Warming Up at Home | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 今、寒く感じます。

   I feel cold now.

   今

   now

   寒く

   cold

   感じます

   feel

   More detail

   今 means “now” and places the situation at the present time. It is a time expression and does not itself specify who is experiencing the feeling. 寒く is the -く form of the い-adjective 寒い (“cold”). This form is used before a verb when the adjective describes how the action or experience occurs: 寒く感じる means “feel cold.” Compare 寒い in 今日は寒い。 (“Today is cold.”) with 寒く感じる (“feel cold”). 感じます is the polite nonpast form of 感じる, “to feel” or “to sense.” The nonpast form can describe a present experience; here, 今 makes the present reading clear. Example: 痛く感じます。 — “I feel pain / It feels painful.” The sentence does not need an overt subject, and the fixed translation identifies the experiencer as “I.” Together, 今 + 寒く + 感じます produces “I feel cold now.” The pattern ［time expression］＋［い-adjective in -く form］＋感じます can be reused for a present feeling, such as 今、暑く感じます。 — “I feel hot now.”

2. この暖かい毛布にくるまってください。

   Wrap yourself in this warm blanket.

   この

   this

   暖かい

   warm

   毛布

   blanket

   くるまってください

   please wrap yourself

   More detail

   この means “this” and appears before the noun it specifies. It is the attributive form of the demonstrative meaning a nearby or contextually identified thing; unlike これ, which can stand alone, この must modify a noun. Here it identifies the blanket as the intended one. 暖かい means “warm” here. It is an i-adjective, and its dictionary form is also 暖かい; the form does not change because of the noun’s number or gender. For example, 暖かい部屋 means “a warm room.” 毛布 means “blanket.” It is a noun. The sequence 暖かい毛布 is “warm blanket”: the adjective comes before the noun it describes. Japanese nouns do not generally change form for singular versus plural, so the form 毛布 itself does not state a number. くるまってください is a polite request meaning “please wrap yourself” or “please get wrapped up.” Its verb base is くるまる, an intransitive verb describing a person or thing becoming enveloped or wrapped. The form くるまって is its te-form, followed by ください to make a polite request. This is different from a transitive verb meaning “wrap something”; the person addressed is understood to carry out the action on themself here. For example, 毛布にくるまってください。 means “Please wrap yourself in a blanket.” The particle に after 毛布 marks the blanket as the thing or state in which the person becomes wrapped: 毛布にくるまる means “to wrap oneself in a blanket.” Thus この暖かい毛布に means “in this warm blanket,” and くるまってください asks the listener to wrap themself in it. Together, the utterance means “Wrap yourself in this warm blanket.”

3. 私の手も冷たいです。

   My hands are cold too.

   私の

   my

   手

   hands

   も

   too

   冷たいです

   are cold

   More detail

   私の means “my.” 私 is the first-person pronoun “I/me,” and の links it to the following noun to show possession or association: 私の手 = “my hand(s).” Japanese does not mark ordinary nouns for singular versus plural here, so 手 can be translated as “hand” or “hands”; the fixed translation specifies “hands.” 手 means “hand” in this sentence. Its form does not change to mark plural number, so context or translation supplies whether one or more hands are intended. Example: 手を洗います。 — “I wash my hands.” も means “too” or “also.” It attaches after the element being added to an existing comparison or list. Here it applies to 私の手, giving “my hands too,” rather than changing the meaning of 冷たいです. 冷たいです expresses a polite statement that something is cold. 冷たい is the base form of the Japanese い-adjective meaning “cold” when describing a thing by touch or temperature. です adds polite sentence style; it is not an English-style plural marker. For example, 水が冷たいです。 — “The water is cold.” Together, 私の手 (“my hands”) + も (“too”) + 冷たいです (“are cold”) produces: “My hands are cold too.” The sentence presents the speaker’s hands as another thing that is cold, while も supplies the meaning “too.”

4. この温かいカップをしばらく持っていてください。

   Hold this warm cup for a while.

   この

   this

   温かい

   warm

   カップ

   cup

   しばらく

   for a while

   持っていてください

   please keep holding it

   More detail

   この modifies the noun that follows it. It is the Japanese demonstrative meaning “this” and marks the cup as the item being identified here. Japanese demonstratives used before nouns include この “this,” その “that near you / previously mentioned,” and あの “that over there”; the choice depends on the situation, not on the noun’s number or gender. 温かい is an i-adjective meaning “warm” here. Its dictionary form is 温かい; before a noun it directly modifies that noun: 温かいカップ means “a warm cup.” Its adverbial form is 温かく, which can be used in a sentence such as カップが温かくなる—“The cup becomes warm.” This adjective describes the cup’s temperature; it does not itself express the request to hold it. カップ is the noun “cup,” written in katakana as a borrowed word. Japanese nouns generally do not change form for singular versus plural, so カップ can refer to one cup here because the context and the demonstrative identify the intended item. しばらく is an adverb meaning “for a while” or “for some time.” It gives the duration of the holding, without specifying an exact length. For example, しばらく待ってください。 means “Please wait for a while.” 持っていてください asks someone to continue holding something. The base verb is 持つ, meaning “hold” or “carry.” Its て-form is 持って; combined with いる, 持っている describes an ongoing state or action, “be holding” here. Adding ください to this request pattern makes it polite: 持っていてください = “Please keep holding [it].” The object is supplied by the preceding noun phrase, この温かいカップ; Japanese does not need to repeat it after the verb. Together, この温かいカップ identifies the warm cup, しばらく specifies that the holding should continue for a while, and 持っていてください makes the polite request. The whole utterance therefore means: “Hold this warm cup for a while.”

