Understanding a completed-action grammar pattern | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. この文法パターンをもう一度説明していただけますか。

   Could you explain this grammar pattern again?

   この

   this

   文法パターン

   grammar pattern

   もう一度

   again

   説明して

   explain

   いただけますか

   could you…?

   More detail

   この means “this” when it comes before a noun. It is an attributive demonstrative: この + noun, as in この本 (“this book”). The exact thing it refers to is the grammar pattern named immediately after it. 文法パターン means “grammar pattern.” 文法 means “grammar,” and パターン means “pattern”; together they form a noun phrase. Japanese commonly places a noun modifier before the noun it describes, as in 日本語の本 (“a Japanese-language book”), though this particular phrase is a compound rather than a の phrase. もう一度 means “again” or “one more time.” It requests a repetition, without itself specifying a numeric count beyond the idea of doing something another time. For example, もう一度言ってください。 means “Please say it again.” 説明して is the te-form of the verb 説明する (“to explain”). The te-form connects this verb to the following expression: 説明していただけますか means, literally in structure, “would I be able to receive your doing an explanation?” In natural English, it is a polite request: “Could you explain…?” The observed form 説明して is not the dictionary form; the dictionary form is 説明する. いただけますか is the polite potential form of いただく, used here in the pattern verb-te + いただけますか to make a respectful request. いただく is a humble verb related to receiving, but in this construction it respectfully asks whether the listener would do something for the speaker. It is more deferential than the plain request pattern 説明できますか (“Can you explain?”), which focuses more directly on ability. For example, 確認していただけますか。 means “Could you please check?” Together, この文法パターン identifies the item to be explained, もう一度 asks for repetition, and 説明していただけますか makes the request politely. The complete utterance therefore means: “Could you explain this grammar pattern again?”

2. 動作がすでに完了したことを表します。

   It shows that an action is already complete.

   動作

   action

   すでに

   already

   完了した

   was completed

   ことを表します

   indicates that …

   More detail

   動作 means “action” here: an action or operation in general, without identifying a particular action. It is a noun. A useful related contrast is 動く (“move; operate”), which is a verb, whereas 動作 names the action or operation itself. すでに means “already.” It marks something as completed or true before the relevant reference point. For example, 仕事はすでに終わりました。 means “The work is already finished.” 完了した is the plain past form of 完了する (“be completed; complete”). In this sentence, it describes the action as having reached completion; the English past form “was completed” is not the only possible way to translate it. The form 完了した is used before こと to turn the completed situation into something that can be referred to as content. ことを表します contains こと, which nominalizes the preceding clause, and 表します, the polite nonpast form of 表す (“express; indicate”). The pattern [plain clause]ことを表します means “indicates that [clause].” Here, ます makes the explanation polite; it does not mean that the completion happens in the future. Together, 動作がすでに完了した says “the action has already been completed,” and ことを表します says that this fact is indicated. Thus the whole utterance means “It indicates that an action is already complete.” The wording is a polite, explanatory style suitable for describing what a grammar pattern means.

3. この文では、なぜ動詞が変わるのですか。

   Why does the verb change in this sentence?

   この

   this

   文

   sentence

   では

   in; as for

   なぜ

   why

   動詞

   verb

   変わる

   change

   のですか

   is it that …?

   More detail

   この この means “this” and appears before a noun to identify something near the speaker or already clear in the situation. It does not stand alone as the usual noun-like “this”; compare この文 “this sentence” with これ “this one.” 文 文 means “sentence.” In この文, it is the noun being identified by この. A useful related word is 文章, “written passage” or “text,” which is broader than a single sentence. では では combines で and は. Here で marks the setting or scope, while は makes that setting the topic: “in this sentence” or “as for this sentence.” The pattern [place or situation]では is reusable for limiting a statement to a particular context. For example, この場合では “in this case” uses the same scope-setting idea. なぜ なぜ asks for a reason: “why.” It commonly introduces a clause whose reason the speaker wants explained. どうして can also ask “why,” often with a somewhat more conversational feel, but なぜ is the form used here. 動詞 動詞 means “verb,” a word that expresses an action, event, or state in the grammatical system being discussed. In this utterance, it is the thing whose form is said to change; the sentence does not identify a particular verb. 変わる 変わる means “change” or “become different.” This is the plain, non-past form, used here because it appears before the explanatory ending のですか. It is an intransitive verb: the changing thing is the subject, as in 形が変わる “the form changes.” The related transitive verb 変える means “change something,” as in 形を変える “change the form.” のですか After the plain form 変わる, のですか forms an explanatory question. It asks for an explanation of the situation, so 変わるのですか means roughly “is it that it changes?” or, naturally here, “does it change?” The ですか ending marks the utterance as a question; the explanatory の connects the preceding clause to a request for clarification. This pattern can follow other plain forms too, such as 終わったのですか “is it that it finished?” Together The structure is [この文では] [なぜ] [動詞が変わる] [のですか]. The first chunk sets “this sentence” as the scope, なぜ asks for the reason, 動詞が identifies the verb as the thing undergoing the change, and 変わるのですか turns the clause into an explanatory question. Together, the utterance means: “Why does the verb change in this sentence?”

