Politely discussing noise from a neighbor | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 隣の人は昨夜、かなりうるさかったね。

   The neighbor was quite noisy last night.

   隣の人

   the neighbor

   昨夜

   last night

   かなり

   quite; rather

   うるさかった

   was noisy

   ね

   right?; you know

   More detail

   隣の人 means “the neighbor” here. 隣 refers to something next to or neighboring, and 人 means “person.” The phrase can therefore be reused for a person located next to someone, while the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning here as “the neighbor.” Example: 隣の人に聞きました。 — “I asked the person next to me.” 昨夜 means “last night.” It is a time noun, so it can be placed before the predicate to set the time: 昨夜、映画を見ました。 — “I watched a movie last night.” かなり is an adverb meaning “quite” or “rather.” It increases the degree of the following description: かなり大きい means “quite large.” It does not itself say exactly how large or noisy something is. うるさかった means “was noisy.” It is the past form of the i-adjective うるさい (“noisy”): うるさい → うるさかった. The final -かった marks the adjective as past; it is the adjective, not 人, that carries this change. For comparison, うるさくない means “is not noisy,” and うるさくなかった means “was not noisy.” Example: 昨夜は部屋がうるさかった。 — “The room was noisy last night.” ね is a sentence-final particle that presents the statement as something the speaker expects the listener to recognize or share. In this utterance, it gives the statement a conversational “right?” or “you know” nuance; it does not change the past tense of うるさかった. Together, 隣の人は sets “the neighbor” as the topic, 昨夜 sets the time, かなり strengthens the description, and うるさかった says that the person was noisy in the past. The complete utterance means: “The neighbor was quite noisy last night, right?”

2. 私たちが寝ようとしている間、大きな音の音楽が聞こえたよ。

   I heard loud music while we were trying to sleep.

   私たち

   we

   寝ようとしている

   are trying to sleep

   間

   while; during

   大きな

   large; loud

   音

   sound

   音楽

   music

   聞こえた

   was audible; could be heard

   More detail

   私たち means “we” here: the speaker includes themself and at least one other person. It does not itself specify the exact number of people. A useful contrast is 私 “I” versus 私たち “we.” 寝ようとしている describes an ongoing attempt to sleep. 寝る is the base form “to sleep”; 寝よう is its volitional form, and 寝ようとする means “try to sleep.” Here している presents that attempt as in progress. The pattern V-ようとする is reusable with other verbs: 出ようとする means “try to leave.” 間 means a period or interval. In 私たちが寝ようとしている間, the clause before 間 specifies the time during which something happens, so the pattern is “while [clause].” 間に is also common when emphasizing that an event occurs during that interval, but the supplied sentence uses 間 followed by a comma. 大きな is a prenominal adjective-like form meaning “large”; with a sound-related noun, it can describe high volume and therefore mean “loud.” It modifies 音 here. 大きい is the i-adjective form that can be used both before a noun and as a predicate, whereas 大きな is used before a noun, as in 大きな音. In this sentence, 大きな音 means “a loud sound.” 音 means “sound.” In this sentence, 大きな音の links “loud sound” to the following noun, producing 大きな音の音楽, which the fixed translation identifies as “loud music.” The particle の connects nouns or noun-like modifiers. 音楽 means “music.” It is the grammatical subject of 聞こえた and is characterized by the preceding 大きな音の in this sentence. 聞こえた means “was audible” or “could be heard” here. Its base form is 聞こえる, and 聞こえた is its past form. 聞こえる describes sound being perceptible to the hearer, whereas 聞く means actively listening to or hearing something; for example, 音楽を聞いた means “I listened to music.” In this sentence, 音楽 is the subject of 聞こえた, while the fixed English translation expresses the hearer as “I.” Together, 私たちが寝ようとしている間 sets the time: “while we were trying to sleep.” 大きな音の音楽 identifies the audible thing as loud music, and 聞こえた places its being audible in the past. The whole utterance therefore means, “I heard loud music while we were trying to sleep.” The final よ adds an informing or emphasis nuance to the statement.

3. 丁寧なメッセージを残そうか。

   Should we leave a polite message?

   丁寧な

   polite

   メッセージ

   message

   残そうか

   shall we leave…?

   More detail

   丁寧な describes the noun that follows it. Its useful base form is 丁寧だ; before a noun, this type of descriptive word uses 丁寧な, meaning “polite” or “careful” here. For example, 丁寧な説明 means “a careful explanation.” メッセージ is a noun meaning “message.” It is a loanword used for a written or spoken message. For example, メッセージを読む means “read a message.” 残そうか comes from the verb 残す, “to leave” or “to keep.” 残そう is its volitional form, used to suggest an action, and か turns the suggestion into a question. Together, 残そうか asks whether the speakers should leave something. Japanese does not require the subject to be stated here; the fixed translation identifies the intended subject as “we.” The verb 残す also has the polite form 残します, but that form does not express this proposal. The order is adjective + noun: 丁寧なメッセージ, “a polite message.” Adding を marks that message as what is left, and 残そうか proposes leaving it. Thus the whole utterance means, “Should we leave a polite message?”

