Fixing a Stuck Print Job in the Library | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 私の文書がプリンターの印刷待ちの列で止まっていて、何も出てきません。

   My document is stuck in the printer queue, and nothing is coming out.

   私の

   my

   文書

   document

   プリンター

   printer

   印刷待ち

   waiting to be printed

   列

   queue

   止まっていて

   stopped and

   何も

   anything

   出てきません

   does not come out

   More detail

   私の means “my.” の links a possessor to a noun: 私の文書 means “my document.” The possessor is 私 (“I/me”), and の marks the relationship; it is not an inflection on 文書. 文書 means “document.” It is a useful formal or neutral word for a written or digital document. In this sentence, it is the document associated with the speaker through 私の. プリンター means “printer.” The following の connects this noun to the next noun phrase: プリンターの印刷待ちの列 is a printer’s queue for items waiting to be printed. Japanese commonly uses chained の phrases to show such relationships. 印刷待ち means “waiting to be printed.” It combines 印刷 (“printing”) with 待ち, the noun-like form used in compounds for something that is waiting. For example, 注文待ち can mean “waiting for an order.” 列 means “queue” or “line.” Here it refers to the ordered queue of print items, not a physical line of people. The phrase 印刷待ちの列 therefore means “the queue of items waiting to be printed.” 止まっていて comes from the intransitive verb 止まる, “to stop.” 止まっている describes a resulting state—“is stopped” or “is stuck”—and 止まっていて uses the connective て form to link that state to what follows. The form does not say that the document actively stopped something; the document is in the stopped state. 何も means “anything” in this negative construction. 何 means “what/anything,” and も with a negative predicate gives the pattern 何も ... ない: “nothing ...” or “not ... anything.” 出てきません is the polite negative of 出てくる, “to come out” or “to emerge.” 出る means “go out/come out,” while 出てくる presents something as coming out toward the relevant viewpoint. The polite negative ending ません makes it “does not come out.” With 何も, 何も出てきません means “nothing is coming out.” Together, 私の文書 identifies the speaker’s document. プリンターの印刷待ちの列 places it in the printer’s print queue, and 止まっていて says that it is stuck there while linking to the second situation. The final clause, 何も出てきません, says that nothing is coming out. Thus the whole utterance means: “My document is stuck in the printer queue, and nothing is coming out.”

2. 印刷ジョブをもう一度送る前に、画面を確認しましょう。

   Let's check the screen before sending the job again.

   印刷ジョブ

   print job

   もう一度

   again; one more time

   送る

   send

   前に

   before

   画面

   screen

   確認しましょう

   let’s check

   More detail

   印刷ジョブ means a print job: a task sent to a printer. 印刷 means “printing” and ジョブ is the borrowed noun “job”; together they form a compound noun. Example: 印刷ジョブを削除します。 — “I will delete the print job.” もう一度 means “again” or “one more time.” It indicates that the sending is to be repeated. Example: もう一度試します。 — “I’ll try again.” 送る is the dictionary form of the verb meaning “to send.” In this sentence it is the verb inside the pattern 送る前に, “before sending.” Its polite non-past form is 送ります; the dictionary form is used before 前に in this pattern. Example: メールを送る前に確認します。 — “I check before sending the email.” 前に means “before.” After a verb in dictionary form, Vる前に means “before doing V.” Here, 送る前に means “before sending,” so もう一度 modifies the sending action: “before sending it again.” 画面 means “screen” or “display.” It is the object of the checking action, marked by を. Example: 画面を見ます。 — “I look at the screen.” 確認しましょう means “let’s check” or “let’s confirm.” The verb is 確認する, “to check/confirm”; 確認し is its stem before ましょう. ましょう is the polite volitional form, commonly used for a proposal involving the speaker and listener. The を after 画面 marks what is checked. Together, 印刷ジョブをもう一度送る前に means “before sending the print job again,” and 画面を確認しましょう means “let’s check the screen.” The complete utterance is: “Let’s check the screen before sending the job again.”

3. 両面印刷を選びましたが、表示にはエラーが出ています。

   I chose double-sided printing, but the display shows an error.

