About This Lesson
Use Locked Out and Asking for a Place to Wait to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
アパートに入れません。
ah-pah-toh nee hah-ee-reh-mah-SEN. I am locked out of my apartment.
B
どこかに予備の鍵がありますか。
doh-koh-kah nee yoh-bee noh kah-gee gah ah-ree-mahss kah? Do you have a spare key somewhere?
A
ありません。でも、大家さんが持っているかもしれません。
ah-ree-mah-SEN. deh-moh, oh-yah-sahn gah moht-teh ee-roo kah-shee-reh-mah-SEN. I do not, but my landlord may have one.
B
今、大家さんに電話してみてください。
ee-mah, oh-yah-sahn nee den-wah she-teh mee-teh koo-dah-SIGH. Try calling them now.
A
電話をかけている間、中で待ってもいいですか。
den-wah o kah-keh-teh ee-roo ah-ee-dah, nah-kah deh maht-teh moh ee-dehss kah? Could I wait inside while I make the call?
B
しばらく中に入ってください。
she-bah-rah-koo nah-kah nee hah-ee-tteh koo-dah-SIGH. Come in for a while.
B
外は寒いです。
soh-toh wah sah-moo-ee dess. It is cold out there.
A
何が起きたか説明して、鍵について聞きます。
nah-nee gah oh-kee-tah kah seh-tsu-may she-teh, kah-gee nee tswee-teh kee-kee-mahss. I will explain what happened and ask about the key.
B
待っている間に何か必要なら、教えてください。
maht-teh ee-roo ah-ee-dah nee nah-nee-kah hee-tsu-yoh nah-rah, oh-shee-eh-teh koo-dah-SIGH. Tell me if you need anything while you wait.Word by Word
アパート
アパート means “apartment” in this dialogue, the place the speaker cannot enter. It names a residence and commonly appears as the place connected with entering, leaving, or living. Use it when talking about an apartment with a friend, neighbor, or landlord.
に
に marks アパート as the place the speaker is trying to enter in アパートに入れません. With a place, it commonly shows a destination or point of entry. Use it when saying that someone is going to or entering a place.
入れません
入れません means “cannot enter” in this dialogue. It is the negative polite form related to 入れる, and here it explains why the speaker needs help. Use it when you are unable to get into a place.
どこか
どこか means “somewhere” in どこかに予備の鍵がありますか. It leaves the location unspecified while asking whether a spare key exists there. Use it when asking about an unknown or unspecified place.
予備
予備 means “spare” or “backup” in 予備の鍵, referring to an extra key. It comes before の鍵 to describe the key as an additional one kept for use when needed. Use it for an extra item prepared as a backup.
の
の links 予備 to 鍵 in 予備の鍵, showing that 予備 describes the key. It commonly connects one noun with another noun to form a noun phrase. Use it when one noun modifies or identifies another noun.
鍵
鍵 means “key” in this dialogue, specifically the key needed to enter the apartment. It is the noun modified by 予備の in 予備の鍵. Use it when talking about a key with a resident, neighbor, or landlord.
が
が marks 予備の鍵 as the thing whose existence is being asked about in 予備の鍵がありますか. It commonly marks the subject or thing that exists in an existence statement. Use it when identifying what is present, available, or possessed.
あります
あります means “there is” or “someone has” in どこかに予備の鍵がありますか. It is the polite form used here to ask whether a key exists or is available somewhere. Use it when asking or stating that an inanimate thing exists or is available.
か
か turns どこかに予備の鍵があります into a question in どこかに予備の鍵がありますか. It comes at the end of this polite question. Use it to ask whether a statement is true.
ありません
ありません means “there is not” or “I do not have it” in the reply about the spare key. It is the polite negative form related to ある, and the context supplies the missing object. Use it to politely say that an inanimate item is absent or unavailable.
でも
でも means “but” in ありません。でも、大家さんが持っているかもしれません. It connects the statement that there is no spare key with a different possibility about the landlord. Use it to introduce a contrasting or corrective point in a conversation.
大家さん
大家さん means “landlord” in this dialogue. The さん ending makes the reference polite, and this person may have the spare key. Use it when speaking respectfully about a landlord in a housing-related conversation.
持っている
持っている means “has” or “is holding” in 大家さんが持っているかもしれません, referring to the landlord having the key. It is the ongoing form related to 持つ and describes possession here. Use it when saying that someone has or is keeping an item.
かもしれません
かもしれません means “may” or “might” in 大家さんが持っているかもしれません, showing that the speaker is uncertain. In this expression, かも contributes the possibility and しれません completes the polite uncertainty expression. Use it when making a careful possibility statement rather than a definite claim.
今
今 means “now” in 今、大家さんに電話してみてください. It places the suggested action at the present time. Use it when asking someone to do something immediately or around the current moment.
電話
電話 means “telephone call” in this dialogue. In 電話してみてください it identifies the action involving a phone call, and in 電話をかけている it is the object of the call action. Use it when talking about making or receiving a telephone call.
