Finding a quiet place to work in a library | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 静かに作業できる場所はありますか。

   Is there a quiet area where I can work?

   静かに

   quietly

   作業できる

   can work

   場所

   place; area

   ありますか

   is there?

   More detail

   静かに means “quietly” here. 静か is a na-adjective meaning “quiet,” and に makes it adverbial, describing how the speaker can work. For example, 静かに話します means “I speak quietly.” 作業できる means “can work.” The base expression is 作業する, “to work” or “to do work”; its potential form is 作業できる, expressing ability or possibility. Here it refers to the speaker’s ability: “I can work.” Before a noun, 作業できる場所 means “a place where I can work.” 場所 means “place” or “area.” It is a noun that can be modified by a clause placed before it. Here, 静かに作業できる describes the kind of 場所 being asked about. ありますか asks whether something exists or is available. あります is the polite form of ある, used here for the existence or availability of a place, and the final か marks the sentence as a question. For example, 席はありますか means “Are there any seats?” Together, 静かに作業できる場所 forms “a place where I can work quietly.” The particle は marks this noun phrase as the topic, and ありますか asks whether such a place exists or is available. Thus the whole utterance means, “Is there a quiet area where I can work?”

2. 2階の左側に、静かに勉強できる机があります。

   There are desks for quiet study upstairs on the left.

   2階

   upstairs; the second floor

   左側

   left side

   静かに

   quietly

   勉強できる

   can study

   机

   desk; desks

   あります

   there is; there are

   More detail

   2階 means “the second floor” and can naturally be rendered as “upstairs” when the exact floor is clear. The counter-like element 階 identifies a floor level; 2 is read here as the second level. With に, 2階に marks the location: “on the second floor.” 左側 means “the left side.” 側 makes the idea of a side or position explicit, so 2階の左側 means “the left side of the second floor.” Here の links the larger area to the side within it. The location phrase 左側に then marks where something exists. 静かに is the adverbial form of 静か (“quiet”). It describes how the studying can be done: “quietly.” Adjectives of this type use -に when they modify an action. For example, 静かに話します means “speak quietly.” 勉強できる means “can study.” 勉強する is the ordinary form “to study,” while できる expresses ability or possibility; together, 勉強できる means “be able to study.” Because it comes before 机, the clause describes the desks: they are desks at which studying is possible. For example, ここで勉強できます means “You can study here.” 机 means “desk” or “desks.” Japanese nouns generally do not mark singular versus plural in this form, so the number is supplied by context or translation. In this sentence, the fixed translation presents desks, but 机 itself does not contain a plural ending. あります is the polite nonpast form of ある, used for the existence or presence of a nonliving thing. In a location statement, XにYがあります is a reusable pattern meaning “There is/are Y in/on X.” あります does not itself specify whether Y is singular or plural; 机 and the context provide that information. Putting the parts together, 2階の左側に gives the location “on the left side of the second floor,” while 静かに勉強できる机 gives “desks where one can study quietly.” The final あります states that those desks are present there. The whole utterance means: “There are desks for quiet study upstairs on the left.”

3. そこで短い電話をしてもいいですか。

   Could I take a short call there?

   そこで

   there

   短い

   short

   電話

   phone call

   してもいいですか

   May I? / Is it okay?

   More detail

   そこで means “there” and places the action at the location already being discussed. In Japanese, そこ refers to a place, while ここ means “here” and あそこ means “over there.” 短い means “short” here and directly modifies the noun 電話: 短い電話 = “a short phone call.” It is an い-adjective; its base form is also 短い. Its opposite is 長い (“long”). For example, 短い会議 means “a short meeting.” 電話 means “phone call” in this sentence. The common reusable expression 電話をする means “to make or have a phone call”: 電話 is the noun and を marks it as the object of する. The form 電話 can also mean “telephone” in other contexts, but here the construction with をする gives the action meaning. してもいいですか asks whether an action is permitted. The form して is the て-form of する, and てもいい expresses “it is okay to do.” With ですか, it becomes a polite question: “May I …?” or “Is it okay if I …?” The pattern is [verb て-form]もいいですか, such as ここで待ってもいいですか (“May I wait here?”). Together, 短い電話をしてもいいですか asks permission to make or have a short phone call, and そこで specifies that it would happen there. The whole utterance means: “Could I take a short call there?”

4. その机は静かな勉強専用です。

   Those desks are only for silent study.

   その

   those

   机

   desk

   静かな

   quiet

   勉強

   study

   専用

   for exclusive use

   More detail

   その points to something associated with the listener or already identified in the situation. Here it modifies 机; the fixed translation identifies the referent as those desks. Japanese demonstratives do not by themselves mark singular versus plural, so その机 can be “that desk” or “those desks” when context supplies the number. 机 means “desk” (or “table” in some contexts). Japanese nouns generally do not require a plural ending, so the form is unchanged whether one or more desks are intended. A useful contrast is 椅子 “chair.” 静かな means “quiet” or, here, “silent.” It is the attributive form of the な-adjective 静かだ; the form before a noun is 静かな + noun, as in 静かな部屋 “a quiet room.” In this sentence it modifies 勉強, giving the combined idea “silent/quiet study.” 勉強 means “study” or “studying.” It is commonly used as a noun and can also combine with する, as in 勉強する “to study.” Here it is part of 静かな勉強, “silent study,” rather than naming a particular person or action being performed at this moment. 専用 expresses exclusive or dedicated use: something is intended only for a specified purpose or user. In 勉強専用, it follows the purpose noun and means “for study only.” For example, 仕事専用の部屋 means “a room exclusively for work.” です is the polite copular ending. In this sentence it politely presents the desk or desks as being designated for that use; it is not an additional word meaning “only.” The structure is その机は “as for those desks” + 静かな勉強専用 “dedicated exclusively to silent study” + です “is/are” in polite form. Together, the utterance means “Those desks are only for silent study.”

