Improving a Home Office Setup | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 私はこの小さなテーブルで一日中仕事をした後、肩が痛いです。

   My shoulders hurt after working at this small table all day.

   私は

   I; as for me

   この

   this

   小さな

   small

   テーブル

   table

   で

   at; on

   一日中

   all day

   仕事をした

   worked

   後

   after

   肩

   shoulder

   痛いです

   hurt; be painful

   More detail

   私は 私 means “I” or “me.” は marks it as the topic, so the sentence is framed as “as for me.” This does not by itself specify whether the speaker is male or female. A reusable pattern is 私は + description (“As for me, …”). この この means “this” and appears directly before the noun it identifies. It points to something understood as relatively near the speaker or in the current situation. Unlike a standalone demonstrative, この needs a following noun: このテーブル means “this table.” 小さな Here 小さな means “small” and describes テーブル. It is the prenominal form used before a noun. The related predicative form is 小さい, as in テーブルは小さいです (“The table is small”); 小さな is not normally used as the predicate in that pattern. Thus この小さなテーブル means “this small table.” テーブル テーブル means “table.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In this sentence it is the noun identified by この and described by 小さな. で Here で marks the place where the work was done: この小さなテーブルで means “at/on this small table.” The same particle can mark the setting or means of an action, but its role here is the location of 仕事をした. 一日中 一日中 means “all day” or “throughout the day.” 中 here adds the sense of covering the whole period named by 一日. It modifies the duration of the work, not the duration of the shoulder pain. 仕事をした 仕事 means “work” or “one’s work,” and を marks it as the object of the verb. した is the past form of する (“do”), so 仕事をした means “worked” or literally “did work.” A useful related expression is 仕事をする (“to work”); 仕事をした places that action in the past. 後 In 仕事をした後, 後 means “after” and follows the clause describing the earlier event. The pattern verb-past form + 後 expresses “after doing …”: 食べた後 means “after eating.” Here, 仕事をした後 means “after working,” with で and 一日中 supplying the place and duration of that work. 肩 肩 means “shoulder.” Japanese nouns generally do not mark singular versus plural by changing form, so 肩 can refer to one shoulder or shoulders; the fixed English translation makes the intended reading plural here. The particle が after it marks the thing experiencing the state described by 痛いです. 痛いです 痛い means “painful” or “hurt,” and です gives the statement a polite style. In 肩が痛いです, the natural meaning is “my shoulders hurt” or “my shoulder(s) are painful.” 痛い is an adjective, not a verb meaning “to hurt someone”; for example, 足が痛いです means “My foot/leg hurts.” Together, 私はこの小さなテーブルで sets the speaker and the place, 一日中仕事をした後 says that the work continued all day and that the pain is described afterward, and 肩が痛いです states the resulting physical condition. The whole utterance means: “My shoulders hurt after working at this small table all day.”

2. あなたの作業環境は、特にモニターがとても低いので、体に負担がかかっています。

   Your setup is hard on your body, especially with the monitor so low.

   作業環境

   work setup

   特に

   especially

   モニター

   monitor

   とても低い

   very low

   体

   body

   負担がかかっています

   is under strain

   More detail

   あなたの作業環境は sets the topic: “your work setup.” あなたの means “your”; の links the possessor to the noun. 作業環境 is a noun meaning a work environment or work setup. The topic marker は presents this setup as what the sentence evaluates. 特に means “especially” and highlights the following point rather than changing the whole sentence into a general comparison. It is reusable before the detail that deserves special emphasis. モニター is the noun “monitor.” In モニターが, が marks the subject of the following description. Here, the monitor is described as low; the sentence does not state who placed it there. とても低い means “very low.” 低い is the base adjective meaning “low”; its opposite is 高い, “high.” とても intensifies the adjective: 低い = low, while とても低い = very low. For example, この棚は低いです。 means “This shelf is low.” ので follows the clause モニターがとても低い and gives its reason: “because the monitor is very low.” It presents that condition as the reason for the main statement. A reusable pattern is [reason] ので、[result]. 体に負担がかかっています describes strain being placed on the body, so here it means that the setup is hard on your body. 体 means “body,” and に marks the body as the target on which the strain falls. The construction 負担がかかる uses 負担 (“burden” or “strain”) as the subject of かかる; it is a standard way to say that strain is placed on someone or something. かかっています is the ている form of かかる, presenting the strain as an ongoing condition. For example, 目に負担がかかっています。 means “My eyes are under strain.” Together, あなたの作業環境は identifies the setup being evaluated, and 体に負担がかかっています says that it is hard on the body. The reason clause 特にモニターがとても低いので adds that the especially important problem is the monitor’s very low position. The complete meaning is: “Your setup is hard on your body, especially with the monitor so low.”

