Checking a Message Before Sending | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. このメッセージを確認できますか。

   Can you check this message?

   この

   this

   メッセージ

   message

   確認できますか

   can check?

   More detail

   この means “this” when it comes directly before a noun. It identifies something associated with the speaker or otherwise understood as near in the situation; the noun after it is required. Compare その “that near you/previously mentioned” and あの “that over there.” Example: この本 means “this book.” メッセージ is the noun “message,” written in katakana as a borrowed word. Japanese nouns do not normally change form for singular and plural, so this form can refer to one message or to messages depending on context. In this utterance, the fixed translation presents it as one message. 確認 means “checking” or “confirming.” With する, the expression 確認する means “to check” or “to confirm.” Example: 予定を確認する。 means “I check the schedule.” できますか asks whether the listener can or is able to do something. Here it follows 確認, forming 確認できますか “can you check?” The useful pattern is [verb stem or noun + できる]; with 確認, 確認できる means “be able to check.” できる is the non-past form, while できます is its polite form. The final か marks the sentence as a question. The polite non-past form is appropriate for asking about the listener’s ability or willingness in the present situation; it does not by itself assert that the checking has happened. Together, このメッセージ identifies the item being discussed, and 確認できますか asks the listener whether they can check it. The complete utterance means “Can you check this message?” This is a polite, reusable request pattern: [item]を確認できますか。 means “Can you check [item]?”

2. 私は今、読めます。

   I can read it now.

   私は

   I (as the topic)

   今

   now

   読めます

   can read

   More detail

   私は combines 私 (“I”) with は, the topic marker. It presents the speaker as the topic: “as for me.” 私 is a first-person pronoun; Japanese does not require this pronoun when the speaker is clear. Example: 私は学生です。 — “I am a student.” 今 means “now” and sets the time of the statement. Example: 今、始めます。 — “I’ll start now.” 読めます is the polite nonpast form of the potential verb 読める, “be able to read.” Its dictionary verb is 読む, “read”: 読む → 読める → 読めます. The potential form expresses ability or possibility, while 読みます means “read” or “will read” without specifically expressing ability. Example: この本が読めます。 — “I can read this book.” Together, 私は sets the speaker as the topic, 今 specifies the current time, and 読めます states present ability: “I can read it now.” The object of 読む is omitted in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation and nearby context support understanding it as the previously mentioned message. The polite ending makes the statement suitable for a neutral, respectful conversation.

3. 内容は分かりやすいですか。

   Does it look clear?

   内容

   content

   分かりやすい

   easy to understand; clear

   ですか

   is it ...?

   More detail

   内容 means “content.” It is a noun, and in this sentence it is marked as the topic by the following は: “As for the content …” The same noun can be used in patterns such as 内容を確認します (“I check the content”). 分かりやすい describes something as easy to understand, so here it presents the content as clear. It is built from 分かる (“to understand; to be clear”) and やすい (“easy to do”), forming a useful pattern: verb stem + やすい = “easy to [verb].” For example, この説明は分かりやすいです means “This explanation is easy to understand.” The observed form is an adjective; it is not the noun 内容 that carries this description. ですか makes the predicate a polite question. After an i-adjective such as 分かりやすい, です can follow for polite style, and か marks the sentence as a question. Thus 分かりやすいですか asks whether something is easy to understand or clear. Compare the statement 分かりやすいです (“It is clear”) with the question 分かりやすいですか (“Is it clear?”). Together, 内容は sets “the content” as the topic, 分かりやすい describes it as easy to understand, and ですか turns that description into a polite question: “Does it look clear?”

4. 大事な点は分かりやすいです。

   The main point is easy to understand.

   大事な

   important

   点

   point

   分かりやすい

   easy to understand

   More detail

   大事な means “important” here and modifies the noun that follows. Its base form is 大事だ; before a noun, the だ changes to な: 大事な点 = “an important point.” Example: 大事な問題です。 — “It is an important problem.” 点 is a noun meaning “point” here, in the sense of a particular matter or aspect. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as the main point. Example: その点を説明します。 — “I will explain that point.” 分かりやすい means “easy to understand.” It is formed from 分かる (“understand”) and やすい (“easy to do” when attached to a verb stem). The resulting form is an い-adjective: 分かりやすい説明 means “an easy-to-understand explanation.” Its opposite pattern is 分かりにくい, “difficult to understand.” The topic marker は presents 大事な点 as the topic, and です gives the predicate a polite style. The pattern XはYです means “As for X, it is Y.” Thus, 大事な点は分かりやすいです。 assembles as “The important/main point is easy to understand.”

5. 何か間違いがありますか。

   Do you see any mistakes?

   何か

   anything; something

   間違い

   mistake

   ありますか

   is there?; are there?

   More detail

   何か means “anything” or “something.” In this question, it asks whether there is any relevant thing, here a mistake. The form 何か is a useful indefinite expression; it does not itself state a particular number. 間違い is the noun “mistake” or “error.” It can be used for an error in writing, content, or another action. Example: 間違いを直します。 — “I will correct the mistake.” ありますか comes from ある, “to exist” or “to be present,” in the polite nonpast form あります, followed by か, which marks a question. ある is used here for the existence or presence of an inanimate thing such as a mistake. ありますか therefore asks politely whether something is present; it does not literally contain a separate verb meaning “see.” Together, 何か + 間違い + ありますか asks whether any mistake is present: “Do you see any mistakes?” The fixed English translation makes “see” the intended practical interpretation, while the Japanese wording presents it as a polite existence question. The sentence itself does not specify how many mistakes there are.

