Waiting for your turn | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 私はまだ自分の番を待っています。

   I am still waiting for my turn.

   私は

   as for me; I

   まだ

   still

   自分

   one’s own self

   番

   turn

   待っています

   am waiting

   More detail

   私は uses 私 (“I”) with the topic marker は. It presents the speaker as the topic; は is not part of the pronoun itself. The same pattern is reusable with another topic, such as 今日は (“as for today”). まだ means “still” here: the waiting continues at the relevant time. It commonly appears with an ongoing situation, as in まだ雨が降っています。 (“It is still raining.”) 自分 means “one’s own self” here. With の, the phrase 自分の means “one’s own” and modifies the following noun. The form 自分 can refer to oneself or, in other contexts, to another person’s self; this sentence and its translation support the speaker’s own turn, not an unrelated referent. 番 means a turn or place in an order here. 自分の番 is therefore “one’s own turn.” A useful contrasting pattern is 次の番 (“the next turn”), where 次の modifies the noun 番. 待っています is the polite form expressing an action in progress: 待つ (“to wait”) → 待って → 待っています. The ている pattern, represented here by ています, presents the waiting as ongoing, while ます supplies polite style. For example, 彼はバスを待っています。 means “He is waiting for the bus.” Together, 私は sets the speaker as the topic, まだ says the situation continues, 自分の番 identifies what is being awaited, and 待っています expresses the ongoing polite action. The whole utterance means: “I am still waiting for my turn.”

2. 今日は一人ずつ呼ぶのに時間がかかっています。

   They are taking a long time to call each person today.

   今日

   today

   一人ずつ

   each person, one at a time

   呼ぶ

   to call

   時間がかかっています

   is taking time

   More detail

   今日 means “today” here and sets the time frame for the whole situation. It is commonly used at the beginning as a time expression: 今日は… means “As for today…” or simply “today…”. 一人ずつ means “each person, one at a time.” 一人 means “one person,” and ずつ distributes an amount or action evenly across units. The pattern Nずつ can mean “N each” or “N at a time”: for example, 二人ずつ入ってください。 means “Please go in two people at a time.” 呼ぶ means “to call” in this sentence, in the sense of calling a person forward or summoning them. This is the dictionary form. Its form here is followed by のに, producing the useful pattern V-のに時間がかかる, “it takes time to V.” The の turns the action into something that can be treated as an activity, and this に marks the activity for which time is needed. This is different from the concessive pattern V-のに, meaning “although V.” 時間がかかっています expresses that time is currently being required or that the process is taking a long time. 時間 is “time,” and かかる is the base form of かかっています; かかる is an intransitive verb commonly used for time, money, or effort being required. The form かかっています combines the progressive form かかっている with polite ます, presenting the situation as ongoing. For example, 駅まで三十分かかります。 means “It takes thirty minutes to the station.” Together, 一人ずつ呼ぶのに時間がかかっています says that calling people one at a time is taking a long time. With 今日は at the beginning, the whole utterance means: “They are taking a long time to call each person today.” The Japanese sentence leaves the actor implicit; the fixed translation supplies “they” as the intended actor. The polite ending makes the statement suitable for ordinary polite conversation.

3. では、近くにいたほうがいいですね。

   So I should stay nearby.

   では

   so; then

   近くに

   nearby

   いたほうがいい

   should stay; it is better to stay

   です

   polite ending

   ね

   right?; isn’t it?

