Setting a Small Speaking Practice Goal | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 言語の練習の目標を決めたいです。

   I want to set a goal for my language practice.

   言語

   language

   練習

   practice

   目標

   goal

   決めたいです

   want to decide

   More detail

   言語 means “language.” It is a noun and can refer to a language as a system or to language in general. In this sentence, 言語の uses の to connect it to the following noun: “language practice” or “practice of language.” 練習 means “practice” or “training.” It is a noun that can also be used in compounds and with する as 練習する, “to practice.” Here, 言語の練習 is the activity being practiced. 目標 means “goal” or “objective.” The phrase 言語の練習の目標 uses the repeated の pattern to show that the goal belongs to, or concerns, the language practice: “a goal for language practice.” 決めたいです means “want to decide” here. Its base verb is 決める, “to decide” or “to set.” The form 決めたい adds たい to the verb stem to express the speaker’s desire: 決める → 決めたい. です makes the utterance polite. In this sentence, the object of 決める is 目標, so the meaning is “want to set a goal,” not merely “want to make a decision.” Together, 言語の練習の目標 identifies the goal connected with language practice, and 決めたいです expresses the speaker’s polite desire to decide or set it. The whole utterance means: “I want to set a goal for my language practice.”

2. 今、どのスキルが一番難しいですか。

   Which skill feels hardest right now?

   今

   now

   どの

   which

   スキル

   skill

   一番

   most

   難しい

   difficult

   ですか

   polite question ending

   More detail

   今 means “now” and places the situation in the present. It is a time word and can also be used in statements: 今、勉強します。 — “I’ll study now.” どの means “which” and is used directly before a noun when choosing one from an understood set: どの本ですか。 — “Which book is it?” Unlike a standalone question word, どの needs a following noun. スキル is the noun “skill.” It is a loanword used for an ability or area of ability. For example, 会話のスキル means “conversation skills.” 一番 means “the most” or “the ...-est” in a comparison. It commonly comes before an adjective: 一番大きい — “the biggest.” Here it marks 難しい as the hardest among the relevant skills. 難しい means “difficult” or “hard.” This is the plain form of an い-adjective; its base form is also 難しい. In the sentence it describes スキル, with 一番 adding the highest degree. A useful contrast is 易しい — “easy.” Example: この問題は難しいです。 — “This problem is difficult.” ですか is a polite question ending. Here, です follows the い-adjective 難しい to make the expression polite, while か marks the question. The full ending does not itself identify a noun or express a numeric meaning. Together, 今 sets the assessment in the present, どのスキル asks which skill, and 一番難しい describes that skill as the hardest among the relevant skills. The whole utterance therefore means: “Which skill feels hardest right now?”

3. 短い会話で、スムーズに話すことです。

   Speaking smoothly in short conversations.

   短い

   short

   会話

   conversation

   スムーズに

   smoothly

   話す

   speak

   ことです

   it is the act of

   More detail

   短い means “short” here and describes the noun 会話. Its form is the plain non-past form of 短い, an い-adjective; before a noun, it stays 短い: 短い会話 means “short conversations” or “a short conversation,” depending on context. Example: 短いメール — “a short email.” 会話 means “conversation.” It is a noun and can be used for a conversation as an activity or exchange. Example: 会話をします。 — “I have a conversation.” スムーズに means “smoothly.” The ending -に turns this adjective-like form into an adverbial expression, showing how the speaking is done. Example: スムーズに進みます。 — “It proceeds smoothly.” 話す means “to speak” or “to talk.” This is the plain non-past form of the verb; it can describe an action or a general skill, not only something happening at this moment. Example: 日本語を話す。 — “I speak Japanese” or “to speak Japanese,” depending on its sentence role. ことです presents the preceding 話すこと as the content being identified or described, followed by the polite copula です. 話すこと literally packages the action 話す as “speaking” or “the act of speaking.” In this utterance, it identifies the relevant skill or goal as speaking, rather than asserting a separate event. Example: 読むことです。 — “It is reading.” Together, 短い会話で sets the setting or situation as “in short conversations.” スムーズに話すことです identifies the relevant activity as “speaking smoothly.” The whole utterance therefore means “Speaking smoothly in short conversations.” The polite ending です makes the statement suitable for a straightforward explanatory exchange.

