Preparing for a Meeting | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 会議のメモはできていますか？

   Are the meeting notes ready?

   会議

   meeting

   メモ

   notes; memo

   できていますか？

   are ready?

   More detail

   会議 means “meeting.” It is a noun and can be reused in compounds or noun phrases, such as 会議の予定 (“the meeting schedule”). Here, 会議の uses の to link 会議 to the following noun: “of the meeting” or “meeting-” in English. メモ means “memo” or “notes.” It is a noun written in katakana. In 会議のメモ, it identifies the notes connected with the meeting. Example: メモを取ります。 — “I take notes.” できていますか？ asks whether something is ready or completed. The base form できる can mean “be able to” or, with an appropriate context, “be completed” or “be made.” Here, できている presents the notes as being in a completed, ready state. The ending か turns the polite statement into a question; ？ is the written question mark. Example: 準備はできていますか？ — “Are the preparations ready?” The full structure is 会議のメモは (“as for the meeting notes”) + できていますか？ (“are they ready?”). Thus the utterance asks whether the meeting notes have been completed and are ready. The topic marker は sets the notes as the topic without itself specifying who prepared them.

2. 会議のメモは私の机の上にあります。

   They are on my desk.

   会議

   meeting

   メモ

   notes; memo

   私

   I; me

   机

   desk

   上

   top; surface

   あります

   is; are located

   More detail

   会議 means “meeting.” It can directly modify another noun with の: 会議のメモ means “meeting notes,” or more literally “notes of/for the meeting.” The noun メモ means a memo or notes; Japanese nouns do not normally require a plural ending, so メモ can mean “notes” here. 私 means “I” or “me.” Before の, it marks the possessor: 私の机 means “my desk.” This is the reusable pattern AのB = “B of A” or “A’s B.” Example: 先生の本 means “the teacher’s book.” 机 means “desk.” 上 means the top or surface of something. Together, 机の上 means “the top/surface of the desk.” The location particle に marks the place where something exists, giving the pattern XはYにあります = “X is located at/in/on Y.” Example: 鍵は机の上にあります。 means “The key is on the desk.” あります is the polite form of ある, used for the existence or location of a nonliving thing. In this sentence it means “is located,” not an action such as “does.” Its polite counterpart for a person or animal is generally います; the choice depends on whether the subject is treated as animate, not simply on whether the sentence is polite. Putting the parts together: 会議のメモ is “the meeting notes,” は makes that noun phrase the topic, and 私の机の上にあります says that they are located on the surface of my desk. Thus the whole utterance means “They are on my desk,” with “they” referring to the meeting notes in the fixed translation. Japanese does not need a separate plural form for メモ here.

3. 私の分はありますか？

   Is there a copy for me?

   私の分

   my share; my copy

   ありますか

   is there?; is it available?

   More detail

   私の分 means “my share” or, in this context, “a copy for me.” 私 is the first-person pronoun “I/me,” and の links it to the following noun-like element, expressing an association such as possession or allocation: 私の分 = “my portion.” 分 means a portion, allotment, or person’s share; here it is understood as the share of the materials intended for the speaker, hence “my copy.” Example: 彼の分もあります。 — “There is also a portion for him.” This uses the same Xの分 pattern for an allotment intended for X. ありますか asks whether something exists or is available. ある is the non-past form used for the existence or availability of things that are not treated as animate; あります is its polite form, and final か turns the statement into a question. The form does not itself state a particular quantity: the question is whether the relevant item or allotment is available. Example: 資料はありますか？ — “Is there any material?” The same polite existence question can ask whether an item is present or obtainable, depending on context. Together, 私の分 identifies the allotment intended for the speaker, and ありますか asks whether it exists or is available. The whole utterance therefore means “Is there a copy for me?” The polite question is suitable for asking someone about the availability of the speaker’s allotted copy.

4. こちらです。

   Here is one.

   こちら

   this one

   です

   is (polite)

   More detail

   こちら is a polite demonstrative meaning “this one” here. In other contexts, it can refer politely to a person, direction, or place, but the fixed translation and context support an item reading in this utterance. Japanese demonstratives such as こちら do not themselves mark a noun’s gender or number. A useful contrast is これ (“this”), which is generally more neutral in politeness, while こちら is more polite. です is the polite nonpast form of the copula. It links こちら to the statement being made and supplies the polite equivalent of “is.” It does not change for person or number. For example, これは本です。 means “This is a book.” Together, こちらです presents the relevant item: “Here is one.” Japanese has no separate word for the English quantity “one” in this sentence; that quantity is expressed by the fixed translation and context. The reusable pattern こちらです can mean “This is the one” or “Here it is” when the context identifies an item.

5. 今日は何を話し合いますか？

   What are we discussing today?