   More detail

   では marks a transition from the preceding situation: “so” or “then.” Here it moves from the delay in calling people to the speaker’s practical conclusion. It can also introduce a next step in other contexts. 近くに means “nearby.” Here 近く is the word for “nearby” in the location expression, and に marks the location or state where someone is. For example, 駅の近くにいる means “be near the station.” いたほうがいい is the reusable pattern Vたほうがいい, meaning “it is better to V” or “should V.” The verb here is いる, used for a person or another living thing; its past form is いた. In this pattern, いた does not by itself place the recommendation in the past: it is the form required in Vたほうがいい. Thus 近くにいたほうがいい means “it is better to be/stay nearby.” A negative recommendation uses Vないほうがいい, as in ここに行かないほうがいい (“It is better not to go here”). です makes the statement polite. In いたほうがいいです, it follows the recommendation expression and politely presents it as advice; it is not independently adding a separate “is” meaning to the English sentence. ね is a sentence-final particle that invites agreement or presents the statement as something shared or confirmable. It softens the advice into “I should stay nearby, right?” while the fixed translation gives the intended overall meaning as “So I should stay nearby.” Putting the parts together, では (“so/then”) + 近くにいたほうがいいです (“it is better for me to stay nearby”) + ね (“right?”) produces: “So I should stay nearby.” The sentence does not specify a separate past event; いた belongs to the Vたほうがいい recommendation pattern.

4. 係の人がすぐにあなたを呼ぶかもしれません。

   They may call you soon.

   係の人

   staff member

   すぐに

   soon; immediately

   あなた

   you

   呼ぶ

   call

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   係の人 means a staff member or person in charge. It is a noun phrase: 係 refers to a role or person responsible for something, and 人 means “person.” In this sentence, the following が marks this phrase as the subject—the staff member is the one who may act. すぐに means “soon” here, referring to a short time from the relevant moment. It can also mean “immediately” when the context emphasizes no delay. Example: すぐに行きます。 — “I’ll go soon/immediately.” あなた is the explicit second-person form “you.” The を after it marks the person affected by the action, so あなたを means “you” as the object of “call.” Japanese often omits pronouns when the context makes them clear, but this sentence states the addressee explicitly. 呼ぶ is the plain, nonpast form of the verb “to call.” The nonpast form can refer to a future event when combined with a possibility expression. Here, it means that the staff member may call the addressee. In another context, 呼ぶ can also describe a habitual or general action. Example: 先生を呼ぶ。 — “I call the teacher” or “I’ll call the teacher,” depending on context. かもしれません expresses possibility: “may” or “might.” It is the polite form of かもしれない. In this sentence, it follows the plain form 呼ぶ, producing 呼ぶかもしれません, “may call.” The expression signals that the speaker is not certain; it does not assert that the call will definitely happen. Example: 明日は雨かもしれません。 — “It may rain tomorrow.” Putting the parts together, 係の人が identifies the staff member as the possible actor, すぐに places the possible event soon, あなたを identifies you as the person affected, and 呼ぶかもしれません says that calling may happen. The whole utterance means: “They may call you soon.”

5. どのカウンターを見ていればいいですか。

   Which counter should I watch?

   どの

   which

   カウンター

   counter

   見て

   watch; look at

   いればいいですか

   should I stay/be?

   More detail

   どの comes before a noun and means “which,” selecting one option from possible choices. Unlike どれ, it does not stand alone as “which one.” Example: どの電車ですか。 — “Which train is it?” カウンター is the noun “counter.” Here it refers to the counter identified by the question; the word itself does not specify which one. It is a loanword, so its exact real-world type comes from context. 見て is the te-form of 見る, “to look at” or “to watch.” In 見ている, it connects this verb to いる, expressing being in the state of watching or monitoring. Example: 画面を見ています。 — “I am watching the screen.” いればいいですか consists of the conditional form いれば of いる and いいですか, which asks whether that state is appropriate. いる here functions with 見て as the auxiliary in 見ている; it is not the verb meaning “watch.” Thus 見ていればいいですか asks whether the speaker should remain watching. The conditional pattern 〜ばいいですか is a useful way to ask what action is appropriate. Together, どのカウンター asks which counter, and 見ていればいいですか asks whether the speaker should keep watching it. The polite whole question means: “Which counter should I watch?”

6. 画面に正しいカウンターが表示されます。

   The screen will show the right counter.