5. それで少し暖かくなります。

   That helps a little.

   それで

   with that; that way

   少し

   a little

   暖かくなります

   becomes warm

   More detail

   それで comes first and means “with that” or “by that means.” Here, it links the result to the preceding action involving the warm cup, matching “That” in the fixed translation. The form can also connect a cause to a result, but this sentence uses it to point back to the relevant means or circumstance. 少し means “a little” or “slightly.” It limits the degree of the change, not the number of objects. Example: 少し休みます。 — “I’ll rest a little.” 暖かくなります expresses becoming warm. 暖かい is the base form of the i-adjective “warm”; before なる (“become”), its ending changes to the adverbial form 暖かく, giving the pattern 暖かくなる — “become warm.” なります is the polite nonpast form of なる; in context, nonpast can describe a present or generally expected result, not only a future event. Example: 部屋が暖かくなります。 — “The room becomes warm.” Together, それで (“with that”) + 少し (“a little”) + 暖かくなります (“becomes warm”) gives the literal idea “With that, it becomes a little warmer.” In this context, the natural intended meaning is “That helps a little.”

6. ソファーに座って休んでください。

   Sit on the sofa and rest.

   ソファー

   sofa

   座って

   sit; and then

   休んでください

   please rest

   More detail

   ソファー means “sofa.” It is a noun; the long vowel is part of the spelling. In this sentence, ソファーに uses に to mark the place where the sitting occurs: “on the sofa.” 座って comes from 座る (“to sit”). The form changes from the dictionary form 座る to the te-form 座って. Here, the te-form links this action to what follows, giving the sequence “sit and then …” rather than making 座って a separate polite request. 休んでください comes from 休む (“to rest” or “to take a break”). 休んで is its te-form, followed by ください, a polite way to ask someone to do the action: “please rest.” The same pattern is reusable: V-てください = “please V.” Together, ソファーに座って休んでください。 means “Sit on the sofa and rest.” The location marked by に applies to 座って, and the linked actions are sitting first and resting afterward. The wording is a polite request.

7. 今、部屋が暖かく感じます。

   The room feels warmer now.

   今

   now

   部屋

   room

   暖かく

   warmly; warm

   感じます

   feel

   More detail

   今 means “now” and places the situation at the present time. It can also appear in contrasts such as 今は (“as for now”), but the fixed sentence uses the shorter form. 部屋 means “room.” It is a noun and can be combined with other words, for example 部屋のドア (“the room’s door”). Here, が marks 部屋 as the subject of the description: the room is the thing experienced as warm. 暖かく is the adverbial form of the i-adjective 暖かい (“warm”). The ending changes 暖かい to 暖かく when the adjective modifies a following verb or connects to another expression. In this sentence, it connects to 感じます, giving the pattern 暖かく感じる (“feel warm” / “feel warmer”). This form is not a separate adjective meaning “warmly.” For comparison, 暖かい describes something directly, while より暖かい means “warmer.” 感じます is the polite nonpast form of 感じる, “to feel” or “to sense.” The nonpast form can describe a present impression, as it does here; the polite form is suitable for a neutral or courteous statement. For example, 少し寒く感じます。 means “It feels a little cold.” Together, 今 sets the time, 部屋が identifies the room as the subject, and 暖かく感じます describes its current perceived temperature. The complete meaning is “The room feels warmer now.”

8. 暖かいままにするために、窓を閉めます。

   I'll close the window so it stays that way.

   暖かい

   warm

   ままにする

   keep as it is

   ために

   so that; in order to

   窓

   window

   閉めます

   close; will close

   More detail

   暖かい means “warm” here. It is an い-adjective: the form before a noun is also 暖かい, as in 暖かい部屋 (“a warm room”). In this sentence, it describes the state that is maintained. ままにする is a reusable construction meaning “keep something in a state” or “leave something as it is.” Here, 暖かいままにする means “keep it warm” or “keep it in its warm state.” The adjective comes before まま, which marks the continuing state. Example: ドアを開いたままにする。 — “Leave the door open.” ために marks purpose: “in order to” or “so that.” The clause before it, 暖かいままにする, gives the intended purpose of the action that follows. In this sentence, it presents keeping things warm as the reason for closing the window. 窓 means “window.” It is the noun marked as the object of the following action by the particle を; Japanese nouns do not change form for singular or plural in this context. 閉めます means “close” or, in this context, “will close.” Its base form is 閉める, and 閉めます is its polite nonpast form. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action when the context concerns a decision or intention. 閉める is transitive, so it takes an object with を: 窓を閉める means “close the window.” The different verb 閉まる means “become closed” or “close” without an agent as the subject, so it is not the form used here. Together, 暖かいままにするために means “so that it stays warm” or “in order to keep it warm,” and 窓を閉めます means “I’ll close the window.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll close the window so it stays that way.”