Using a Shared Laundry Room | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 共有の洗濯室を使ってもいいですか。

   Can I use the shared laundry room?

   共有の

   shared; common

   洗濯室

   laundry room

   使って

   use; using

   てもいいですか

   is it okay to…?

   More detail

   共有の means “shared” or “common” here. の links this description to the following noun: 共有の + noun means “a shared/common noun.” It describes the laundry room as a facility shared by people, without by itself specifying how many people use it. 洗濯室 means “laundry room.” It is a noun formed from 洗濯 (“laundry; washing clothes”) and 室 (“room”), but the whole word functions as one noun here. Together, 共有の洗濯室 is “the shared laundry room.” 使って is the te-form of the verb 使う, “to use.” The te-form is also used to connect a verb to a following expression. In this sentence, it connects 使う to てもいいですか, rather than expressing a completed past action. For example, ここを使ってください。 means “Please use this place.” てもいいですか asks whether an action is permitted. The pattern is verb-te-form + もいいですか, literally asking whether it is acceptable if someone does the action. 使ってもいいですか therefore means “Is it okay if I use it?” or, naturally here, “Can I use it?” ですか makes the question polite. A statement with the same permission pattern is 入ってもいいです。—“It is okay to enter.” Together, 共有の洗濯室 identifies the facility, and 使ってもいいですか politely asks for permission to use it. The complete utterance means: “Can I use the shared laundry room?”

2. 今、開いています。

   It is open now.

   今

   now

   開いています

   is open

   More detail

   今 means “now,” placing the situation at the present time. It can be used with many kinds of statements, for example: 今、忙しいです。— “I am busy now.” The comma after 今 marks it as a time-setting expression; it is not part of the word’s meaning. 開いています is the polite form of 開く (あく), “to open” in the intransitive sense: something becomes or is open without stating who opened it. The ている form here describes the continuing state “is open,” rather than an action currently in progress. For example: ドアが開いています。— “The door is open.” 開ける (あける) is a different, transitive verb meaning “to open something,” as in ドアを開けます。— “I will open the door.” Together, 今 + 開いています gives “It is open now.” Japanese omits the subject because the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning, while the sentence itself focuses on the current open state. The polite ending います makes the statement suitable for a courteous exchange.

3. この洗濯機は空いていますか。

   Is this machine free?

   この

   this

   洗濯機

   washing machine

   は

   as for

   空いていますか

   is free / available?

   More detail

   この means “this” when it directly modifies a noun. It is placed before the noun: この + noun. Unlike a standalone demonstrative, it cannot normally stand alone as the subject; for example, この本 means “this book.” 洗濯機 means “washing machine.” It is a noun, and the compound is written as one Japanese word: 洗濯 (“washing”) + 機 (“machine”), although learners should use the full compound rather than treat those parts as separate words in this sentence. は marks the topic. The topic here is the washing machine, so the sentence presents it as the thing being asked about. は is pronounced wa when it functions as this particle. A reusable pattern is このNは…ですか — “Is this N …?” 空いていますか asks whether something is free or available here. The underlying verb is 空く, “to become empty, open, or available.” In this form, 空いて is the て-form, います is the polite form of いる, and か marks a question. Together, 空いています describes the resulting state of being available; it is not the unrelated adjective 青い (“blue”). The verb’s spelling includes the kanji 空, but the intended sense is determined by the washing-machine context and the fixed translation. The whole pattern is この + noun + は + state + か: この洗濯機 identifies “this washing machine,” は sets it as the topic, and 空いていますか asks whether it is available. Thus the complete utterance means, “Is this washing machine free?”

4. こちらは空いています。

   This one is available.

   こちら

   this one

   空いています

   is available

   More detail

   こちら is a polite demonstrative meaning “this one” here. It can also refer to a place or direction in other contexts, but the fixed translation supports the “this one” reading here. The form itself does not identify exactly what the item is; the context supplies that. 空いています comes from 空く, “to become available” or “to become unoccupied.” The form 空いている describes the resulting state—something is available or free—and 空いています is its polite form. In this sentence, it means “is available,” rather than simply describing physical emptiness. For example, 席が空いています。 means “A seat is available.” Together, こちらは marks “this one” as the topic, and 空いています states its current availability: “This one is available.”

5. かごはどこに置けばいいですか。

   Where should I put my basket?

   かご

   basket

   は

   as for …

   どこ

   where

   に

   to / in

   置けばいいですか

   should I put it? / is it okay to put it?

