Reporting a Hotel Room Air Conditioner Problem | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 部屋のエアコンが動きません。

   The air conditioner in my room is not working.

   部屋

   room

   エアコン

   air conditioner

   動きません

   does not work; is not working

   More detail

   部屋 means “room.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as the speaker’s room. The form is a noun; Japanese possession or association is commonly expressed with AのB, meaning “B of/in A” or, when appropriate, “A’s B.” Example: ホテルの部屋 — “a hotel room.” エアコン is the noun “air conditioner,” a common Japanese loanword. It names the appliance itself, not its condition. In 部屋のエアコン, の links 部屋 to エアコン, giving “the air conditioner in the room.” 動きません is the polite negative non-past form of 動く (“to move” or, for a machine, “to operate/work”). Here the machine-related sense is intended, so it means “is not working.” The ending ません makes the statement negative and polite; it does not by itself assert a particular numeric quantity or gender-like category. The non-past form can describe a current state, as it does here, and can also describe a future or general situation depending on context. Form pattern: 動く → 動きます → 動きません (“operate” → “operates / will operate” politely → “does not operate / will not operate” politely). Example: この機械は動きません。 — “This machine does not work.” Together, 部屋のエアコン identifies the air conditioner located in the speaker’s room, and が marks that noun phrase as the subject of the following predicate. 動きません states politely and negatively that it is not operating. The complete meaning is: “The air conditioner in my room is not working.”

2. 申し訳ありません。

   I am sorry about that.

   申し訳ありません

   I’m sorry about that.

   More detail

   申し訳ありません is a polite, relatively formal apology: “I’m sorry about that.” In this utterance, it apologizes for the situation mentioned in the preceding context, namely that the room air conditioner is not working. The useful base expression is 申し訳ない, meaning “inexcusable” or “sorry.” 申し訳ありません is its polite apology form. The ending ありません is the polite negative form of ある (“to exist”), but the whole expression is normally learned and used as a set apology rather than translated word by word. A less formal apology is ごめんなさい (“I’m sorry”). Example: ご迷惑をおかけして、申し訳ありません。 — “I’m sorry for causing you trouble.” Together, 申し訳ありません politely acknowledges the problem and expresses the speaker’s apology about it. It does not itself specify the exact cause or promise a solution.

3. リモコンを使ってみましたか。

   Have you tried the remote?

   リモコン

   remote control

   使ってみましたか

   Have you tried using it?

   More detail

   リモコン means “remote control” here. It is a noun, commonly used for a remote-control device. The particle を marks it as the direct object of the action: Nを使う means “use N.” 使ってみましたか is built from 使う (“to use”) and the pattern てみる, which means “try doing.” The observed form 使って is the て-form of 使う; it connects the verb to みる. In this pattern, みる does not mean literal “see.” For example, 食べてみる means “try eating.” みました is the polite past form of みる, and か turns the polite statement into a question. Thus 使ってみましたか asks whether someone tried using something. The Japanese past question can naturally correspond to English “Have you tried …?” in this context. Together, リモコンを使ってみましたか。 means “Have you tried the remote?” More literally, it asks whether the listener tried using the remote control.

4. 試しました。

   I tried it.

   試しました

   tried it

   More detail

   試しました is the polite past form of 試す, meaning “to try” or “to test.” In this utterance, the fixed translation identifies the omitted subject as “I” and the object as “it”; the preceding context supports understanding “it” as the remote. The form 試しました presents the trying as completed and uses polite speech. Useful form chain: 試す = to try; 試します = try/will try, polite; 試しました = tried, polite past. The subject does not need to be stated when it is clear from context. For example, 新しい方法を試しました。 means “I tried a new method.” As a whole, 試しました。 means “I tried it.” The concise answer reports that the speaker has already tried the relevant item, without stating the result.

5. 温度が変わりません。

   The temperature does not change.

   温度

   temperature

   変わりません

   does not change

   More detail

   温度 means “temperature” here. It is a noun, and が marks it as the subject of the description. The pattern Xが変わる means “X changes,” so the noun can be replaced with another thing that changes. Example: 予定が変わりました。 — “The schedule changed.” 変わりません is the polite negative form of 変わる, “to change.” The form chain is 変わる (plain non-past) → 変わります (polite non-past) → 変わりません (polite negative non-past). Here, it states that the temperature does not change. 変わる is an intransitive verb: the subject changes, whereas 変える is the transitive verb “to change something.” Example: 設定を変えます。 — “I will change the setting.” Together, 温度が変わりません。 means “The temperature does not change.” The polite ending makes this suitable for a neutral, polite statement.

6. 誰かに見に行ってもらいます。

   I will send someone to check it.

   誰か

   someone

   見に行ってもらいます

   have someone go to check

   More detail

   誰か means “someone”: 誰 is “who,” and か after an interrogative makes the reference indefinite. It does not identify who the person is. The particle に marks that person as the one who performs the action arranged or requested by the speaker. 見に行ってもらいます is built from 見に行く and てもらう. 見に行く literally means “go to see,” and in this sentence 見る is understood as checking or inspecting something. The に after the verb stem 見 marks purpose: 見に行く = “go in order to check.” For example, 店を見に行きます。 means “I’m going to look at the shop.” 見に行って is the て-form of 見に行く. The て-form connects this action to もらう; it is not a separate past-tense marker here. もらいます is the polite nonpast form of もらう, “receive.” With another person’s action in the pattern person に [て-form] もらう, it means that the speaker receives the favor or service of having that person do the action. Thus 誰かに見に行ってもらいます means “I will have someone go and check it.” In this use, the subject understood from the translation is the speaker, while 誰かに identifies the person who will go and check. The polite nonpast form もらいます can describe a planned or intended future action, so the fixed translation’s “I will send” is compatible with the Japanese. The whole utterance assembles as: “someone” + “by/from that person” + “go to check” + “receive that action as a favor” = “I will send someone to check it.”

