Using a Shared Meeting Room | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 共有の会議室を使ってもいいですか？

   Can we use the shared meeting room?

   共有の

   shared; common-use

   会議室

   meeting room

   使って

   use; using

   もいいですか

   is it okay?

   More detail

   共有の describes the noun that follows it: here it means “shared” or “for common use.” 共有 is a noun-like word related to sharing or common use, and の links it to the following noun. The reusable pattern AのB can mean “B of A” or “A-related B.” 会議室 means “meeting room.” It is a compound noun: 会議 means “meeting,” and 室 means “room.” Japanese nouns do not change form for singular or plural in this expression, so the word itself does not specify how many meeting rooms are meant. 使って is the て-form of the verb 使う, “to use.” The て-form is used in several constructions, including the permission pattern seen here. For example, ここに座ってもいいですか。 means “May I sit here?” もいいですか completes the permission question after a て-form. The pattern V-てもいいですか asks whether it is acceptable for someone to do V, commonly translated as “May someone V?” or “Is it okay to V?” In this utterance, いい means “good” or “acceptable”; です adds politeness, and か marks a question. The Japanese subject is omitted, while the fixed translation identifies the intended subject as the speaker’s group: “we.” Together, 共有の会議室 means “the shared meeting room,” and 使ってもいいですか asks whether using it is permitted. The complete utterance therefore means, “Can we use the shared meeting room?”

2. はい、使ってもいいです。でも、ほかの人のためにきれいにしてください。

   You can, but keep it tidy for other people.

   はい

   yes

   使ってもいいです

   may use it

   でも

   but

   ほかの

   other

   人

   people

   ために

   for; for the sake of

   きれい

   clean; tidy

   ください

   please

   More detail

   はい is an affirmative response: “yes.” Here it accepts the permission request in the preceding sentence. It is also usable as a standalone answer to a yes/no question. 使ってもいいです expresses permission: “may use [it].” The lexical verb is 使う (“to use”), whose observed form 使って is its て-form. In the pattern て-form + もいいです, the speaker says that doing the action is acceptable. For example, ここに座ってもいいです。 means “You may sit here.” The object is omitted in the fixed sentence because the shared meeting room is understood from the context; the Japanese wording itself does not repeat it. でも connects this permission with a condition or request that follows. In this sentence it means “but,” marking a contrast between being allowed to use the place and the responsibility to leave it tidy. ほかの means “other” and modifies the following noun. The form ほか means “another/other,” and ほかの + noun is a reusable pattern, as in ほかの部屋 (“another room”). 人 means “person” or “people.” In ほかの人, it is the noun modified by ほかの; the form 人 itself does not mark singular versus plural here. ほかの人 therefore means “other people” in this context. ために marks the purpose or beneficiary of an action: “for” or “for the sake of.” In ほかの人のために, の links 人 to ため, producing “for other people.” For example, みんなのために準備します。 means “I prepare it for everyone.” きれい means “clean” or “tidy” here. It is a な-adjective, but before the verb する it takes に: きれいにする means “to make or keep something clean/tidy.” Thus きれい alone names the quality, while きれいに describes the resulting manner or state in this construction. For example, 部屋をきれいにします。 means “I keep the room clean.” ください is a polite request form meaning “please.” After a verb's て-form, てください asks someone to do that action. In the fixed sentence, きれいにしてください means “please keep it tidy.” This is distinct from the permission pattern てもいいです: てください requests an action, whereas てもいいです grants permission. Together, ほかの人のために gives the beneficiary, and きれいにしてください requests that the place be kept clean or tidy for those other people. The whole utterance is: “Yes, you can use it, but keep it tidy for other people.”

3. このテーブルは空いていますか？

   Is this table free?

   この

   this

   テーブル

   table

   空いています

   is free; is available

   か？

   question marker

   More detail

   この means “this” when it comes before a noun: この + noun. It identifies something near the speaker or otherwise presented as “this.” The related forms その and あの mean “that” and “that over there,” with the choice depending on the situation. テーブル is the noun “table.” It is a loanword written in katakana. Together, このテーブル means “this table.” 空いています is the polite form used here for “is free” or “is available,” such as a seat or table not currently being used. It comes from 空く, “to become available” or “to become unoccupied.” The form 空いている describes the resulting state, and 空いています is its polite form. In this sentence, it does not mean that the table is physically empty in every possible sense; the context supports the availability meaning. か？ marks the preceding statement as a question in this polite style. The か is separate from the content word 空いています: 空いています。 is a statement, while 空いていますか？ asks whether it is available. The sentence assembles as このテーブル (“this table”) + は (the topic marker, heard in the fixed sentence as part of テーブルは) + 空いています (“is available”) + か (question marker). Thus, このテーブルは空いていますか？ means “Is this table free?” or “Is this table available?”

4. 今、空いています。

   It is available now.

   今

   now

   空いています

   is available; is free

   More detail

   今 means “now” and sets the time of the statement. It is a time adverb, so it does not change for person or number. Example: 今、行きます。 — “I’m going now.” 空いています is the polite nonpast form used here for “is available” or “is free.” Its base verb is 空く, “to become empty / become available.” The 〜ています form can describe a resulting state: something has space and is available now. In another context, 空いています can describe a place that is not crowded, so the exact English choice depends on what is being discussed. The subject is omitted in Japanese. Here, the fixed translation establishes that the unspoken item is available; the preceding question makes a table reading natural. Japanese often leaves a subject unspoken when the context identifies it. The form 空いています itself does not mark the item's gender or number. Together, 今 + 空いています means “It is available now.” The polite ending makes the utterance suitable for ordinary polite conversation.

