Planning a Group Dinner | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 土曜日にみんなで行くレストランを選ぶ必要があります。

   We need to choose a restaurant for our group on Saturday.

   土曜日に

   on Saturday

   みんなで

   together; as a group

   行く

   go

   レストラン

   restaurant

   選ぶ

   choose

   必要があります

   need to; there is a need

   More detail

   土曜日に means “on Saturday.” 土曜日 is “Saturday,” and に marks a specific time when an event occurs. Example: 月曜日に働きます。 — “I work on Monday.” みんなで means doing something as a group. みんな refers to everyone in the relevant group, while で marks the group acting together. Example: 家族で旅行します。 — “My family travels together.” 行く is the plain form of “go.” Here it appears before レストラン and describes the restaurant: “the restaurant [we] will go to.” Japanese commonly uses a plain-form verb directly before a noun in this way. Example: 明日行く店 — “the shop we will go to tomorrow.” レストラン means “restaurant.” It is a noun written in Japanese katakana, commonly used for many borrowed words. In this sentence, it is the noun being described by 土曜日にみんなで行く. 選ぶ means “choose” or “select.” It is the plain form of the verb; its polite non-past form is 選びます. Example: メニューを選びます。 — “I choose a menu.” 必要があります expresses that something is necessary or that there is a need to do it. 必要 means “necessary” or “needed,” and あります is the polite non-past form of ある, used here in the pattern 必要があります. With a verb, Japanese commonly uses 〜必要があります: 確認する必要があります means “there is a need to check” or “we need to check.” Putting the parts together, 土曜日にみんなで行くレストラン is “the restaurant that everyone in the group will go to on Saturday.” 選ぶ必要があります adds “there is a need to choose,” so the whole utterance means: “We need to choose a restaurant for our group on Saturday.”

2. それなら、予約をする前に、みんなの食べ物の好みを確認したほうがいいですね。

   Then we should check everyone's food preferences before making a reservation.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   予約をする

   make a reservation

   前に

   before

   みんなの

   everyone’s

   食べ物

   food

   好み

   preference

   確認したほうがいいですね

   it would be better to check

   More detail

   それなら means “then” or “in that case.” それ refers to a situation already under discussion, and なら presents that situation as the condition for what follows. Example: それなら、始めましょう。 — “In that case, let’s begin.” 予約をする uses 予約 (“reservation”) with をする, literally “to do a reservation,” and means “to make a reservation.” する is the verb “do”; its past form is した, which appears later in the advice pattern. Example: ホテルを予約する。 — “I will reserve a hotel.” 前に means “before.” With a verb in its plain, non-past form, V-る前に means “before doing V”: 出かける前に、鍵を確認します。 — “Before going out, I check the keys.” Here, 予約をする前に places the checking earlier than making the reservation. みんなの means “everyone’s” or “belonging to the whole group.” の links the group represented by みんな to the following noun; it does not by itself state a numerical count. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the relevant group as everyone involved in the restaurant plan. 食べ物 means “food.” It is a noun formed from 食べる (“eat”) and 物 (“thing”), but here it functions as the ordinary noun “food,” not as a verb phrase. Example: 食べ物を買います。 — “I buy food.” 好み means “preference” or “taste.” 食べ物の好み means “food preferences”: the kinds of food people like or prefer. The の connects the topic or area of the preference (食べ物) with 好み; it does not mean that the food possesses something physically. Example: 色の好みは人それぞれです。 — “People’s color preferences differ.” 確認したほうがいいですね is advice meaning “it would be better to check,” or naturally, “we should check.” 確認した is the past form of 確認する (“check” or “confirm”). In the pattern V-たほうがいい, the past-form shape recommends doing the action; it does not place the recommended action in the past. ね softens the statement and invites agreement or presents it as shared common ground. Example: 早く出発したほうがいいです。 — “It would be better to leave early.” Putting the parts together: それなら sets the condition, みんなの食べ物の好み identifies whose food preferences are relevant, and 予約をする前に says when the action should happen. Thus みんなの食べ物の好みを確認したほうがいいですね means that checking everyone’s food preferences is advisable, and the complete utterance means: “Then we should check everyone’s food preferences before making a reservation.”

3. 寿司が食べたい人もいますが、温かい料理のほうが好きな人もいます。

   Some people want sushi, but others prefer a hot meal.