6. 最後の近くに、つづりの小さな間違いが一つあります。

   I see one small spelling mistake near the end.

   最後

   end; last part

   近く

   nearby; vicinity

   つづり

   spelling

   小さな

   small

   間違い

   mistake; error

   一つ

   one item

   あります

   there is; exists

   More detail

   最後 means “the end” or “the last part.” In this sentence, 最後の makes it modify 近く: “near the end.” As a noun, 最後 can also mean “the last” in expressions such as 最後の日 (“the last day”). 近く means “near” or “the vicinity.” Here, 最後の近くに describes the location of what follows: に marks the place where something exists. The pattern Nの近くに means “near N.” Example: 駅の近くに店があります。 — “There is a shop near the station.” つづり means “spelling,” specifically the way a word is written. The の in つづりの小さな間違い links this noun to the following noun: it is a mistake in spelling. This is a noun modifier, not a separate verb. 小さな means “small” before a noun. It is the attributive form of 小さい (“small”); 小さい間違い is also a natural way to say “a small mistake.” 小さな is used before a noun and does not show the noun’s number. 間違い means “mistake” or “error.” In this sentence it means a spelling mistake because つづりの specifies what kind of mistake it is. The noun can be used more generally, as in 間違いがあります。 — “There is a mistake.” 一つ counts one general item or thing. The counter つ is used in the traditional general counting series: 一つ (one), 二つ (two), and so on. Here it states that there is one mistake; it is not part of the meaning of 小さな. あります is the polite non-past form of ある, used for the existence or presence of something nonliving or inanimate. The pattern Nがあります means “there is N” or “N exists.” In this sentence, the subject marked by が is the one spelling mistake, while に marks its location. The nearby context’s それ refers back to this mistake, but that pronoun is outside the fixed utterance. Putting the parts together: 最後の近くに = “near the end”; つづりの小さな間違いが一つ = “one small spelling mistake”; and あります = “there is.” The complete meaning is: “I see one small spelling mistake near the end.” Japanese presents this as the existence of one mistake at a specified location; the fixed English translation supplies the intended “I see” reading.

7. 私は今、それを直します。

   I will fix that now.

   私は

   I; as for me

   今

   now

   それ

   that; it

   直します

   will fix; fix

   More detail

   私は means “I” with は marking the topic: the speaker presents themself as the person who will act. 私 is a first-person pronoun; は is a topic marker, not part of the pronoun. In this sentence, the speaker is the person who will do the fixing. Example: 私は学生です。 — “I am a student.” Here too, 私は sets “I” as the topic. 今 means “now” and modifies the action that follows. It places the fixing at the present moment or in the immediate future, consistent with the translation “now.” それ means “that” or “it,” referring here to the thing to be fixed. Japanese demonstratives distinguish distance and discourse reference; それ is the “that” form, while これ means “this” and あれ means “that over there.” The exact object is not named in this sentence, but the supplied translation identifies it as “that.” Example: それを見ます。 — “I will look at that.” The object marker を follows the thing being looked at; in the fixed sentence, それ is likewise the object of the fixing action. 直します is the polite nonpast form of 直す, “to fix” or “to correct.” Its form is 直し + ます; ます gives a polite style, while Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action, so here it means “will fix.” The object is something that can be repaired or corrected, such as an error or a damaged item. Example: 間違いを直します。 — “I will correct the mistake.” This uses the same 直します form with an explicitly named object. Together, 私は identifies the speaker as the topic, 今 places the action now, それ identifies the object as “that,” and 直します states politely that the speaker will fix it. The whole utterance means: “I will fix that now.”

8. その後、送る準備ができるはずです。

   After that, it should be ready to send.

   その後

   after that

   送る

   send

   準備

   preparation; readiness

   できる

   be ready

   はずです

   should be; is expected to

   More detail

   その後 means “after that” and places the situation after an already established event or time. 後 means “after/behind,” while その points to something identified from context; here, the fixed translation supports the temporal reading “after that.” Example: その後、家に帰りました。 — “After that, I went home.” 送る is the dictionary form meaning “to send.” In this sentence it is used before 準備 in its attributive form, so it modifies the noun and specifies what the preparation concerns: sending. It is not marked for past or present time here. A useful related contrast is 受け取る, “to receive,” which describes the opposite direction. Example: 荷物を送る。 — “I send a package.” 準備 means “preparation” or “readiness.” In 送る準備, it is the noun “preparation” modified by 送る, giving “preparation for sending.” Japanese commonly uses the pattern V-dictionary form + 準備 for “preparation to do V.” Example: 旅行の準備をします。 — “I prepare for a trip.” できる means “can be done” or, in the construction 準備ができる, “be ready” or “be completed.” Here 準備 is marked by が as the thing that reaches a ready state. The form できる can also express ability in other contexts, but the readiness meaning is the one supported here. Example: 準備ができました。 — “The preparations are ready.” はずです presents an expectation: “should be” or “is expected to be.” はず is a noun meaning an expected or logically anticipated state, and です gives the expression a polite tone. In できるはずです, the expectation applies to the preceding proposition できる; it does not itself mean certainty. Example: 彼は来るはずです。 — “He should come.” Together, その後 sets the time as “after that,” 送る準備 means “readiness to send,” できる says that this readiness will be reached, and はずです marks that result as expected. The whole utterance therefore means: “After that, it should be ready to send.”