7. 修理にはどのくらいかかりそうですか。

   How long might the repair take?

   修理

   repair

   どのくらい

   how long

   かかり

   take (time)

   そうですか

   seems likely?

   More detail

   修理 means “repair” here. It is a noun; for example, 修理時間 means “repair time.” In 修理には, the noun is followed by に and は, which frame the repair as the matter being discussed. どのくらい asks about degree or amount. With a time-taking expression, it means “how long.” Example: どのくらい待ちますか。 means “How long will we wait?” かかり is the verb stem of かかる in this sentence. With a time expression, かかる means “to take” a certain amount of time. Example: 二時間かかります。 means “It takes two hours.” そうですか is the ending of the pattern かかりそうですか: the verb stem かかり combines with そうです to express that something appears likely, and the final か makes it a question. Thus, in this sentence, かかりそうですか asks whether the repair appears likely to take that long. This is different from standalone そうですか, which can mean “Is that so?” or “I see?” depending on context. Together, 修理には frames the repair, どのくらい asks for the duration, and かかりそうですか asks whether that duration appears likely. The complete utterance means: “How long might the repair take?”

8. よく分かりません。

   I am not sure.

   よく

   well; clearly

   分かりません

   do not understand; do not know

   More detail

   よく appears before the verb and modifies how fully or clearly the understanding holds. In よく分かりません, it contributes the sense “well” or “clearly,” so the combination naturally expresses uncertainty or incomplete understanding rather than a confident “I understand.” The same adverb can also mean “often” in other contexts, but that is not its meaning here. 分かりません is the polite negative nonpast form of 分かる, “to understand” or “to know.” The ending -ません makes the form negative and polite; it does not identify the omitted subject. For example, 分かります means “understand” or “know,” while 分かりません means “do not understand” or “do not know.” A useful example is 答えが分かりません。 — “I don’t know the answer.” Together, よく + 分かりません means that the speaker does not understand or know something clearly enough. In this fixed utterance, the compatible intended meaning is “I am not sure.” Japanese commonly leaves the person and the specific matter understood from context unstated, so the sentence itself does not add an explicit subject or object.

9. すぐに誰かが来られます。

   Someone can come shortly.

   すぐに

   shortly

   誰か

   someone

   来られます

   can come

   More detail

   すぐに means “shortly” here and functions as an adverb, telling when the coming can happen. It can also mean “immediately” in a context that stresses an action starting without delay. Example: すぐに始めます。—“I will start immediately.” 誰か means “someone.” It is formed from 誰 (“who”) plus か, which makes the identity unspecified: 誰か = “someone,” while 誰 by itself asks “who?” Example: 誰かが呼んでいます。—“Someone is calling.” 来られます expresses “can come” in this sentence. Its base form is 来る (“to come”); the potential form is 来られる (“can come”), and the polite form here is 来られます. The potential form describes ability or possibility, while the ます ending makes the statement polite. Example: 明日来られます。—“I can come tomorrow.” In other contexts, 来られる can also be an honorific form, but the fixed translation supports the potential meaning here. Together, すぐに (“shortly”) + 誰か (“someone”) + 来られます (“can come”) gives: “Someone can come shortly.”

10. 部屋で待ちます。

    I will wait in the room.

    部屋

    room

    待ちます

    will wait; wait politely

    More detail

    部屋 means “room” here. It is a noun and can be used with a location marker to say where an action takes place. For example, 部屋で勉強します。 means “I study in the room.” 待ちます means “will wait” in this utterance. Its base form is 待つ (“to wait”); 待ちます is the polite nonpast form. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action when the context makes that time clear, as the fixed translation does here. The same form can also describe a habitual or present action in another context. For example, ここで待ちます。 means “I will wait here” or, in a suitable context, “I wait here.” The particle で follows 部屋 and marks the place where the waiting occurs: 部屋で means “in the room.” The sentence then combines 部屋で (“in the room”) with polite 待ちます (“will wait”), producing the complete meaning: “I will wait in the room.”

11. 問題が続く場合はお知らせください。

    Please let us know if the problem continues.

    問題

    problem

    続く

    continue

    場合は

    if; in the case that

    お知らせください

    please let us know

    More detail

    問題 means “problem” here. It is a noun and can be used with が to mark the thing that performs or undergoes the situation described by the predicate: 問題がある means “there is a problem.” 続く is the dictionary form of the verb “continue” or “last.” In this sentence, 問題が続く means “the problem continues.” The form 続く is non-past; in a conditional clause, it can refer to a problem that continues in the future or remains continuing. A useful contrast is 続く “continue” versus 終わる “end.” Example: 雨が続く。 — “The rain continues.” 場合は consists of the noun 場合 (“case” or “situation”) followed by the topic particle は. The pattern …場合は presents a condition or situation: “if …” or “in the case that ….” Here, the clause before it, 問題が続く, specifies the situation, so 問題が続く場合は means “if the problem continues.” お知らせください is a polite request meaning “please let us know” or “please inform us.” ください makes the request courteous; it is not the verb “continue” and does not add a condition by itself. Example: 変更があればお知らせください。 — “Please let us know if there are any changes.” Together, 問題が続く場合は sets the condition and お知らせください gives the request. Japanese commonly places this conditional part before the main request, producing the complete meaning: “Please let us know if the problem continues.”