3. ちゃんとしたスタンドを買うまで、本を使ってモニターを高くできます。

   I could raise it with books until I buy a proper stand.

   ちゃんとした

   proper

   スタンド

   stand

   買う

   buy

   まで

   until

   本

   book

   使って

   using

   モニター

   monitor

   高く

   high

   できます

   can make

   More detail

   ちゃんとした means “proper” or “suitable” here. It is the attributive form of ちゃんとする, used before a noun: ちゃんとしたスタンド means “a proper stand.” This describes the stand as meeting the speaker’s intended standard; it is not simply a quantity or size word. スタンド is a noun meaning “stand” here, specifically the support intended for the monitor. Loanwords in Japanese can be written in katakana, as this one is. 買う is the dictionary form of “buy.” In 買うまで, the nonpast form appears before まで to express the endpoint “until [someone] buys it.” Example: 帰るまで待ちます。 — “I will wait until [someone] goes home.” まで marks the time limit or endpoint. Here it follows 買う, so the temporary method applies up to the point when a proper stand is bought. It does not itself state how many books or stands are involved. 本 means “book” here. Japanese nouns generally do not require a plural ending, so 本 can refer to one book or to books in general; the fixed translation supports “books” as the material used here, without specifying an exact number. Example: 本を読む。 — “I read a book” or “I read books,” depending on context. 使って is the te-form of 使う, “use.” The te-form links this action to the following result or method: 本を使って means “using books” or “with books.” Example: 辞書を使って調べます。 — “I look it up using a dictionary.” モニター is the noun “monitor.” In this sentence it is marked by を, showing that it is the object affected by the following action. The bounded context and translation identify it as the item being raised. 高く is the adverbial form of 高い, “high.” With する or its potential form, it describes changing something so that it is high: 高くする means “make [something] high,” and 高くできる means “can make [something] high” or “can raise [something].” The form itself is not a separate comparative adjective; in this context, the practical result is raising the monitor. Example: 棚を高くする。 — “I make the shelf higher.” できます is the polite nonpast form of できる, “can” or “be able to.” Here it combines with 高く to express ability or feasibility: 高くできます means “can raise it.” The actor is not overtly written in the Japanese sentence, while the fixed translation supplies “I” as the intended actor. Putting the parts together, 本を使って gives the temporary method, モニターを高くできます says that the monitor can be raised with that method, and ちゃんとしたスタンドを買うまで sets the endpoint. The whole utterance therefore means: “I could raise it with books until I buy a proper stand.”

4. それで、あなたの姿勢がよくなると思います。

   That would help your posture.

   それで

   so; therefore

   あなたの

   your

   姿勢

   posture

   よくなる

   improve; get better

   と思います

   I think

   More detail

   それで connects this sentence to what was just mentioned and means “so” or “therefore.” Here it presents the expected result of using the suggested setup: “so, as a result…” It is a connective expression, not part of the noun phrase that follows. あなたの means “your.” あなた is the second-person pronoun “you,” and の links it to the following noun: あなたの姿勢 = “your posture.” Japanese possessive phrases commonly use the pattern [possessor]の[noun]; の itself does not show number or gender. 姿勢 means “posture” here, especially the way someone holds or positions their body while sitting or standing. Example: 姿勢を正してください。 — “Please straighten your posture.” The particle を marks 姿勢 as the thing affected by an action in that example. よくなる means “improve” or “become better.” It is the pattern よく + なる: なる means “become,” while よく is the adverbial form of the adjective よい/いい (“good”). Thus 姿勢がよくなる literally describes posture becoming better. The particle が marks 姿勢 as the thing that changes. A useful contrast is 悪くなる — “become worse,” using 悪く (“badly/worse”) with the same なる pattern. と思います means “I think.” 思います is the polite nonpast form of 思う (“think”); the preceding と marks the content of the thought. In よくなると思います, the speaker presents “improve” as their assessment rather than as an unqualified certainty. The nonpast form can refer to an expected future result in this context. Putting the parts together, それで gives the result, あなたの姿勢がよくなる says that your posture will become better, and と思います frames this as the speaker’s expectation: “So, I think your posture will improve.” With the fixed translation’s natural perspective, the whole utterance means “That would help your posture.”