5. 私のかばんを壁のそばに置きます。

   I will put my bag by the wall.

   私の

   my

   かばん

   bag

   壁

   wall

   そば

   nearby; beside

   置きます

   put; place

   More detail

   私の means “my”: 私 is “I/me,” and の links it to the following noun to show possession or association. The pattern XのY means “Y of X” or, as here, “X’s Y.” かばん means “bag.” It is the object being placed, marked by を. The pattern Nを置く means “put/place N.” 壁 means “wall.” In this sentence, の connects it to そば, so 壁のそば means “beside the wall” or “near the wall.” This does not say that the bag is placed on the wall; そば indicates a nearby position. そば means “near” or “beside.” With に, そばに marks the location where something is placed. The pattern Nのそばに can be reused for “beside/near N.” Example: 駅のそばに店があります。 — “There is a shop near the station.” 置きます is the polite form of 置く, “to put” or “to place.” 置く is the base form; 置きます is its polite non-past form. In this fixed translation, the context makes that non-past form refer to a future action: “will put.” In other contexts, the same form can describe a habitual or generally stated action. The object is marked with を, and the placement location with に. Together, 私のかばんを identifies the thing being placed, while 壁のそばに identifies its destination or location. Thus 私のかばんを壁のそばに置きます。 means “I will put my bag by the wall.”

6. テーブルの上を空けておいてください。

   Please keep the table clear.

   テーブル

   table

   の上

   on top of

   空けておいてください

   please keep clear

   More detail

   テーブル means “table,” the noun naming the surface involved here. As a useful pattern, a noun can be followed by の plus another noun to form a relation such as “the table’s …” or “... of the table.” の上 means “on top of” or “on the upper surface of.” In テーブルの上, の links テーブル to 上, and 上 identifies the relevant location. The phrase therefore means “on the table,” more literally “the top of the table.” Example: 机の上に本があります。 — “There is a book on the desk.” 空けておいてください is a polite request meaning “please leave it clear” or “please keep it empty.” The lexical verb is 空ける, “to clear” or “to make space”; its base form ends in る, and 空けて is its connective て form. Here, 空ける describes removing or avoiding things so that the space is available, not making an object itself empty. The ておく pattern adds the idea of doing something in advance or leaving the resulting state in place. Thus 空けておく is “clear it and leave it that way” or “keep it clear.” ください makes the request polite. Example: 窓を開けておいてください。 — “Please leave the window open.” Together, テーブルの上 identifies the location, and 空けておいてください requests that this location be cleared and remain available. The whole utterance means: “Please keep the table clear.”

7. 私たちは、終わったら部屋をきれいにしておきます。

   We will leave the room clean when we finish.

   私たちは

   we

   終わったら

   when finished

   部屋

   room

   きれいに

   clean

   しておきます

   will leave it done

   More detail

   私たちは sets 私たち (“we”) as the topic; は marks what the sentence is about. The translation identifies this group as the actor who will finish and clean the room. Example: 私たちは帰ります。 — “We are leaving.” 終わったら comes from 終わる, “to finish” or “to end.” Its form is 終わった plus ら; this たら pattern commonly expresses “when” or “if” the preceding event occurs. Here it means “when we finish,” with the subject understood from the sentence’s intended reading. Example: 仕事が終わったら、帰ります。 — “When work is finished, I will go home.” 部屋 means “room.” It is the object being made clean, marked by the following を. Example: 部屋を掃除します。 — “I clean the room.” きれいに uses きれい, meaning “clean” or “tidy,” in its adverbial form きれいに. きれい is a na-adjective: before a noun, it can appear as きれいな, while before an action it appears as きれいに. Example: きれいな部屋です。 — “It is a clean room.” しておきます combines する (“to do” or “to make”) with ておく, in polite nonpast form. ておく presents an action as preparation or as leaving a resulting state in place. With きれいに, きれいにしておく means “leave it clean” or “make it clean in preparation.” The form おきます is polite and nonpast; the exact future meaning comes from the context. Example: ドアを開けておきます。 — “I will leave the door open.” Together, 部屋をきれいにしておきます means “will leave the room clean.” The sentence as a whole says: “We will leave the room clean when we finish.”

8. それは次のグループのためになります。

   That helps the next group.

   それは

   that

   次の

   next

   グループ

   group

   ためになります

   is beneficial

   More detail

   それは means “that” as the topic. それ is a demonstrative pronoun, and は marks the topic. Here, the fixed translation identifies the topic as “that”; the exact thing referred to is not otherwise specified. Japanese demonstratives include これ, それ, and あれ, whose choice depends on factors such as the relevant location or discourse context. 次の means “next” and modifies the noun that follows it. 次 is a noun meaning “the next one” or “what comes next”; の connects it attributively to another noun. Thus 次のグループ is “the next group.” A useful contrast is 前のグループ, “the previous group.” グループ is a noun meaning “group.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In 次のグループ, it is the head noun, while 次の describes which group. ためになります is the polite nonpast form of ためになる, meaning “to be beneficial” or “to help.” In this expression, ため refers to a benefit or advantage, and なる is the verb “become”; together, they describe something as producing a benefit. なります is the polite nonpast form of なる, presenting the benefit as a current or generally expected result. Example: この説明は初心者のためになります。 — “This explanation is beneficial for beginners.” In 次のグループのためになります, の links 次のグループ to ため, giving the sense “be beneficial to the next group.” The source has のためになります; it does not contain のために. Together, それは sets “that” as the topic, 次のグループのため identifies the beneficiary, and になります completes ためになる. The whole utterance therefore means “That helps the next group.”