About This Lesson
Use Finding and Saving a Small Screw to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
小さなねじをなくしました。
CHEE-sah-nah NEH-jee oh nah-koo-shee-MAH-shee-tah. I lost a small screw.
B
いすの下を見てください。
EE-soo noh SHEE-tah oh MEE-teh koo-dah-SAI. Check under the chair.
A
いすの脚のそばにありました。
EE-soo noh AH-shee noh SOH-bah nee ah-ree-mah-SHEE-tah. It was by the chair leg.
B
気をつけて拾ってください。
kee oh tsoo-KEH-teh HEE-roo-tteh koo-dah-SAI. Pick it up carefully.
A
とても小さいです。
toh-TEH-moh CHEE-SAI dess. It is tiny.
B
また転がらないように、手のひらに持ってください。
mah-TAH koh-roh-gah-RAH-nai YOH-nee, teh-noh-HEE-rah nee MOH-tteh koo-dah-SAI. Hold it in your palm so it does not roll away again.
A
棚を直すために、それが必要です。
tah-NAH oh nah-OH-soo tah-MEH nee, soh-reh gah hee-TSOO-yoh dess. We need it to fix the shelf.
B
それで、棚を直し終えることができます。
soh-reh-deh, tah-NAH oh nah-OH-shee oh-eh-ROO koh-toh gah deh-KEE-mahss. Then we can finish fixing it.Word by Word
小さな
小さな means “small” here and describes the ねじ. It appears directly before the noun it describes, as in 小さなねじ. Use 小さな before a noun when describing its size or another quality.
ねじ
ねじ means “screw,” the small object that was lost and found in this dialogue. It is the object marked by を in 小さなねじをなくしました. You can use it when talking about a screw needed for a repair.
を
を marks the thing directly affected by an action. Here it marks the screw being lost, the area being checked, and the shelf being fixed. A reliable pattern is noun + を + verb, as in 棚を直す.
なくしました
なくしました means “lost” here and says that the speaker has already lost the screw. It is the polite past form of なくす. Use it after the thing that was lost, as in ねじをなくしました.
いす
いす means “chair” here. It identifies the furniture whose underside and leg are being checked. It can be followed by の to connect the chair with a related part or location.
の
の links いす to the location or part associated with it in いすの下 and いすの脚. It shows a relationship such as “the chair’s” or “under the chair.” A common pattern is noun + の + noun.
下
下 means “under” or “below” in いすの下. It identifies the location beneath the chair that should be checked. Use it after a noun with の when describing something below that noun.
見て
見て means “look at” or “check” here and refers to checking under the chair. It is the form of 見る used before ください in the polite request 見てください. Use it in the pattern object + を見てください when asking someone to check something.
ください
ください makes the preceding request polite in 見てください and 拾ってください. It follows a verb in this form to ask someone to do the action. Use verb te-form + ください for a polite request.
脚
脚 means “leg” here, specifically the leg of the chair in いすの脚. It names the part near which the screw was found. It can be used after a noun plus の to identify a part of furniture or another object.
そば
そば means “near” or “beside” in いすの脚のそばにありました. It places the screw close to the chair leg rather than directly on it. A reusable location pattern is noun + のそばに.
に
に marks the location in いすの脚のそばにありました. It shows where the screw was located. A common pattern for location is place + に + ある or いる.
ありました
ありました means “was located” or “was there” here, referring to the screw’s earlier location. It is the polite past form of ある. Use it with an inanimate thing and a location, as in place + にありました.
気をつけて
気をつけて means “be careful” or “carefully” as a whole in 気をつけて拾ってください. 気 contributes attention or care, を marks 気, and つけて is the request-linked form of つける; together, the expression tells someone to take care. Use it when asking someone to handle a small, fragile, hot, or otherwise risky thing carefully.
拾って
拾って means “pick up” here, referring to picking up the screw. It is the form of 拾う used before ください in 拾ってください. Use it with the object being picked up, as in ねじを拾ってください.
とても
とても means “very” here and strengthens the description of the screw’s small size. It appears before 小さい in とても小さいです. Use it before an adjective when you want to make the description stronger.
