Coordinating Dinner Timing | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. メイン料理をまだ作っている間に、お客さんが来るかもしれません。

   The guests may arrive while the main course is still cooking.

   メイン料理

   main course

   まだ

   still; yet

   作っている

   be cooking; be making

   間に

   while; during

   お客さん

   guest; customer

   来る

   come; arrive

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   メイン料理 means “main course” here. 料理 can mean a dish or cooking more generally; in this noun phrase, メイン identifies the main dish. Example: 料理を作ります。 — “I make/cook a dish.” まだ means “still” and shows that the action continues at the relevant time. It can also mean “not yet” in a negative or unfinished statement, but that is not its meaning here. 作っている comes from 作る (“make; cook”). The ている form presents the action as ongoing, so 作っている is “is making/cooking.” The object marker を is outside this selected phrase, in メイン料理を; together they show that the main course is what someone is cooking. The person doing the cooking is not stated in the Japanese sentence. 間に means “while” or “during the time that.” The clause before it, メイン料理をまだ作っている, supplies the ongoing time period. A reusable pattern is [ongoing event] 間に [another event] — “[another event] while [the ongoing event].” お客さん is “guest” in this context. Japanese nouns usually do not mark singular versus plural, so this form can refer to one guest or multiple guests; the fixed translation specifies “the guests.” The ending さん is a respectful way to refer to a person. 来る means “come” or, from the relevant viewpoint, “arrive.” It is the dictionary form of the irregular verb 来る (くる); its polite form is 来ます. In this sentence, 来る is followed by かもしれません, rather than standing alone as a complete assertion. かもしれません expresses possibility: “may” or “might.” In 来るかもしれません, the plain form 来る comes before this possibility expression. The ending ません belongs to the polite expression かもしれません; it does not make 来る itself negative. The result is a polite, uncertain statement rather than a definite prediction. Together, メイン料理をまだ作っている間に sets the time as “while the main course is still cooking,” and お客さんが来るかもしれません says that the guests may arrive during that time. The whole utterance is therefore: “The guests may arrive while the main course is still cooking.”

2. それなら、皆さんが落ち着けるように、簡単な前菜を出しましょう。

   Then serve a simple starter so people can settle in.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   皆さん

   everyone

   落ち着けるように

   so that people can settle in

   簡単な

   simple; easy

   前菜

   starter; appetizer

   出しましょう

   let’s serve

   More detail

   それなら means “if that is the case” or “then,” linking this proposal to the situation already given. それ refers to the relevant situation, while なら presents it as a condition. Reusable pattern: Xなら、… = “if X is the case, …” Example: 雨なら、家にいます。 — “If it’s raining, I’ll stay home.” 皆さん is a polite way to address or refer to everyone in the relevant group: “everyone” or “you all.” さん is an honorific element, so this is more respectful than a bare group label. The sentence does not specify exactly who belongs to the group; the translation supports the general reading “people.” 落ち着けるように expresses a purpose: “so that [they] can settle in” or “so that [they] can calm down.” 落ち着ける is the potential form of 落ち着く, meaning “can settle down” here. ように commonly follows a potential or other non-volitional form to mark a desired result or purpose. The understood subject of 落ち着ける is 皆さん, so the phrase means that the people should be able to settle in. Example: 皆さんが聞けるように、ゆっくり話します。 — “I’ll speak slowly so that everyone can hear.” 簡単な is the attributive form of the na-adjective 簡単だ, meaning “simple” here. A na-adjective uses な before a noun: 簡単な料理 means “a simple dish.” This な belongs to the adjective’s connection with the following noun; it is not an inflection of 前菜. 簡単 can also mean “easy” when the context concerns difficulty, but the fixed sentence describes the starter as simple. 前菜 is a noun meaning “starter” or “appetizer,” a dish served before the main course. In 簡単な前菜, it is the noun modified by 簡単な. Example: 前菜を注文します。 — “I’ll order an appetizer.” 出しましょう comes from the verb 出す, “to put out,” “serve,” or “offer.” Its polite volitional form, 出しましょう, proposes an action: “let’s serve” or “let’s put out.” The form ましょう is attached to the verb stem 出し-; it is not part of the noun 前菜. Example: お茶を出しましょう。 — “Let’s serve tea.” Together, 簡単な前菜を identifies a simple starter as the object, and 出しましょう proposes serving it. The purpose phrase 皆さんが落ち着けるように says that this is done so everyone can settle in. With それなら connecting the proposal to the situation, the whole utterance means: “Then, let’s serve a simple starter so that everyone can settle in.”

