Cooking Dinner Together with a Simple Soup Recipe | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. このレシピなら夕食に十分簡単そうです。

   This recipe looks simple enough for dinner.

   この

   this

   レシピ

   recipe

   なら

   if it is; as for

   夕食

   dinner

   十分

   sufficiently; enough

   簡単

   simple; easy

   そうです

   looks; seems

   More detail

   この means “this” and is a demonstrative that comes before a noun. Its form does not change for number or gender. Here it identifies the recipe as the relevant “this” item; the sentence itself does not specify what makes it this. レシピ is the noun “recipe.” A useful pattern is この + noun, meaning “this noun.” For example, この本 means “this book.” なら follows このレシピ and presents it as the condition or topic: “if it is this recipe” or, naturally here, “with this recipe / as for this recipe.” It is the なら form of the copular pattern associated with だ, used when setting up a condition or topic. It is not part of the noun レシピ. 夕食 means “dinner” or “the evening meal.” In 夕食に, に marks the intended occasion or purpose: “for dinner.” 夕食に does not by itself assert that dinner has already occurred or that a specific number of people will eat. 十分 is an adverb meaning “sufficiently” or “enough.” Here it modifies the following assessment, saying that the recipe appears simple to an adequate degree for the stated purpose. It is different from とても, “very,” which expresses a high degree rather than sufficiency. 簡単 means “simple” or “easy.” It is a na-adjective: before a noun, the form is 簡単な, as in 簡単なレシピ (“a simple recipe”). In this sentence it is followed by そう, so な is not used in the observed form. そうです expresses an appearance or impression: “looks” or “seems.” With an adjective such as 簡単, 簡単そうです means “looks simple.” The polite ending is です; it does not mean that the speaker has proved the recipe’s simplicity. For example, この料理はおいしそうです。 means “This dish looks delicious.” Together, このレシピなら sets “this recipe” as the relevant option, 夕食に gives the purpose, and 十分簡単そうです says that it appears simple enough. The whole utterance therefore means: “This recipe looks simple enough for dinner.”

2. あなたがお湯を沸かしている間、私は野菜を切れます。

   I can chop the vegetables while you boil water.

   あなた

   you

   お湯

   hot water

   沸かしている

   is boiling

   間

   while; during

   私

   I; me

   野菜

   vegetables

   切れます

   can cut

   More detail

   あなた means “you” here. It is a second-person pronoun. Japanese often omits pronouns when the context is clear, but this sentence states the person explicitly. Example: あなたは料理します。— “You cook.” お湯 means “hot water.” The honorific-looking prefix お is part of the ordinary word used for hot water; it does not mean that the water is a quantity of water. 水 means “water,” while お湯 specifically refers to hot water. 沸かしている comes from the verb 沸かす, “to boil something” or “to heat something to boiling.” The form 沸かしている combines the て-form with いる and presents the action as in progress: “is boiling” or, more literally in this context, “is boiling/heating.” The object is お湯を, so the intended action is boiling water. Example: 彼は水を沸かしている。— “He is boiling water.” 間 means “while” or “during” when it follows a clause. The pattern A間、B means “while A, B” or “during the time that A, B.” Here, あなたがお湯を沸かしている間 is the time clause, and its subject is explicitly あなた (“you”). Example: 音楽を聞いている間、勉強します。— “I study while listening to music.” 私 means “I” or “me.” With the topic marker は in 私は, it sets the speaker as the topic of the main clause. The translation identifies this participant as the speaker who can chop the vegetables. 野菜 means “vegetables.” In 野菜を, the particle を marks it as the direct object of 切れます: it is what gets cut. Example: 野菜を洗います。— “I wash the vegetables.” 切れます is the polite non-past form of the potential verb 切れる, “can cut” or “be able to cut.” It is related to the verb 切る, “to cut,” but it is not simply the ordinary non-past form of 切る: 切ります means “cut” or “will cut,” whereas 切れます expresses ability or possibility. The polite ending ます makes the statement formal and courteous. Example: 私はにんじんを切れます。— “I can cut carrots.” Together, あなたがお湯を沸かしている間 establishes the time (“while you boil water”), and 私は野菜を切れます states the speaker’s ability or possibility (“I can chop the vegetables”). The full utterance therefore means: “I can chop the vegetables while you boil water.”

3. スープはどのくらい煮ればいいですか。

   How long should the soup cook?

   スープ

   soup

   どのくらい

   how long

   煮ればいいですか

   should it cook?