5. あなたは、窓からのまぶしい光で画面が見えにくくなっていないかも確認したほうがいいです。

   You should also check whether glare from the window is affecting the screen.

   あなたは

   you

   窓からの

   from the window

   まぶしい

   bright; glaring

   光

   light

   画面

   screen

   見えにくく

   difficult to see

   なっていないか

   whether it has become difficult to see

   も

   also

   確認したほうがいいです

   should check

   More detail

   あなたは sets あなた (“you”) as the topic with は. It frames the advice as applying to the listener; は does not itself mean “also.” 窓からの links a source phrase to the noun that follows: 窓から means “from the window,” and の makes that phrase modify a noun. Here it describes the source of the light. A reusable pattern is NからのN, “N from N” or “N originating from N.” まぶしい is an i-adjective meaning “bright to the eyes” or “glaring.” Its attributive form appears directly before 光. The adverbial form is まぶしく, as in まぶしく見える (“look dazzling”). 光 means “light.” Together, 窓からのまぶしい光 means “bright or glaring light from the window.” The particle で later marks this light as the circumstance or cause associated with the screen becoming difficult to see. 画面 means “screen.” In this sentence, 画面が makes the screen the grammatical subject of the inner condition. The same noun can refer to a device display more generally; the fixed translation supports that screen-related meaning here. 見えにくく comes from 見える (“be visible; be able to see”) plus にくい (“difficult to ...”). 見えにくい means “difficult to see,” and its adverbial form before なる is 見えにくく. This is different from 見にくい, which is based on 見る and more directly describes something that is difficult for someone to look at or read. The supplied next sentence uses the related pattern 読みにくくなる for something becoming difficult to read. なっていないか contains なる (“become”), the connective form なって, いる expressing a continuing state, the negative form いない, and か marking an embedded yes/no question. In this checking pattern, 〜ていないか asks whether an undesirable state may be present; here the intended meaning is whether the screen has become difficult to see. It does not assert that this change has occurred. も means “also” here. It adds this check to another piece of advice rather than forming the possibility expression かも; the question marker か is followed by も as a separate particle. 確認したほうがいいです gives advice. 確認する means “check” or “confirm”; its past form 確認した combines with ほうがいい to mean “it is better to check” or, naturally, “you should check.” です makes the advice polite. The pattern Vたほうがいいです is a common way to recommend an action, while Vないほうがいいです recommends not doing it. As a whole, あなたは identifies the person receiving the advice, and 窓からのまぶしい光で画面が見えにくくなっていないか asks whether the screen has become difficult to see because of bright light from the window. Adding も makes this an additional check, and 確認したほうがいいです recommends doing it. Thus the sentence means: “You should also check whether glare from the window is affecting the screen.”

6. 午後の日差しで、画面が読みにくくなります。

   The afternoon sunlight makes the screen difficult to read.