3. 皆さんが来る前に、サラダとパンを用意できます。

   I can have salad and bread ready before they get here.

   皆さん

   everyone

   来る

   come

   前に

   before

   サラダ

   salad

   パン

   bread

   用意できます

   can prepare

   More detail

   皆さん means “everyone” or “everybody” here. 皆 means “all/everyone,” and さん is a respectful title-like suffix used when referring to people. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies this group as “they”; the form itself does not specify an exact number. 来る means “to come” here. Its base form is 来る (くる), an irregular verb. In 皆さんが来る, が marks the people who come, and the plain form 来る can modify a following noun or form a time clause. Example: 友達が来る前に掃除します。 — “I clean before my friend comes.” 前に means “before.” With a clause before it, the pattern ［clause］前に means “before [the event in the clause].” Thus 皆さんが来る前に means “before everyone comes” or, in the fixed translation, “before they get here.” Here に marks the time relationship; it is not part of 来る. サラダ means “salad.” This is a common loanword written in katakana. It functions as one item in the coordinated object サラダとパン. パン means “bread.” と connects nouns in a complete list or pairing, so サラダとパン means “salad and bread.” 用意できます means “can prepare” or “can have ready” here. The underlying verb is the noun-verb combination 用意する, “to prepare”; its potential form is 用意できる, “can prepare,” and the polite form observed here is 用意できます. The potential meaning expresses ability or feasibility, not a completed preparation. Example: 今すぐ用意できます。 — “I can prepare it right away.” Putting the parts together, 皆さんが来る前に sets the deadline “before they get here,” サラダとパン names what is being prepared, and 用意できます says that the speaker can have those items ready. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can have salad and bread ready before they get here.”

4. そうすれば、夕食が遅れているように見せずに、メイン料理に少し余裕を持たせられます。

   That gives the main course a little extra time without making dinner seem delayed.

   そうすれば

   that way; if so

   夕食

   dinner

   遅れている

   be delayed; be running late

   ように見せずに

   without making it seem

   メイン料理

   main course

   少し

   a little

   余裕

   extra time; leeway

   持たせられます

   can give something extra time

   More detail

   そうすれば means “if so” or “that way.” It links the result to an action or situation already under discussion. A reusable pattern is そうすれば、… = “That way, …” 夕食 means “dinner.” Here it is marked by が as the subject of the description that follows. 遅れている comes from the verb 遅れる (“be late; be delayed”). Its -ている form presents the delay as an ongoing state: “is delayed” or “is running late.” It is not the adjective 遅い (“slow; late”). ように見せずに means “without making it seem.” The pattern Xように見せる means “make it look as if X”; 見せずに is the negative -ずに form of 見せる, meaning “without making [it] appear.” Together with the preceding words, 夕食が遅れているように見せずに means “without making dinner seem delayed.” This describes an appearance or impression, not necessarily the actual state of dinner. メイン料理 means “main course” or “main dish.” 料理 is the noun “dish; cooked food,” while メイン identifies it as the principal course. The particle に marks the thing receiving the effect of 余裕を持たせる. 少し means “a little” here. It limits the amount of 余裕, so the sentence refers to a small amount of extra time or flexibility. 余裕 means “room,” “leeway,” or “extra time.” Here it refers to time or flexibility for the main course, not physical empty space. Useful patterns are 余裕がある (“have some time/room”) and 余裕を持たせる (“give something some leeway”). 持たせられます is built from 持つ (“have; hold”). 持たせる is its causative form, meaning “make or let [someone/something] have,” and 持たせられる expresses the possibility of doing that; ます makes the form polite. In the fixed translation, this result is naturally rendered as “gives the main course a little extra time.” Putting the parts together: そうすれば sets up the result, 夕食が遅れているように見せずに says that this happens without creating the impression that dinner is delayed, and メイン料理に少し余裕を持たせられます gives the result: “That gives the main course a little extra time without making dinner seem delayed.”

5. 皆さんが到着してから、野菜を調理しましょうか。

   Should I cook the vegetables once everyone has arrived?

   皆さん

   everyone

   到着してから

   after arriving

   野菜

   vegetables

   調理しましょうか

   shall I cook?