小さい
小さい means “tiny” or “small” here and describes the screw’s size. With とても and です, it forms the polite statement とても小さいです. Use it to describe the size of an object or person.
です
です makes the statement polite in とても小さいです. Here it follows the description of the screw’s size. It is commonly used at the end of a polite statement after an adjective or noun.
また
また means “again” here and refers to the possibility that the screw may roll away another time. It shows that the same unwanted event has happened or may happen again. Use it when referring to a repeated event.
転がらない
転がらない means “does not roll” here and names the unwanted result to prevent. It is the negative form of 転がる. A reliable pattern is verb + ないように when taking action so that an unwanted result does not happen.
ように
ように connects the action of holding the screw with the result being prevented in 転がらないように. The whole expression means “so that it does not roll away,” rather than ように alone carrying that entire meaning. Use negative form + ように when trying to prevent a result.
手のひら
手のひら means “palm of the hand” here, the place where the screw should be held. It is followed by に in 手のひらに持ってください to show where the object is held. Use it when describing something placed or held in the palm.
持って
持って means “hold” here and tells the listener to keep the screw in the palm. It is the form of 持つ used before ください in 持ってください. Use it before ください for a polite instruction to hold or carry something.
棚
棚 means “shelf,” the object that needs to be repaired. In 棚を直す, it is the thing receiving the repair action. It can be used as the object of verbs describing repair or other actions.
直す
直す means “fix” or “repair” here, referring to repairing the shelf. In 棚を直すために, it describes the purpose for needing the screw. Use it after the object marked by を when saying that you will repair something.
ため
ため contributes the meaning of purpose in 棚を直すために, “in order to fix the shelf.” The whole expression 直すために gives the purpose; ため alone does not carry the complete construction. Use verb phrase + ために when explaining the purpose of an action.
それ
それ means “it” here and refers to the screw already found. In それが必要です, it identifies the item needed to fix the shelf. Use it to refer back to an object that has already been mentioned.
が
が marks それ as the item that is needed in それが必要です. It identifies the subject of the description of necessity. A common pattern is the needed item + が必要です.
必要
必要 means “necessary” or “needed” here and describes the screw as required for fixing the shelf. It appears in the construction それが必要です. Use item + が必要です when saying that an item is needed.
それで
それで means “then” or “so” here and connects having the screw with being able to finish the repair. It signals the result or next step in the conversation. Use it to connect a situation with its consequence or what happens next.
直し終える
直し終える means “finish repairing” here. 直し contributes the repair action and 終える contributes completing that action, so the expression refers to completing the shelf repair. Use this kind of form when you want to say that an action has been completed.
こと
こと turns the action in 直し終えること into a noun-like expression. In 直し終えることができます, it allows できます to express the ability to finish the repair. A reusable construction is verb phrase + ことができます.
できます
できます means “can” or “be able to” here, referring to the ability to finish repairing the shelf. It is the polite form of できる and appears after ことが in 直し終えることができます. Use verb phrase + ことができます to say that someone can do an action.
Grammar Points
～てください
見てください。
MEE-teh koo-dah-SAI.Please look.
Use ～てください to make a polite request.
～ないように
転がらないように。
koh-roh-gah-RAH-nai YOH-nee.So that it does not roll away.
Use ～ないように to express a purpose of preventing something.
Japanese Vocabulary
いす
noun
EE-soo
chair
そば
noun
SOH-bah
near; beside
とても
adv
toh-TEH-moh
very
なくしました
verb
nah-koo-shee-MAH-shee-tah
lost
ねじ
noun
NEH-jee
screw
下
noun
SHEE-tah
under; below
気をつけて
phrase
kee oh tsoo-KEH-teh
carefully; be careful
脚
noun
AH-shee
leg
見てください
phrase
MEE-teh koo-dah-SAI
please check; please look
拾ってください
phrase
HEE-roo-tteh koo-dah-SAI
please pick it up
小さい
adj
CHEE-SAI
small; tiny
小さな
adj
CHEE-sah-nah
small
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
lost
Show Answer
なくしましたcarefully; be careful
Show Answer
気をつけてplease check; please look
Show Answer
見てくださいplease pick it up