About This Lesson
Use Organizing a Suitcase Before a Trip to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
私のスーツケースは散らかっていて、私たちは明日出発します。
wah-TAH-shee noh SOO-tsoo-KAY-soo wah chee-rah-KAHT-teh-ee-teh, wah-TAH-shee-tah-chee wah ah-SHEE-tah shoo-PAHT-tsoo shee-MAH-soo My suitcase is messy, and we leave tomorrow.
B
場所を節約するために、先にシャツをたたみましょう。
BAH-shoh oh seh-tsoo-YAH-koo soo-ROO tah-MEH nee, SAH-kee nee SHAH-tsoo oh tah-tah-mee-mah-SHOO Fold the shirts first to save space.
A
液体を服と分けたほうがいいですか。
eh-kee-TAH-ee oh FOO-koo toh wah-keh-tah hoh-GAH EE deh-soo-kah Should I separate liquids from clothes?
B
液体を荷物に入れる前に、ビニール袋に入れてください。
eh-kee-TAH-ee oh nee-MOH-tsoo nee ee-reh-ROO MAH-eh nee, bee-NEE-roo boo-koo-ROH nee ee-reh-teh koo-dah-SAH-ee Put liquids in a plastic bag before you pack them.
A
スーツケースは重量制限に近いようです。
SOO-tsoo-KAY-soo wah JOO-ryoh seh-ee-GEN nee chee-KAH-ee yoh deh-soo The suitcase feels close to the weight limit.
B
それなら、重い本をリュックに移してください。
soh-reh-NAH-rah, oh-MOH-ee HOHN oh RYOO-koo nee oo-tsoo-SHEE-teh koo-dah-SAH-ee Then move heavy books to your backpack.
A
それで、スーツケースを閉めやすくなります。
soh-reh-deh, SOO-tsoo-KAY-soo oh shee-meh-YAH-soo-koo nah-ree-MAH-soo That makes the suitcase easier to close.
B
これで、旅行の準備ができたはずです。
koh-reh-deh, RYOH-koh noh JOON-bee gah deh-kee-tah hah-zoo deh-soo It should be ready for the trip now.Word by Word
私
In 私の, 私 identifies the suitcase as belonging to the speaker, meaning “my”; in 私たち, it is part of “we.” Use it before の when referring to something that belongs to the speaker.
の
In 私のスーツケース, の links 私 with スーツケース and shows possession. Use it between a person or group and the thing associated with them, especially when talking about belongings.
スーツケース
スーツケース means “suitcase,” the travel case being organized in this dialogue. Use it when discussing packing, carrying, or closing a suitcase before a trip.
は
In スーツケースは, は marks the suitcase as the topic of the statement. A noun followed by は is useful when describing or commenting on that thing, such as its condition.
散らかっていて
散らかっていて describes the suitcase as being messy and connects that condition to the next fact about leaving tomorrow. This connected form is useful when stating one condition and then adding another related point, such as a consequence or reason.
私たち
私たち means “we” or “us” and refers here to the people who will leave tomorrow. Use it as the subject when speaking about an action done by the speaker together with other people.
明日
明日 means “tomorrow” and specifies when the speakers will depart. Put it before the action it dates, as in 明日出発します, when making travel plans.
出発します
出発します means “depart” or “leave” in a polite form. It is used here for a planned departure tomorrow; 明日出発します is a useful way to state when someone will leave.
場所
In 場所を節約するために, 場所 refers to the available space in the suitcase. Use it with を and an action such as saving or using space when organizing belongings.
を
In 場所を節約する, を marks 場所 as the thing being saved. It commonly follows the object of an action, so it helps show what is folded, moved, or put somewhere.
節約する
節約する means “to save” or “to conserve”; here it means using less suitcase space. A useful reuse pattern is a resource followed by を and 節約する, especially when trying to make something last or leave more available.
ため
In 場所を節約するために, ため expresses the purpose of the action: folding the shirts is done for the purpose of saving space. The pattern is useful when explaining why an action is performed.
に
In ために, に marks the purpose expressed by ため, giving the meaning “in order to.” Use it after a stated purpose before describing the action that serves that purpose.
先に
先に means “first” or “beforehand,” telling the listener to fold the shirts before handling the other packing tasks. Put it before the action that should happen earlier, as in 先にたたみましょう.
シャツ
シャツ means “shirts” here and refers to the clothing that should be folded. Use it as the object of a packing action, such as シャツをたたみましょう.
たたみましょう
たたみましょう means “let’s fold” and politely suggests that the speaker and listener do the action together. It is useful for proposing a shared task, especially with an object such as シャツ.
液体
液体 refers to the liquids being packed in the suitcase. In this dialogue it is the thing to separate from clothes and put into a bag, so 液体を is a useful object phrase for packing instructions.
服
服 means “clothes” and names the other group from which the liquids should be separated. In the packing situation, it is used in the pattern 液体を服と分けたほうがいい.
と
In 液体を服と分けた, と links 服 with the separation action and identifies clothes as the counterpart from which the liquids are separated. The pattern AをBと分ける is useful when separating one item or group from another.
分けた
分けた means “separated” in the advice expression 液体を服と分けたほうがいい. Here the form presents the proposed action rather than reporting that the separation already happened, so the full expression asks whether separating them would be better.
ほうがいい
The whole expression 液体を服と分けたほうがいい means “it would be better to separate the liquids from the clothes.” Inside it, ほう presents the preferable option, が marks that option, and いい describes it as good; together they give advice. Use the pattern [action]たほうがいい when recommending an action.