4. 出来事が終わったので、形が変わります。

   The form changes because the event is finished.

   出来事

   event

   終わった

   finished; ended

   ので

   because; since

   形

   form; shape

   変わります

   changes

   More detail

   出来事 means “event” here. It is a noun, and 出来事が marks the event as the subject of the first clause. The particle が identifies what finished; it does not mean “and.” 終わった is the past form of the verb 終わる, “to finish” or “to end.” In this sentence, the event has ended. The useful chain is 終わる (finish/end) → 終わった (finished/ended). The form 終わって is the linking form used in other patterns, but it is not the form used here. ので connects a reason to its result and is commonly translated as “because” or “since.” The plain past form 終わった comes directly before it: 終わったので = “because it finished.” Compared with から, ので often presents the reason more neutrally or gently, but both can introduce a reason in suitable contexts. 形 means “form” or “shape.” Here it refers to the form that changes, not specifically to a physical shape. The phrase 形が marks that form as the subject of the second clause. Japanese nouns do not change form for singular and plural in this expression, so 形 can refer to a form without stating a number. 変わります is the polite nonpast form of 変わる, “to change.” The nonpast form can describe a present or future change, or a general pattern; the fixed translation selects “changes” in this explanation. The useful chain is 変わる (change) → 変わります (polite nonpast: changes/will change). 変える is a different verb meaning “to change something,” with an agent causing the change; 変わる presents the subject as undergoing a change. Together, 出来事が終わったので gives the reason, “because the event is finished,” and 形が変わります gives the result, “the form changes.” The whole utterance therefore means: “The form changes because the event is finished.”

5. 別の例を教えていただけますか。

   Can you give me another example?

   別の

   another; different

   例

   example

   教えて

   tell; teach

   いただけますか

   could you, please?

   More detail

   別の modifies the following noun and means “another” or “different” in this sentence. The noun is not given a specific number; the phrase simply contrasts this example with another one. A reusable pattern is 別の + noun, as in 別の方法 (“another method”). 例 means “example.” It is a noun and can be used in compounds such as 例文 (“example sentence”). In this utterance, it is the thing the speaker asks the listener to provide. 教えて is the て-form of 教える (“to teach; to tell”). Here it refers to giving or telling the requested example. The て-form connects this verb to the polite request construction that follows; it is not an imperative by itself. For example, 名前を教えてください。 means “Please tell me your name.” いただけますか is a polite question using いただく, a humble verb meaning “receive,” as an auxiliary after a て-form. 教えていただけますか is a respectful way to ask whether the listener can do the favor of telling or teaching something. The question form makes the request less direct than a plain command. The construction 〜ていただけますか is reusable with other verbs, such as 確認していただけますか (“Could you check it?”). Together, 別の例 means “another example,” and 教えていただけますか politely asks whether the listener can provide it. The whole utterance therefore means “Can you give me another example?”

6. 授業の前に、誰かが本を開きました。

   Someone opened the book before class.