   More detail

   皆さん means “everyone” or “all of you” here. 皆 can mean everyone/everybody, while さん adds a polite respectful tone when referring to people. The form does not by itself specify exactly how many people there are. 到着してから expresses “after arriving” or “once [someone] has arrived.” The useful pattern is verb-てから, meaning that one action happens after another. Here, 到着する (“to arrive”) becomes the て-form 到着して, followed by から. The translation identifies 皆さん as the people who arrive, so this means “once everyone has arrived,” not simply “after the speaker arrives.” 野菜 means “vegetables.” Japanese nouns generally do not require a plural ending, so 野菜 can refer to vegetables as a category or to a particular serving of vegetables, with the intended scope supplied by context. The following context supports the cooking/serving interpretation here. 調理しましょうか is a polite way to offer or ask, “Shall I cook?” The lexical verb is 調理する, “to cook” or “to prepare food”; 調理し is its stem before ましょう. The pattern verb stem + ましょうか commonly asks whether the speaker should do something, rather than simply asking whether the listener wants to do it. For example, 窓を開けましょうか。 means “Shall I open the window?” Together, 皆さんが到着してから sets the time condition: “once everyone has arrived.” 野菜を marks the vegetables as what is acted on, and 調理しましょうか makes a polite offer or proposal by the speaker. The whole utterance therefore means: “Should I cook the vegetables once everyone has arrived?”

6. 野菜は出来たてのほうがおいしいので、出す時間が近くなるまで待ってください。

   They taste better freshly cooked, so wait until you are close to serving.

   野菜

   vegetables

   出来たて

   freshly made

   のほうが

   more … than the alternative

   おいしい

   tasty

   ので

   so; because

   出す

   serve; put out

   時間

   time

   近くなる

   become near

   まで

   until

   待ってください

   please wait

   More detail

   野菜 means “vegetables” here. It is a noun, and 野菜は makes it the topic: “as for the vegetables.” The topic marker は does not itself mean that vegetables are the grammatical subject of every following expression; it sets what the sentence discusses. 出来たて means “just made” or “freshly cooked” in this sentence. It is a useful expression for something immediately after it has been prepared: 出来たてのパン means “freshly baked bread.” The exact kind of preparation is supplied by context; here the translation identifies the vegetables as freshly cooked. のほうが is part of the comparison pattern AのほうがB: “A is more B” than the relevant alternative. The comparison is between the freshly made state and a less-fresh alternative. ほう literally relates to a side or option, but in this pattern it marks the preferred or higher degree. おいしい means “tasty” or “delicious.” Its form does not change for singular versus plural nouns, so おいしい can describe one item or several items. In this sentence it describes the vegetables in their freshly made state. ので connects a reason to its result and commonly means “because” or “so.” The clause before it gives the reason, while the request after it gives the consequence: the vegetables are tastier when freshly made, so the listener should wait. It is generally a softer, explanatory connector than a blunt command of cause and effect. 出す means “to put out” or “to serve,” and here the intended meaning is “serve.” It is a verb in its plain form. In 出す時間, the plain verb modifies the noun directly: 出す時間 is “the time to serve,” not a separate command to serve. 時間 means “time” or “timing.” Here it is the time at which the vegetables will be served. The phrase 出す時間 combines the preceding verb with this noun, producing “serving time.” 近くなる means “become near” or “approach.” It is formed from 近い (“near”) in its adverbial form 近く plus なる (“become”). With 時間, the nearness is temporal: the serving time is getting close, rather than a physical object moving nearer. まで marks the endpoint up to which an action continues. In 出す時間が近くなるまで, it means “until the serving time gets close.” まで follows the clause or noun marking that endpoint. 待ってください is the polite request “please wait.” 待って is the te-form of 待つ (“wait”), and ください after a te-form makes a polite request. The request is directed to the listener; it does not itself specify exactly how long beyond the endpoint described by まで. Together, 野菜は出来たてのほうがおいしいので means “because the vegetables taste better freshly made.” The clause 出す時間が近くなるまで means “until the serving time is close,” and 待ってください asks the listener to wait until then. The whole utterance is therefore: “They taste better freshly cooked, so wait until you are close to serving.”

7. 料理をするより、すべてのタイミングを合わせるほうが難しいので、もてなすのは大変に感じます。

   Hosting feels stressful because timing everything is harder than cooking.

