About This Lesson
Use Caring for a Small Room Plant to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
部屋に置く小さな植物を買ったよ。
heh-YAH nee OH-koo chee-SAH-nah shoh-KOO-boo-tsoo oh KAH-t-tah yoh I bought a small plant for my room.
B
たくさんの日光が必要なの？
tah-koo-SAHN noh neek-KOH gah hee-tsoo-YOH nah-NOH Does it need much sunlight?
A
ラベルには、間接的な光が好きだと書いてあるよ。
rah-BEH-roo nee wah, kahn-SEH-tsoo-teh-kee nah hee-kah-REE gah SOO-kee dah toh KAH-ee-teh AH-roo yoh The label says it likes indirect light.
B
じゃあ、外じゃなくて、窓の近くに置いてね。
JAH-ah, SOH-toh jah-NAH-koo-teh, MAH-doh noh CHEE-kah-koo nee OH-ee-teh neh Then keep it near the window, not outside.
A
土にはどのくらいの頻度で水をあげたらいいの？
TSOO-chee nee wah doh-noh koo-RAH-ee noh HEEN-doh deh MEE-zoo oh ah-geh-TAH-rah EE noh How often should I water the soil?
B
水をあげる前に、週に2回土をチェックしてね。
MEE-zoo oh ah-GEH-roo MAH-eh nee, SHOO nee nee-KAH-ee TSOO-chee oh CHEK-koo SHEE-teh neh Check it twice a week before watering.
A
ここで元気に育つといいな。
KOH-koh deh GEHN-kee nee soh-DAH-tsoo toh EE nah I hope it grows well here.
B
水をあげすぎなければ、元気に育つはずだよ。
MEE-zoo oh ah-geh-soo-GHEE nah-keh-REH-bah, GEHN-kee nee soh-DAH-tsoo hah-ZOO dah yoh It should, as long as you do not water it too much.Word by Word
部屋
In 部屋に置く, 部屋 means the room where the plant will be kept. It commonly combines with に when giving a place for something to be put.
に
In 部屋に置く, に marks the location where the plant is placed. It follows a place word when stating where something is put.
置く
In 部屋に置く, 置く means to put or place the plant. It follows the place phrase 部屋に and is useful when telling someone where to put an object.
小さな
In 小さな植物, 小さな means small and directly describes 植物. It appears before a noun when describing the noun's size.
植物
In 小さな植物, 植物 means plant, referring here to the small room plant. In 植物を買った, it is the thing that was bought.
を
In 植物を買った, を marks 植物 as the object of the action. It follows the thing that someone buys or acts on.
買った
In 買ったよ, 買った means bought and describes the completed purchase. It is the past form of 買う, and the pattern Xを買った can be used to say that someone bought something.
よ
In 買ったよ, よ adds emphasis while sharing this information with the listener. It is useful at the end of a sentence when telling someone something they may not know.
たくさん
In たくさんの日光, たくさん means a large amount or much. It combines with の before a noun to describe its amount.
の
In たくさんの日光, の links the amount expression たくさん to the noun 日光. The pattern たくさんの plus a noun describes a large amount of something.
日光
In たくさんの日光, 日光 means sunlight, the light being discussed as necessary for the plant. It can follow an amount expression such as たくさんの.
が
In 日光が必要, が marks 日光 as the thing that is needed. The pattern Xが必要 is used to say that X is necessary.
必要
In 日光が必要, 必要 means needed or necessary, describing the sunlight required by the plant. It commonly appears in the pattern Xが必要.
な
In 必要なの？, な connects 必要 to the explanatory question ending の. The whole form asks whether something is necessary or needed.
ラベル
In ラベルには、ラベル means label, the place or source where the plant-care information is written. It is useful when referring to printed information on a product.
は
In ラベルには, は sets ラベル as the topic or source being discussed. Here it brings the label forward as the place containing the information.
間接的
In 間接的な光, 間接的 means indirect and describes the kind of light the plant likes. It appears before a noun with な in this expression.
光
In 間接的な光, 光 means light, specifically the kind of light described as indirect. It can follow a description such as 間接的な.
好き
In 光が好きだと書いてある, 好き means likes or prefers in the description of the plant's preference. The pattern Xが好き is used to describe what someone or something likes.
だ
In 好きだと書いてある, だ completes 好き as a plain description before the quoted-content marker と. It presents the label's statement that the plant likes indirect light.
と
In 好きだと書いてある, と marks the preceding statement as the content that is written. It follows the statement being reported in a written-information pattern.
書いて
In 書いてある, 書いて indicates that something has been written, as part of the state shown on the label. The pattern Xと書いてある describes what a label or sign says.
ある
In 書いてある, ある indicates that the written information is present in that resulting state. Together, 書いてある describes information that is written on a label or other surface.
