Finding the Back of a Line | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. この列の最後尾はどこですか。

   Where is the end of this line?

   この

   this

   列

   line; queue

   最後尾

   end of the line

   どこですか

   where is it?

   More detail

   この means “this” and points to a noun that follows it: この列 means “this line.” この does not itself show whether the noun is singular or plural; Japanese demonstratives do not change for that distinction. 列 means “line” or “queue” here. In this sentence, the surrounding wording and the translation support the queue meaning. The same written word can also refer to a line or row in another context, so the noun’s meaning is determined by context. 最後尾 means “the last position” or “the end of a line/queue.” It is a noun for the rearmost part or person in an ordered line, rather than a general word for every kind of ending. For example, 列の最後尾 means “the end of the queue.” どこ means “where.” It asks for a location. です is a polite copular form, and か turns the clause into a polite question. Together, どこですか is a reusable polite pattern meaning “where is it?” or “where is [that place/thing]?” The specific referent is supplied by the preceding noun phrase rather than by どこ itself. The chunks combine as この列の最後尾 (“the end of this line”) + は (marks that phrase as the topic) + どこですか (“where is it?”). Thus the whole utterance asks politely where the end of this queue is. The following context confirms that 最後尾 is located near the door.

2. 最後尾はドアの近くです。

   The end is over by the door.

   最後尾

   the end of a line or queue

   ドア

   door

   近く

   nearby; vicinity

   です

   is; am; are (polite)

   More detail

   最後尾 means the rearmost position, especially the end of a line or queue. It is a noun, so it can be used with の to specify what has an end position: 列の最後尾 means “the end of the line.” In the fixed sentence, 最後尾 is the thing being located. ドア is the loanword “door.” It is a noun and can be modified by の, as in ドアの近く (“near the door”). 近く means “near” or “the vicinity.” In ドアの近く, の links the noun ドア to 近く: literally, “the vicinity of the door.” This is a useful location pattern: [place]の近く = “near [place].” For example, 駅の近くです。 means “It is near the station.” です is the polite copular form used here to state a location: [thing]は[place]です = “[thing] is at/in [place].” It does not itself identify a person or object; here it politely connects 最後尾 with ドアの近く. The topic marker は marks 最後尾 as the topic. The chunks combine as 最後尾は (“as for the end of the line”) + ドアの近く (“near the door”) + です (“is” in polite style). Thus the whole utterance means, “The end is over by the door,” with 最後尾 understood from the line-or-queue context.

3. そこで待てばいいですか。

   Should I wait there?

   そこで

   there; in that place

   待てばいいですか

   Should I wait?

   More detail

   そこで そこ is a demonstrative for a place: “there” or “that place.” The particle で marks the place where an action takes place, so そこで means “there, at that place.” Its exact referent is the place established by the situation; the supplied translation supports the location reading. Example: そこで話します。— “I will talk there.” 待てばいいですか The base form is 待つ (“to wait”). In this sentence it appears as 待てば, the affirmative conditional form: 待つ → 待てば. The -ば form can be used in the pattern V-ばいいですか, which asks whether doing the action is the appropriate or acceptable choice. Here, 待てばいいですか asks, “Should I wait?” or more literally, “Is it good/okay if I wait?” いい means “good” or “okay” in this construction, and ですか makes the question polite. The subject is not stated in Japanese; the fixed translation identifies it as “I,” so the intended question is whether the speaker should wait. Example: ここで待てばいいですか。— “Should I wait here?” Whole utterance そこで identifies the place, and 待てばいいですか asks whether waiting is the appropriate action. Together, そこで待てばいいですか。 means “Should I wait there?” It is a polite way to ask for instructions about the appropriate action and location.

4. 最後の人の後ろに並んでください。

   Stand behind the last person.

   最後

   last

   人

   person

   後ろ

   behind; back

   並んでください

   please line up

   More detail

   最後 means “last” here: it identifies the person at the end of the relevant line or sequence. Its common contrast is 最初, “first.” 人 means “person.” In 最後の人, the particle の links 最後 to 人, producing the noun phrase “the last person.” The phrase does not by itself explain how many people there are; it identifies one person by position in the sequence. 後ろ means “behind” or “the back.” In 後ろに, に marks the location or destination associated with the action: “behind.” Japanese often uses a noun plus に for a position, as in 机の後ろに (“behind the desk”). 並んでください comes from 並ぶ, “to line up” or “stand in line.” The form 並んで is the て-form, and ください after a て-form makes a polite request: 並んでください means “please line up.” For example, ここに並んでください。 means “Please line up here.” Together, 最後の人の後ろに means “behind the last person,” and 並んでください asks the listener to line up there. The whole utterance therefore means “Stand behind the last person.”