   More detail

   スープ means “soup” here. It is a noun; the following は marks it as the topic, so the question is about the soup’s cooking time. Example: スープを作ります。 — “I make soup.” Here を marks soup as the object of the action. どのくらい asks about an amount or extent. With a time expression, it means “how long.” It can also ask about degree or quantity when the context supplies that measurement. Example: どのくらい待ちますか。 — “How long will we wait?” 煮ればいいですか is a polite question about the appropriate action or amount. The base form is 煮る, “to simmer” or “to boil/cook in liquid.” In this expression, 煮れば is the -ば conditional form, and いい means “good” or “suitable”: literally, “if it simmers, is that good?” In natural English, this pattern asks what should be done or what amount is appropriate. ですか makes the question polite. Example: 何分煮ればいいですか。 — “How many minutes should I simmer it?” Together, どのくらい asks for the cooking duration, while 煮ればいいですか asks what duration is suitable. With スープは as the topic, the whole utterance means: “How long should the soup cook?”

4. 野菜が柔らかくなるまで煮てください。

   Let it cook until the vegetables are soft.

   野菜

   vegetables

   柔らかくなる

   become soft

   まで

   until

   煮てください

   please simmer it

   More detail

   野菜 means “vegetables” here. It is a noun, and が marks it as the subject of the change described by 柔らかくなる. For example: 野菜が柔らかくなりました。 — “The vegetables became soft.” 柔らかくなる means “become soft.” 柔らかい is the basic form meaning “soft”; before なる (“become”), this i-adjective uses its -く form: 柔らかい → 柔らかくなる. This pattern describes a change of state. For example: 水が冷たくなる。 — “The water becomes cold.” まで marks the endpoint of an action or period: “until …” or “up to …”. Here it follows the clause 野菜が柔らかくなる, so the cooking should continue until the vegetables reach that state. A useful pattern is AまでB: “do B until A.” 煮てください is a polite request to cook by simmering or boiling. Its base verb is 煮る; its て-form is 煮て, followed by ください to make a polite request. The form 煮てください does not itself state a numeric amount or duration; the duration is supplied by the preceding 〜まで clause. For example: 豆を煮てください。 — “Please simmer the beans.” Together, 野菜が柔らかくなるまで means “until the vegetables become soft,” and 煮てください requests that the dish be cooked until then. The whole utterance is therefore: “Let it cook until the vegetables are soft.”

5. 私たちはもっと塩を加える前に、味見をしたほうがいいですか。

   Should we taste it before we add more salt?

   私たち

   we

   もっと

   more

   塩

   salt

   加える

   add

   前に

   before

   味見

   taste-testing

   したほうがいいですか

   should ...?

   More detail

   私たちは sets 私たち (“we”) as the topic with は. 私たち is a first-person plural pronoun. Example: 私たちは行きます。 — “We will go.” もっと means “more” here and modifies the amount of salt to be added. Example: もっと水をください。 — “Please give me more water.” 塩 means “salt.” It is a noun and, with the particle を shown in 塩を, it is the direct object of 加える: the thing being added. 加える is the dictionary form meaning “to add.” Before 前に, a verb normally appears in its dictionary form: Vる前に means “before doing V.” Example: 食べる前に手を洗います。 — “I wash my hands before eating.” 前に means “before” in this pattern. Thus 加える前に means “before adding.” The sentence does not state a separate recipient for the salt; the fixed translation expresses the action as “add more salt.” 味見 is a noun meaning “taste-testing.” With する, it forms 味見をする, “to taste-test.” The thing being tasted is understood from the situation; the fixed translation renders it as “it.” Example: スープを味見します。 — “I taste the soup.” したほうがいいですか asks whether doing something would be better or advisable. した is the past form of する, but in Vたほうがいい it forms a recommendation pattern rather than expressing past time. ですか makes the question polite. Example: 少し休んだほうがいいですか。 — “Should I rest a little?” Together, もっと塩を加える前に means “before adding more salt,” and 味見をしたほうがいいですか asks whether taste-testing would be advisable. With the topic 私たちは, the whole utterance means: “Should we taste it before we add more salt?”

6. まず味見をしてください。

   Taste it first.

   まず

   first

   味見

   tasting; sampling

   してください

   please do

   More detail

   まず means “first” here and sets the order of the action. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or politeness. Example: まず水を飲みます。 — “I drink water first.” 味見 means tasting or sampling food. It is a noun that commonly forms the action 味見をする (“to taste/sample”). In this sentence, 味見 is followed by を, marking it as the object of する; the object being tasted is understood from context and is rendered as “it” in the fixed translation. してください is the polite request form of する (“do”). More specifically, して is the connective form of する, followed by ください (“please”), producing a polite request. The request pattern is [noun]をしてください: for example, 確認してください。 — “Please check.” Together, まず places the action first, and 味見をしてください politely asks the listener to perform the tasting action: “Taste it first.”