です
In ほうがいいですか, です gives the statement a polite ending. It helps make the request for advice respectful in a conversation with another person.
か
In ほうがいいですか, か marks the sentence as a question. Put it at the end of a polite statement when asking for a yes-or-no answer or a recommendation.
荷物
In 荷物に入れる, 荷物 means the luggage or belongings into which the liquids are put. Use it with に when identifying luggage as the destination of a packing action.
入れる
入れる means “to put in” or “to pack”; here it describes putting the liquids into the luggage. In 入れる前に, it appears before 前に to identify the action that has not yet happened at that point.
前
In 入れる前に, 前 means “before” and places the packing action before another action or time point. The pattern [action]前に is useful for giving instructions about what should happen first.
ビニール袋
ビニール袋 means “plastic bag,” the container for the liquids in this dialogue. Use it as a destination with に in ビニール袋に入れてください when giving a packing instruction.
入れて
入れて means “put in” and is the connected form used before ください in 入れてください. It is useful for making a polite request to place something inside a specified container or location.
ください
In 入れてください, ください makes the instruction a polite request: “please put them in.” Use it after a connected action form when asking someone respectfully to carry out that action.
重量制限
重量制限 means “weight limit,” the maximum allowed weight that the suitcase is approaching. Use it when checking whether luggage is within an allowed weight range.
近い
In 重量制限に近い, 近い means “close to” the weight limit, not close in physical distance. The pattern a quantity or boundary followed by に近い is useful when saying that something is nearing a limit.
よう
In 近いようです, よう signals an appearance or inference, so the suitcase seems to be close to the weight limit. Use [description]ようです when reporting an observation without presenting it as absolute certainty.
それ
In それなら, それ points back to the preceding situation: the suitcase being close to the weight limit. Use it when responding to information just mentioned and referring to that information as the basis for the next suggestion.
なら
In それなら, なら means “if that is the case” or “then,” introducing a response based on the previous statement. It is useful before giving a suggestion or consequence that follows from what the other person has said.
重い
重い means “heavy” and describes the books that should be moved out of the suitcase. Put it before a noun, as in 重い本, when identifying an item by its weight.
本
本 means “book” or, in this context, “books,” the heavy items being moved to the backpack. Use it as the object in a packing action such as 本を移して.
リュック
リュック means “backpack,” the new destination for the heavy books. Use it with に in リュックに移して when directing someone to transfer something into the backpack.
移して
移して means “move” or “transfer” and appears before ください in 移してください as a polite request. The pattern AをBに移してください is useful when asking someone to move an item from its current location to another one.
で
In それで, で connects the preceding action with its result, meaning “by doing that” or “so.” Use それで when referring to an immediately preceding action or situation and then stating what happens as a result.
閉めやすく
閉めやすく means “easy to close” and connects with なります in 閉めやすくなります to express a change to an easier condition. It is useful when describing how moving or rearranging something changes the difficulty of an action.
なります
In 閉めやすくなります, なります means “becomes” or “gets” and marks the change to a condition that is easier for closing the suitcase. Use it after a description ending in く when explaining that something becomes a certain way.
これ
In これで, これ refers to the packing changes just made, meaning “with this” or “now that this has been done.” Use it to point to a current action or result before stating what is expected to follow.
旅行
旅行 means “trip” or “travel” and appears in 旅行の準備, meaning preparation for the trip. Use it with の when connecting the trip to the preparations needed for it.
準備
In 旅行の準備ができた, 準備 means the preparations or ready state for the trip. The pattern 旅行の準備ができる is useful when saying that preparations are complete or ready.
が
In 準備ができた, が marks 準備 as the thing that has been completed or is ready. Use it with a subject such as 準備 when describing what is ready or completed.
できた
In 準備ができた, できた means that the preparations have been completed or are ready. The completed form is useful when confirming that a task or preparation has reached its finished state.
はず
In できたはずです, はず expresses the speaker’s expectation that the preparations are complete, rather than absolute certainty. Use it when the available information or completed actions make an outcome expected, as in できたはずです.
Grammar Points
〜たほうがいいですか
服と液体は分けたほうがいいですか。
FOO-koo toh eh-kee-TAH-ee wah wah-keh-tah hoh-GAH EE deh-soo-kahShould I separate the clothes and liquid?
「〜たほうがいいですか」 asks whether something would be better or advisable to do.
〜やすくなる
スーツケースは閉めやすくなります。
SOO-tsoo-KAY-soo wah shee-meh-YAH-soo-koo nah-ree-MAH-sooThe suitcase becomes easier to close.
「〜やすい」 means easy to do, and 「〜くなる」 means to become that way.
Japanese Vocabulary
シャツ
noun
SHAH-tsoo
shirt
スーツケース
noun
SOO-tsoo-KAY-soo
suitcase
たたみましょう
verb
tah-tah-mee-mah-SHOO
let's fold
液体
noun
eh-kee-TAH-ee
liquid
散らかっていて
verb
chee-rah-KAHT-teh-ee-teh
being messy; being cluttered
私
pron
wah-TAH-shee
I; my
私たち
pron
wah-TAH-shee-tah-chee
we; us
出発します
verb
shoo-PAHT-tsoo shee-MAH-soo
leave; depart
場所
noun
BAH-shoh
space; place
節約する
verb
seh-tsoo-YAH-koo soo-ROO
save; conserve
先に
adv
SAH-kee nee
first; beforehand
明日
adv
ah-SHEE-tah
tomorrow
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
leave; depart
Show Answer
出発しますsave; conserve
Show Answer
節約するsuitcase
Show Answer
スーツケースbeing messy; being cluttered