Fixing a Loose Chair | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. このいすはぐらぐらします。

   This chair feels loose.

   この

   this

   いす

   chair

   は

   as for

   ぐらぐらします

   feels loose

   More detail

   この means “this” and identifies a noun close to the speaker or otherwise presented as near. It comes directly before the noun it modifies. A useful pattern is この + noun: この本 means “this book.” いす means “chair.” It is a noun; in this sentence it is the thing being described. The spelling いす is the observed form, and it is not being inflected here. は marks いす as the topic: the sentence presents the chair and then says what is true about it. The pattern noun + は + description is widely reusable. Here は is a topic marker, not part of the noun いす. ぐらぐらします describes the chair as wobbling or feeling loose. The base form is ぐらぐらする; します is its polite non-past form in this expression. The repeated sound ぐらぐら conveys an unsteady, rocking movement. For example, この机はぐらぐらします。 means “This desk feels loose.” Together, このいす means “this chair,” は sets it as the topic, and ぐらぐらします says that it feels loose or wobbles. Thus the whole utterance means “This chair feels loose.”

2. どの部分が動いていますか。

   Which part is moving?

   どの

   which

   部分

   part

   動いていますか

   is moving?

   More detail

   どの comes before the noun it asks to identify and means “which” in this sentence. It is used when selecting one item from a relevant set; unlike どれ (“which one”), it normally directly modifies a noun. Example: どの脚ですか。 — “Which leg is it?” 部分 is the noun “part” or “section.” In どの部分, it is the item being selected: “which part.” A useful related word is 全体, “the whole,” which contrasts with a part. 動いていますか asks whether something is moving. Its base verb is 動く, “to move.” The form 動いている describes an ongoing state or action here, and ます makes it polite; final か marks the sentence as a question. Thus 動いていますか is a polite “is it moving?” rather than a statement that movement is merely possible. Example: 脚が動いています。 — “The leg is moving.” Together, どの部分 identifies the unknown part, and が marks that part as the subject of 動いていますか. The complete utterance therefore means “Which part is moving?”

3. 後ろの脚が少しぐらぐらします。

   The back leg wobbles a little.

   後ろ

   back; rear

   脚

   leg

   少し

   a little

   ぐらぐらします

   wobbles; is unsteady

   More detail

   後ろ means “back” or “rear.” In 後ろの脚, it modifies the following noun with の, giving the reusable pattern [modifier]の[noun]: “the [noun] at/in the back” or “the rear [noun].” Here, the fixed translation identifies 後ろの脚 as “the back leg.” 脚 means “leg.” In this sentence it is the part that is unsteady; the sentence does not specify whose or what object's leg beyond the supplied meaning. 脚 commonly refers to a leg as a supporting limb, while 足 can refer to a foot and, in some contexts, a leg; choose according to the intended body part or object part. 少し means “a little” or “slightly.” It limits the degree of the following description. For example, 少し重いです。 means “It is a little heavy.” ぐらぐらします comes from the mimetic expression ぐらぐらする, “to wobble” or “to be unsteady.” The observed form is the polite nonpast form: する becomes します. With a physical subject such as a leg, it describes that the leg wobbles or feels unstable. ぐらぐら can also describe something that is loose or rocking, depending on context; here its meaning is the leg’s wobbling. The structure is 後ろの脚 (“the back leg”) + が (marks that noun as the subject) + 少し (“a little”) + ぐらぐらします (“wobbles/is unsteady”). Together, these parts say: “The back leg wobbles a little.”

4. 誰かが使う前に、直したほうがいいです。

   We should fix it before anyone uses it.

   誰か

   someone

   使う

   use

   前に

   before

   直した

   fixed; repaired

   ほうがいいです

   it is better to; should

   More detail

   誰か means “someone” here, and in the time clause 誰かが使う前に the fixed translation naturally renders it as “anyone.” The ending か makes the person indefinite; the particle が marks that person as the subject of 使う. The specific person is not identified. 使う is the plain, nonpast form of “to use.” In 誰かが使う前に, it describes an action that has not happened at the relevant time: “before someone uses it.” Japanese commonly uses this nonpast form in a clause with 前に for an action expected or possible in the future. 前に means “before.” The noun 前 means “front” or “before,” and に marks the time relation here. The reusable pattern is [plain clause] 前に = “before [clause].” For example, 寝る前に歯を磨きます。 means “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” 直した is the past/plain form of 直す, “to fix” or “to repair.” Although it has the past-form shape, in 直したほうがいいです it is part of the recommendation pattern [plain past form] ほうがいいです, meaning “it is better to …” or “should ….” Here it recommends fixing the item; it does not by itself state that the fixing has already happened. ほうがいいです literally uses ほう (“the better option”) with いいです (“is good”) to give advice. After a past/plain form, it recommends doing that action: 休んだほうがいいです。 means “You should rest.” This is different from the negative recommendation pattern 〜ないほうがいいです, “it is better not to ….” Together, 誰かが使う前に sets the deadline “before anyone uses it,” and 直したほうがいいです recommends repair. The whole utterance therefore means: “We should fix it before anyone uses it.” The surrounding context identifies the item as the chair with the slightly wobbly back leg, while the Japanese sentence itself leaves the agent of fixing implicit.