   料理をする

   cooking

   より

   than; rather than

   すべて

   all; everything

   タイミング

   timing

   合わせる

   to coordinate; to align

   ほうが

   the ... option is

   難しい

   difficult

   ので

   because; since

   もてなす

   to host

   のは

   as for ...ing

   大変

   hard; stressful

   感じます

   feel

   More detail

   料理をする means “to cook.” する is the general verb “to do,” and with 料理 it forms the activity “to cook.” This is a plain nonpast form, so it can describe cooking generally, not only cooking at this moment. Example: 毎日料理をする。 — “I cook every day.” より marks the comparison point, usually meaning “than” or “rather than.” In the pattern AよりBほうが…, the sentence presents B as more … than A. Here, 料理をするより makes cooking the comparison point. すべて means “all” or “everything.” In すべてのタイミング, の connects it to the noun タイミング; with the fixed translation, the phrase refers to coordinating the timing of everything relevant, not to a separate action by すべて. タイミング is a noun meaning “timing,” especially the right time for something to happen. Example: タイミングが大切です。 — “Timing is important.” 合わせる means “to align,” “to coordinate,” or “to make things match.” Its base form is 合わせる, an ichidan verb. It is transitive: someone actively makes things match. This contrasts with 合う, “to match” or “to fit,” which describes things matching. Here, すべてのタイミングを合わせる means “to coordinate all the timing.” Example: 予定を合わせる。 — “I coordinate the schedules.” ほうが is part of the comparison pattern AよりBほうが…. ほう presents B as the side or option being evaluated, and が marks that side as the subject of the description. The meaning “more” comes from the comparison with より; ほうが alone does not always mean “better.” 難しい means “difficult” or “hard.” It is an i-adjective. Its plain form is 難しい, and its negative form is 難しくない, “not difficult.” Here it describes coordinating all the timing as more difficult than cooking. Example: この問題は難しい。 — “This problem is difficult.” ので gives a reason, “because” or “since.” It follows the plain form 難しい here, so …難しいので means “because … is difficult.” In this sentence, the comparison clause supplies the reason for the speaker’s feeling. もてなす means “to host” or “to entertain guests.” It is a plain nonpast verb form. Here it names the activity of hosting; it is not a command and does not by itself say that a particular host is acting at this moment. Example: 客をもてなす。 — “I host guests.” のは turns the preceding verb phrase into a topic: もてなすのは means “as for hosting” or “hosting…”. The の nominalizes もてなす, and は marks that activity as the topic. Example: 読むのは楽しい。 — “Reading is fun.” 大変 means “hard,” “demanding,” or, in this context, “stressful.” It is a na-adjective/descriptive noun-like word. The form 大変に uses に to make it adverbial before 感じます, so 大変に感じます expresses feeling something as difficult or stressful. 感じます is the polite nonpast form of 感じる, “to feel” or “to experience.” The observed form carries the polite ending ます; its base form is 感じる. Here, 大変に感じます presents hosting as stressful from the speaker’s experience. Example: 少し不安に感じます。 — “I feel a little anxious.” Together, 料理をするより、すべてのタイミングを合わせるほうが難しい means “Coordinating the timing of everything is more difficult than cooking.” ので connects that comparison as the reason, and もてなすのは大変に感じます means “hosting feels stressful.” The complete utterance means: “Hosting feels stressful because timing everything is harder than cooking.”

8. 飲み物、前菜、それからメイン料理という簡単な配膳計画を作りましょう。

   Make a simple serving plan: drinks, starter, then the main course.

   飲み物

   drinks

   前菜

   starter

   それから

   then; and then

   メイン料理

   main course

   という

   describing; specifying

   簡単な

   simple

   配膳計画

   serving plan

   作りましょう

   let’s make

   More detail

   飲み物 means “drinks” here. It is the noun 飲み物, built from the verb 飲む “to drink” through its 飲み form plus 物 “thing”; the whole word refers to beverages, not to the action of drinking. Example: 飲み物を選びます。—“I choose drinks.” 前菜 means “starter” or “appetizer,” a noun for a dish served before the main course. It is a course term; it does not itself mean “first” in every context. それから links items in sequence: “then” or “and then.” Here it places the next listed item after the preceding items. Example: 前菜を出して、それからメイン料理を出します。—“I serve the starter, and then I serve the main course.” メイン料理 means “main course.” メイン is a loanword meaning “main,” while 料理 can mean “dish” or “cooking”; together here they name the principal course of the meal. という connects the preceding content with the noun that follows. Here, the list of drinks, starter, and main course is presented as the content or description of the serving plan. The reusable pattern AというB can identify or describe B in relation to A; in this sentence, it means a serving plan with A as its stated content. 簡単な means “simple.” The base adjective is 簡単, a な-adjective; before a noun it appears as 簡単な, as in 簡単な計画 “a simple plan.” Here it describes the plan as uncomplicated, not necessarily short or easy to carry out. 配膳計画 means “serving plan.” 配膳 refers to serving or setting out food, and 計画 means “plan.” Together they focus on organizing how the meal is served, rather than merely planning recipes. Example: 配膳計画を確認します。—“I check the serving plan.” 作りましょう means “let’s make.” It is the polite volitional form of 作る “to make”: 作る → 作りましょう. This form proposes the action jointly; it is not simply an imperative directed at one person. Example: 明日の計画を作りましょう。—“Let’s make tomorrow’s plan.” Taken together, 飲み物、前菜、それからメイン料理 gives the listed sequence “drinks, starter, then main course.” The sequence is connected by という to 簡単な配膳計画, identifying it as the content of the simple serving plan. The final 作りましょう proposes making that plan together, yielding “Let’s make a simple serving plan: drinks, starter, then the main course.”