   両面印刷

   double-sided printing

   選びました

   chose

   が

   but

   表示

   display

   エラー

   error

   出ています

   is showing

   More detail

   両面印刷 means “double-sided printing.” 両面 means “both sides,” and 印刷 means “printing,” so this is a reusable compound noun for printing on both sides of a sheet. Example: 両面印刷にします。 — “I’ll use double-sided printing.” 選びました means “chose” here. Its base form is 選ぶ (“to choose”); 選びました is its polite past form, used for a completed choice. The polite non-past form is 選びます (“choose / will choose”). Example: この設定を選びました。 — “I chose this setting.” が connects the two clauses with a contrast: “but.” Here, the first clause reports the choice, while the following clause reports an error shown on the display. This conjunction can also mean “and” or introduce a qualification in other contexts, so its exact relation comes from the surrounding clauses. 表示 means “display” or “displayed information.” It is a noun often used for what appears on a screen or panel. Example: 表示を確認します。 — “I’ll check the display.” エラー means “error.” It is a loanword used for an error message or error condition. Example: エラーを確認してください。 — “Please check the error.” 出ています means “is showing” in this context. Its base form is 出る, “to come out” or “appear”; 出ています is the polite form of 出ている, describing an appearance that is currently present. Here, the error is currently shown on the display. Example: 画面に警告が出ています。 — “A warning is showing on the screen.” Together, 両面印刷を選びました says “I chose double-sided printing.” The object marker を identifies 両面印刷 as what was chosen. が contrasts that choice with 表示にはエラーが出ています, “the display shows an error.” In the latter clause, 表示 is marked with に as the place or surface where the error appears, while は makes that phrase the topic, and エラー is the thing that is showing. The whole utterance is therefore: “I chose double-sided printing, but the display shows an error.”

4. 紙詰まりかもしれないので、今は操作ボタンに触らないでください。

   There may be a paper jam, so leave the controls alone for now.

   紙詰まり

   paper jam

   かもしれない

   may be; might be

   ので

   so; because

   今は

   for now

   操作ボタン

   control button

   触らないでください

   please do not touch

   More detail

   紙詰まり means “paper jam” here. It is a compound noun: 紙 is paper and 詰まり is a stoppage or clog, from 詰まる “to become blocked.” The compound names the possible problem with the printer. かもしれない expresses possibility: “may be” or “might be.” It follows the form being described, so 紙詰まりかもしれない means “there may be a paper jam,” not that a jam is stated as certain. For example, 故障かもしれない means “It might be broken.” ので connects a reason to a result and is naturally translated here as “so” or “because.” Thus, the possible paper jam is the reason for the request that follows. It is attached directly after the preceding clause. 今は means “for now” or “at present.” 今 means “now,” and は marks it as the time frame being set apart. Here it limits the request: the controls should be left alone for now. 操作ボタン means “control button” in this sentence. It is a noun compound made from 操作 “operation/control” and ボタン “button.” The fixed translation uses the broader “controls,” but the Japanese wording specifically refers to the button or buttons used to operate the device. 触らないでください is a polite request not to touch something. Its base verb is 触る “to touch.” The form 触らない is its negative non-past form, and ないでください gives the pattern “please do not …”: V-ないでください. For example, ここに入らないでください means “Please do not enter here.” The object of 触る is understood from the preceding 操作ボタン, so the request is to refrain from touching those controls. Together, 紙詰まりかもしれないので gives the reason “because there may be a paper jam,” and 今は操作ボタンに触らないでください gives the polite request “please do not touch the controls for now.” The whole utterance therefore means: “There may be a paper jam, so leave the controls alone for now.”

5. それをもう一度送って、印刷待ちの列に別のジョブを追加したくありません。

   I do not want to resend it and add another job to the queue.

