Speaking quietly in a library | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. ここでは、もう少し静かに話していただけますか。

   Could you speak a little more quietly here?

   ここでは

   here

   もう少し

   a little more

   静かに

   quietly

   話していただけますか

   could you speak?

   More detail

   ここでは combines ここ (“here”), で marking the place or setting where an action occurs, and は making that setting the topic. Here it establishes “here” as the situation in which the requested speaking should happen. もう少し means “a little more” in degree here. It modifies the manner of speaking, so もう少し静かに means “a little more quietly”; it does not state a specific amount. Example: もう少し待ってください。 — “Please wait a little longer.” 静かに is the adverbial form of 静かだ, meaning “quiet” or “quietly” in this use. The ending -に lets this descriptive word modify an action. Compare 静かな部屋 (“a quiet room”) with 静かに話す (“speak quietly”). 話していただけますか contains 話す (“to speak”) in its 話して form, followed by the polite request pattern 〜ていただけますか. This pattern politely asks whether the listener can do something as a favor; 話していただけますか therefore means “could you speak?” Example: もう一度説明していただけますか。 — “Could you explain it once more?” Together, ここでは sets the place or situation, もう少し静かに asks for a slightly quieter manner, and 話していただけますか makes the request politely. The whole utterance is: “Could you speak a little more quietly here?”

2. 私は、そんなに大きな声で話していたとは気づきませんでした。

   I didn't realize I was speaking so loudly.

   私は

   I

   そんなに

   so; to that extent

   大きな

   big; large

   声

   voice

   話していた

   was speaking

   気づきませんでした

   didn't realize

   More detail

   私は marks 私 as the topic: “as for me” or simply “I” here. The topic marker は does not itself identify the grammatical subject of every later verb, but the fixed translation makes 私 the person who was speaking and did not realize it. そんなに indicates degree: “to that extent” or “so.” Here it modifies the loudness of the speaking. A reusable pattern is そんなに + adjective/adjective phrase, as in そんなに難しくありません (“It isn't that difficult”). 大きな contributes the idea of “big” or “large.” Combined with 声 in 大きな声, it describes a loud voice; it does not by itself mean “loud” in every context. 大きな is used before a noun, while the related adjective 大きい can also be used before a noun and can function as a predicate: 声が大きい means “The voice is loud.” 声 means “voice.” In 声で, the particle で marks the manner or means, so 大きな声で means “in a loud voice” or “loudly.” 話していた comes from 話す (“to speak, talk”). The form 話して is the て-form, followed by いた, the past form of いる; together they describe an action that was in progress: “was speaking.” In this sentence, the understood speaker of 話していた is 私, as confirmed by the fixed translation. A reusable pattern is verb-ていた for an ongoing or continuing past action, such as 読んでいた (“was reading”). 気づきませんでした is the polite negative past of 気づく (“to notice; realize”): 気づく → 気づきません (“do not notice”) → 気づきませんでした (“did not notice”). Here it means “didn't realize.” The content being realized or not realized is the preceding clause 話していた; と marks that clause as the content, and the following は adds contrastive or emphatic framing in とは気づきませんでした. Putting the parts together, そんなに大きな声で describes the manner of speaking, 話していた says that the speaking was in progress in the past, and 話していたとは気づきませんでした means “didn't realize that I was speaking.” Thus the whole utterance means: “I didn't realize I was speaking so loudly.” The polite ending makes the statement suitable for a courteous conversation.

3. 隣のテーブルで、みんなが勉強しています。

   People are studying at the next table.

   隣の

   next; adjacent

   テーブル

   table

   みんな

   everyone; everybody

   勉強しています

   is studying

   More detail

   隣の means “next” or “adjacent” here. 隣 is the noun for a neighboring place or thing, and の links it to the following noun: 隣のテーブル = “the next table.” This pattern is reusable with other nouns, such as 隣の部屋 (“the next room”). テーブル is a noun meaning “table.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In this sentence, 隣のテーブルで identifies the place where the action happens. The particle で marks the location of an action; for example, 学校で勉強します means “I study at school.” みんな means “everyone” or “everybody,” and here it refers to the people who are studying. With が, みんなが marks those people as the grammatical subject. みんな can also be used without が when its grammatical role is clear from the sentence. 勉強しています is the polite form of 勉強している, from the verb 勉強する (“to study”). The ている form presents the studying as ongoing here, so it corresponds to “are studying,” not simply a general ability or habit. For example, 今、本を読んでいます means “I am reading a book now.” Putting the parts together, 隣のテーブルで gives the setting “at the next table,” みんなが identifies the people doing the action, and 勉強しています says that studying is currently in progress. The whole utterance therefore means “People are studying at the next table.”