   画面

   screen

   正しい

   right; correct

   カウンター

   counter

   表示されます

   will be displayed

   More detail

   画面 means “screen.” It is a noun, and 画面に uses に to mark the place where something appears or is displayed: “on the screen.” Example: 画面に名前が出ます。 — “A name appears on the screen.” 正しい means “correct” or “right” here. This is an い-adjective; before a noun, its plain form directly modifies that noun: 正しい答え means “the correct answer.” Its opposite is 間違った (“wrong”) in a phrase such as 間違った答え (“the wrong answer”). カウンター is a noun meaning “counter.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In this sentence it is the counter identified as correct, but the sentence does not specify what kind of counter it is. Example: カウンターを確認します。 — “I will check the counter.” 表示されます means “will be displayed” here. The base form is 表示される, while 表示されます is its polite nonpast form. 表示される is the passive form related to transitive 表示する (“to display”): the counter is presented on the screen, rather than being described as the thing that displays something. Japanese nonpast forms can refer to a future event when the context does, which gives the future meaning “will be displayed” here. Example: 結果が画面に表示されます。 — “The result will be displayed on the screen.” Together, 正しいカウンター forms the noun phrase “the right/correct counter,” and 画面に identifies the display location. The polite predicate 表示されます says that this counter will be displayed there. Thus the whole utterance means: “The screen will show the right counter.”

7. では、チケットを手に持っておきます。

   Then I'll keep the ticket in my hand.

   では

   then

   チケット

   ticket

   手に

   in the hand

   持っておきます

   will keep; will hold onto

   More detail

   では introduces the next action as a response to the situation: here, “then” or “in that case.” It can also introduce a topic or a transition, so its exact English rendering depends on context. チケット is a noun meaning “ticket.” It is a loanword written in katakana. Japanese nouns generally do not change form for singular and plural, so this form can refer to one ticket or more than one when context supports that reading; the fixed translation indicates a ticket here. 手に means “in the hand” in this sentence. 手 means “hand,” and に marks the place or position where something is held. The useful pattern is 手に持つ, “to hold something in one’s hand.” The particle に here is not marking the direct object; チケットを does that with を. 持っておきます expresses keeping or holding something in a ready or retained state. The lexical verb is 持つ, “to hold” or “to have/carry.” Its て-form, 持って, combines with おく; 持っておく means “to keep/hold onto” something, and in other contexts can mean doing something in advance. The polite nonpast form 持っておきます presents the speaker’s action as a current or future intention: “I’ll keep/hold onto it.” The subject is omitted in Japanese, while the fixed translation identifies the speaker as the person who will keep the ticket. Together, チケットを marks the ticket as what is held, 手に specifies that it is held in the hand, and 持っておきます says that the speaker will keep it there. With では linking this action to the situation, the whole utterance means: “Then I’ll keep the ticket in my hand.”

8. そのほうが、あなたの番が来たときに楽です。

   That makes it easier when your turn comes.

   そのほうが

   that way is better

   あなた

   you

   番

   turn

   来た

   comes

   ときに

   when

   楽

   easy; less effort

   More detail

   そのほうが presents the previously mentioned option or way as the more suitable one: “that way is better/easier.” Here, その points to an option already understood from the situation, while ほう means “side/option” in this comparison-like pattern. The が marks that option as what has the relevant quality. あなた means “you.” In あなたの番, の links the person to the turn: “your turn.” The possessive relation is expressed by AのB, “B belonging to or associated with A.” 番 means a turn or one’s place in an order. In this sentence it is the turn that will arrive, not a numbered label. For example, 次は私の番です。 means “Next, it’s my turn.” 来た is the past form of 来る, “to come.” With 番, 番が来る means “a turn comes” or “one’s turn arrives.” The form 来た appears before とき in あなたの番が来たとき; this marks the time when the turn has arrived, even though the natural English translation can use present tense: “when your turn comes.” ときに means “when” or “at the time when.” とき is a noun meaning “time,” and に marks the relevant time. The clause before it, あなたの番が来た, specifies which time: the time when your turn arrives. 楽 means easy or requiring less effort in this context. It is a na-adjective; in the polite predicate 楽です, です makes the statement polite. For example, この方法は楽です。 means “This method is easier/less effort.” Together, そのほうが identifies the option being recommended, 楽です says that it requires less effort, and あなたの番が来たときに specifies when this benefit applies. The whole utterance means: “That way makes it easier when your turn comes.”