   寿司

   sushi

   食べたい

   want to eat

   人

   person; people

   もいます

   also exist / be present

   温かい

   hot; warm

   料理

   dish; meal

   ほうが好き

   prefer

   More detail

   寿司 means sushi. It is a noun and can be used directly as the thing being eaten: Example: 寿司を食べます。— “I eat sushi.” The particle を in that example marks the direct object; in the fixed sentence, が instead marks the clause involving the people who want it. 食べたい is the desire form of 食べる, “to eat”: 食べる → 食べたい, “want to eat.” The ending たい expresses the subject’s desire, so 寿司が食べたい人 means “people who want to eat sushi.” Example: 水が飲みたいです。— “I want to drink water.” 人 means “person” and can refer to one or more people; the surrounding grammar and context determine the number. Here it is the noun modified by the preceding descriptions: 寿司が食べたい人 and later 温かい料理のほうが好きな人. Example: あの人は先生です。— “That person is a teacher.” もいます combines も, “also/too,” with います, the polite form of いる, used for animate beings. Thus, after a description of a group, it says that such people also exist or are present. The form itself does not state a numeric count. Example: 子どももいます。— “There are children too.” 温かい is the adjective 温かい, “warm” or “hot” in the relevant sense. It describes 料理, so 温かい料理 is “a hot/warm dish or meal.” Its base form is already 温かい; in attributive position it directly precedes the noun. Example: 温かいお茶を飲みます。— “I drink hot tea.” 料理 is a noun meaning a prepared dish, food, or meal. In 温かい料理, it is the noun modified by 温かい; the sentence does not identify a particular dish. Example: この料理はおいしいです。— “This dish is delicious.” ほうが好き expresses preference: the item marked as Xのほうが is liked more, or preferred, relative to an understood alternative. Here 温かい料理のほうが好き means “prefer hot meals.” 好き is the form meaning “liked/favored,” and ほう is the comparison-side noun in this pattern. Example: 電車のほうが好きです。— “I prefer trains.” The first meaningful group is 寿司が食べたい人: が marks sushi as what is wanted, 食べたい expresses wanting to eat, and 人 identifies the people with that desire. もいます then says that this group also exists. After が, which contrasts the two clauses here, 温かい料理のほうが好きな人もいます adds another group: people who prefer hot meals. Together, the utterance means “Some people want sushi, but others prefer a hot meal.” The repeated も presents both groups as existing, while the contrast between the clauses supports the English “but” and “others.”

4. いろいろな料理がある店なら、もっと柔軟に対応できます。

   A place with a varied menu would be more flexible.

   いろいろな

   various

   料理

   dishes; food

   ある

   has; there is

   店

   place; shop

   なら

   if it is

   もっと

   more

   柔軟に

   flexibly

   対応できます

   can respond; can accommodate

   More detail

   いろいろな modifies the noun that follows it and means “various” or “a variety of.” The form いろいろな料理 therefore describes a varied selection of dishes, not several separately counted items. A useful pattern is いろいろな + noun. Example: いろいろな人が来ます。 — “Various people come.” 料理 means “cooking,” “dishes,” or “food,” depending on context. Here it means dishes available on a menu. It is a noun and can be modified directly by いろいろな, as in いろいろな料理. ある is the non-past form of ある, used for the existence or presence of a nonliving thing. In 料理がある, it says that dishes are available or present. With a location or container, Nがある can also express that something has or contains N. Example: この店には野菜料理があります。 — “This restaurant has vegetable dishes.” 店 means “shop,” “store,” or “restaurant/business,” depending on context. In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the broader sense “place” or “restaurant,” specifically a place with a varied menu. The noun comes after the clause いろいろな料理がある, so the whole clause describes the kind of place: “a place that has various dishes.” なら follows a noun or another suitable phrase and presents it as a condition, roughly “if it is …” or “if … is the case.” Here 店なら means “if it is a place/restaurant.” The form does not itself say that there is a numerical count of places; it sets up the condition for the result that follows. Example: 静かな店なら、そこで話しましょう。 — “If it is a quiet place, let’s talk there.” もっと means “more” or “to a greater extent.” It modifies the following description 柔軟に, indicating a greater degree of flexibility than some understood comparison point. The sentence does not specify what that comparison point is. 柔軟に is the adverbial form of the na-adjective 柔軟な, meaning “flexible.” The adjective describes how the response can be made; 柔軟に対応する means “to respond or accommodate flexibly.” The related forms are 柔軟な対応 (“a flexible response”) and 柔軟に対応する (“to respond flexibly”). 対応できます is the polite non-past potential form of 対応する, “to respond to,” “deal with,” or “accommodate.” 対応できます means “can respond” or, in this setting, “can accommodate.” The できます ending expresses ability or possibility; it is not simply the ordinary polite form of 対応する. Example: その要望にも対応できます。 — “We can accommodate that request too.” Together, いろいろな料理がある店なら means “if it is a place with various dishes,” and もっと柔軟に対応できます means “it can accommodate [people’s needs] more flexibly.” The complete utterance is therefore: “A place with a varied menu would be more flexible.” The conditional pattern Nなら、… can be reused to connect a proposed condition with its result.