4. 声を小さくします。

   I will lower my voice.

   声

   voice

   小さく

   smaller; lower

   します

   do; make

   More detail

   声 is a noun meaning “voice.” In this sentence it is the thing being changed, marked by を. The useful pattern is Xを…する: “make/do something to X.” Example: 声を大きくします。 — “I will make my voice louder.” 小さく comes from the adjective 小さい (“small”) and is its adverbial form. Here it describes the result made by します: the voice becomes smaller in volume, naturally “quieter” or “lower.” The form 小さく is used before する in the pattern 小さくする, “make [something] small/quieter.” Example: 音を小さくします。 — “I will turn the sound down.” します is the polite nonpast form of する, whose basic meaning is “do.” In 小さくします, it means “make [something] small/quieter.” Japanese nonpast forms can describe a planned or immediate action, so the fixed translation appropriately gives “I will.” The subject is omitted in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation identifies it as “I.” Together, 声を identifies the voice as the object, 小さく gives the resulting lower volume, and します expresses the polite action of making it so. Thus 声を小さくします。 means “I will lower my voice.”

5. そうすれば、みんなが集中しやすくなります。

   It will make it easier for everyone to focus.

   そうすれば

   if so; that way

   みんな

   everyone

   集中しやすく

   easy to focus

   なります

   becomes

   More detail

   そうすれば means “if that is done” or “that way.” そう refers to the situation or action just mentioned, and すれば is the conditional form of する (“do”): する → すれば. This pattern introduces a result: “If that happens, …” or “That way, …” みんな means “everyone” or “everybody.” Here it is the subject marked by が, so the sentence presents everyone as the people for whom concentrating becomes easier. みんな is a general group expression; it does not itself specify a number. 集中しやすく comes from 集中する (“concentrate”) plus やすい (“easy to do”). The pattern verb stem + やすい describes an action that is easy or likely to perform: 読みやすい means “easy to read,” and 使いやすい means “easy to use.” In this sentence, 集中しやすい means “easy to concentrate,” and 集中しやすく is the -く form of the adjective 集中しやすい, used before なります. なります is the polite nonpast form of なる (“become” or “come to be”). With an adjective in its -く form, adjective + くなる expresses a change into a state: 静かになります means “becomes quiet.” Thus, 集中しやすくなります means “becomes easier to concentrate” or, naturally here, “makes it easier to concentrate.” Putting the parts together, そうすれば sets up the result of the preceding action, みんなが identifies everyone as the affected subject, and 集中しやすくなります says that concentrating becomes easier for them. The whole utterance means: “That way, it will make it easier for everyone to focus.”

6. もっと近くに座れます。そうすれば、大きな声で話さなくてすみます。

   I can sit closer so we do not have to talk loudly.