4. では、毎日、小さな話す課題を一つ選びましょう。

   Then choose one small speaking task each day.

   では

   then

   毎日

   each day

   小さな

   small

   話す

   speak; talk

   課題

   task

   一つ

   one

   選びましょう

   let’s choose

   More detail

   では is a transition meaning “then” here. It moves from the preceding idea to the next step. It can also have other discourse uses, so its exact meaning comes from the surrounding statement. 毎日 means “each day” and functions as a time expression. It can be placed before an action to say that the action happens daily. Example: 毎日、練習します。 — “I practise every day.” 小さな means “small” and describes the following noun, 課題. 小さな is an attributive form used before a noun; the commonly used alternative is 小さい, as in 小さい課題. Example: 小さな目標 — “a small goal.” 話す means “to speak” or “to talk.” Its plain non-past form can directly modify a noun: 話す課題 means “a task for speaking” or “a speaking task.” Here, 話す is not the main finite verb; 選びましょう supplies the main action. The same form can also mean “speak” in a main clause, depending on its position and context. 課題 means “task” or “assignment.” In this sentence it is the task to be selected, specifically a speaking task because it follows 話す. Example: 課題を終えます。 — “I finish the assignment.” 一つ means “one” when counting a general thing. 一 expresses the number and つ is the general counter in this form. It comes before 選びましょう and specifies that the selected amount is one task. Example: 一つ選びます。 — “I choose one.” 選びましょう comes from 選ぶ, “to choose.” The ending -ましょう is the polite volitional form: it commonly proposes “let’s choose,” and in an instruction or plan it can naturally be translated as “choose.” Example: 次の話題を選びましょう。 — “Let’s choose the next topic.” Together, 小さな話す課題 identifies a small speaking task, 一つ specifies one such task, and 選びましょう proposes choosing it. With 毎日, the intended meaning is “Then choose one small speaking task each day.”

5. 進み具合をどうやって記録できますか。

   How can I track my progress?

   進み具合

   progress

   どうやって

   how; by what method

   記録できますか

   can record?

   More detail

   進み具合 means the state or degree of progress. 進む means “to advance,” and 具合 means a condition or state; together, 進み具合 is a noun meaning how far something has progressed or how it is progressing. For example: 仕事の進み具合を確認します。 — “I check the progress of the work.” どうやって asks about the method: “how?” or “by what means?” It is useful when the speaker wants a way of doing something, rather than asking about a reason. For example: どうやって勉強しますか。 — “How do you study?” 記録できますか contains 記録する, “to record” or “to keep track of,” and できる, “to be able to.” Here, 記録できますか asks whether recording or tracking is possible. できます is the polite non-past form of できる; か turns the polite statement into a question. The subject is omitted in Japanese, and the fixed translation identifies it here as “I”: “Can I record/track …?” The object marker を connects 進み具合 to 記録できますか: 進み具合を記録する means “to record one’s progress” or “to keep track of one’s progress.” The sentence therefore assembles as 進み具合を (“one’s progress,” as the object) + どうやって (“how”) + 記録できますか (“can I record it?”), giving “How can I track my progress?”

6. 答えを一つ録音して、あとでもう一度聞きましょう。

   Record one answer and listen to it again later.