5. ベジタリアン向けの料理と大きなテーブルがある、気軽なレストランを見つけました。

   I found a casual restaurant with vegetarian options and big tables.

   ベジタリアン向けの

   for vegetarians

   料理

   dishes; food

   大きな

   big; large

   テーブル

   table

   がある

   there is; there are

   気軽な

   casual; easygoing

   レストラン

   restaurant

   見つけました

   found

   More detail

   ベジタリアン向けの uses 向け (むけ), meaning “intended for” or “suited to.” The の connects this modifier to the following noun: ベジタリアン向けの料理 means dishes or food intended for vegetarians. A reusable pattern is [audience]向けの[noun], as in 初心者向けの本, “a book for beginners.” 料理 means “cooking,” “food,” or “dishes”; here it refers to vegetarian dishes as restaurant options. It can also mean the activity or result of cooking, so the surrounding noun phrase determines the intended sense. 大きな means “big” or “large” before a noun. It is an attributive form commonly used in 大きなテーブル. The related i-adjective 大きい also means “big” and can be used before a noun or as a predicate, while 大きな is used attributively and does not function as a standalone predicate in the same way. テーブル means “table.” Japanese noun forms do not normally mark singular versus plural here, so the fixed translation’s “big tables” expresses the intended restaurant feature without requiring a visible plural ending. がある expresses the existence or presence of something: “there is” or “there are.” In this sentence, 料理と大きなテーブルがある is a clause meaning “that has vegetarian dishes and big tables.” The particle と joins the two things that are present. Japanese commonly places this kind of clause before the noun it describes: [料理と大きなテーブルがある]レストラン, “a restaurant that has dishes and tables.” 気軽な means “casual,” “informal,” or “easygoing” in this context. It is a na-adjective: before a noun, it uses な, as in 気軽なレストラン. Its adverbial form is 気軽に, meaning “casually” or “without formality.” レストラン means “restaurant.” The longer noun phrase 料理と大きなテーブルがある、気軽なレストラン is “a casual restaurant that has vegetarian dishes and big tables.” The comma marks a pause, but the clause before レストラン still modifies that noun. 見つけました is the polite past form of 見つける, “to find.” The polite present/non-past form is 見つけます, and the plain past form is 見つけた. Here, the past form states that the speaker found the restaurant. The object particle を marks the restaurant as what was found. Putting the parts together: ベジタリアン向けの料理 identifies vegetarian-oriented dishes, and 大きなテーブル identifies big tables. These are joined by と and followed by がある, creating a clause that describes the restaurant. 気軽な adds the restaurant’s casual character, and 見つけました says that the speaker found it. The whole utterance means: “I found a casual restaurant with vegetarian options and big tables.”

6. それなら、好みが分かれるグループには、より無難な選択ですね。

   That sounds like a safer choice for a mixed group.

   それなら

   if that’s the case; then

   好みが分かれる

   tastes vary

   グループ

   group

   より

   more

   無難な

   safe; uncontroversial

   選択

   choice; selection

   ですね

   right?; isn’t it?

   More detail

   それなら means “if that is the case” or “then, given that.” それ points back to the situation just mentioned, while なら presents that situation as the condition for the speaker’s conclusion. In this context, it connects the restaurant information with the recommendation that follows. 好みが分かれる describes a situation in which people’s preferences differ, so one option may not suit everyone equally. The verb is 分かれる, whose base form is also 分かれる; here it is in the non-past form. The particle が marks 好み as the subject of this description. Example: 好みが分かれる料理です。 — “It is a dish that people have different opinions about.” グループ is the noun “group.” In グループには, に marks the group as the party for which the choice is being evaluated, and は gives that group topic-like prominence. The fixed translation supports the reading “for a mixed group.” より marks a comparison meaning “more” or “rather.” It modifies the following description 無難な, so the sentence compares this choice with other possible choices; the comparison standard is understood from the situation rather than stated explicitly. 無難な means “safe,” “uncontroversial,” or “unlikely to cause a problem.” It is the な-form of the な-adjective 無難だ; before the noun 選択, it appears as 無難な. In this sentence, “safe” concerns suitability for people whose preferences differ, not physical safety. A useful contrast is 大胆な — “bold” — although the exact contrast depends on context. 選択 is the noun “choice” or “selection.” The phrase 無難な選択 is therefore “a safe/uncontroversial choice.” Example: これは無難な選択です。 — “This is a safe choice.” ですね is a sentence-ending form that presents the statement as a confirmation or shared assessment, often translated here as “that sounds like...” or “doesn’t it?” It is formed from です plus the ending ね; it does not itself add a new participant or a numerical meaning. The exact force can range from gentle agreement-seeking to a soft assertion. Together, それなら sets the condition, 好みが分かれるグループには identifies the group for which the evaluation applies, and より無難な選択ですね evaluates the choice as safer or less controversial than alternatives. The whole utterance means: “That sounds like a safer choice for a mixed group.”