   今日は

   today / as for today

   何を

   what (object)

   話し合います

   discuss

   か

   question marker

   More detail

   今日は contains 今日 (きょう), “today,” followed by は, the topic marker. Together, it sets today as the topic: “as for today” or simply “today” in this question. は marks what the sentence is about; it is not part of the noun 今日. 何を contains 何 (なに), “what,” and を, the object marker. 何 asks what thing is being discussed, while を marks that thing as the object of the verb. The particle を is pronounced お in standard Japanese. Example: 何を食べますか。 — “What will you eat?” 話し合います is the polite nonpast form of 話し合う (はなしあう), “to discuss” or “to talk something over.” The nonpast form can describe a present, habitual, or future action; here, the question asks about the discussion planned for today. The ending ます makes the statement polite. 話す means “to speak” or “to talk,” whereas 話し合う specifically presents people as discussing something together. Example: 問題について話し合います。 — “We will discuss the problem.” か is placed at the end to mark the sentence as a question. In this sentence, it turns the polite statement into a question without changing the verb’s polite form. The reusable pattern is topic は + question-word を + polite verb か. Here, 今日は sets today as the topic, 何を asks for the object of discussion, and 話し合いますか asks politely about the discussion. The complete meaning is: “What are we discussing today?”

6. 新しい計画について話し合います。

   We will discuss the new plan.

   新しい

   new

   計画

   plan

   について

   about; concerning

   話し合います

   will discuss

   More detail

   新しい means “new” here and directly modifies 計画. It is an adjective whose base form is also 新しい; before a noun, it appears in this form. For example: 新しい本 — “a new book.” Its negative form is 新しくない, as in 新しくない計画 — “a plan that is not new.” 計画 is the noun “plan.” It can refer to an organized intention or proposal. For example: 計画を立てます。 — “I/we make a plan.” The particle を marks 計画 as the object of that verb in this example; here, however, 計画 is followed by について instead. について is a construction meaning “about” or “concerning.” It marks the topic being discussed. A reusable pattern is Nについて話す — “talk about N.” For example: 旅行について話します。 — “I/we talk about the trip.” 話し合います means “discuss” or “talk something over.” It is the polite nonpast form of 話し合う. In this sentence, the fixed translation and context give it a future reading, “will discuss”; the form itself can also describe a present or habitual action when the context supports that reading. 話し合う is used for discussing something together, unlike simple 話す, which can mean “speak” or “talk” without necessarily expressing joint discussion. For example: 問題を話し合います。 — “We discuss the problem.” Together, 新しい計画について means “about the new plan,” and 話し合います means “will discuss.” The subject is not stated in the Japanese sentence; with the fixed translation, it is understood as “we.” Thus the complete utterance means “We will discuss the new plan.”

7. 始める前に、メモを読ませてください。

   Let me read the notes before we start.

   始める

   to begin

   前に

   before

   メモ

   notes

   読ませてください

   please let me read

   More detail

   始める means “to begin” here. It is the dictionary form of the verb, used before 前に to form the pattern [verb-dictionary form] + 前に = “before doing ...”. For example, 寝る前に、本を読みます。 means “I read a book before going to bed.” 前に means “before” in this time relation. With a verb, it places the action in the clause before it earlier than the action being discussed: 出かける前に means “before going out.” メモ is a noun meaning “note” or “notes.” The form itself does not mark whether there is one note or more than one; the English plural in the fixed translation reflects the intended meaning here. 読ませてください is a polite request meaning “please let me read.” It is built from 読む (“to read”) → 読ませる (“make/let someone read”) → 読ませてください (“please let me read”). In this sentence, the speaker asks for permission to perform the reading, rather than simply asking someone else to read. The same request pattern can be used with other verbs, such as 説明させてください = “please let me explain.” Together, 始める前に means “before we start,” メモを marks “the notes” as what is read, and 読ませてください asks to be allowed to read them. The complete utterance is: “Let me read the notes before we start.”

8. 始める前に、少し時間を取ってください。

   Take a minute before we begin.

   始める

   begin; start

   前に

   before

   少し

   a little

   時間

   time

   取ってください

   please take

   More detail

   始める means “to begin” or “to start.” It is the dictionary form of the verb. Here it appears before 前に to identify the activity that has not yet begun. For example, 授業を始める means “to start the lesson.” 前に means “before.” The pattern verb-dictionary form + 前に means “before doing [the verb].” Thus, 始める前に means “before we begin.” In this sentence, the understood subject is read as “we,” as reflected in the fixed translation. 少し means “a little” or “a bit.” It modifies the amount of time here, so 少し時間 means “a little time.” It can also modify other quantities or actions; for example, 少し待ってください means “Please wait a little.” 時間 means “time.” In this sentence it refers to an amount of time to set aside, not to a specific clock time. 時間を取る is a reusable expression meaning “to take or set aside time.” 取ってください means “please take” in this context. 取って is the te-form of 取る (“to take”), and ください after a te-form makes a polite request. The verb 取る has several context-dependent meanings, but with 時間を it means “to take/set aside time.” For example, 休みを取ってください means “Please take a break.” Together, 少し時間を取ってください means “Please take a little time.” The object marker を connects 時間 with 取る, showing what is being taken. The full sentence 始める前に、少し時間を取ってください。 means “Take a minute before we begin.” The translation uses “a minute” naturally for the small amount of time expressed by 少し; the Japanese sentence does not specify exactly one minute.