Checking a Washing Machine Door | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. この洗濯機は動きません。

   This washing machine won't start.

   この

   this

   洗濯機

   washing machine

   動きません

   does not operate; won’t start

   More detail

   この means “this” when it directly modifies a noun. The reusable pattern is この + noun, meaning “this noun.” Japanese demonstratives do not change for grammatical gender or number; この is the form used before a noun. Example: この本は新しいです。 — “This book is new.” 洗濯機 is the noun “washing machine.” It is a common compound containing 洗濯 (“laundry; washing”) and 機 (“machine; device”), but 洗濯機 is the useful complete noun to reuse. Example: 洗濯機を買いました。 — “I bought a washing machine.” 動きません is the polite negative nonpast form of 動く, “to move” or, for a machine, “to operate; to run.” The ending expresses a negative statement politely: 動く → 動きます (“operates”) and 動きません (“does not operate”). The plain negative is 動かない. In this sentence, the fixed translation selects the equipment-related meaning “won’t start,” rather than physical movement. Example: この時計は動きません。 — “This clock doesn’t run.” Together, この洗濯機 means “this washing machine,” and は marks it as the topic. 動きません then states politely and negatively that it does not operate. Thus the whole utterance means “This washing machine won’t start.”

2. プラグと電源ボタンを確認しましたか。

   Did you check the plug and the power button?

   プラグ

   plug

   電源ボタン

   power button

   確認しましたか

   did you check?

   More detail

   プラグ means “plug” here. It is a noun, written in katakana as a loanword. Nouns do not change form for singular or plural in this expression; the context and the coordinated phrase identify what is being checked. 電源ボタン means “power button.” It is a compound noun: 電源 relates to electrical power or the power supply, and ボタン means “button.” The compound names the button used for power, rather than a plug. As a noun, 電源ボタン does not change form for number. 確認しましたか asks whether someone checked or confirmed something. The useful base form is 確認する “to check / confirm.” 確認しました is its polite past form, and adding か makes it a question: 確認しましたか。 “Did you check?” The past form here asks about a completed check, not necessarily about a distant past event. The subject is not stated in the Japanese wording; the fixed translation supports “you” as the person being asked. Together, プラグと電源ボタン means “the plug and the power button.” と links the two nouns, and を marks this coordinated noun phrase as what was checked. The complete utterance therefore means “Did you check the plug and the power button?”

3. プラグは入っていますが、何も起きません。

   The plug is in, but nothing happens.

   プラグ

   plug

   入っています

   is plugged in

   何も

   anything (with negation)

   起きません

   doesn't happen

   More detail

   プラグ means “plug” here. It is a noun; the katakana spelling is commonly used for this borrowed technical word. A noun can be followed by は to make it the topic, as in プラグは (“as for the plug…”). 入っています describes the plug as being in or connected. It comes from 入る (“to enter; to go in”), not 入れる (“to put something in”). The form 入っています is polite and presents the resulting state: the plug has been put in and is currently connected. In other contexts, 入っています can describe something else that is inside, so the surrounding noun determines the intended sense. Example: 電源が入っています。 — “The power is on.” The が after 入っています marks a contrast: the plug is connected, but the situation that follows is different. This contrast is expressed by が here, rather than by treating the two clauses as unrelated statements. 何も means “anything” in this construction. With a negative predicate, 何も means “nothing” or “not anything.” The negative meaning comes from the predicate 起きません; 何も by itself is not a negative word. Example: 何も見えません。 — “I cannot see anything.” 起きません means “does not happen” here. Its base form is 起きる (“to happen; to occur”), and 起きません is its polite negative form. The same verb can also mean “to get up” in another context, but the meaning here is “happen,” as shown by 何も as its subject-like element. Example: 問題は起きません。 — “No problem occurs.” Together, プラグは入っていますが means “the plug is in, but,” and 何も起きません means “nothing happens.” The complete utterance is therefore: “The plug is in, but nothing happens.”

4. ドアがきちんと閉まっていないのかもしれません。

   Maybe the door isn't closed properly.