   午後

   afternoon

   日差し

   sunlight

   画面

   screen

   読みにくく

   difficult to read

   なります

   becomes

   More detail

   午後 means “afternoon.” It is a time noun, so it can identify when something happens: 午後に勉強します。 means “I study in the afternoon.” In the fixed sentence, it specifies the time associated with 日差し. 日差し means “sunlight” or “sunshine,” especially sunlight reaching a place. It is a noun. In 午後の日差し, the particle の links it to 午後: “afternoon sunlight.” 画面 means “screen,” such as a device display. It is a noun. The particle が marks it as the thing that becomes difficult to read in this sentence: 画面が見えます。 means “The screen is visible.” 読みにくく means “difficult to read” in the form needed before なります. It comes from the verb 読む (“to read”) plus 〜にくい, which expresses difficulty doing something: この字は読みにくい。 means “These characters are difficult to read.” The ending changes from 読みにくい to 読みにくく when this adjective-like expression modifies なる. なります is the polite form of なる, “to become” or “to come to be.” Here it presents a resulting change: the screen becomes difficult to read. The polite non-past form is なります; the plain form is なる. The pattern Aで、BがCくなります presents A as the factor or condition and says that B becomes C. Here, 午後の日差しで means “because of / under the effect of the afternoon sunlight,” 画面が identifies the screen, and 読みにくくなります says that it becomes difficult to read. Together, the utterance means: “The afternoon sunlight makes the screen difficult to read.”

7. 机を少し動かしてみるか、通話中はカーテンを使ってみてください。

   Try moving the desk slightly, or use the curtain during calls.

   机

   desk

   少し

   a little; slightly

   動かしてみる

   try moving

   か

   or?

   通話中

   during a call

   カーテン

   curtain

   使ってみてください

   please try using

   More detail

   机 means “desk” here. It is a noun and can be used with を when it is the thing directly acted on: 机を動かす means “move the desk.” 少し means “a little” or “slightly.” It softens or limits the degree of an action. Example: 画面を少し動かします。— “I move the screen slightly.” 動かしてみる combines 動かす (“move something”) with 〜てみる (“try doing”). The form 動かして is the て-form of 動かす, and みる is functioning as an auxiliary here, not as the independent verb “see.” The pattern Vてみる presents an action as an attempt or trial. Example: 窓を開けてみます。— “I’ll try opening the window.” か marks the first option in this sentence. Together with the following alternative, Aか、B means “A, or B”; it is not a question here. The first option is 机を少し動かしてみるか, while the second is the request beginning with カーテンを使ってみてください. 通話中 means “during a call” or, more literally, “while a call is in progress.” 通話 is “a call,” and 中 in this compound indicates that the activity is currently ongoing. The pattern N中 can describe being in the middle of an activity; for example, 会議中 means “during a meeting” or “in a meeting.” カーテン is the noun “curtain.” In this sentence it is marked by を in the surrounding text, showing that it is the direct object of 使う (“use”). 使ってみてください combines 使う (“use”), its て-form 使って, the trial pattern 〜てみる, and ください (“please”). Thus Vてみてください is a polite request to try doing something. Example: この方法を試してみてください。— “Please try this method.” Taken together, 机を少し動かしてみるか gives the first option, “try moving the desk slightly.” The following 通話中は sets “during calls” as the situation, and カーテンを使ってみてください gives the alternative polite request, “please try using the curtain.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Try moving the desk slightly, or use the curtain during calls.”

8. 私がもっと快適に感じられれば、私ももっとよく働けるはずです。

   If I feel more comfortable, I should be able to work better too.

   私が

   I (subject)

   もっと

   more

   快適に

   comfortably

   感じられれば

   if I can feel

   私も

   I too

   よく

   well

   働ける

   can work

   はずです

   should; be expected to

   More detail

   私が marks 私 (“I”) as the subject of the conditional part. が identifies the subject of the clause; it is not part of the meaning “more.” In a reusable pattern, Xが… can present X as the one that has or experiences the stated condition. もっと means “more” or “to a greater degree.” It modifies the following description here, and later combines with よく to mean “better.” For example, もっとゆっくり話します means “I will speak more slowly.” 快適に is the adverbial form of the na-adjective 快適だ (“comfortable”). The ending -に lets this description modify 感じる: 快適に感じる means “feel comfortable.” This is the adjective’s own form; 快適 is not derived from the nearby verb. 感じられれば comes from 感じる (“feel”) and has two relevant parts: 感じられる is its potential form (“can feel”), and -ば makes a conditional (“if”). Thus, in this sentence, 感じられれば presents being able to feel comfortable as the condition. A useful pattern is V-られれば、… = “if someone can V, …” with an appropriate subject supplied by context. 私も means “I too” or “I also.” Here も adds the speaker to an already understood comparison or group; it does not replace the subject role. 私が is the subject of the conditional clause, while 私も is the subject of the later clause. よく is the adverbial form of よい (also commonly written and pronounced いい in its basic form). In もっとよく, it means “better,” so this is a comparison of how well the work is done: もっとよく働く = “work better.” The adjective involved is よい; 働く is a separate verb. 働ける is the potential form of the verb 働く (“work”): 働く → 働ける, “can work” or “be able to work.” For example, 今日は働けます means “I can work today.” The potential form describes ability or possibility, not a command to work. はずです expresses an expected or logically supported outcome: “should,” “is expected to,” or “ought to be the case.” It is not the obligation expression べきです, which means “should” in the sense of duty or recommendation. In the pattern …はずです, the preceding clause is treated as the basis for an expectation. Taken together, 私がもっと快適に感じられれば means “if I can feel more comfortable,” and 私ももっとよく働けるはずです means “I too should be able to work better.” The complete utterance is therefore: “If I feel more comfortable, I should be able to work better too.”

