A Weekly Cleaning Schedule | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. アパートの掃除の予定をもっとよくしないとね。

   We need a better cleaning schedule for the apartment.

   アパート

   apartment

   掃除

   cleaning

   予定

   schedule

   もっと

   more

   よく

   better

   しないとね

   need to do it, right?

   More detail

   アパート means “apartment.” It is a noun, commonly used as a loanword for an apartment or apartment building. In アパートの掃除, の links it to the following noun: “the apartment’s cleaning” or “cleaning of the apartment.” 掃除 means “cleaning.” It is a noun here; the related verb pattern is 掃除する, “to clean.” In the sentence, アパートの掃除の予定 is a sequence of noun modifiers: “the schedule for cleaning the apartment.” 予定 means “schedule” or “plan.” 予定を marks this schedule as the object affected by the following action, with を marking the direct object. For example, 予定を変更する means “change the schedule.” もっと means “more” or “further.” It increases the degree of the following description or action. In もっとよく, it means “better” in the sense of improving the current state further. よく is the adverbial form associated with 良い/いい, “good,” and here it means “well” or “better.” With する, the pattern よくする means “make better” or “improve”: it describes causing something to become better, rather than merely doing an action well. The observed よく modifies する; it is not an inflection of 予定. しないとね contains the negative nonpast form しない of する plus とね. In this use, しないと is a conversational obligation pattern based on “if [we] do not do it,” with the unfavorable consequence left understood; it means “need to do it” or “must do it.” ね invites agreement or presents the obligation as shared recognition. Thus もっとよくしないとね means “we need to make it better, right?” The Japanese subject is omitted; the fixed translation supplies “we.” Example: この予定をもっとよくしないとね。 — “We need to improve this schedule, right?” Putting the parts together, アパートの掃除の予定 identifies the schedule for cleaning the apartment, を marks that schedule as the object, and もっとよくしないとね says that it needs to be improved further, with an inviting “right?” at the end. The whole utterance means: “We need a better cleaning schedule for the apartment.”

2. 家事を平等に分担できていないね。

   We have not been dividing the chores evenly.

   家事

   housework; chores

   平等に

   evenly; equally

   分担

   sharing; dividing responsibility

   できていない

   have not been able to do

   ね

   right?; you know

   More detail

   家事 means household work or chores. It is a noun, and 家事を marks those chores as the object of the following action. Example: 家事を分担する。 — “We share the housework.” 平等に means “evenly” or “equally” here. 平等 is the word meaning equality, and に makes it modify an action: 平等に分担する means “divide or share [something] evenly.” The related attributive form is 平等な, as in 平等な分担 — “an equal division.” 分担 means sharing a responsibility by dividing it among people. It is commonly used as the verbal noun 分担する, “to share or divide responsibility.” In this sentence, it is followed by できていない, producing 分担できていない: “have not managed to share/divide.” Example: 仕事を分担できている。 — “We are managing to share the work.” できていない is the negative form of できている, from できる, “can” or “be able to/manage to.” The ている pattern can present a continuing state or an achieved condition that currently holds; with negation, できていない says that the desired sharing has not been achieved or maintained. Thus, in this utterance it is not simply a neutral statement that the speakers are not sharing; it presents the situation as something they have not managed to do, matching “have not been dividing.” Compare 分担していない, “are not sharing,” which states the non-action more directly. ね is a sentence-ending particle used to invite shared recognition or agreement. It gives the statement the tone of “you know” or “right?” rather than adding a separate factual meaning. The meaningful sequence is 家事を (“the chores,” as the object) + 平等に (“evenly”) + 分担できていない (“have not managed to share/divide”) + ね (“right?”). Together, the utterance means: “We have not been dividing the chores evenly.” The wording presents this as a current situation for the speakers to acknowledge, without specifying exactly which individual tasks each person has done.

3. 土曜日の朝に棚のほこりを払えるよ。

   I can dust the shelves on Saturday morning.