   授業

   class

   の前に

   before

   誰か

   someone

   本

   book

   開きました

   opened

   More detail

   授業 means “class” or “lesson.” The noun can combine with particles to show its role: 授業が始まります means “Class begins,” while 授業の前 means “before class.” Here, 授業 is the time reference, not the actor. の前に is a reusable time pattern: N の前に means “before N.” 前 is the noun “front” or “before”; with a time noun, it indicates an earlier time. The particle に marks the point in time. Example: 寝る前に歯を磨きます。 — “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” 誰か means “someone” or “somebody.” It is an indefinite pronoun formed with 誰 (“who”) and か, which makes an unknown or unspecified person. In this sentence, 誰か is marked as the subject by the following が; the sentence does not identify that person. Compare 誰が来ましたか。 — “Who came?” with 誰かが来ました。 — “Someone came.” 本 means “book.” It is a noun and can take the object particle を: 本を読みます means “read a book,” and 本を開きます means “open a book.” The source uses 本を, so 本 is the thing acted on here. 開きました is the polite past form of the transitive verb 開く (ひらく), “to open something.” Its form can be understood as 開く → 開きます (polite non-past) → 開きました (polite past). The transitive use takes an object marked by を, as in ドアを開きました。 — “I opened the door.” Japanese also has the intransitive reading 開く (あく), “to open” or “to become open,” as in ドアが開きました。 — “The door opened”; that reading uses が for the thing that became open rather than を for something opened by an agent. The sentence assembles as 授業の前に (“before class”) + 誰かが (“someone,” marked as the subject) + 本を (“the book,” marked as the object) + 開きました (“opened,” polite past). Together, it means “Someone opened the book before class.”

7. それで、このパターンが分かりやすくなります。

   That makes the pattern easier to understand.

   それで

   so; as a result

   この

   this

   パターン

   pattern

   分かりやすく

   easy to understand

   なります

   becomes

   More detail

   それで links this sentence to what came before and means “so” or “as a result.” It can introduce a result caused by the preceding situation. Example: 雨が降りました。それで、試合は中止です。 — “It rained. So the game is canceled.” この is the demonstrative word “this” used directly before a noun. It identifies the noun as relatively close to the speaker or as the item currently being discussed. Unlike Japanese nouns, この does not change for grammatical gender or number. The noun it modifies follows it: この本 means “this book.” パターン is a noun meaning “pattern.” It is a Japanese loanword written in katakana. Here it names the pattern being discussed; the sentence does not by itself specify a different kind of pattern. 分かりやすく means “easy to understand” in the form needed before なります. Its underlying adjective is 分かりやすい, “easy to understand.” The ending changes from -い to -く when this adjective combines with なる in the pattern 〜くなる, “become easier to …” or “become ….” Example: 説明が分かりやすくなりました。 — “The explanation became easier to understand.” なります is the polite nonpast form of なる, “become” or “come to be.” In 分かりやすくなります, it presents a change of state: something becomes easy to understand. The polite form is used for a courteous, neutral statement; the plain nonpast counterpart is なる. Together, このパターン means “this pattern,” and 分かりやすくなります says that it becomes easier to understand. With それで connecting this result to the preceding context, the whole utterance means: “That makes the pattern easier to understand.”

8. では、自分で文を作ってみてください。

   Now try making your own sentence.

   では

   now, then

   自分で

   by yourself

   文

   sentence

   作ってみてください

   please try making

   More detail

   では sets up the next step: “now” or “then,” depending on the flow of the conversation. Here it moves from understanding the pattern to practicing it. It is a transition, not the word for clock time. 自分で means doing something oneself or on one’s own. 自分 is a noun meaning “oneself,” and で marks the means or manner here: “by oneself.” The exact person referred to is understood from the situation rather than specified by this form. Compare 自分で作る, “make it oneself,” with 先生が作る, “the teacher makes it.” 文 means “sentence.” It can be used in reusable patterns such as 文を作る, “make a sentence,” and 文を読む, “read a sentence.” In the supplied sentence, the object marker を appears between 文 and 作って; it is not part of the quoted 文 entry. 作ってみてください is a polite request meaning “please try making.” 作って is the て-form of 作る, “to make.” The pattern verb-てみる means “try doing something,” and みてください politely asks someone to try it. In this expression, みる does not mean literally “see”; it contributes the idea of trying an action. The polite request can be reused with other verbs, for example, 読んでみてください, “please try reading it.” Together, では、自分で文を作ってみてください means “Now, please try making a sentence yourself.” では marks the transition to the exercise, 自分で describes who performs the action and how, 文 is what is made, and 作ってみてください presents the action as a polite invitation to try.