   More detail

   かご means “basket” here. It is a noun; Japanese does not mark possession in this sentence, so the translation’s “my” comes from the intended situation rather than from a possessive form in the Japanese. は marks かご as the topic: “as for the basket.” It is a topic marker, not a separate meaning such as “is.” A reusable pattern is Xは…, “as for X…” or more naturally “X…” depending on the sentence. どこ asks “where.” It is a location question word. Compare どこ “where” with いつ “when”; the choice depends on what information is being requested. に marks the place toward or at which an action is directed. With 置く “to put/place,” Xに置く means “put it at/on/in X,” with the exact English preposition determined by the place and context. In the following context, 壁のそばに means “beside the wall,” showing this same location pattern. 置けばいいですか is a polite question about the appropriate action. 置く is the base form “to put/place.” Its conditional form here is 置けば; いい means “good/appropriate,” so the pattern 置けばいいですか literally asks whether placing it is the appropriate thing to do. In natural English, this becomes “Should I put it?” or “Would it be good to put it there?” The ending ですか makes the question polite. The subject of 置く is not stated separately, but the fixed translation identifies the speaker as the person asking where to put the basket. Japanese commonly leaves such understood participants unexpressed. Together, かごは sets the basket as the topic, どこに asks for the destination or location, and 置けばいいですか asks what placement is appropriate. The whole utterance means: “Where should I put my basket?”

6. 壁のそばに置いてください。

   Set it beside the wall.

   壁

   wall

   そば

   side; vicinity

   置いてください

   please put it

   More detail

   壁 means “wall.” It is a noun and can be used in location expressions such as 壁のそば (“near the wall”). そば means “the side or vicinity.” In this sentence, 壁のそば means “beside/near the wall”: の links the reference point (壁) to the vicinity (そば), and に marks that location as the place where something is to be put. そば can also refer to someone’s vicinity in other contexts, so its exact relation comes from the accompanying noun and particles. 置いてください is a polite request meaning “please put [it].” Its base verb is 置く (“to put; place”). The form 置いて is the verb’s て-form, and adding ください makes a request. Japanese commonly leaves the object unspoken when it is understood; here, the translated “it” is the thing being placed. This is different from a plain statement such as 置きます (“I put it” or “I will put it,” depending on context). Together, 壁のそばに specifies the destination location, and 置いてください requests that the understood object be placed there. The whole utterance is therefore: “Set it beside the wall.”

7. 洗濯が終わったら、服を取り出します。

   I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.

   洗濯

   wash; laundry

   終わったら

   when it is finished

   服

   clothes

   取り出します

   take out

   More detail

   洗濯 means washing or laundry. Here it refers to the wash as an activity or process, not specifically to the clothes themselves. It is a noun; in 洗濯が, the particle が marks it as the thing that finishes. 終わったら comes from the verb 終わる (to end, finish). The form 終わった is the past form, and adding ら gives a conditional or temporal form: “when/once it has finished” or “if it finishes,” depending on context. Here the fixed translation supports the time meaning “when the wash is done.” Example: 仕事が終わったら、帰ります。 — “When work is finished, I will go home.” 服 means clothes or clothing. It is a noun, and 服を marks it as the direct object of the following action. Japanese nouns do not change form for singular and plural here; the context determines whether this means some clothing or clothes generally. 取り出します means “take out” in this sentence. It is the polite non-past form of 取り出す, “to take out” or “to remove from inside.” The non-past form can describe a future action, so it fits the translation “I will take out.” Example: 箱から本を取り出します。 — “I take a book out of the box” or “I will take a book out of the box.” The pattern is Aが終わったら、Bを取り出します: “When A is finished, I will take B out.” 洗濯が終わったら sets the time condition, and 服を取り出します states the action that will follow. Together, 洗濯が終わったら、服を取り出します。 means “I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.”

8. すぐに服を取り出してください。

   Please collect them right away.

   すぐに

   right away

   服

   clothes

   取り出してください

   please take out

   More detail

   すぐに means “right away” or “immediately.” It is an adverb, so it tells us when the requested action should happen. Example: すぐに来てください。— “Please come right away.” 服 means “clothes” or “clothing.” In this sentence it is the thing to be taken out; the preceding context supports understanding it as the clothes from the wash. The noun itself does not state how many items there are. Example: 服を洗います。— “I wash clothes.” 取り出してください is a polite request meaning “please take out.” Its base form is 取り出す, “to take out” or “to remove.” The form 取り出して is followed by ください to make a polite request: 取り出して + ください → 取り出してください. This construction asks the listener to perform the action; it is not merely a statement about taking something out. Example: 本を取り出してください。— “Please take out the book.” Together, すぐに specifies the time, 服を marks the clothes as the object, and 取り出してください politely requests taking them out. The whole utterance means: “Please take the clothes out right away.”