   土曜日

   Saturday

   朝

   morning

   棚

   shelf; shelves

   ほこり

   dust

   払える

   can dust off

   More detail

   土曜日 means “Saturday.” It is a noun for the day; days can be placed before の to modify a following time expression, as in 土曜日の朝 (“Saturday morning”). 朝 means “morning.” In 土曜日の朝に, 土曜日の specifies which morning, and に marks that time as when the action can take place. A reusable pattern is [time]に[activity] (“[activity] at/on [time]”). 棚 means “shelf” or “shelves,” depending on the context; Japanese does not require a plural ending here. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the intended object as the shelves. 棚のほこり uses の to connect the dust with the shelves: “the dust on the shelves.” ほこり means “dust.” It is the direct object of the cleaning action, marked by を. The pattern NをV commonly expresses doing an action to noun N. 払える is the potential form of 払う. In this sentence, 払う has the context-specific meaning “brush or dust off,” and 払える means “can brush or dust off.” The potential form expresses ability or feasibility; it is not the ordinary present form of the verb. For example, 窓のほこりを払える means “I can dust the window.” 払う can have other meanings in other contexts, such as “pay,” but the dust object identifies the cleaning meaning here. Putting the parts together, 土曜日の朝に sets the time, 棚のほこりを identifies the dust on the shelves as the object, and 払える says that the speaker can dust it off. The whole utterance means: “I can dust the shelves on Saturday morning.”

4. じゃあ、昼食のあとにキッチンの床をモップがけするよ。

   Then I'll mop the kitchen after lunch.

   じゃあ

   then / in that case

   昼食

   lunch

   昼食のあとに

   after lunch

   キッチン

   kitchen

   床

   floor

   モップがけする

   to mop

   More detail

   じゃあ means “then” or “in that case” here. It connects this speaker’s decision or offer to what has just been said. It is a conversational form; では is a more formal alternative. 昼食 means “lunch.” It is a noun, and the particle の can link it to a following noun or time expression. For example, 昼食の時間 means “lunchtime.” 昼食のあとに means “after lunch.” あと is a noun meaning “after/afterward” in this pattern: Xのあと = “after X.” The particle に marks the time at which the action will occur. Example: 授業のあとに帰ります。 — “I will go home after class.” キッチン means “kitchen.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In this sentence, キッチンの床 uses の to connect the kitchen with the floor: “the kitchen floor.” 床 means “floor.” The phrase キッチンの床 identifies which floor is meant through the の connection. Example: 床を掃除します。 — “I clean the floor.” モップがけする means “to mop.” モップがけ is the noun for mopping, and する turns that noun into an action verb. In the observed form, する is the plain non-past form, so it presents the mopping as a present or future action; the translation makes the future intention clear. A useful contrast is モップがけした — “mopped” — where する changes to its past form した. The structure is じゃあ、[time]に [place/object]を [action]よ: “Then, I’ll [action] [object] at [time].” 昼食のあとに sets the time, キッチンの床を marks the kitchen floor as the object, and モップがけする supplies the action. The final よ adds an informing or assuring tone. Together, the utterance means: “Then I’ll mop the kitchen floor after lunch.”

5. 毎週日曜日にお風呂場を掃除しない？

   Should we clean the bathroom every Sunday?

   毎週

   every week

   日曜日

   Sunday

   お風呂場

   bathroom

   掃除しない？

   Shall we clean?

   More detail

   毎週 means “every week.” It is a time expression that marks a repeated schedule. Example: 毎週勉強します。 — “I study every week.” 日曜日 means “Sunday.” Together with 毎週, it identifies the recurring day: 毎週日曜日 — “every Sunday.” お風呂場 means “bathroom,” specifically the room or area used for bathing. The polite prefix お- is part of this established word here; it does not mean that the bathroom is owned by someone. 掃除しない？ contains the verb 掃除する, “to clean,” in its negative non-past form 掃除しない. In this question, the negative form is used as an invitation or proposal: “Shall we clean?” or “Should we clean?” It is not functioning here as a plain statement that someone does not clean. The base pattern is 掃除する → 掃除しない. Example: 毎週土曜日に部屋を掃除しない？ — “Shall we clean the room every Saturday?” This uses the same negative-question proposal pattern with a different day and object. In the full utterance, 毎週日曜日に sets the schedule, お風呂場を marks the bathroom as the object of cleaning, and 掃除しない？ proposes the action. Together they mean, “Should we clean the bathroom every Sunday?”

6. すぐ汚れるから、日曜日がいいね。

   Sunday makes sense because it gets dirty quickly.

   すぐ

   quickly

   汚れる

   get dirty

   から

   because

   日曜日

   Sunday

   がいいね

   is preferable, right?