7. それから、私たちは丁寧に味付けできます。

   Then we can season it carefully.

   それから

   then; after that

   私たちは

   we; as for us

   丁寧に

   carefully

   味付けできます

   can season

   More detail

   それから means “then” or “after that.” It links this action to an earlier step in sequence. In the supplied context, it follows tasting, so it introduces the next step. A useful pattern is A。それから、B。 = “A. Then, B.” 私たちは presents “we” as the topic: 私たち means “we/us,” and は marks what the sentence is about. The form 私たち itself does not change for grammatical gender. Japanese often leaves a subject unstated when context makes it clear, but this sentence explicitly states the group as “we.” 丁寧に describes how the action is carried out: carefully or attentively. It is the adverbial form of 丁寧な (“careful,” “polite”); here the action-related sense “carefully” is intended, not a claim about social politeness. For example, 丁寧に切ります。 means “I cut it carefully.” 味付けできます means “can season.” 味付けする is the base expression “to season” or “to add seasoning,” and 味付けできる is its potential form, expressing ability or possibility: “can season.” できます is the polite form of できる. For example, 自分で味付けできます。 means “I can season it myself.” Together, それから sets the sequence, 私たちは identifies the group acting, 丁寧に explains the manner, and 味付けできます expresses their ability to season. The omitted object is understood here as “it,” according to the fixed translation and the surrounding cooking context. The whole utterance means: “Then we can season it carefully.”

8. 今はスープがおいしくなりました。

   The soup tastes better now.

   今は

   now

   スープ

   soup

   おいしく

   tasty

   なりました

   became

   More detail

   今は means “now” in this sentence. 今 is the noun “now,” and は marks it as the time frame being discussed. A reusable pattern is 今は + statement: “As for now, …” or naturally “Now, …”. Example: 今は忙しいです。 — “I’m busy now.” スープ is the noun “soup,” written in katakana because it is a borrowed word. It can be used directly before particles or predicates: スープを飲みます。 — “I drink soup.” おいしく is the adverbial form of the adjective おいしい, “tasty” or “delicious.” The form changes from おいしい to おいしく when it connects to なる (“become”), expressing a change into a tasty state. For comparison, おいしい describes a state, while おいしくなる means “become tasty” or “get better in taste.” Example: 料理がおいしくなりました。 — “The cooking got tastier.” なりました is the polite past form of なる, “to become” or “to get.” Its base form is なる; なりました presents the change as completed or now established. The pattern adjective in its connecting form + なりました describes a change: 寒くなりました。 — “It has become cold.” Together, スープが marks the soup as the thing whose condition changed, おいしく describes the resulting improvement in taste, and なりました says that this change has occurred. With 今は setting the time frame, the whole utterance means: “The soup tastes better now.”

9. 次回は、私たちはもっとハーブを入れられます。

   Next time we can add more herbs.

   次回は

   next time

   私たちは

   we; as for us

   もっと

   more

   ハーブ

   herbs

   入れられます

   can add

   More detail

   次回は sets the time as “next time.” 次回 means “next occasion/time,” and は marks it as the topic. A reusable pattern is [time]は ..., as in 明日は休みです。 (“Tomorrow is a day off.”) 私たちは means “we” as the topic. 私たち is a first-person plural pronoun; unlike some languages, it does not change form for grammatical gender. は presents “we” as the relevant participants. The pronoun identifies the speaker together with other people, while the sentence does not specify who those other people are. もっと means “more” or “to a greater amount.” It modifies the amount of ハーブ added here. It can also modify an adjective or adverb, as in もっとゆっくり話してください。 (“Please speak more slowly.”) ハーブ is a noun meaning “herb(s).” It is a loanword written in katakana. In this sentence, it is the substance being added; Japanese does not require a plural ending on this noun, so the translation’s plural meaning comes from the context and intended amount rather than from a visible plural inflection. 入れられます is the polite nonpast form expressing ability: “can add” here. Its dictionary form is 入れる (“to put in; to add”), and the potential form is 入れられる (“can put in/add”); 入れられます is the polite form of that potential expression. The form 入れる itself is transitive, so it takes the thing being put in or added, here ハーブ. In another context, 入れる can mean “put in” rather than specifically “add,” but the fixed translation establishes “add” here. Example: 砂糖を入れられます。 — “I can add sugar.” Together, 次回は gives the time, 私たちは identifies the participants, もっとハーブを gives the increased amount and object, and 入れられます says that they have the ability to add it. The whole utterance means: “Next time we can add more herbs.”