5. 案内を見落としました。

   I missed the sign.

   案内

   sign; notice

   見落としました

   missed; overlooked

   More detail

   案内 is a noun meaning “sign” or “notice” here. In other contexts it can mean guidance or information. The following context identifies this instance as something posted next to a door. The particle を marks 案内 as the direct object. 見落としました means “missed” or “overlooked” here. Its base form is 見落とす, “to overlook” or “fail to notice”; 見落としました is its polite past form. The ました ending presents the action as completed in polite style. Japanese does not overtly express the actor in this sentence; the fixed translation supplies “I.” 見落とす is more specific than 見る (“look” or “see”), because it describes failing to notice something that was present. Together, 案内を (“the sign/notice” as the object) and 見落としました (“missed/overlooked”) produce: “I missed the sign.” A reusable pattern is Nを見落としました = “I missed/overlooked N.”

6. ドアの横に貼ってあります。

   It is posted next to the door.

   ドア

   door

   横に

   beside; next to

   貼ってあります

   is posted; has been put up

   More detail

   ドア is a noun meaning “door.” It is a common loanword, so it does not show the kinds of inflection that Japanese verbs and adjectives show. 横に means “beside/next to.” 横 means “side” or “beside,” and に marks the location where something exists or is placed. The pattern [place]の横に is reusable for “beside [place].” For example, 駅の横に店があります。 means “There is a shop next to the station.” 貼ってあります uses the verb 貼る, “to stick, attach, or post,” in the form 貼って plus あります. The construction Vてあります describes a resulting state that has been deliberately created: something has been put up and remains in that state. Here, the item is currently posted. あります is the polite nonpast form of ある, used for existence or a resulting state; it is not simply the ordinary progressive form “is posting.” The sentence has the pattern [location]に Vてあります: ドアの横に identifies the location, and 貼ってあります says that the item is posted there. The subject is omitted, while the fixed translation identifies it as “it”; together, the parts mean “It is posted next to the door.”

7. 列の後ろに行きます。

   I will head to the back.

   列

   line; queue

   後ろ

   back; rear

   行きます

   go; head

   More detail

   列 means a line or queue. It is a noun and can be used in location expressions. Example: 列に並びます。 means “I line up in the queue.” 後ろ means the back or rear of something. In 列の後ろ, it refers to the back of the line. The pattern Aの後ろ can mean “behind A” or “at the back of A,” depending on the context. 行きます is the polite non-past form of 行く, “to go.” Here, the translation and context support an upcoming intention: “will head.” The same non-past form can also describe a repeated or scheduled action when the context supports that reading; it is not by itself a progressive “am going” form. に marks the destination of movement here. The pattern 場所に行きます means “go to a place,” so 列の後ろに means “to the back of the line.” Together, 列の後ろに行きます。 means “I will head to the back,” with the target text specifying the back of the line. The polite form suits ordinary courteous conversation.

8. そこから人が列に入っています。

   That is where people are joining.

   そこから

   from there

   人

   people

   列

   line; queue

   入っています

   are joining

   More detail

   そこから means “from there.” そこ is a demonstrative for a place, and から marks the starting point or source. This pattern is reusable with other place expressions: 駅から means “from the station.” 人 means “person” here, and the translation identifies the intended group as “people.” Japanese nouns often do not require a separate plural ending, so 人 can refer to one person or more than one depending on context. The reading and meaning here are supported by the verb and the fixed translation. 列 means “line” or “queue.” It is the noun that identifies where people are joining. For example, 列に並びます means “I line up in the queue”; に marks the place or target into which the action is directed. 入っています is the polite form of 入っている, from the verb 入る (“to enter” or “go in”). The form is built from the て-form 入って plus いる; ます makes the expression polite. In this sentence, 入っています presents people as currently entering or joining the line, matching “are joining.” The subject is 人, while 列 is the destination marked by に. Together, そこから sets the starting location, 人が marks people as the subject, 列に marks the line as the place they enter, and 入っています describes the ongoing joining action. The whole utterance means: “That is where people are joining.”