してみてください
してみてください means “please try doing it” in 電話してみてください. して links the action to みて, which adds the idea of trying, and ください makes the request polite. Use it when politely encouraging someone to try a specific action.
を
を marks 電話 as the object of the action in 電話をかけている. It commonly comes after the thing directly affected by an action. Use it to identify what someone does, uses, or carries out.
かけている
かけている means “is making” a call in 電話をかけている間. It is the ongoing form related to かける and describes the call as in progress. Use it when an action is happening while another event or period continues.
間
間 means “while” or “during the period” in 電話をかけている間. It follows the situation that defines the time period during which someone waits. Use it to connect an ongoing situation with another action happening during that time.
中
中 means “inside” in 中で待ってもいいですか. It identifies the indoor place where the speaker asks to wait. Use it when describing an action that takes place inside a building, room, or other enclosed place.
で
で marks 中 as the place where the waiting action occurs in 中で待ってもいいですか. With a place, it commonly identifies where an action happens. Use it to connect an activity with its location.
待ってもいいですか
待ってもいいですか means “may I wait?” and politely asks for permission to wait inside. 待って presents the waiting action, もいい expresses that it is acceptable, です keeps the request polite, and か makes it a question. Use it when asking permission to do an action.
しばらく
しばらく means “for a while” in しばらく中に入ってください. It indicates a short, not precisely specified period of time. Use it when inviting someone to stay or wait for a while.
入ってください
入ってください means “please come in” in しばらく中に入ってください. 入って presents the entering action and ください makes it a polite request. Use it when inviting or asking someone to enter a room, home, or building.
外
外 means “outside” in 外は寒いです. It identifies the outdoor area being described as cold. Use it when talking about conditions or actions outside a building.
は
は marks 外 as the topic in 外は寒いです, so the sentence describes the outside. It commonly sets the subject or topic that the rest of the sentence comments on. Use it when introducing what you want to describe or discuss.
寒いです
寒いです means “is cold” in 外は寒いです, describing the outside politely. 寒い is the adjective form for “cold,” and です makes the statement polite. Use it when politely describing cold weather or a cold place.
何
何 means “what” in 何が起きたか, referring to the event that happened. It appears with が because the speaker is asking what the event was inside an embedded question. Use it when the identity of a thing or event is unknown.
起きた
起きた means “happened” in 何が起きたか. It is the past form related to 起きる, and the context here is an event rather than waking up. Use it when explaining a past event or asking what happened.
説明して
説明して means “explain and then” in 何が起きたか説明して、鍵について聞きます. 説明して is the linking form related to 説明する, connecting the explanation with the following action. Use it when describing one action that leads into another action.
について
について means “about” or “concerning” in 鍵について聞きます. に marks the relation to the topic, and ついて contributes the sense of being concerned with that topic; together they identify what the question is about. Use it before a topic when asking or talking about it.
聞きます
聞きます means “ask” or “inquire” in 鍵について聞きます. It is the polite form related to 聞く and is used here for asking about the key. A common reuse pattern is a topic followed by について and then 聞きます when requesting information.
待っている
待っている means “are waiting” in 待っている間. It is the ongoing form related to 待つ and identifies the waiting period. Use it when describing what someone is doing while another event takes place.
何か
何か means “anything” in 何か必要なら, referring to any item or help the person might need. 何 combined with か makes the thing unspecified, with the conditional context giving the sense of “anything.” Use it when offering help without knowing exactly what is needed.
必要なら
必要なら means “if you need it” or “if it is necessary” in 何か必要なら. It introduces the condition under which the listener should tell the speaker. Use it when offering assistance conditionally, especially before a polite request or instruction.
教えてください
教えてください means “please tell me” in 待っている間に何か必要なら、教えてください. 教えて supplies the action of telling or informing, and ください makes it a polite request. Use it when asking someone to provide information or let you know something.
Grammar Points
〜ている
大家さんは今、電話をかけている。
oh-yah-sahn wah ee-mah, den-wah o kah-keh-teh ee-roo.The landlord is making a phone call now.
〜ている describes an action that is currently in progress.
〜かもしれません
大家さんは中にいるかもしれません。
oh-yah-sahn wah nah-kah nee ee-roo kah-shee-reh-mah-SEN.The landlord may be inside.
かもしれません expresses uncertainty and means “may” or “might.”
Japanese Vocabulary
アパート
noun
ah-pah-toh
apartment
かもしれません
phrase
kah-shee-reh-mah-SEN
may; might
どこか
adv
doh-koh-kah
somewhere
鍵
noun
kah-gee
key
今
adv
ee-mah
now
持つ
verb
moht-soo
have; hold
持っている
待つ
verb
maht-soo
wait
待っている
大家さん
noun
oh-yah-sahn
landlord
中
noun
nah-kah
inside
電話をかける
phrase
den-wah o kah-keh-roo
make a phone call; call
電話をかけている
入る
verb
hah-ee-roo
enter; go in
入れません
予備
noun
yoh-bee
spare; backup
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
may; might
Show Answer
かもしれませんapartment
Show Answer
アパートenter; go in
Show Answer
入れませんhave; hold