5. では、別の場所で電話します。

   I'll take phone calls somewhere else, then.

   では

   then; in that case

   別の

   another; different

   場所

   place

   電話します

   make or take phone calls

   More detail

   では connects this utterance to the situation and means “then” or “in that case” here. It often marks a conclusion or next action based on what was just established. 別の means “another” or “different” and comes before the noun it describes. The form 別の + noun is a reusable pattern: 別の方法 means “another method.” 場所 means “place” or “location.” In 別の場所, it is the noun modified by 別の, giving “another place.” 電話します expresses making or handling a phone call here. Its dictionary form is 電話する; します is the polite non-past form of する. The non-past form can describe a planned or intended future action, so it corresponds to “I’ll take phone calls” in this sentence. For example, あとで電話します。 means “I’ll call later.” Together, では、別の場所で means “Then, in another place,” and 電話します supplies the action. The particle で marks the place where the action occurs: 別の場所で電話します means “I’ll take phone calls somewhere else.” The whole utterance is therefore “I’ll take phone calls somewhere else, then.”

6. ロビーのほうが電話に向いています。

   The lobby is better for calls.

   ロビー

   lobby

   のほうが

   is better than the alternative

   電話

   phone calls

   向いています

   is suitable

   More detail

   ロビー means “lobby” here and is a noun. Japanese nouns do not obligatorily change form for singular or plural; the context determines how many are meant. のほうが presents one option as preferable in a comparison. The pattern AのほうがB means “A is more B” or “A is better/more suitable,” with the alternative sometimes left unstated. Here, the lobby is preferred to another possible place for taking calls. 電話 means “phone calls” in this sentence. It is a noun; Japanese commonly uses the same form for related singular and plural meanings, so the form itself does not specify the number of calls. In 電話に向いています, に marks what something is suited for: the lobby is suited for phone calls. 向いています comes from 向く, “to suit” or “to be suited for.” 向いている describes suitability as a current state, and the polite form is 向いています. In this sentence, the lobby is suitable for phone calls. This contrasts with 向いていません, “is not suitable.” Example: この部屋は仕事に向いています。 means “This room is suitable for work.” Together, ロビーのほうが電話に向いています。 says that the lobby is more suitable for phone calls than the alternative place under discussion: “The lobby is better for calls.”

7. 2階の机で大丈夫です。

   An upstairs desk will work for me.

   2階

   upstairs; second floor

   机

   desk

   で大丈夫です

   will work; is fine

   More detail

   2階 means “the second floor” and can naturally be understood as “upstairs” when contrasting locations. 2 is the number two, and 階 is the counter used for floors of a building. The reading of 階 in this word is かい: 2階 is にかい. Example: 3階 means “the third floor.” 机 means “desk,” specifically a table or desk used for writing or working. It is a noun and does not itself indicate who owns or uses it. Example: 机があります。 means “There is a desk.” The の in 2階の机 links the location noun to the following noun: 2階の机 is “a desk on the second floor” or “an upstairs desk.” This の commonly connects a modifier to a noun; it does not mean that the desk belongs to the second floor. で大丈夫です is a useful pattern meaning that something is acceptable, suitable, or sufficient. Here, で marks 机 as the option being accepted, and 大丈夫です says that this option is fine. The adjective 大丈夫 is a na-adjective; its polite form is 大丈夫です. Example: この席で大丈夫です。 means “This seat is fine.” Putting the parts together, 2階の机 identifies a desk located upstairs, and で大丈夫です says that this choice works for the speaker. Thus 2階の机で大丈夫です。 means “An upstairs desk will work for me.”

8. 午後は、たいてい静かです。

   It is usually calm in the afternoon.

   午後

   afternoon

   たいてい

   usually

   静か

   quiet; calm

   です

   is; am; are (polite)

   More detail

   午後 means “afternoon.” In 午後は, は marks the topic: “as for the afternoon” or, more naturally here, “in the afternoon.” The word itself does not change form for singular or plural. Example: 午後は忙しいです。 — “The afternoon is busy.” This reuses the same topic pattern; the adjective changes, while 午後は stays the same. たいてい means “usually” or “in most cases.” It modifies the statement that follows, so it presents calmness as a typical pattern rather than an absolute claim. It is an adverb and does not inflect. 静か means “quiet” or “calm” here. It is a na-adjective: before a noun, its attributive form is 静かな, while before the copula in this sentence it remains 静か. Example: 静かな場所です。 — “It is a quiet place.” Here 静かな modifies 場所; the な belongs to the adjective’s noun-modifying form, not to the noun. です is the polite copula. After 静か, 静かです forms a polite present statement meaning “is calm/quiet.” The form です itself does not change to mark English-style person or number. Together, 午後は sets the afternoon as the topic, たいてい says that the following condition is usual, and 静かです states it politely: “It is usually calm in the afternoon.”