-form, and ください after a te-form makes a polite request. The pattern verb-te form + ください is reusable: 見てください means “please look,” and 読んでください means “please read.” This is a request, not a statement that the writing has already happened. Together, このフォームに marks the form as the place where the information is to be written, and お名前、住所、電話番号 lists the requested entries. The final 書いてください asks the addressee to write the names, addresses, and phone numbers on that form. The complete meaning is: “Please write your names, addresses, and phone numbers on this form.”

5. メールアドレスも書きますか。

   Should we add an email address too?

   メールアドレス

   email address

   も

   also; too

   書きますか

   write/add?

   More detail

   メールアドレス means “email address.” It is a compound noun: メール (“email”) + アドレス (“address”). In this sentence it names the item being considered for inclusion on the form. Example: メールアドレスを書きます。 — “I write/provide an email address.” も means “also” or “too.” It marks メールアドレス as an additional item, connecting it with the names, addresses, and phone numbers mentioned in the preceding request. The particle follows the word or phrase it adds: 電話番号も means “a phone number too.” 書きますか comes from the verb 書く (“to write”). 書きます is its polite non-past form; か turns the polite statement into a question. In this context, writing an item on a form naturally corresponds to “add/provide” it in English. The subject is omitted in Japanese; the fixed translation supports the intended reading “Should we…?” rather than identifying a different explicit subject. Example: ここに名前を書きますか。 — “Should I/we write a name here?” Together, メールアドレスも (“an email address too”) and 書きますか (“should [we] write/add it?”) produce: “Should we add an email address too?” The question concerns adding that extra form item; the following context indicates that this part is optional.

6. その部分は任意です。

   That part is optional.

   その

   that

   部分

   part

   任意

   optional

   More detail

   その: This is the demonstrative that means “that” when it comes before a noun. In その部分, it identifies the part as “that part”; its form does not change for number or gender. A reusable pattern is その + noun, such as その本 (“that book”). 部分: This noun means “part” or “section,” depending on what is being divided. Here it refers to the relevant part, as confirmed by the fixed translation. For example, この部分は重要です。 means “This part is important.” 任意: Here this means “optional”: choosing or including it is left open rather than required. 任意 can also describe something left to a person’s choice in other contexts, but it does not itself assert a particular number or action. For example, 入力は任意です。 means “Input is optional.” The polite ending です makes the statement “is optional.” Together, その部分は任意です。 has the structure “that part + topic marker は + optional + polite copula,” yielding “That part is optional.”

7. 追加したら、何を送りますか。

   What will you send if we add one?

   追加したら

   if we add one

   何を

   what

   送りますか

   will you send?

   More detail

   追加したら comes from 追加する, “to add.” The form 追加したら uses the たら conditional: it presents adding one as the condition, giving “if/when we add one” here. The actor “we” is supplied by the fixed translation; Japanese does not show that subject in this phrase. The たら pattern is reusable with other verbs, for example 終わったら、知らせてください。 — “When it is finished, please let me know.” 何を means “what” as the thing affected by the action. 何 is the question word “what,” and を marks the direct object. This asks which thing will be sent, rather than who will send it. For example, 何を買いますか。 means “What will you buy?” 送りますか comes from 送る, “to send.” 送ります is its polite non-past form; in this question, the context and translation give it the future meaning “will send.” The final か marks the sentence as a question. The intended sender is “you” according to the fixed translation, although Japanese does not express that subject in this form. For comparison, 送ります。 is a polite statement, “I/we/you will send” depending on context, while 送りますか。 asks whether or what someone will send. Together, 追加したら sets the condition “if we add one,” 何を asks for the item, and 送りますか asks “will you send?” The complete utterance therefore means, “What will you send if we add one?”

8. 次のイベントの日程を送ります。

   We will send the schedule for the next event.

   次の

   next; following

   イベント

   event

   日程

   schedule; dates

   送ります

   will send; send

   More detail

   次の means “next” or “following” here. It modifies イベント, and の links that modifier to the noun phrase that follows: 次のイベント = “the next event.” The form 次の is a useful pattern before a noun; for example, 次の駅 means “the next station.” イベント is a noun meaning “event.” It is a loanword written in Japanese script, and it can be used in compounds such as イベント会場 (“event venue”). 日程 means a schedule, especially the planned dates or timetable for something. In 次のイベントの日程, the first の connects “the next event” with “the schedule,” giving “the schedule for the next event.” 送ります is the polite form of 送る, “to send.” Its -ます ending expresses polite style. Japanese nonpast forms can refer to a future action when the context does, so 送ります is “will send” here; it can also mean “send” in a general or present-context statement. Example: 資料を送ります。 — “I will send the materials.” を marks 日程 as the direct object of 送ります. The structure Nを送ります is a reusable way to say “send N.” Together, 次のイベントの日程を送ります。 means “We will send the schedule for the next event.” The subject is not stated in the Japanese sentence; “we” is supplied by the fixed translation. The polite sentence is suitable for a straightforward professional or courteous message.