   答え

   answer

   一つ

   one

   録音して

   record and

   あとで

   later

   もう一度

   again

   聞きましょう

   let’s listen

   More detail

   答え means “answer” here. It is a noun; the particle を marks it as the object of the recording action. For example, 質問の答えを書く means “write the answer to the question.” 一つ means “one” in the sense of one item. つ is a general counter used for many kinds of objects or items, so 答えを一つ means “one answer.” The quantity is expressed by 一つ; を is the particle marking 答え as the object, not an indefinite article or quantity marker. 録音して comes from the verb 録音する, “to record.” The form 録音して is the て-form. Here it links the recording action to the following action: “record … and then …” The て-form is also used in other connections, such as 名前を書いてください (“Please write your name”). あとで means “later,” referring here to a time after the recording. It is a time expression and does not itself specify exactly when. もう一度 means “once more” or “again.” もう contributes the sense of an additional occurrence, and 一度 means “one time.” Together they indicate repeating the listening action one more time. 聞きましょう comes from 聞く, “to listen” or “to hear.” The ending -ましょう is the polite volitional form, commonly used to suggest or invite a shared action: 始めましょう means “Let’s begin.” In this sentence, the object of listening is understood from the preceding recorded answer, matching the fixed translation “listen to it.” Together, 答えを一つ録音して means “record one answer and,” あとでもう一度 adds “again later,” and 聞きましょう makes the second action a polite shared suggestion. The whole utterance is therefore: “Record one answer and listen to it again later.”

7. その方法なら、簡単に続けられそうです。

   That routine sounds easy to follow.

   その

   that

   方法

   method

   なら

   if it is

   簡単に

   easily

   続けられそうです

   seems possible to continue

   More detail

   その comes before 方法 and is an attributive demonstrative meaning “that.” It points to a method identifiable from the situation; in the fixed translation, that method is presented as “that routine.” Its form does not show the method’s number or gender. 方法 is the noun “method” or “way.” The noun itself does not change for number. For example, この方法 means “this method,” while 別の方法 means “another method.” Together, その方法なら sets a condition or standpoint: “if it is that method” or, naturally here, “with that method.” After a noun, なら commonly introduces this kind of condition. Example: この方法なら、毎日できます。 — “With this method, I can do it every day.” 簡単に means “easily” here. It is the adverbial form of the na-adjective 簡単だ (“easy” or “simple”): 簡単な方法 is “an easy method,” whereas 簡単に続ける describes continuing in an easy manner. The adverb modifies the following continuation expression. 続けられそうです expresses that continuing seems possible or likely. Its base verb is 続ける (“to continue”); 続けられる is its potential form, “can continue” or “be able to keep doing it.” The そう after this form marks an appearance or expectation—“seems likely to”—and です makes the statement polite. Thus 続けられそうです is not a firm claim that continuation has already happened; it presents it as something that appears manageable. Example: この方法なら、長く続けられそうです。 — “With this method, I think I can keep it up for a long time.” As a whole, その方法なら establishes the method as the favorable condition, 簡単に describes the manner, and 続けられそうです says that continuing appears possible. Together they convey the fixed meaning: “That routine sounds easy to follow.”

8. 課題は短くして、何度も繰り返しましょう。

   Keep the task short and repeat it often.

   課題

   task

   短くして

   make it short and

   何度も

   often; repeatedly

   繰り返しましょう

   let’s repeat it

   More detail

   課題 means “task” or “assignment.” It is a noun and can refer to a piece of work that someone needs to do. In this sentence, は marks it as the topic: “As for the task…” The topic marker does not itself state who is doing the task. 短くして comes from the i-adjective 短い, “short.” Its -く form combines with する to express making something short: 短くする = “make something short.” Here, 短くして is the linking form, connecting that request or instruction to the next action. The understood object is the task, as shown by the fixed translation. Compare 長くする, “make something long.” Example: 文章を短くしてください。 — “Please make the text shorter.” 何度も means “repeatedly” or “many times.” 何度 asks “how many times,” and も adds the sense that the action occurs repeatedly. It is useful with actions that happen again and again; it does not by itself specify an exact number. Example: 何度も練習します。 — “I practice repeatedly.” 繰り返しましょう comes from the verb 繰り返す, “repeat.” The ending -ましょう is the polite volitional form, commonly used for “let’s …” or a polite proposal to do something together. The object is omitted in Japanese here; the fixed translation identifies it as the task. 繰り返す can also be used with an explicitly stated object, as in この文を繰り返しましょう。 — “Let’s repeat this sentence.” Together, 課題は短くして sets the task as the topic and says to make it short, while 何度も繰り返しましょう proposes repeating it many times. The whole utterance therefore means: “Keep the task short and repeat it often.”