9. 何時間も同じ姿勢を続けるときは、小さな調整が大切です。

   Small adjustments matter when you repeat the same position for hours.

   何時間も

   for hours

   同じ

   same

   姿勢

   posture; position

   続ける

   continue; keep doing

   ときは

   when

   小さな

   small

   調整

   adjustment

   大切

   important

   More detail

   何時間も means “for hours” here. 何時間 asks “how many hours,” while も adds emphasis to the extent, giving the natural sense “for many hours.” Example: 何時間も歩きました。 — “I walked for hours.” 同じ means “the same.” It comes before the noun it describes, as in 同じ方法 — “the same method.” 姿勢 means “posture” or “position,” especially the way a person holds the body. Example: 姿勢を変えます。 — “I change my posture.” 続ける means “to continue” or “to keep doing.” Its base form is 続ける, and this plain non-past form appears before とき in the time expression. With an object such as 姿勢, it describes continuing or maintaining that thing. Example: 勉強を続けます。 — “I continue studying.” ときは means “when” or “when it is the case that.” Here, 同じ姿勢を続けるときは means “when maintaining the same posture.” The pattern [situation] ときは、[statement or advice] is reusable. Example: 疲れたときは、休みます。 — “When I am tired, I rest.” 小さな means “small” before a noun. It is a prenominal form used in expressions such as 小さな調整; it should not be described simply as the attributive inflection of 小さい. 小さい調整 is also possible, with the same basic size meaning. Here, the word describes the size or extent of 調整, not its importance. 調整 is a noun meaning “adjustment” or “fine-tuning.” It refers here to a change made to improve a position or condition. With する, 調整する means “to adjust.” Example: 椅子の高さを調整します。 — “I adjust the height of the chair.” 大切 means “important” here. It is a な-adjective; in the full ending 大切です, it predicates that something is important. Example: 休憩も大切です。 — “Breaks are also important.” Together, 何時間も同じ姿勢を続けるときは sets the situation: “when maintaining the same posture for hours.” 小さな調整が大切です states that small adjustments are important. The whole utterance means: “Small adjustments matter when you repeat the same position for hours.”

10. 何かを買う前に、まずこの配置を試してみることができます。

    I can try this layout first before buying anything.