じゃあ
In じゃあ、外じゃなくて、じゃあ means then or in that case. It responds to the preceding information and introduces the next suggestion or action.
外
In 外じゃなくて, 外 means outside, the location being rejected in the advice. It is contrasted with 窓の近く as the place where the plant should be kept.
じゃなくて
In 外じゃなくて、窓の近くに置いてね, the whole expression means not outside, but rather near the window. The じゃ part links the description to 外, while なくて makes it negative and connects it to the alternative.
窓
In 窓の近く, 窓 means window and identifies the reference point for the plant's location. It combines with の近く to express being near the window.
近く
In 窓の近くに置いてね, 近く means near or the vicinity. It follows 窓の and comes before に in the expression for placing something near the window.
ね
In 置いてね, ね softens the request to place the plant and makes it sound gentle. It commonly appears at the end of a request when the speaker wants a friendly tone.
土
In 土にはどのくらいの頻度で水をあげたらいいの, 土 means soil, the material receiving the water. It is also the thing checked in 土をチェックしてね.
どのくらい
In どのくらいの頻度で, どのくらい asks how much or, here, how often. It combines with の頻度 to ask about the frequency of watering.
頻度
In どのくらいの頻度で, 頻度 means frequency, or how often something happens. It combines with どのくらい and で to ask about a rate.
で
In どのくらいの頻度で, で marks the frequency or rate at which the action is done. It follows the frequency phrase before the action being asked about.
水
In 水をあげる前に, 水 means water, the thing given to the plant. It appears with を when describing watering the plant.
あげたら
In 水をあげたらいいの, あげたら means if or when I give water, as part of asking whether that is the right action. The construction 水をあげたらいいの asks what one should do about watering.
いい
In あげたらいいの？, いい means good or right and expresses what would be appropriate to do. It completes the advice-seeking pattern 水をあげたらいい.
前
In 水をあげる前に, 前 means before. It follows the action phrase 水をあげる to indicate that the checking happens before watering.
あげる
In 水をあげる前に, あげる means to give water to the plant, or to water it in this context. It is the action that is placed before 前に.
週
In 週に2回, 週 means week as the time unit for the frequency. It combines with に and 回 to express how many times something happens in a week.
回
In 週に2回, 回 counts occurrences and makes the meaning twice per week. It follows a number when stating how many times an action happens.
チェック
In 土をチェックしてね, チェック means check or inspect, referring here to examining the soil. It is used for checking an item or its condition.
して
In チェックしてね, して carries the checking action into a soft request. Together with チェック and ね, it asks the listener to check the soil.
ここ
In ここで元気に育つ, ここ means here, referring to the current place where the plant is kept. It combines with で to mark the place where growth occurs.
元気
In 元気に育つ, 元気 describes the plant as healthy or lively. With に, it describes how the plant grows.
育つ
In 元気に育つ, 育つ means grow, referring to the plant developing well. It is used for the growth of living things such as plants.
はず
In 育つはずだよ, はず means should or be expected to, expressing confidence about the plant's growth under the stated condition. It follows the expected outcome and leaves room for it to be an expectation rather than a guarantee.
あげすぎなければ
In 水をあげすぎなければ, あげすぎなければ means if you do not give too much water, or if you do not overwater the plant. It sets a condition for the expected result 育つはずだよ and is useful when warning about doing an action excessively.
Grammar Points
〜と書いてある
ラベルに間接的な光が必要と書いてある。
rah-BEH-roo nee kahn-SEH-tsoo-teh-kee nah hee-kah-REE gah hee-tsoo-YOH toh KAH-ee-teh AH-rooThe label says that indirect light is necessary.
〜てある describes something that has been intentionally written or placed and remains in that state.
〜はずだ
植物は元気に育つはずだ。
shoh-KOO-boo-tsoo wah GEHN-kee nee soh-DAH-tsoo hah-ZOO dahThe plant should grow healthily.
はずだ expresses an expectation based on available information or a reasonable assumption.
Japanese Vocabulary
ラベル
noun
rah-BEH-roo
label
外
noun
SOH-toh
outside
間接的な
adj
kahn-SEH-tsoo-teh-kee nah
indirect
光
noun
hee-kah-REE
light
好き
adj
SOO-kee
to like; fond of
書いてある
phrase
KAH-ee-teh AH-roo
is written
植物
noun
shoh-KOO-boo-tsoo
plant
置く
verb
OH-koo
to put; to place
日光
noun
neek-KOH
sunlight
買った
verb
KAH-t-tah
bought
必要
noun
hee-tsoo-YOH
necessary; need
部屋
noun
heh-YAH
room
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
indirect
Show Answer
間接的なis written
Show Answer
書いてあるbought
Show Answer
買ったsunlight