   もっと

   more

   近くに

   closer; nearer

   座れます

   can sit

   そうすれば

   if that is so

   大きな

   loud; big

   声

   voice

   話さなくてすみます

   without having to talk

   More detail

   もっと means “more” or “to a greater degree.” It increases the degree of the following description: もっと近くに means “closer,” rather than simply “near.” A useful pattern is もっと + adjective/adverb, as in もっとゆっくり (“more slowly” or “slower”). 近くに means “nearer/closer.” Here, に marks the place where the speaker can sit. The related adjective 近い means “near” or “close”; 近く can also function as a noun meaning “nearby” or “the vicinity.” 座れます is the polite potential form of 座る (“to sit”): 座る → 座れる → 座れます. It expresses ability or possibility, so here it means “can sit.” The potential form differs from the polite non-potential form 座ります (“will sit” or “sit” politely). Example: ここに座れます。 — “I can sit here.” そうすれば connects a condition with its result. そう refers to the situation just described, and すれば is the conditional form of する (“to do”): literally, “if one does so.” Here, the preceding action of sitting closer is presented as the condition, giving the sense “if we do that” or “that way.” 大きな appears before a noun and means “big”; with 声, it describes a voice as “loud.” It is a noun-modifying form, as in 大きな声 (“a loud voice”). 大きい is another form used before nouns, as in 大きい声; 大きな normally modifies a noun rather than standing alone as a predicate. 声 means “voice.” In 大きな声, it combines with 大きな to mean “a loud voice.” The following で marks the manner or means: 大きな声で話す means “speak in a loud voice,” or simply “speak loudly.” 話さなくてすみます is a construction meaning “can avoid having to talk” or “do not have to talk.” 話さ is the negative stem of 話す (“to talk”), and 話さなくて is its negative なくて form. すみます is the polite form of 済む; in this construction, it indicates that the situation can be managed without carrying out the action. Example: 今日は早く帰らなくてすみます。 — “I do not have to go home early today.” Together, 大きな声で話さなくてすみます means “we do not have to talk loudly.” The fixed translation identifies “I” as the subject of もっと近くに座れます, while “we” is the understood subject of the following clause. Thus, もっと近くに座れます means “I can sit closer,” and そうすれば、大きな声で話さなくてすみます means “so we do not have to talk loudly.” The whole utterance is: “I can sit closer so we do not have to talk loudly.”

7. それなら、誰にも迷惑をかけずに作業を続けられます。

   Then we can keep working without bothering anyone.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   誰にも

   to anyone

   迷惑

   trouble; inconvenience

   かけずに

   without causing

   作業

   work; task

   続けられます

   can continue

   More detail

   それなら means “then” or “in that case.” それ refers to a situation already available in the conversation, and なら presents that situation as the condition for what follows. A reusable pattern is それなら、… = “Then, …” or “If that is the case, …”. 誰にも means “anyone” as the person affected by the following negative expression. 誰 is the question word “who,” and にも combines に with も; with a negative expression, 誰にも…ない means “not … anyone” or “to no one.” The fixed sentence uses this form to support the meaning “without bothering anyone,” rather than identifying a particular person. 迷惑 is a noun meaning “trouble” or “inconvenience.” It commonly appears in the construction 迷惑をかける, literally “cause inconvenience,” meaning “bother” or “inconvenience someone.” For example: 人に迷惑をかける。 — “I inconvenience people.” かけずに is the negative connective form of かける in this construction. かける means “to cause” here, while かけずに means “without causing.” The pattern verb-ずに links a negative action to the main action: 話さずに聞く means “listen without speaking.” In this sentence, 迷惑をかけずに means “without causing inconvenience.” 作業 means “work” or “a task,” especially work viewed as an activity to be carried out. It is a noun; in 作業を続ける, it is the object of 続ける, so the phrase means “continue the work.” 続けられます means “can continue.” Its base verb is 続ける (“continue”), and 続けられる is its potential form, expressing ability or possibility: 続ける → 続けられる. ます makes the form polite. Here the omitted subject is understood as “we” from the fixed translation, so 作業を続けられます means “we can continue working.” Putting the parts together: それなら sets the condition, 誰にも迷惑をかけずに says that this can happen without bothering anyone, and 作業を続けられます says that the work can continue. The whole utterance therefore means, “Then we can keep working without bothering anyone.”

8. これからは、声を小さくします。

   I will keep it down from now on.

   これからは

   from now on

   声

   voice

   小さく

   quieter; lower

   します

   do

   More detail

   これからは sets the time frame: “from now on.” これから means “from now” or “from here onward,” and は presents this time frame as the topic or point of contrast. It does not by itself specify how long the action will continue. 声 means “voice.” Here, in combination with 小さくします, it refers to the speaker’s voice or speaking volume. A useful contrast is 声が大きい (“one’s voice is loud”) and 声が小さい (“one’s voice is quiet or soft”). 小さく is the adverbial form of the adjective 小さい (“small”). Here it describes the result aimed at for the voice: making it quieter or lower. The pattern Aを小さくする means “make A smaller”; with sound or volume, it means “lower A.” For example, 音を小さくする means “lower the volume.” します is the polite nonpast form of する (“do”). In the construction 小さくします, it completes 小さくする, so the whole construction means “make [something] quieter.” Japanese nonpast forms can refer to a future action when the context presents it as an intention or commitment, as here. Together, 声を小さくします means “I will lower my voice” or “I will keep it down.” The particle を marks 声 as the thing whose state is changed. Adding これからは gives the complete meaning: “I will keep it down from now on.”