5. 別のいすに座りましょうか。

   Should I sit somewhere else?

   別の

   another; different

   いす

   chair

   座りましょうか

   shall I sit?

   More detail

   別の means “another” or “different” here. The pattern 別の + noun describes a noun as different from the relevant one. It does not by itself state a numerical count. Example: 別の方法 means “a different method.” いす means “chair.” It is a noun and can combine with descriptions such as 別のいす (“another chair”). Example: いすに座ります。 means “I sit on a chair.” 座りましょうか is the polite volitional form of 座る (“to sit”) followed by the question particle か. In this fixed sentence, the translation establishes the intended meaning as asking whether the speaker should sit. Japanese often leaves the subject unspoken when it is understood. Example: ここに座りましょうか。 means “Shall I sit here?” Together, 別のいすに means “on another chair”; に marks the place associated with sitting. The pattern 別のいすに座りましょうか asks whether the speaker should sit on a different chair. Thus the complete utterance means “Should I sit somewhere else?”

6. 今は別のいすを使ってください。

   Use another chair for now.

   今は

   for now

   別の

   another; a different

   いす

   chair

   使ってください

   please use

   More detail

   今は means “for now” or “at the moment.” 今 means “now,” and は marks it as the time being discussed. Compare 今 (“now”) with 今は (“for now / as for now”): the particle adds a time-setting contrast. 別の means “another” or “a different.” It comes before a noun: 別のいす means “another chair.” 別 means “different” or “separate,” and の links it to the following noun. This does not by itself specify how many chairs there are. いす means “chair.” It is a noun and can be used in other patterns such as いすに座る (“sit on a chair”) and いすを動かす (“move a chair”). 使ってください is a polite request meaning “please use.” The base verb is 使う (“use”). Its て-form is 使って; adding ください creates a polite request: 使ってください (“please use it”). This form does not itself state who will use the object; the context supplies that from the situation. Together, 今は sets the time, 別のいす identifies the object, and 使ってください makes the request: “Use another chair for now.”

7. このいすを動かして遠くに置きます。

   I will move this one away.

   この

   this

   いす

   chair

   動かして

   move, and then

   遠くに

   far away

   置きます

   put; place

   More detail

   この means “this” and appears directly before いす, so together they identify “this chair.” Japanese demonstratives such as この normally modify a following noun; the form does not itself show number or gender. いす means “chair.” It is a noun, and its referent here is the chair being identified as “this one.” 動かして comes from the verb 動かす (“to move” or “to make something move”). The ending -て links this action to the next one: 動かして、… means “move it, and then …” or “after moving it, …”. The form 動かす is the basic form; 動かして is its te-form. 遠くに means “to a distant place” or “far away.” 遠く expresses a distant place or distance, and に marks the destination or location toward which something is placed. This is distinct from simply describing an action as far away: here it helps specify where the chair is to be placed. 置きます comes from 置く (“to put” or “to place”). 置きます is the polite nonpast form. In this utterance, the nonpast form presents the speaker’s intended action as “I will place it”; it does not by itself assert a separate numeric meaning or specify who the listener is. Together, このいすを marks “this chair” as the object, 動かして gives the first linked action, 遠くに gives the destination, and 置きます gives the final placement. The whole utterance therefore means: “I will move this chair and place it far away,” matching the fixed translation “I will move this one away.”

8. 通路を空けるために、壁に立てかけてください。

   Put it against the wall so the walkway stays clear.

   通路

   walkway

   空ける

   clear; make space

   ために

   in order to

   壁

   wall

   立てかけてください

   please lean it against

   More detail

   通路 means “walkway” or “passageway.” It is a noun, and 通路を marks it as the object of the following action: the speaker wants to make the walkway clear. Example: 通路をふさがないでください。 — “Please do not block the walkway.” 空ける is a transitive verb meaning “to clear” or “to make space.” Its base form is 空ける; the form here is the plain non-past form used inside a purpose expression. In 通路を空ける, the walkway is what is cleared. This differs from 開ける, which commonly means “to open” something such as a door or window. Example: 席を空けます。 — “I will free up the seat.” ために follows 通路を空ける and expresses purpose: “in order to” or “so that.” The pattern verb in plain form + ために can state the purpose of an action. Here, 通路を空けるために means “in order to clear the walkway.” 壁 is the noun “wall.” With the particle に, 壁に marks the surface or position against which something is placed. Example: 壁に絵をかけます。 — “I hang a picture on the wall.” 立てかけてください comes from the transitive verb 立てかける, “to lean or prop something against a surface.” The て form plus ください makes a polite request: 立てかけてください means “please lean it against [something].” The object is omitted in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation identifies it as “it,” and the preceding context supports the item being moved, namely the chair. 立てかける is different from simply 置く (“put/place”), because it describes placing something so that it leans against a support. Together, 壁に立てかけてください means “please lean it against the wall.” The purpose phrase 通路を空けるために comes first, explaining why the request is made. The complete utterance therefore means: “Put it against the wall so the walkway stays clear.”