   ドア

   door

   きちんと

   properly

   閉まっていない

   is not closed

   のかもしれません

   maybe

   More detail

   ドア means “door” here. It is a noun, and が marks it as the subject of the state being described. A reusable pattern is N が ... for describing what condition or action applies to a noun. きちんと is an adverb meaning “properly” or “correctly.” It modifies the following state, so the issue is not simply whether the door is closed, but whether it is closed in the proper way. Example: きちんと書いてください。 — “Please write it properly.” 閉まっていない describes the door as not being in a closed state. The base verb is the intransitive 閉まる (“close” or “become closed”), not the transitive verb 閉める (“close something”). The form 閉まっている commonly describes a resulting state, “is closed,” and its negative 閉まっていない means “is not closed.” Example: 窓が閉まっていない。 — “The window is not closed.” のかもしれません presents the preceding clause as a possibility: “maybe” or “it may be that …” The の packages the preceding statement as something being considered, while かもしれません is the polite form used to express uncertainty. The negative-looking ません here belongs to the fixed possibility expression; it does not independently negate 閉まっていない again. A reusable pattern is ～のかもしれません — “Maybe … / It may be that …” Example: 今日は遅れるのかもしれません。 — “Maybe I will be late today.” Together, ドアが identifies the door as the subject, きちんと says the condition is proper closure, 閉まっていない states that the closed state is not present, and のかもしれません marks the whole claim as uncertain. The complete meaning is: “Maybe the door isn’t closed properly.”

5. 説明書には、動き始める前にカチッと音がするはずだと書いてあります。

   The instructions say it should click before it starts.

   説明書

   instructions; manual

   動き始める

   start moving

   前に

   before

   カチッと

   with a click

   音

   sound

   はずだ

   should; be expected to

   書いてあります

   is written; says

   More detail

   説明書 means “instruction manual” here. It is a noun made from 説明 (“explanation”) and 書 (“book/writing”), but learn the whole word as the usual term for a manual. In 説明書には, に marks the place or source where the information is written, and は makes that source the topic. 動き始める means “to start moving.” It combines the dictionary form 動く (“move”) with 始める (“begin”), so 動き始める is a useful pattern meaning “begin to move.” The first verb appears in its linking form 動き before 始める. For example, 雨が降り始める means “the rain begins to fall.” 前に means “before.” The noun 前 means “front” or “before,” and に marks the time point or situation that precedes something. The pattern verb-dictionary form + 前に means “before doing ...”: 寝る前に、歯を磨きます means “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” カチッと is a sound-symbolic adverb for a small, sharp click. The と marks the sound or manner in which an action occurs. It does not itself mean “sound”; it describes the click-like noise. 音 means “sound.” In カチッと音がする, the phrase literally describes a sound occurring, and the full expression means “there is a click” or “it clicks.” 音がする is a reusable pattern for saying that a sound is heard or occurs. はずだ expresses an expectation based on information or a reasonable basis: “should,” “is expected to,” or “is supposed to.” Here it follows the statement that a click occurs, so the manual indicates that the click is expected before the device starts. It is not the same as a command. A useful pattern is plain form + はずだ; for example, 彼は来るはずです means “He should come” or “He is expected to come.” 書いてあります comes from 書く (“write”). The form 書いてある describes something that has been written and remains available in that state; its polite form is 書いてあります. With information as its subject, it naturally means “it is written” or “it says.” This is different from 書きます, which simply means “write” in a non-past polite form. In this sentence, 説明書には ... と書いてあります means that the stated information is written in the manual. Together, 説明書には identifies the manual as the source, 動き始める前に sets the time as before it starts moving, and カチッと音がするはずだ says that a click is expected. The quotation marker と connects that expected statement to 書いてあります, yielding: “The instructions say it should click before it starts.”

6. ドアをもう一度押して、それからスタートボタンを押してください。

   Push the door once more, then press start.