   それを

   it

   もう一度

   again; once more

   送って

   send and

   印刷待ちの

   waiting for printing

   列

   queue; line

   別の

   another; different

   ジョブ

   job

   追加したくありません

   do not want to add

   More detail

   それを means “it” here and functions as the object of the action. それ is a demonstrative pronoun for a referent identified by the context, and を marks that referent as the object. In this fixed translation, the referent is understood as “it.” もう一度 means “once more” or “again.” It modifies the following action, so もう一度送る means “send it again” or “resend it.” A useful related expression is 一度 (“once”); adding もう gives the repeated-action meaning “once more.” 送って is the te-form of 送る, “to send.” The te-form connects this action to what follows. Here it combines with もう一度, giving “send it again,” and the fixed translation presents this action as part of what the speaker does not want to do. Example: これを送ってください。 means “Please send this.” 印刷待ちの modifies the noun that follows. 印刷待ち is a compound meaning “waiting for printing” or “print-waiting,” and の links it attributively to 列. The element 待ち is related to 待つ, “to wait”; in this compound it describes a waiting status rather than a separate complete verb clause. 列 means “queue” in this context. It can also mean a line or row in other contexts, so the surrounding expression identifies the intended sense: 印刷待ちの列 is “the print queue.” Example: 列に並びます。 means “I line up in the queue.” 別の means “another” or “different” before a noun. Here it describes a job different from one already being considered, so 別のジョブ means “another job.” 別の does not by itself assert a particular numeric count; it marks the referent as different or additional relative to the context. ジョブ is the loanword “job.” In this utterance it refers to a print job. Japanese loanwords such as this one can be used as ordinary nouns, and ジョブを追加する means “add a job.” 追加したくありません means “do not want to add.” It is built from 追加する, “to add,” with the desiderative form 追加したい, “want to add,” made negative and polite: 追加したくない → 追加したくありません. The たい pattern expresses the speaker’s desire, while たくありません expresses the absence of that desire. Example: 新しい項目を追加したくありません。 means “I do not want to add a new item.” Together, それをもう一度送って gives “resend it,” 印刷待ちの列に gives “to the print queue,” and 別のジョブを追加したくありません gives “I do not want to add another job.” With the fixed translation, the connected actions are understood as the speaker’s unwanted sequence: “I do not want to resend it and add another job to the queue.”

6. あなたがもう一度試す前に、失敗した印刷ジョブをキャンセルできます。

   I can cancel the failed job before you try again.

   あなた

   you

   もう一度

   again

   試す

   try

   前に

   before

   失敗した

   failed

   印刷ジョブ

   print job

   キャンセルできます

   can cancel

   More detail

   あなた means “you” here. The が after it marks あなた as the subject of the clause あなたがもう一度試す前に: the person who tries again is the addressee. Japanese pronouns do not change form for grammatical gender or number, and the exact identity of “you” comes from the situation, not from the pronoun itself. もう一度 means “again” or “one more time.” It is a reusable adverbial expression: もう一度確認する means “check again.” 試す is the dictionary form meaning “to try” or “to attempt.” Before 前に, a verb commonly appears in its plain form, so 試す前に means “before trying.” Example: 新しい方法を試す前に、説明を読みます。 “Before trying a new method, I read the instructions.” 前に means “before” in this time expression. The pattern [plain-form clause] 前に places one event before another: あなたがもう一度試す前に means “before you try again.” Here, the subject あなた is explicitly stated, while the subject of the main clause is understood from the speaker’s perspective rather than expressed as a separate pronoun. 失敗した means “failed” here and modifies the noun that follows it. Its base verb is 失敗する, “to fail”; 失敗した is its plain past form, used attributively before 印刷ジョブ. Thus 失敗した印刷ジョブ describes a print job that failed, not an action that the speaker says someone failed to perform. Example: 失敗した処理をやり直します。 “I redo the failed process.” 印刷ジョブ is a noun meaning “print job.” 印刷 means “printing,” and ジョブ is the loanword “job,” but the combined term is the relevant reusable expression for a job submitted for printing. Japanese nouns do not generally take a separate plural ending here; the context determines whether one or more print jobs are meant. キャンセルできます means “can cancel.” The form is the polite nonpast form of キャンセルできる, “can cancel” or “be able to cancel”; it presents the speaker’s ability or possibility, rather than simply stating that the cancellation will definitely happen. The polite ending ます makes the statement suitable for a courteous exchange. Example: このジョブはキャンセルできます。 “This job can be canceled” or “I can cancel this job,” depending on the context. Together, 失敗した印刷ジョブ means “the failed print job,” and キャンセルできます says that the speaker can cancel it. The time clause あなたがもう一度試す前に places that possible cancellation earlier than the addressee’s trying again. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can cancel the failed job before you try again.”

