Reserving a Quiet Study Room | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 勉強室を予約したいです。

   I would like to reserve a study room.

   勉強室

   study room

   予約したいです

   would like to reserve

   More detail

   勉強室 means “study room.” It is a noun formed from 勉強 (“study”) and 室 (“room”), so it names a room used for studying. For example, 勉強室を使います。 means “I use the study room.” 予約したいです expresses a polite wish to make a reservation. The verb is 予約する (“to reserve”); its stem 予約し- combines with -たい to form 予約したい (“want to reserve” / “would like to reserve”). Here, した is not the past form being used independently: the -たい ending follows the verb stem and gives the meaning of wanting to do something. です adds a polite sentence ending. For example, 本を買いたいです。 means “I would like to buy a book.” In the whole utterance, 勉強室を marks “a study room” as the thing to be reserved, and 予約したいです politely states the speaker’s wish to reserve it. Together, 勉強室を予約したいです。 means “I would like to reserve a study room.”

2. 今日はどの部屋が空いているか確認します。

   Let me check which rooms are open today.

   今日

   today

   どの

   which

   部屋

   room

   空いている

   be available

   確認します

   check; confirm

   More detail

   今日 means “today” and sets the time for the checking. Japanese time words can usually appear at the beginning of the sentence without a separate preposition. どの means “which” and comes directly before the noun it identifies. The pattern どの + noun asks the listener to choose one or more items from a known or relevant set. どの部屋 therefore means “which room(s)”; Japanese does not require a plural ending here. 部屋 means “room.” In this sentence it is the noun being selected by どの. The context about reserving a study room supports the room-related interpretation, but the sentence itself does not specify how many rooms are open. 空いている means “is/are available” here. Its base form is 空く, “to become vacant” or “to become available.” The form 空いている uses -ている to describe the resulting current state: a room is unoccupied and can be used. This is different from 空いている meaning that a place is physically uncrowded in another context; here the fixed translation identifies availability as the intended sense. 確認します means “check” or “confirm.” Its base form is 確認する; します is the polite nonpast form of する, so 確認します is a polite way to say “check” or “will check.” With the fixed translation’s “Let me check,” it presents the speaker’s intended action. The noun 確認 means “confirmation/check,” and 確認する is the reusable verb pattern. Putting the parts together, 今日 sets the time, どの部屋 asks which room or rooms, and 空いているか turns the question “which room(s) are available?” into the content being checked. The final 確認します says that the speaker will check or is offering to check that information. The whole utterance means: “Let me check which rooms are open today.”

3. クラスメートと勉強できる静かな場所が必要です。

   I need a quiet place to study with a classmate.

   クラスメート

   classmate

   勉強できる

   can study

   静かな

   quiet

   場所

   place

   必要です

   is needed

   More detail

   クラスメート means “classmate.” It is a noun. With と after it, クラスメートと means “with a classmate” here: と marks the person accompanying the activity. Example: クラスメートと話します。 — “I talk with a classmate.” 勉強できる means “can study” here. 勉強する is “to study,” and its potential form is 勉強できる, expressing ability or possibility. In this sentence it modifies 場所, so 勉強できる場所 means “a place where [the intended person] can study.” The translation identifies that person as the speaker. Example: ここで勉強できます。 — “I can study here.” 静かな means “quiet.” It is the attributive form of the na-adjective 静か; な appears before the noun it describes: 静かな場所, “a quiet place.” The adjective itself does not express comparison or tense. Example: 静かな部屋です。 — “It is a quiet room.” 場所 means “place” or “location.” It is the noun being described by both 勉強できる and 静かな: 勉強できる静かな場所, “a quiet place where [the speaker] can study.” Example: 駅の近くに場所があります。 — “There is a place near the station.” 必要です means “is needed” or, with the sentence’s English perspective, “I need.” 必要 is a na-type descriptive word meaning “necessary,” and です gives the statement polite form. The pattern Nが必要です presents N as what is necessary; it does not itself assert a numeric quantity. Example: 時間が必要です。 — “I need time.” Putting the parts together, クラスメートと supplies the companion, 勉強できる describes what the place allows, and 静かな describes the place itself. The が-marked noun phrase クラスメートと勉強できる静かな場所 is therefore “a quiet place where I can study with a classmate,” and 必要です says that this place is needed: “I need a quiet place to study with a classmate.”

4. 今日の午後は小さい部屋が一つ空いています。

   A small room is free this afternoon.

   今日の午後

   this afternoon

   小さい

   small

   部屋

   room

   一つ

   one

   空いています

   is available

   More detail

   今日の午後 means “this afternoon” here. 今日 is “today,” and 午後 is “afternoon” or “p.m.” The particle の links the time expression to the following phrase: 今日の午後 is a compact time expression meaning “this afternoon.” 小さい means “small” and directly describes 部屋 before it. Its dictionary form is also 小さい; this is an i-adjective, so it can be used attributively without an added linking word: 小さい部屋 (“a small room”). Its opposite is 大きい (“big”): 大きい部屋 means “a big room.” 部屋 means “room.” It is a noun and can combine with modifiers before it, as in 小さい部屋 (“a small room”). Example: 静かな部屋 means “a quiet room”; 静かな is another modifier placed before 部屋. 一つ means “one” in this sentence. 一つ uses the general counter つ, which counts things when a more specific counter is not being used. Other forms in the same series include 二つ (“two”) and 三つ (“three”). Here it specifies that the available quantity is one room. 空いています means “is available” here. The base verb is 空く, meaning that a space becomes vacant or available. 空いています is the polite -ています form, presenting the resulting current state: the room is currently free. In other contexts, 空く can describe a seat, schedule, or other space becoming available, but the fixed sentence applies it to a room. Together, 今日の午後 sets the time, 小さい部屋 identifies the room as small, 一つ gives the quantity, and 空いています states its current availability. The whole utterance therefore means: “A small room is free this afternoon.”