   ドア

   door

   もう一度

   once more

   押して

   press

   それから

   then

   スタートボタン

   start button

   押してください

   please press

   More detail

   ドア means “door” here. It is a loanword noun written in katakana. A noun can be followed by を when it is the direct object of an action: ドアを marks the door as what is pressed. もう一度 means “once more” or “again.” 一度 means “one time,” and もう一度 requests one additional repetition. It modifies the following action, so the instruction is to press the door again, not to press some additional object. 押して is the て-form of 押す (“to press” or “to push”). The て-form can connect this action to a later action in sequence. In this sentence, ドアを押して means “press the door, and then …”; it does not by itself mark the final polite request. The same base verb has the polite form 押します and the request pattern 押してください. それから means “then” or “after that.” It explicitly orders the next action after the preceding one. Similar sequencing can be expressed with 〜てから, but here the separate word それから follows the て-form clause. スタートボタン means “start button.” This is a compound noun: スタート (“start”) modifies ボタン (“button”). The whole noun is marked by を in スタートボタンを, making the button the direct object of the next pressing action. 押してください is a polite request meaning “please press.” It consists of the て-form 押して plus ください, a polite request expression. Because 押す is the verb carrying the action, 押してください asks the listener to press the start button. This is different from merely stating 押します (“press/will press”) or using the plain imperative 押せ, which is much more direct. Together, ドアをもう一度押して says “press the door once more,” それから orders the next step as “then,” and スタートボタンを押してください says “please press the start button.” The complete instruction is therefore: “Push the door once more, then press start.”

7. ドアからカチッと音がして、今は動きます。

   The door clicked, and now it works.

   ドア

   door

   カチッと音がして

   a click was heard, and …

   今は

   now

   動きます

   works

   More detail

   ドア means “door.” It is a noun and can take particles such as を for a direct object or から for a source. Here ドアから marks the door as the source of the sound: “from the door.” カチッと音がして describes a click being heard and then links that event to what follows. カチッと is a sound-symbolic adverb for a short click, while 音がする is the reusable pattern “a sound occurs/is heard.” The form して is the connective form of する, so it can link this event to the next clause. Example: ベルの音がして、外を見ました。 — “A bell rang, and I looked outside.” 今は means “now” or “as for now.” 今 is the time word, and は marks it as the topic; in this sentence it sets the current situation against the earlier situation without requiring a strong contrast. Example: 今は大丈夫です。 — “It is fine now.” 動きます comes from 動く and is its polite nonpast form. With a machine, device, or mechanism, 動く can mean “work” or “operate,” which is the intended meaning here; with a person or object, it can instead mean “move.” The nonpast form can describe a present state or a future action, but 今は makes the present reading clear. Example: このボタンを押すと、機械が動きます。 — “When you press this button, the machine works/starts operating.” Together, ドアから identifies the source, カチッと音がして says that a click occurred, and 今は動きます says that it now operates. The complete meaning is: “The door clicked, and now it works.”

8. 簡単な確認で問題が解決することもあります。

   Sometimes simple checks solve the problem.

   簡単な

   simple; easy

   確認

   check; confirmation

   問題

   problem

   解決する

   solve; resolve

   こともあります

   sometimes happens; sometimes is the case

   More detail

   簡単な describes the noun 確認 as simple or uncomplicated. 簡単 is a な-adjective: before a noun, use the pattern 簡単な + noun; in a non-noun position, 簡単だ is the corresponding plain form. For example, 簡単な方法です。 means “It is a simple method.” 確認 is a noun meaning a check or confirmation. It can also be used with する: 確認する means “to check” or “to confirm.” Here, 簡単な確認で means “with” or “through a simple check”; で marks the means or method. 問題 means “problem” or “issue.” In 問題が, the particle が marks 問題 as the grammatical subject of the following predicate. The fixed translation presents the simple checks as what resolves the problem in the overall meaning, while the Japanese wording directly describes the problem as becoming resolved. 解決する means “to be resolved” or “to solve/resolve,” depending on the construction. Its base form is the dictionary form 解決する; a polite present form is 解決します. With 問題が, as here, it naturally describes the problem being resolved: 問題が解決しました。 means “The problem was resolved.” This is distinct from the transitive pattern 問題を解決する, “to solve the problem,” where を marks the object. こともあります turns the preceding clause into a situation and says that this situation sometimes occurs. こと nominalizes the clause, も adds the sense of “also/even” and, in this pattern, contributes to the idea that it happens on some occasions, and あります is the polite form of ある, “to exist” or “to occur.” The reusable pattern V-ることもあります means “sometimes V” or “it is sometimes the case that V.” For example, 予定が変わることもあります。 means “Plans sometimes change.” Together, 簡単な確認で gives the means, 問題が解決する says that the problem is resolved, and こともあります makes the whole event occasional. The sentence therefore means, “Sometimes a simple check solves the problem,” or more literally, “Sometimes the problem is resolved through a simple check.”