Waiting in Line | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. この列はカウンターの列ですか？

   Is this line for the counter?

   この

   this

   列

   line; queue

   カウンター

   counter

   列

   line; queue

   ですか

   is it?

   More detail

   この points to something near the speaker or otherwise contextually identified and means “this” when it modifies a noun. Here it modifies 列, so この列 means “this line/queue.” The form この itself does not change for number or gender. 列 means a line or queue here. The same noun can also refer to a line or row in other contexts, so the surrounding words determine the sense. A reusable pattern is この列 (“this line”) or 列に並ぶ (“stand in line”). カウンター is a noun meaning “counter,” such as a service counter. It is a loanword written in katakana. In this sentence it identifies the destination or purpose of the queue, not a person standing in it. The second 列 is again “line/queue.” In カウンターの列, the particle の links the nouns: literally, “the counter’s line,” or more naturally, “the line for the counter.” Japanese commonly uses AのB to connect B with A in this kind of relationship. ですか makes the statement a polite yes-or-no question. です is the polite copular form, and か marks the sentence as a question. The question pattern Xですか asks whether X is the case; it does not itself specify a numerical count. Together, この列 (“this line”), カウンターの列 (“the line for the counter”), and ですか (“is it?”) form この列はカウンターの列ですか？: “Is this line for the counter?” Here は marks この列 as the topic, and the following phrase asks whether it is the line associated with the counter. The following context refers to where the line starts, which is compatible with understanding 列 as a queue.

2. ここが列の始まりです。

   This is where it starts.

   ここが

   this is the place

   列

   line

   始まり

   beginning

   More detail

   ここが combines ここ “here” with が, which marks the place being identified or highlighted. In this sentence, it presents this place as the relevant point. A reusable pattern is ここが X です = “This is X” or “This is where X is.” Example: ここが入口です。 — “This is the entrance.” 列 means “line” or “queue.” In this context it refers to the line mentioned in the surrounding conversation. The word can be used for a waiting line as well as other kinds of lines, depending on context. 始まり is the noun “beginning” or “start.” It is related to the verb 始まる “to begin,” but the observed form here is the noun 始まり, not the verb. Example: ここから始まりです。 is not the natural way to say “It starts here”; ここから始まります。 uses the verb and means “It starts from here.” In 列の始まり, の links the nouns: 列 “line” + の “of” + 始まり “beginning,” giving “the beginning of the line.” The final です is the polite copula, making the statement polite. Together, ここが列の始まりです。 identifies this place as the beginning of the line: “This is where it starts.”

3. チケットが必要ですか？

   Do I need a ticket?

   チケット

   ticket

   必要ですか

   is needed?

   More detail

   チケット is a noun meaning “ticket.” Japanese nouns do not generally change for singular or plural, so this form can refer to one ticket or more than one when the context does not specify the number. In this utterance, the fixed translation presents it as the ticket the speaker may need. 必要ですか uses 必要 for “necessary” or “needed,” followed by polite です and the yes-or-no question marker か. The useful pattern is 必要ですか = “Is it necessary?” or, with a marked item, Xが必要ですか = “Do you need X?” The less formal corresponding predicate is 必要だ; before a noun, use 必要な, as in 必要な書類 (“necessary documents”). In チケットが必要ですか？, が marks チケット as the item that is needed. Japanese leaves the grammatical subject unspoken here. The fixed translation identifies that omitted subject as the speaker, so the intended meaning is “Do I need a ticket?” rather than assigning the need to an unspecified person. The complete structure is チケット + が + 必要ですか: “ticket” + the marker showing what is needed + “is necessary?” Together, these produce the polite question “Do I need a ticket?”

4. この箱から一枚取ってください。

   Take one from this box.

   この

   this

   箱

   box

   から

   from

   一枚

   one (flat item)

   取ってください

   please take

   More detail

   この means “this” and comes before the noun it identifies: この + noun. Here it points to the box as a nearby or contextually present box. The form itself does not show number or gender. 箱 means “box.” It is a noun, and この箱 together means “this box.” から marks the starting point or source of an action. In この箱から, it means “from this box.” A useful pattern is place + から: 家から来ます means “I come from home.” 一枚 means “one” counted with 枚, a counter used for flat, relatively thin items such as sheets, cards, or tickets. 一 supplies the number and 枚 supplies the counter; this does not identify the particular item. The counter is part of the meaning required by the Japanese counting expression here. 取ってください is a polite request meaning “please take.” Its base form is 取る (“to take”); 取って is its て-form, and ください after a て-form makes a polite request: Vてください = “please V.” This construction requests that the listener perform the action; it is not simply the dictionary form 取る. Together, この箱から (“from this box”), 一枚 (“one flat item”), and 取ってください (“please take”) produce: “Take one from this box.” The Japanese sentence is a polite request, and 一枚 indicates that the item is being counted as a flat item.

5. 私の番はいつですか？

   When is my turn?

