Using a Shared Office | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. この共有オフィスで仕事をしてもいいですか？

   Can I work in this shared office?

   この

   this

   共有オフィス

   shared office

   仕事

   work; job

   して

   do; perform

   てもいいですか

   is it okay to ...?

   More detail

   この means “this” and appears before the noun it specifies: この共有オフィス means “this shared office.” It is a demonstrative determiner, not a standalone noun, and it does not change for grammatical gender or number. Compare その (“that/your-mentioned”) and あの (“that over there”) when the context calls for a different demonstrative. 共有オフィス means “shared office.” It is a compound noun: 共有 expresses sharing, and オフィス means “office.” As a reusable pattern, Japanese can place a noun or noun-like modifier before another noun to make a more specific noun phrase. 仕事 means “work” or “a job.” Here it is the object of the action expressed by する, marked in the sentence by the object particle を: 仕事をする means “to work” or literally “to do work.” The noun’s meaning here is the activity of working, not a specific job position. して is the te-form of する (“to do”). In 仕事をして, it follows the object phrase 仕事を and presents the action in the form needed by the following construction. The te-form of する is して; this is an inflected form, not a separate verb with a different base. てもいいですか is a permission pattern meaning “is it okay to ...?” After a verb’s te-form, てもいいですか asks whether that action is permitted. For example, ここに座ってもいいですか？ means “May I sit here?” The polite ending ですか makes the question polite; the permission meaning comes from the てもいい pattern. Putting the parts together: この共有オフィスで identifies this shared office as the place of the action; 仕事をして expresses working; and もいいですか asks whether doing so is permitted. The whole utterance therefore means, “Can I work in this shared office?”

2. 空いている机を選んでください。

   Choose an open desk.

   空いている

   open; available

   机

   desk

   選んでください

   please choose

   More detail

   空いている means “available” here: the desk is unoccupied and can be chosen. It comes from the intransitive verb 空く (“become vacant”) in its ている form, which describes the resulting state. For example, 席が空いている。 means “The seat is available.” 机 means “desk.” It is a noun and does not itself indicate singular or plural; the context determines whether one desk or more than one is intended. In this sentence, the request is to choose an available desk. 選んでください means “please choose.” 選ぶ is the dictionary form “to choose”; 選んで is its て form, followed by ください to make a polite request. The person being asked is understood from the situation, rather than stated with a pronoun. For example, 好きな色を選んでください。 means “Please choose your favorite color.” Together, 空いている机を identifies “an available desk” as the object of the action, and 選んでください politely asks the listener to choose it. The whole utterance means “Choose an open desk.”

3. ドアの近くの机を使えます。

   I can use the one near the door.

   ドア

   door

   近く

   nearby

   机

   desk

   使えます

   can use

   More detail

   ドア means “door.” It is a noun and can combine with の to identify a relation: ドアの近く means “near the door.” 近く means “nearby” or “the vicinity.” In this sentence, ドアの近く is a noun phrase meaning “the area near the door,” and the second の links that phrase to 机: ドアの近くの机 means “the desk that is near the door.” This repeated の pattern is reusable: AのBのC can mean “C that is related to B of A,” with the exact relation supplied by context. 机 means “desk” or “table.” Here it is the thing being used. Japanese commonly leaves out a noun when the context makes it clear; the English translation naturally renders this desk as “the one,” but the Japanese sentence explicitly contains 机. 使えます means “can use” here. Its dictionary form is 使う (“to use”); the potential form is 使える (“be able to use”), and its polite nonpast form is 使えます. The potential form expresses ability or permission/availability depending on context; here the fixed translation supports the meaning “I can use it.” ます makes the statement polite. Japanese often omits the subject, and the supplied translation identifies the intended actor as “I.” Together, ドアの近くの机 identifies the desk near the door, and 使えます says that the speaker can use it. The whole utterance therefore means “I can use the one near the door.”

4. 終わったら、机をきれいにしてください。

   Leave it clean when you finish.

   終わったら

   when finished

   机

   desk

   きれいに

   clean

   してください

   please do

   More detail

   終わったら means “when you finish” here. It comes from 終わる (“to finish”) in the -たら form. This form can mark a condition or a time relationship; here it marks the time after the finishing is complete. Japanese leaves the subject unstated, while the fixed translation identifies it as “you.” 机 means “desk.” The particle を after it marks the thing affected by the action. Thus 机を is the desk as the object to be made clean. The nearby context supports a desk as the relevant object, without requiring the sentence to repeat which desk. きれいに is the adverbial form of the na-adjective きれいだ, meaning “clean” here. With する, the pattern Nを きれいにする means “make N clean” or “leave N clean.” きれいに is the form of きれいだ used before する, not a form of 机. Example: 部屋をきれいにする。 — “I make the room clean.” してください is する in its te-form, して, followed by ください, which makes a polite request. Here it completes きれいにする: きれいにしてください means “please make it clean” or “please leave it clean.” Together, 終わったら sets the time, and 机をきれいにしてください requests that the listener leave the desk clean then. The whole utterance means: “Leave it clean when you finish.”

5. 静かな場所が必要です。

   I need a quiet place.