7. 予約する前にみんなに聞いたほうがいいですか。それとも、今決めますか。

   Should I ask the group before booking, or choose it now?

   予約する

   to book; to reserve

   前に

   before

   みんな

   everyone; the group

   聞いたほうがいいですか

   Should I ask?

   それとも

   or instead

   今

   now

   決めますか

   Should I decide?

   More detail

   予約する is the dictionary form of the verb meaning “to book” or “to reserve.” In 予約する前に, it appears before 前に to express an action that happens before booking. Example: 出かける前に電話します。 — “I’ll call before going out.” 前に means “before” here. The pattern verb + 前に places the later action after the action named by the verb: 食べる前に手を洗います。 — “I wash my hands before eating.” みんな means “everyone” and, in this context, refers to the group. The に after it marks the people being asked: みんなに聞く means “ask everyone.” Example: 先生に聞きます。 — “I’ll ask the teacher.” 聞いたほうがいいですか uses 聞く, “to ask,” in the form 聞いた plus ほうがいい, a pattern for recommending or asking whether an action would be better. Although 聞いた has a past-form shape, this construction does not mean that the asking already happened; it presents asking as the advisable choice. With ですか, it becomes a polite question: “Should I ask?” Example: 早く行ったほうがいいですか。 — “Should I go early?” それとも introduces the alternative in a choice between questions or options. It is naturally translated here as “or instead,” linking the question about asking first with the question about deciding now. 今 means “now,” the time of the second option. It modifies the following decision in 今決めますか. 決めますか comes from the verb 決める, “to decide” or “to choose.” 決めます is its polite nonpast form, and か makes it a question. Here, with the speaker as the understood subject, it asks “Should I decide?” or “Should I choose it now?” The object of the choice is left implicit rather than named in the sentence. Example: 今決めます。 — “I’ll decide now.” Together, 予約する前に sets the time condition “before booking,” みんなに聞いたほうがいいですか asks whether the speaker should ask everyone, and それとも、今決めますか offers deciding now as the alternative. The whole utterance means: “Should I ask the group before booking, or choose it now?”

8. 二つの選択肢を出して、早めに返事をもらいましょう。

   Give them two options and ask for a quick response.

   二つ

   two

   選択肢

   options

   出して

   give; present

   早めに

   quickly; early

   返事

   response

   もらいましょう

   let’s receive; let’s ask for

   More detail

   二つ means “two” in this sentence. It is the native Japanese form for counting two general things; here 二つの選択肢 means “two options.” The の links the quantity to the noun. 選択肢 means “option” or “choice.” It is a noun for one possible choice among alternatives. For example: 選択肢が三つあります。 — “There are three options.” 出して is the te-form of 出す, “to put out,” “present,” or “give.” Here it means presenting the options. The te-form can connect this action to what follows: Aを出して、Bをする means “do A and then/in connection with do B.” The observed form is 出して; it is not the dictionary form 出す. 早めに is an adverb meaning “early” or “sooner than usual.” It comes from 早め, “earlier than usual,” with に making an adverbial expression. It modifies the timing of the response: the request is for a response soon, rather than specifying a precise amount of time. Compare 早く, which more generally means “quickly” or “early.” 返事 means “reply” or “response,” especially a response to a question, request, or message. In 返事をもらう, it is the thing that is received. Example: 明日までに返事をください。 — “Please reply by tomorrow.” もらいましょう is the polite volitional form of もらう, “to receive” or “to get.” The ending ましょう proposes an action as “let’s …” or “we should …”. In the construction Nをもらう, the speaker receives N; therefore 返事をもらいましょう literally means “let’s receive a response.” In this context, it naturally expresses “let’s ask for/get a response,” with the response understood as coming from the people being addressed. This is different from 返事をしましょう, “let’s reply,” where the subject would be the person giving the reply. The sentence first gives the quantity and object: 二つの選択肢を — “two options” as the object. 出して adds the action “present them,” and 早めに places the desired response early or soon. Finally, 返事をもらいましょう proposes obtaining a response. Together, the utterance means: “Give them two options and ask for a quick response.”