    何か

    anything

    買う

    buy

    前に

    before

    まず

    first

    この

    this

    配置

    layout

    試してみる

    try

    ことができます

    can

    More detail

    何か means “anything” here, as shown by the fixed translation in 何かを買う前に (“before buying anything”). It is an indefinite expression: 何 means “what,” and か makes the expression indefinite. The object marker を belongs to the larger phrase 何かを買う, so 何か is what is bought. 買う is the plain nonpast form of the verb meaning “to buy.” Its plain form can appear before another expression, as in 買う前に (“before buying”). The same verb has the polite form 買います in a sentence-ending position. Here, the nonpast form does not by itself mean that buying is happening now; it identifies the action whose earlier timing is being described. 前に means “before.” In 買う前に, the verb phrase before it names the action that has not yet occurred at the relevant time: “before buying.” A reusable pattern is verb in plain form + 前に, such as 寝る前に (“before going to bed”). まず means “first” or “to begin with.” It orders this action before other possible actions. It does not itself mean that the action is completed; it marks the proposed order. この is the attributive form meaning “this.” It directly modifies a noun, so この配置 means “this layout.” Japanese also has the more independent demonstrative これ (“this”), which can stand as a noun-like expression; この cannot replace it in the same position. 配置 is a noun meaning “layout” or “arrangement.” In this sentence it is the thing being tried. A noun can follow この directly, as in この配置 (“this layout”), while the object marker を appears after the complete noun phrase when it is the object of a verb. 試してみる combines 試す (“to try/test”) with みる (“to see”) in the te-form construction. Here, 試して is the te-form of 試す, and みる is the auxiliary in its plain nonpast form. In this construction, みる means “try doing something,” rather than literally “see.” Thus 試してみる means “try [the layout]” or “try it out.” For example, 使ってみる means “try using it.” ことができます expresses ability or possibility: “can.” こと nominalizes the preceding action, so 試してみること is “the act of trying it”; が marks that nominalized action as the subject of できます. できます is the polite nonpast form of できる, meaning “can” or “be able to.” This construction is reusable as plain verb + ことができる, for example, ここで休むことができます (“You can rest here”). The subject is not stated overtly in Japanese; the fixed translation identifies the speaker as “I” here. Together, 何かを買う前に sets the time relation: “before buying anything.” まずこの配置を試してみる puts trying this layout first, and ことができます presents that action as possible for the speaker. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can try this layout first before buying anything.”

11. それは理にかなっています。いちばん安い方法で十分かもしれないからです。

    That makes sense, because the cheapest solution may be enough.

    それは

    as for that; that

    理にかなっています

    makes sense; is reasonable

    いちばん

    the most

    安い

    cheap; inexpensive

    方法

    method; way

    十分

    enough; sufficient

    かもしれない

    may; might

    からです

    because

    More detail

    それは points to “that” as the topic. それ is a demonstrative pronoun for something relatively near the listener or previously mentioned; は marks it as the topic. Here, the fixed translation identifies that topic as the matter being judged sensible, without specifying a more concrete referent. 理にかなっています means “makes sense” or “is reasonable” here. The base expression is 理にかなう, literally “to conform to reason”; かなっています is its polite non-past form. The ている form presents the situation as currently holding: the matter is reasonable. Example: その説明は理にかなっています。 — “That explanation makes sense.” いちばん marks the highest degree within a comparison: “the most.” It commonly precedes an adjective, as in いちばん安い (“the cheapest”). This is different from もっと (“more”), which compares two or more things without necessarily selecting the maximum. 安い means “cheap” or “inexpensive” in this sentence. It is the base non-past form of the Japanese i-adjective 安い; its form does not change for grammatical gender or number. Its comparative pattern is commonly より安い (“cheaper than ...”), while いちばん安い means “the cheapest.” Example: この店のほうが安いです。 — “This store is cheaper.” 方法 means “method” or “way.” It is a noun referring to a way of doing something; here it is the thing being evaluated as inexpensive. Combined with the preceding adjective, 安い方法 means “an inexpensive method,” and いちばん安い方法 means “the cheapest method.” Example: 別の方法を試します。 — “I will try another method.” 十分 means “enough” or “sufficient.” In 十分です, it can mean “it is enough,” while before another word it can describe sufficiency in a different construction, such as 十分な時間 (“enough time”). Here it evaluates the method as adequate, not merely as large or plentiful. かもしれない expresses possibility: “may” or “might.” It follows the plain form of the relevant predicate; here 十分かもしれない means “may be enough.” The polite form かもしれません is also common in formal conversation. This expression presents the sufficiency as uncertain rather than asserting it as a fact. からです gives the reason for the preceding statement: “because ...” The clause before から is いちばん安い方法で十分かもしれない (“the cheapest method may be enough”), and です makes the explanation polite. で marks いちばん安い方法 as the means or condition in which sufficiency holds: 方法で十分 is understood as “sufficient with that method.” Putting the parts together: それは理にかなっています says “That makes sense.” The reason is いちばん安い方法で十分かもしれないからです: “because the cheapest method may be enough.” Together, the utterance means, “That makes sense, because the cheapest solution may be enough.”