7. 私がほかの印刷ジョブを送る前に、プリンターを確認していただけますか。

   Could you check the printer before I send anything else?

   私が

   I

   ほかの

   other

   印刷ジョブ

   printing job

   送る

   send

   前に

   before

   プリンター

   printer

   確認していただけますか

   could you check?

   More detail

   私が means “I” as the subject of the action in the subordinate clause. が marks the subject here; it does not by itself mean that “I” is the main topic of the whole sentence. ほかの means “other” or “additional.” It modifies the following noun, so ほかの印刷ジョブ is “another/additional printing job.” Example: ほかの方法 means “another method.” 印刷ジョブ is “printing job.” 印刷 means “printing,” and ジョブ is a loanword meaning “job,” but the combined expression refers to a print job. Example: 印刷ジョブをキャンセルする means “cancel a print job.” 送る is the base form meaning “to send.” In 送る前に, this nonpast form appears before 前に to mean “before sending.” The form itself does not state that the sending has already happened. Example: 出かける前に、電気を消します。 — “Before going out, I turn off the lights.” 前に means “before.” The pattern [verb in the nonpast form] + 前に places one action before another: 寝る前に means “before going to bed.” Here, 送る前に means “before I send [it/them].” プリンター means “printer.” It is the object of the checking action in this sentence. Example: プリンターを使います。 — “I use the printer.” 確認していただけますか is a polite request meaning “could you check?” 確認する means “to check” or “to confirm,” and its て-form is 確認して. The pattern [て-form] + いただけますか politely asks whether the listener can do something for the speaker; it is more respectful than a plain request such as 確認してください. Example: この書類を確認していただけますか。 — “Could you check this document?” Putting the parts together: 私がほかの印刷ジョブを送る前に means “before I send another printing job,” and プリンターを確認していただけますか asks politely whether the listener could check the printer. The complete utterance means: “Could you check the printer before I send anything else?”

8. 確認しますが、ご自分でプリンターを開けないでください。

   I'll take a look, but please do not open the machine yourself.

   確認します

   check; take a look

   ご自分で

   yourself

   プリンター

   printer

   開けないでください

   please do not open

   More detail

   確認します means “I’ll check” or “I’ll take a look” here. The base verb is 確認する (“to check”); します is its polite non-past form, which can describe a present/future action or a polite intention. The subject is understood from the situation rather than stated in this form. Example: 画面を確認します。 — “I’ll check the screen.” The が immediately after this clause links it to the next clause with a contrast such as “but”: “I’ll take a look, but …”. In Japanese, が can also connect clauses more neutrally, so its exact force depends on context; here the fixed translation supports the contrastive reading. ご自分で means “yourself,” emphasizing that the listener should not perform the action personally. ご自分 is a respectful form referring to the relevant person’s own self, and で marks the means or manner: doing something “by oneself.” This is different from simply stating who performs an action. Example: ご自分で選んでください。 — “Please choose for yourself.” プリンター is the loanword “printer.” It is a noun and does not itself show whether the device is being referred to as the grammatical subject or object; its role comes from the surrounding construction. In this sentence, it is the object of 開ける, so the instruction concerns opening the printer/machine. 開けないでください is the polite request pattern ～ないでください, meaning “please do not …”. The base verb is 開ける (“to open”), and its negative form is 開けない; adding でください turns that negative form into a polite request. Example: ここを開けないでください。 — “Please do not open this.” This is a request not to perform the action, rather than a statement that the action is impossible. Together, 確認しますが gives “I’ll take a look, but,” and ご自分でプリンターを開けないでください gives “please do not open the printer yourself.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll take a look, but please do not open the machine yourself.”