9. 今夜決められるように、短いアンケートを送ります。

   I will send a short poll so we can decide tonight.

   今夜

   tonight

   決められるように

   so that we can decide

   短い

   short

   アンケート

   poll

   送ります

   will send

   More detail

   今夜 means “tonight”: 今 is “now” and 夜 is “night,” but together this is the usual time expression for the current night. Example: 今夜会いましょう。 — “Let’s meet tonight.” 決められるように expresses a purpose: “so that [the relevant people] can decide.” The base verb is 決める (“decide”), and 決められる is its potential form, “can decide.” Here ように connects that ability to the action being planned. The fixed translation identifies the understood subject of deciding as “we”; Japanese does not state that subject in this sentence. Example: 早く決められるように、情報をまとめます。 — “I will organize the information so that we can decide quickly.” 短い is the adjective “short.” Its base form is also 短い; before a noun, it directly modifies that noun: 短いアンケート means “a short poll.” This is an i-adjective, so it does not take a separate linking word in this position. Example: 短いメールを書きます。 — “I will write a short email.” アンケート is a noun meaning “questionnaire” or “poll.” In this sentence, the translation selects the compact sense “poll.” It is the object of 送ります, marked by the following を. 送ります means “will send” here. Its base form is 送る (“send”); 送ります is the polite nonpast form. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action when the context does, as here. The subject is understood from context rather than stated in the sentence. Example: 明日、資料を送ります。 — “I will send the materials tomorrow.” Together, 短いアンケートを identifies “a short poll” as the thing being sent, and 送ります says “I will send it.” The earlier purpose phrase 今夜決められるように says that this sending is done “so that we can decide tonight.” Thus the whole utterance means: “I will send a short poll so we can decide tonight.”

10. それなら、たくさんの人に意見を聞かなくても、計画を進められそうです。

    That should keep the plan moving without asking too many people for opinions.

    それなら

    in that case; then

    たくさん

    many; a lot

    人

    person; people

    意見

    opinion

    聞かなくても

    even without asking

    計画

    plan

    進められそうです

    seems possible to move it forward

    More detail

    それなら means “if that is the case” or “then,” linking the current conclusion to the preceding situation. Here it presents the plan as a consequence of what was just established. A reusable pattern is それなら、… (“In that case, …”). たくさん means “many” or “a lot.” With の, it modifies the noun that follows: たくさんの人 means “many people.” 人 means “person” or “people”; the form itself does not mark singular versus plural here. に marks the people from whom something is asked or obtained in this construction. 意見 means “opinion” or “view.” In 意見を聞く, 聞く has the context-specific meaning “ask for” or “hear” an opinion, and を marks 意見 as its object. The base form is 聞く; its negative form is 聞かない. For example, 先生に意見を聞きます。 means “I ask the teacher for an opinion.” 聞かなくても is 聞かない followed by ても. This pattern means “even without doing” or “even if [someone] does not do” something. Here it means “without asking [for opinions],” not simply “not asking” as an isolated statement. The negative form is formed from 聞く as 聞かない, and the ない portion changes to なくて before も: 聞かなくても. 計画 means “plan.” In 計画を進める, it is the object marked by を. 進める means “move forward,” “advance,” or “proceed with” something; its base form is 進める. Thus 計画を進める is “move the plan forward.” For example, 計画を進めます。 means “I will move the plan forward.” 進められそうです combines 進められる with そうです. In this sentence, 進められる is the potential form of 進める, meaning “can move [it] forward.” The context selects this potential reading rather than the passive reading that the same form can have. そうです here expresses an appearance or expectation based on the situation: “seems likely to” or “looks as though [someone] can.” The polite ending です makes the statement polite. The chunk therefore says that moving the plan forward seems possible, rather than asserting absolute certainty. Together, それなら sets up the consequence, たくさんの人に意見を聞かなくても says that the outcome can be achieved without asking many people for their opinions, and 計画を進められそうです says that proceeding with the plan appears possible. The whole utterance means: “That should keep the plan moving without asking too many people for opinions.”