5. サービスデスクで予約できますか。

   Can I book it at the service desk?

   サービスデスク

   service desk

   で

   at; in

   予約

   reservation; booking

   できますか

   can ...?

   More detail

   サービスデスク means “service desk.” It is a compound noun: サービス (“service”) + デスク (“desk”). Japanese often combines borrowed words this way; the whole compound names the desk or counter where service is provided. で marks the place where an action occurs. Here, サービスデスクで means “at the service desk.” It can also mark the means or setting of an action, so its exact meaning comes from the verb and context. Example: ここで申込用紙に記入してください。 means “Please fill in the request form here.” 予約 is the noun “reservation” or “booking.” It also combines with する to form the verb 予約する, “to reserve” or “to book.” Japanese nouns can often be followed by する to describe an action: 予約する = “make a reservation.” できますか is the polite question form of できる, “can; be able to.” できる does not change for the subject’s person or number. In this sentence, 予約できますか asks whether making the booking is possible: “Can I book it?” The question form is made by using polite できます and adding か. Example: ここで予約できますか。 means “Can I make a reservation here?” Together, サービスデスクで identifies the place, 予約 expresses the booking action, and できますか asks whether that action is possible for the speaker. The complete utterance therefore means “Can I book it at the service desk?” The object of “book” is not stated as a separate Japanese word; it is understood from the situation.

6. ここで申込用紙に記入してください。

   Please fill in the request form here.

   ここで

   here

   申込用紙

   request form

   記入してください

   please fill in

   More detail

   ここで means “here,” identifying the place where the action should be carried out. ここ is the demonstrative for a nearby place or the place currently relevant; で marks the location of an action. For example, ここで待ってください。 means “Please wait here.” 申込用紙 means “request/application form” in this sentence. It is a compound noun: 申込 refers to an application or request, and 用紙 means a sheet or form used for a purpose. Japanese compounds such as 申込用紙 are written as one lexical unit, so the whole word refers to the form rather than to a general sheet of paper. 記入してください is a polite request to fill something in. The lexical verb is 記入する, “to fill in” written information on a form; 記入 is the noun-like part and する makes it a verb. 記入してください uses the てください pattern: verb in the て form + ください asks the listener to do the action politely. For example, 名前を記入してください。 means “Please fill in your name.” Together, ここで sets the location, 申込用紙に identifies the form being written on, and 記入してください makes the polite request. The particle に after 申込用紙 marks the surface or document into which the information is entered. Thus the whole utterance means “Please fill in the request form here.”

7. 鍵はこのサービスデスクに返しますか。

   Do I return the key to this service desk?

   鍵

   key

   この

   this

   サービスデスク

   service desk

   返します

   return

   More detail

   鍵 means “key” here. It is a noun; a useful reusable pattern is 鍵を返す, “return a key,” where を marks the item being returned. In this sentence, は follows it in 鍵は, presenting “the key” as the topic. The topic marker does not itself mean that the key is the destination. この means “this” and is placed before the noun it specifies: このサービスデスク, “this service desk.” It is a demonstrative determiner and does not show a gender or number distinction here. サービスデスク means “service desk.” It is a noun expressed as a loanword compound in the target text. Here, このサービスデスク identifies the desk to which the key is returned. 返します is the polite nonpast form of 返す, “to return” or “to give back.” The polite nonpast form can describe a present or future action depending on context. Here, with the question ending, it asks whether the speaker returns or is to return the key; it does not by itself add an obligation such as “should.” Japanese often leaves the subject unspoken when it is recoverable, and the fixed translation identifies that subject as “I.” The destination is expressed by に: サービスデスクに返します, “return [it] to the service desk.” The item and destination can therefore be organized as 鍵は [destination] に 返します: “As for the key, [do I] return it to [the destination]?” The final か marks the sentence as a question. Combining the parts in order, 鍵は sets “the key” as the topic, このサービスデスクに gives “to this service desk,” and 返しますか asks about the polite act of returning. Together, the utterance means: “Do I return the key to this service desk?”

8. 閉館前に鍵を返してください。

   Bring it back before closing.

   閉館前に

   before closing

   鍵

   key

   返してください

   please return it

   More detail

   閉館前に means “before closing.” 閉館 is a noun meaning the closing of a facility, and 前 means “before” when placed after a noun or phrase. The particle に marks the time by which an action is to occur. A reusable pattern is N + 前に + action: 出発前に確認します。 — “I check before departure.” 鍵 means “key.” It is the object understood to be returned here, consistent with the fixed translation and the preceding question about returning the key to the service desk. Japanese does not require a separate article or plural marker for this noun; the context identifies the intended key. 返してください is a polite request meaning “please return it.” Its base form is 返す, “to return” or “to give back.” The てください pattern attaches to the て-form and politely asks someone to perform the action: 見てください。 — “Please look.” The person being asked and the object can be omitted when context makes them clear; here, 鍵 supplies the object, while the addressee is not stated. Together, 鍵を返してください means “Please return the key,” and placing 閉館前に first sets the deadline: “Please return the key before closing.”