9. あなたが確認している間、ここで待っています。

   I'll wait here while you check it.

   あなたが

   you (subject)

   確認している

   are checking

   間

   while; during

   ここで

   here

   待っています

   am waiting

   More detail

   あなたが marks “you” as the subject of 確認している. あなた is the second-person pronoun “you,” and が marks the subject in this clause. Japanese often omits pronouns when the context makes them clear, but this sentence states the subject explicitly. 確認している comes from 確認する, “to check” or “to confirm.” The -ている form presents the checking as ongoing here: “are checking.” The object is omitted in Japanese; the fixed translation identifies it as “it.” A useful contrast is 確認した (“checked/confirmed”) for a completed action and 確認している (“is checking”) for an action in progress. 間 means “time” or “interval” and, in 〜間, forms a temporal expression meaning “while” or “during.” Here, 確認している間 means “while you are checking it.” The form before 間 describes the situation that continues during that interval. For example, 待っている間 means “while waiting.” ここで combines ここ, “here,” with で, which marks the place where an action occurs. Thus it means “here” as the location of waiting. The particle で is used for an action taking place at a location; it is different from に in uses that mark a destination or the location of existence. 待っています comes from 待つ, “to wait.” 待っている expresses waiting as ongoing, and ます makes the predicate polite, giving “am waiting” in this sentence. The form does not itself specify the subject’s gender. In this utterance, the subject is understood as the speaker, as shown by the translation “I’ll wait.” Together, あなたが確認している間 sets the time: “while you are checking it.” ここで gives the place of the speaker’s waiting, and 待っています states the speaker’s polite commitment to wait there. The whole utterance means: “I’ll wait here while you check it.”

10. そうすれば、印刷ジョブをこれ以上追加せずに問題を解決するのに役立ちます。

    That will help us clear the problem without adding more print jobs.

    そうすれば

    if you do that; then

    印刷ジョブ

    print job

    これ以上

    any more

    追加せずに

    without adding

    問題

    problem

    解決する

    solve

    役立ちます

    helps

    More detail

    そうすれば combines そうする, “do that,” with the conditional form -ば. Here it sets the condition “if you do that” and leads to the result that follows. The exact action meant by “that” is supplied by the context, rather than by this expression alone. 印刷ジョブ is a noun compound meaning a print job: 印刷 means printing, and ジョブ is the loanword “job.” Japanese commonly places such modifying nouns before the main noun. Example: 印刷ジョブを削除します。 — “I will delete the print job.” これ以上 means “any more” or “further” here. With the negative form in 追加せずに, it gives the pattern これ以上 + negative: “not add any more.” これ literally points to “this,” while 以上 adds the sense of exceeding the current amount or limit; together, the expression is not itself a stated numerical count. 追加せずに uses the base verb 追加する, “to add,” in the negative connective form -ずに, “without doing.” Thus 追加せずに means “without adding.” This is a written or somewhat formal alternative to 追加しないで, which has the same basic function in this sentence. Example: 確認せずに送らないでください。 — “Please do not send it without checking.” 問題 means “problem” here. The following を marks it as the object of 解決する, so 問題を解決する means “solve the problem.” Example: 問題を確認します。 — “I will check the problem.” 解決する is the dictionary form of the verb meaning “to solve” or “to resolve.” In 解決するのに役立ちます, the form 解決する is followed by のに, which turns the action into the purpose or task for which something is useful: “for solving” or “in solving.” This is different from the concessive のに meaning “although,” whose interpretation depends on the surrounding clause. 役立ちます is the polite nonpast form of 役立つ, “to be useful” or “to help.” Its subject is not stated in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation presents the intended result as helping us. Example: この情報は役立ちます。 — “This information is useful.” Putting the parts together, そうすれば gives the condition, 印刷ジョブをこれ以上追加せずに gives the circumstance “without adding any more print jobs,” and 問題を解決するのに役立ちます says that the result will be useful for solving the problem. The complete meaning is: “That will help us solve the problem without adding more print jobs.”