9. そのチェックリストをコンロの近くに置いておけます。

   I can keep that checklist near the stove.

   その

   that

   チェックリスト

   checklist

   コンロ

   stove

   の近く

   near

   置いておけます

   can leave or keep (something)

   More detail

   その means “that” here and directly modifies チェックリスト. Japanese demonstratives come before the noun: この is “this,” その is “that” or something already identified in the discourse, and あの is “that over there.” その does not mark number. チェックリスト is the noun “checklist,” a loanword written in katakana. The particle を marks it as the object of the action, so the checklist is what is being left or kept somewhere. コンロ means “stove” or “cooktop.” In コンロの近く, the particle の links the noun to 近く (“vicinity/nearby area”): literally, “the vicinity of the stove.” The location particle に then marks that area as the place where something is kept. 近く can also follow other nouns in the same pattern, such as 駅の近く (“near the station”). 置いておけます expresses the ability to leave or keep something in place. Its base verb is 置く (“to put/place”). The pattern 置いておく combines the te-form 置いて with おく and means to leave something in place or put it there for a later purpose. Here, おけます is the polite potential form of the auxiliary おく, giving 置いておけます (“can leave/keep [something]”). The Japanese form does not itself identify the subject; the fixed translation supplies “I.” Together, そのチェックリストを marks “that checklist” as the object, コンロの近くに marks “near the stove” as its location, and 置いておけます says that the speaker can leave it there. The whole utterance is therefore: “I can keep that checklist near the stove.”

10. 皆さんが到着している間も、集中するのに役立つはずです。

    It should help you stay focused while people arrive.

    皆さん

    people; everyone

    到着している

    are arriving

    間も

    even during

    集中する

    to concentrate; stay focused

    のに

    for doing

    役立つ

    to be useful; to help

    はずです

    should; is expected to

    More detail

    皆さん means “people” here, and can also mean “everyone” in other contexts. It is a polite way to address or refer to a group. The following が marks this group as the subject of 到着している; が does not itself mean “you.” 到着している comes from 到着する (“to arrive”) plus ている. With an arrival verb, ている commonly presents the resulting state—“have arrived”—rather than necessarily describing the arrival as a continuing action. In this time expression, the fixed translation renders the situation naturally as “while people arrive.” Example: 参加者は会場に到着している。 — “The participants have arrived at the venue.” 間も expresses “even during” or “also during.” 間 identifies a time interval, and も adds an inclusive or emphatic meaning such as “also” or “even.” The larger pattern clause + 間も means “even while …” or “also during ….” Here, 到着している間も sets the time during which the main result is expected. 集中する means “to concentrate” or “to stay focused.” Its base form is 集中する, a する verb. Example: 仕事に集中する。 — “I concentrate on my work.” のに here is the purpose pattern verb + のに, meaning “for doing …” or “in order to do ….” Thus 集中するのに means “for staying focused.” This is distinct from the contrastive のに meaning “although”; the surrounding structure determines which use is intended. 役立つ means “to be useful” or “to help.” It describes usefulness for a purpose rather than directly saying that someone performs an act of helping. The pattern 〜のに役立つ means “be useful for ….” Example: このメモは勉強するのに役立つ。 — “This note is useful for studying.” はずです expresses an expectation or conclusion: “should” or “is expected to.” はず marks what is expected, and です gives the expression a polite form. It does not express a command. Example: 明日は晴れるはずです。 — “It should be sunny tomorrow.” Together, 集中するのに役立つ means “help you stay focused,” and はずです presents that help as an expectation. The time phrase 皆さんが到着している間も means “while people arrive” or “even while people are arriving.” The complete utterance therefore means: “It should help you stay focused while people arrive.” The Japanese sentence leaves the beneficiary unspoken; the fixed translation identifies that beneficiary as “you.”