   静かな

   quiet

   場所

   place

   必要です

   is needed; is necessary

   More detail

   静かな means “quiet” here. It is the noun-modifying form of the な-adjective 静かだ (“to be quiet”): 静かだ is used as a predicate, while 静かな + noun comes before a noun. For example, 静かな部屋 means “a quiet room.” 場所 means “place” or “location.” It is a noun, and 場所が必要です is a reusable pattern meaning “a place is needed” or, in context, “I need a place.” 必要です expresses necessity: “is necessary” or “is needed.” Its plain counterpart is 必要だ; です makes the statement polite. In this sentence, the person who needs the place is understood from the intended translation rather than stated by a separate Japanese subject. Together, 静かな場所 means “a quiet place.” The particle が marks this noun phrase as what is needed, and 必要です politely states the necessity. Thus 静かな場所が必要です。 literally presents “a quiet place is needed,” with the intended natural meaning “I need a quiet place.”

6. 壁のそばの机を使ってみてください。

   Try the desk by the wall.

   壁

   wall

   そば

   near; beside

   机

   desk

   使ってみてください

   please try using

   More detail

   壁 means “wall.” It is a noun and can combine with の to identify a relation: 壁のそば means “near the wall” or “by the wall.” そば means “near” or “beside” when it identifies a nearby location. In 壁のそば, the first の links the reference point 壁 to that location. This pattern is reusable: Aのそば = “near/beside A.” 机 means “desk” or “table.” Here, 壁のそばの机 means “the desk by the wall.” The second の links the location phrase to the noun: 壁のそばの机 = “the desk that is by the wall.” 使ってみてください is based on 使う, “to use.” 使って is its te-form, and みる after a te-form adds the idea of trying an action: 使ってみる = “try using.” ください makes this a polite request, so 使ってみてください means “please try using.” In this sentence, を marks the desk as what is used, and the fixed translation identifies that desk as the understood object of the request. Together, 壁のそばの机を identifies the desk by the wall as the object, and 使ってみてください politely asks the listener to try using it. The whole utterance therefore means, “Try the desk by the wall.”

7. 帰る前に、自分の物を片づけます。

   I will clear my things before I leave.

   帰る

   leave; go home

   前に

   before

   自分の

   one’s own

   物

   things; belongings

   片づけます

   put away; tidy up

   More detail

   帰る means “to leave” or “to go home.” It is the dictionary-form verb; 帰ります is its polite form. In this sentence, 帰る appears before 前に because the pattern verb-dictionary form + 前に means “before doing [the verb].” Example: 寝る前に、本を読みます。 — “I read a book before going to bed.” 前に means “before.” Here it places the action that follows it in time before 帰る: 帰る前に = “before leaving.” 前 is the noun “front” or “before,” and に marks the time point or relation. 自分の means “one’s own” in this sentence. 自分 is a reflexive-type word whose exact reference is determined by context; here, the fixed translation supports “my own,” referring to the speaker’s belongings. The の connects it to the following noun: 自分の物 = “one’s own things.” 物 means “thing” or “belonging.” Its plural meaning is supplied by context here, so 自分の物 naturally means “my things” or “my belongings,” even though Japanese does not require a plural ending in this expression. Example: これは私の物です。 — “This is my thing” or, more naturally in context, “This belongs to me.” 片づけます means “put away” or “tidy up.” The base form is 片づける; 片づけます is its polite nonpast form. In this sentence, the nonpast form describes the speaker’s intended action: “I will tidy up.” Example: 部屋を片づけます。 — “I will tidy the room.” Together, 自分の物を片づけます means “I will put away my things.” The object marker を shows that 自分の物 is what gets tidied. Combining this with 帰る前に gives 帰る前に、自分の物を片づけます。 — “I will clear my things before I leave.”

8. それなら、次の人が机を使えます。

   That keeps the desk ready for the next person.

   それなら

   in that case

   次の

   next; following

   人

   person

   机

   desk

   使えます

   can use

   More detail

   それなら refers back to the situation just mentioned and means “if that is so” or “in that case.” Here it connects the preceding act of putting away one’s things with the consequence that follows. Example: それなら、行きましょう。 — “In that case, let’s go.” 次の is the noun-modifying form of 次 (“next” or “following”). The の links it to the noun after it: 次の人 means “the next person.” In this sentence, 次の does not mean “following” as a standalone action; it specifies which person is meant. 人 means “person” here. It is a noun and can be used in many compounds and noun phrases, such as 外国人 (“foreigner”) and 一人 (“one person,” with a special counting form). The phrase 次の人 identifies the person who comes next in the relevant sequence without adding a specific personal name. 机 means “desk” here. It is the object being used, marked by を in 机を使えます. Example: 机を使います。 — “I use the desk.” 使えます is the polite non-past potential form of 使う (“to use”), so it means “can use” or “is able to use.” The underlying form chain is 使う → 使える → 使えます: the first is the plain dictionary form, the second is the potential form, and the third is its polite non-past form. The potential form expresses ability or availability for the action; it does not itself mean “make ready.” In 次の人が机を使えます, が marks 次の人 as the participant able to perform the action, while を marks 机 as what is used. Together with それなら, the utterance says that, given that situation, the next person can use the desk. In the supplied translation, this is naturally expressed as keeping the desk ready for that person: それなら、次の人が机を使えます。 — “That keeps the desk ready for the next person.”