   私の番

   my turn

   いつ

   when

   ですか

   is it?

   More detail

   私の番 私 means “I” or “me,” and の links it to the following noun: 私の番 means “my turn.” 番 is a noun meaning a person’s or group member’s turn in an ordered activity. The possessive pattern [person]の番 is reusable: 彼の番 means “his turn,” and 次はあなたの番です means “Next is your turn.” Here, 私 identifies whose turn it is; it does not by itself say how many turns or people there are. いつ いつ means “when” and asks about an unspecified time or occasion. It can be used in a question such as いつですか？, “When is it?” In this sentence, it asks when the speaker’s turn occurs, rather than asking who or what the turn is. ですか です is the polite copular form used to state or identify something, and か turns the clause into a polite question. The form です does not change here to show the speaker’s gender or the noun’s number. For example, 次はあなたの番ですか？ means “Is it your turn next?” Together, 私の番 identifies the relevant turn, いつ asks for its time or position, and ですか makes the whole clause a polite question. Thus 私の番はいつですか？ means “When is my turn?” The particle は marks 私の番 as the topic: “As for my turn, when is it?”

6. あの人の次があなたの番です。

   You're after that person.

   あの

   that

   人

   person

   次

   after; next

   あなた

   you

   番

   turn

   です

   is

   More detail

   あの appears before a noun and means “that,” referring to something or someone away from the speaker in the shared situation. With 人, it forms あの人, “that person.” A similar form is この, “this,” for something near the speaker; その commonly means “that” near the listener or already under discussion. 人 means “person.” Its reading and form do not change here for the grammatical role shown. あの人 is a reusable noun phrase: あの人は先生です。 — “That person is a teacher.” 次 means “next” or “the next position.” In this sentence, あの人の次 means “after that person” in an ordered sequence. The の between 人 and 次 links the reference point to what follows: Aの次 means “after A” or “the next position after A.” For example, 駅の次 can mean “the station after it” when discussing a route; the exact reference depends on context. あなた is the pronoun “you,” referring here to the listener, as specified by the fixed translation. Japanese often omits this pronoun when the context makes the participant clear, but it is stated here for emphasis or clarity. あなたの番 means “your turn”: あなたの番です。 — “It is your turn.” 番 means “turn” in an ordered activity, such as taking turns speaking, playing, or acting. The pattern Xの番 means “X’s turn,” where X identifies the participant whose turn it is. This noun is distinct from 次: 次 identifies a position in sequence, while 番 identifies the turn belonging to a participant. です is the polite copula, corresponding here to “is.” It makes the statement polite; it does not itself express the English subject “it.” In あなたの番です, the noun phrase あなたの番 is being presented as the current situation. Together, あの人の次 sets the reference point in the order, and あなたの番 identifies whose turn occupies the next position. The が after 次 marks that preceding phrase as the part being identified in relation to the following statement. Thus あの人の次があなたの番です。 means “You’re after that person,” or more literally, “The position after that person is your turn.”

7. ここで待ちます。

   I will wait here.

   ここで

   here; at this place

   待ちます

   wait

   More detail

   ここで means “here” or “at this place.” ここ is a place-word meaning “here,” and で marks the place where an action occurs. This is different from ここに, which commonly marks a place of existence or a destination. Example: ここで食べます。 — “I eat here.” 待ちます means “will wait” in this utterance. It is the polite nonpast form of 待つ (“to wait”): 待つ → 待ちます. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action, as here, or a habitual/current action depending on context. The subject is not stated in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation identifies it as “I.” Example: 駅で待ちます。 — “I will wait at the station.” Together, ここで (“here”) and 待ちます (“will wait”) give ここで待ちます。 — “I will wait here.”

8. 前の人はもうすぐ終わります。

   The person ahead is almost finished.

   前の

   ahead; in front

   人

   person; people

   もうすぐ

   soon; almost

   終わります

   finishes; ends

   More detail

   前の modifies the noun that follows it. Here, 前 means “front” or “ahead,” and の links it attributively to 人, giving “ahead/in front” in 前の人. The pattern Xの人 can describe a person by their relation to X. Example: 隣の人 means “the person next to [someone].” 人 means “person” here. Its form does not itself mark singular or plural, so the context determines whether English uses “person” or “people”; the fixed translation identifies one person here. 人 is read ひと in this expression. もうすぐ means “soon” and, with an event that is approaching completion, “almost.” It modifies the following event rather than the noun 人. Example: もうすぐ始まります。 means “It will start soon.” 終わります is the polite nonpast form of 終わる, “to end” or “to finish.” The form is used for a future event as well as a general statement; with もうすぐ, it describes the person’s completion as imminent. The polite ending -ます makes the statement suitable for polite conversation. Example: 仕事は終わります。 means “The work will finish.” Together, 前の人 identifies the person ahead, もうすぐ marks the completion as imminent, and 終わります says that the completion will occur. The whole utterance means: “The person ahead is almost finished.”