   More detail

   すぐ means “quickly” or “soon.” Here it modifies the following event: the thing becomes dirty quickly. A useful related form is すぐに, which can also mean “quickly” in many contexts. 汚れる is the intransitive verb “to become dirty” or “get dirty.” Its base form is 汚れる; the form in the sentence is non-past, so it can describe a recurring or expected result. The transitive counterpart is 汚す, “make something dirty.” In this context, the thing that gets dirty is understood from the preceding conversation as the bathroom. から follows a clause and gives its reason: “because …” or “since …”. The clause before it is すぐ汚れる, “it gets dirty quickly,” so すぐ汚れるから means “because it gets dirty quickly.” 日曜日 means “Sunday.” Japanese day names can be followed by に when stating when an action takes place, as in 日曜日に掃除する (“clean on Sunday”). Here, however, 日曜日 is followed by がいい, because Sunday is being selected as the preferable option. がいいね is a reusable pattern meaning “is good/preferable, right?” or “would be better, okay?” In 日曜日がいい, が marks the option being chosen, and いい means that this option is suitable or preferable. ね invites agreement or presents the suggestion as something the speaker expects the listener can agree with; it does not change the choice of day. Together, すぐ汚れるから gives the reason, and 日曜日がいいね proposes Sunday as the suitable day. The whole utterance means: “Sunday makes sense because it gets dirty quickly.”

7. 冷蔵庫に予定を貼っておくね。

   I'll put the schedule on the fridge.

   冷蔵庫

   fridge

   に

   on; at

   予定

   schedule

   を

   object marker

   貼って

   put up; stick on

   おくね

   will leave it done, okay?

   More detail

   冷蔵庫 means “refrigerator” or “fridge.” It is a noun; the compound is a standard everyday word for the appliance. に marks the place or surface toward which an action is directed. With 貼る, the place where something is put up is marked with に, so 冷蔵庫に means “on the fridge.” This is not the object marker; the posted item is marked separately below. 予定 means “schedule” or “plans.” Here it is the schedule being posted. As a noun, it can also refer to a planned event or arrangement in other contexts. を marks the direct object of the action. It is pronounced o in this use, and 予定を means “the schedule” as the thing being put up. 貼って is the te-form of 貼る, “to stick, attach, or put up.” The te-form connects this verb to another expression. For example, 紙を壁に貼る means “to put paper up on the wall”; 紙を壁に貼って by itself leaves the connected action unfinished. おくね combines おく, used after a te-form, with the sentence-ending ね. The pattern Vておく means to do something in advance or leave it done for a later purpose. In this sentence, 貼っておく means “put it up and leave it there,” with the practical result that the schedule will be available to look at. The ね adds a friendly “okay?” or shared-confirmation nuance; it does not change the action itself. In casual speech, ておく is commonly shortened to とく, so 貼っとく is a conversational variant, but that shortened form is not the form used here. Together, 冷蔵庫に identifies the surface, 予定を identifies the item, and 貼っておく expresses putting it up and leaving it there. The final ね makes the statement friendly and invites shared acknowledgment. Thus the whole utterance means: “I’ll put the schedule on the fridge.”

8. それなら、それぞれの仕事を忘れずにすみそうだね。

   That should help us remember each task.

   それなら

   in that case

   それぞれの

   each

   仕事

   task

   忘れずに

   without forgetting

   すみそうだね

   it looks like we’ll manage

   More detail

   それなら means “if that is so” or “in that case.” それ refers to something already mentioned, while なら presents it as the condition or basis for what follows. Example: それなら、行きましょう。 — “In that case, let’s go.” それぞれの means “each” or “each respective.” それぞれ treats members individually, and の links it to the following noun. Example: それぞれの部屋 — “each person’s/respective room.” The exact possessor is not specified by this phrase alone. 仕事 means “work” or, in this sentence, “task.” It can refer to a job as an occupation or to an individual piece of work, depending on context. Here, the fixed translation supports the task-related meaning. Example: 仕事を始めます。 — “I’ll start work.” 忘れずに means “without forgetting.” It is based on 忘れる (“to forget”): 忘れずに is the written or somewhat formal ずに form meaning “without doing.” In the pattern V-ずに, the action in the main clause happens without the action represented by V; for example, 朝食を食べずに出かけた。 — “I went out without eating breakfast.” すみそうだね uses 済む in its stem form すみ plus そうだ, followed by ね. Here 済む means “manage to get through” or “be completed without a problem,” and すみそうだ means “it looks likely that [this] will work out.” With 忘れずに, 忘れずに済む is the reusable pattern “manage without forgetting.” そうだ here expresses an appearance or expectation based on the situation, not a report of someone’s words. ね lightly seeks shared confirmation or presents the assessment as something the listener can agree with. Example: 今日は早く済みそうだね。 — “It looks like we’ll finish early today.” Together, それなら sets the previous information as the basis: “if that is so.” それぞれの仕事 identifies the tasks individually, and 忘れずに済みそうだね says that it appears possible to get through without forgetting them. The whole utterance therefore means: “In that case, it looks like we’ll be able to remember each task,” matching the fixed translation. The sentence is conversational, with ね making the assessment shared rather than a blunt statement.