4. 怒った感じではなく、親しみやすくしよう。

   We should make it friendly, not angry.

   怒った

   angry

   感じ

   feeling; impression

   ではなく

   not being; rather than

   親しみやすく

   friendly; approachable

   しよう

   let’s make/do

   More detail

   怒った is the past form of 怒る (“to get angry; to be angry”). Here it modifies 感じ, so it describes an angry impression or manner rather than saying that someone became angry at this moment. A useful form chain is 怒る → 怒った (“was/is angry” in a noun-modifying phrase). Example: 怒った顔 means “an angry face.” 感じ means “feeling,” “impression,” or “way it seems.” In this sentence, 怒った感じ is an “angry impression” or “angry manner.” The same noun is also useful in patterns such as 〜感じがする, “it feels/seems like 〜.” ではなく is the negative connective built from ではない, “not be,” and it means “not …; rather than …” when contrasting with what follows. Here it connects 怒った感じ with the preferred alternative 親しみやすく: “not with an angry impression, but …” It is a connective pattern, not a separate verb meaning “change.” 親しみやすく is the adverbial form of the i-adjective 親しみやすい, “friendly” or “easy to feel comfortable with.” The ending -く lets an i-adjective describe how an action is done or what result is sought: 親しみやすくする means “make [something] friendly/approachable.” Compare 親しみやすい文章, “a friendly, approachable text.” しよう is the volitional form of する, “to do” or, with an adjective or noun phrase before it, “to make [something] so.” It expresses a proposal or intention such as “let’s …” Here 親しみやすくしよう means “let’s make it friendly.” The thing being made is omitted in Japanese; the fixed translation and the surrounding message context support understanding it as the message or text under discussion. Together, 怒った感じではなく sets aside an angry impression, while 親しみやすくしよう proposes making the understood message friendly or approachable. The whole utterance therefore means: “We should make it friendly, not angry.”

5. 騒音で私たちは眠れなかったと言うよ。

   I'll say the noise kept us from sleeping.

   騒音

   noise

   私たち

   we; us

   眠れなかった

   could not sleep

   言うよ

   I'll say

   More detail

   騒音 means “noise,” specifically unwanted or disturbing sound. It is a noun. Example: 騒音がひどい。— “The noise is severe.” 私たち means “we” or “us,” referring here to the speaker together with other people. The form itself does not show whether the group is all male, all female, or mixed. Japanese marks its role with particles: 私たちは means “as for us,” while 私たちを marks “us” as an object. 眠れなかった means “could not sleep.” Its base form is 眠る (“to sleep”), but this form uses 眠れる (“be able to sleep”) in the past negative: 眠れる → 眠れない → 眠れなかった. Thus, it expresses inability to sleep, not simply the past negative of 眠る. Example: 昨日はよく眠れなかった。— “I couldn’t sleep well yesterday.” 言うよ means “I’ll say it” or “I’m telling you,” with the intended forward-looking meaning here. 言う is the plain form of “say/tell”; よ is a sentence-ending particle that presents the statement to the listener. Japanese can use the plain non-past form for a future or intended action when the context makes that timing clear. Example: 彼に言うよ。— “I’ll tell him.” The parts combine as 騒音で私たちは眠れなかったと言うよ. The particle で marks 騒音 as the cause or circumstance: “because of the noise.” The clause 私たちは眠れなかった means “we couldn’t sleep,” and と marks that clause as the content of 言う: “say that we couldn’t sleep.” Together, the utterance means “I’ll say that the noise kept us from sleeping.”

6. 夕方は忙しくなることも分かっていると書き足そう。

   Add that we know evenings can get busy.

   夕方

   evenings

   忙しくなる

   get busy

   ことも

   also that

   分かっている

   know

   と書き足そう

   let’s add in writing

   More detail

   夕方 means “evening” or “the evening period.” In this sentence, は makes it the topic: the statement is about evenings. Japanese does not mark singular versus plural here, so the English plural “evenings” expresses the general reading supplied by the translation. 忙しくなる means “become/get busy.” The adjective 忙しい changes to 忙しく before なる, which expresses a change into a state: 忙しい → 忙しくなる. For example, 午後は忙しくなる。 means “The afternoon gets busy.” こと turns the preceding clause into a fact or proposition: 夕方は忙しくなること is “the fact that evenings get busy.” Here も adds this proposition as another thing included in what is known; it does not mean that 夕方 itself is “also.” 分かっている means “know” or “be aware of” the fact here. It is built from 分かる (“be understandable; understand”) and the continuing-state form 分かっている, which presents the resulting state of knowing. The phrase 夕方は忙しくなることも分かっている therefore means “also know that evenings get busy.” と marks the preceding content as what is to be written in. 書き足そう is the volitional form of 書き足す, “add in writing” or “write an addition.” The volitional form commonly expresses “let’s …” or a decision by the speaker; in this fixed translation, it is rendered as the instruction “Add …”. Together, 夕方は忙しくなる describes the evening period becoming busy, こと packages that description as a fact, も分かっている says that this fact is also known, and と書き足そう says to add that content to the writing. The whole utterance is: “Add that we know evenings can get busy.”

7. そうすれば、メッセージがもっとやわらかく、分かりやすくなるね。

   That keeps the message softer and clearer.

   そうすれば

   if so; that way

   メッセージ

   message

   もっと

   more

   やわらかく

   softer; gentler

   分かりやすく

   clearer; easier to understand

   なる

   become

   ね

   right?; you know

   More detail

   そうすれば means “if that is done” or “that way.” It refers to the action just mentioned in the surrounding exchange: adding the statement about evenings becoming busy. そう means “so/in that way,” and すれば is the conditional form of する (“do”): する → すれば. A reusable pattern is Xすれば、Y = “if one does X, Y.” メッセージ is the noun “message,” written in katakana. It is a loanword used for a written or electronic message. Example: メッセージを読む。 — “I read the message.” もっと means “more” and increases the degree of the following descriptions. It does not itself mean “many”; it marks a higher degree here. Example: もっとゆっくり話してください。 — “Please speak more slowly.” やわらかく is the adverbial form of the i-adjective やわらかい (“soft; gentle”). The ending changes やわらかい to やわらかく when the adjective describes the resulting state or manner of an action. Here it describes the message as gentler in tone, not physically soft. Example: やわらかく伝える。 — “Communicate it gently.” 分かりやすく is the adverbial form of 分かりやすい (“easy to understand; clear”). This adjective is built from 分かる (“understand”) and やすい (“easy to ...”); the observed form is not the verb 分かる itself. 分かりやすい → 分かりやすく lets it describe a resulting state. Example: 説明を分かりやすく書く。 — “Write the explanation clearly.” なる means “become” or “come to be.” With adjective forms ending in -く, the pattern Aくなる means “become A.” Here, やわらかくなる means “become gentler,” and 分かりやすくなる means “become clearer/easier to understand.” The two descriptions share one なる at the end: やわらかく、分かりやすくなる. ね is a sentence-final particle inviting shared recognition, roughly “right?” or “you know.” In this sentence it gives the statement a conversational, confirmatory tone; it does not change the message’s becoming gentler and clearer into a question requiring a specific answer. Together, そうすれば sets up the condition or method, メッセージが marks “the message” as what changes, and もっと raises the degree. The coordinated result is やわらかく、分かりやすくなる: “become gentler and easier to understand.” Thus the whole utterance means, “That keeps the message softer and clearer.”

8. あとでそのメッセージを隣の人のドアの近くに置けるよ。

   We can put it near their door later.

   あとで

   later

   その

   that

   メッセージ

   message

   隣の人

   person next door

   ドア

   door

   近く

   nearby

   置ける

   can put

   More detail

   あとで is a time adverb meaning “later” or “afterward.” It does not itself specify exactly when. Example: あとで電話します。— “I’ll call later.” その is a demonstrative determiner placed before a noun. With メッセージ, it identifies the message intended here as “that message” or “the message.” Japanese demonstratives include この “this,” その “that/the one associated with the listener or already identified,” and あの “that over there”; the exact choice depends on context. メッセージ is a noun meaning “message.” It is a loanword and does not change form for singular or plural in this sentence. Example: メッセージを読みました。— “I read the message.” 隣の人 means “the person next door” or “the person beside [someone].” 隣 expresses adjacency or the neighboring place, and の links it to 人, “person.” Example: 隣の人にあいさつしました。— “I greeted the neighbor.” ドア means “door.” It is the object whose nearby area is being specified. Example: ドアを閉めてください。— “Please close the door.” 近く here is the noun-like word “vicinity” or “nearby area,” in the phrase ドアの近くに, “near the door.” The の links ドア with 近く, and に marks the location where something is placed. The related adjective is 近い, “near/close”; in this sentence, 近く is functioning as the vicinity noun in a location phrase, not as the adjective form directly modifying a noun. Example: 駅の近くに店があります。— “There is a shop near the station.” 置ける is the potential form of the verb 置く, “to put” or “to place.” The potential form expresses ability or feasibility: 置く → 置ける, “can put/place.” The person who can do this is not stated in the Japanese verb form; the fixed translation supplies “we” for this utterance. Example: ここに荷物を置けます。— “We can put the luggage here.” Putting the parts together, そのメッセージ is “the message,” 隣の人のドアの近くに is “near the door of the person next door,” and 置ける says that it can be put there. あとで places the action later in time. The sentence-final よ gives the statement an informing or assertive tone. Thus the whole utterance means: “We can put it near their door later,” with “it” referring to the message and “their” referring to the person next door.