Renewing a library book when the online account fails | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. オンラインで本を更新しようとしましたが、アカウントが読み込めませんでした。

   I tried to renew my book online, but my account wouldn't load.

   オンラインで

   online

   本

   book

   更新しようとしました

   tried to renew

   アカウント

   account

   読み込めませんでした

   could not load

   More detail

   オンラインで means “online.” で marks the setting or means by which an action happens, so オンラインで更新する is “renew/update online.” The same particle appears in places such as 図書館で読む (“read at the library”), where the action takes place at the stated setting. 本 means “book.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as the book being renewed. Japanese nouns do not normally change form for singular and plural, so 本 can refer to one book or more than one when context supports that reading. Example: 本を読みます。 — “I read a book/books.” 更新しようとしました expresses “tried to renew.” The lexical verb is 更新する (“to renew” or “to update”). Its volitional form is 更新しよう; adding とする gives the pattern 動詞の意向形 + とする, meaning “try or attempt to do something.” Here, しました is the polite past form of する, so the attempt occurred in the past. This construction describes an attempt, not successful completion. Example: 予約を変更しようとしました。 — “I tried to change the reservation.” アカウント means “account.” It is a loanword written in katakana. With が, it is marked as the subject of the following predicate: the account is the thing that could not load. This sentence does not specify who owns the account in Japanese, although the fixed translation presents it as “my account.” 読み込めませんでした means “could not load.” The base verb is 読み込む, which can mean “load” when referring to data or a page. 読み込める is its potential form, “be able to load”; 読み込めませんでした is the polite past negative of that form, “was not able to load.” The negative potential states inability or failure, rather than simply saying that loading did not happen. Example: ページを読み込めませんでした。 — “I could not load the page.” Together, オンラインで本を更新しようとしました says that the speaker tried to renew the book online. が then connects this with a contrasting result, and アカウントが読み込めませんでした says that the account could not load. The complete meaning is: “I tried to renew my book online, but my account wouldn’t load.”

2. 返却期限が過ぎる前に、図書館に電話してください。

   Call the library before the due date passes.

   返却期限

   due date

   過ぎる

   pass; expire

   前に

   before

   図書館

   library

   電話してください

   please call

   More detail

   返却期限 means the deadline for returning something, here the library book’s due date. 返却 is the noun “return,” and 期限 is a time limit or deadline. Together, the compound is more specific than a general deadline. 過ぎる means “to pass” or “to go beyond” a time limit. Its dictionary form is 過ぎる; in this sentence it is non-past because the passing is presented as a possible future event relative to the request. With a time expression, it can describe time passing: 時間が過ぎる means “time passes.” 前に means “before.” The pattern A前にB places B before A: 寝る前に本を読みます means “I read a book before going to bed.” Here, 返却期限が過ぎる前に is the time condition for the request that follows. 図書館 means “library.” It is the place marked by に in 図書館に, which identifies the destination or recipient of the call. The full noun phrase 図書館に therefore means “to the library,” not merely “library.” 電話してください is a polite request meaning “please call.” Its reusable pattern is verb-てください, formed from a verb’s て-form plus ください. The dictionary form is 電話する “to call,” and its て-form is 電話して, giving 電話してください. This request is addressed to the listener; it does not itself state who will make the call beyond that requested action. Putting the parts together, 返却期限が過ぎる前に means “before the due date passes,” and 図書館に電話してください means “please call the library.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Call the library before the due date passes.”

3. 本の返却期限が今日なので、心配です。

   I'm worried because the book is due today.

   本

   book

   返却期限

   due date

   今日

   today

   なので

   because

   心配です

   am worried

   More detail

   本 means “book” here. It is a noun and combines with の to specify what the following noun relates to: 本の返却期限 means “the book’s return deadline.” The の relation is similar to “of” or possessive “’s”; it does not by itself say that there is only one book. 返却期限 is a compound noun meaning “return deadline” or “due date.” 返却 refers to returning something, while 期限 is a time limit or deadline. This compound can be reused with other items, for example, DVDの返却期限 means “the DVD’s return deadline.” 今日 means “today.” In this sentence it identifies the date of the deadline, not the duration of an activity. A useful contrast is 明日 (“tomorrow”), as in 期限は明日です — “The deadline is tomorrow.” なので connects the preceding fact to its result or consequence: “because …” or “since ….” Here it follows 今日, a noun-like time expression, in the pattern Nなので (“because it is N”). The form can be understood as 今日だ plus ので, with the copula changing to な before ので: 今日なので. For example, 雨なので、行きません means “Because it is raining, I will not go.” 心配です means “am worried” or “am concerned.” The adjective 心配 describes a state of worry, and です gives the expression a polite sentence ending. The same polite pattern can describe another person’s state when the subject is clear from context, but the form itself does not identify the person; here the fixed translation establishes “I.” Together, 本の返却期限が今日 says “the book’s return deadline is today.” Adding なので makes that fact the reason, and 心配です gives the speaker’s resulting state: “I’m worried because the book is due today.”

4. ログインの問題があったと分かれば、貸出期間を延長してくれるかもしれません。

   They may extend it if they can see there was a login problem.

   ログイン

   login

   問題

   problem

   あった

   there was

   分かれば

   if it becomes clear

   貸出期間

   loan period

   延長して

   extend

   くれる

   do it for someone

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   ログイン is a noun meaning “login.” With の, it modifies the following noun: ログインの問題 means “a login problem.” The pattern AのB commonly means “B related to A” or “B of A”; here it does not mean that ログイン itself is the problem. 問題 means “problem” or “issue.” In this sentence, ログインの問題が marks the problem as the thing whose existence is being understood. Example: 技術的な問題があります。 — “There is a technical problem.” 問題があった means “there was a problem.” あった is the past form of ある, used here for the existence of an inanimate situation or thing. The past form presents the login problem as having existed. ある and ない are a useful positive–negative pair: 問題がある means “there is a problem,” while 問題がない means “there is no problem.” 分かれば comes from 分かる, “to become clear” or “to understand,” and uses the -ば conditional form. 分かれば means “if it becomes clear” or “if they understand.” The content understood is ログインの問題があった, linked with と: “that there was a login problem.” The actor of understanding is not stated in the Japanese; the fixed translation supports “they” here. Example: 理由が分かれば、説明できます。 — “If the reason becomes clear, I can explain.” 貸出期間 is a compound noun meaning “loan period” or “lending period.” It refers to the period for which something is lent. In this utterance, it is the thing that may be extended. Example: 貸出期間は二週間です。 — “The loan period is two weeks.” 延長して is the -て form of 延長する, “to extend.” The -て form connects this verb to what follows, so 延長してくれる describes someone extending something as a favor or service for the speaker or the speaker’s group. The object marked by を is 貸出期間: 貸出期間を延長する means “extend the loan period.” くれる means that someone does something beneficial for the speaker or the speaker’s in-group. It is not simply a second translation of “extend”; it adds the viewpoint that the action benefits the speaker. In this sentence, the person who might perform the extension is left unstated. Example: 友達が手伝ってくれました。 — “A friend helped me.” かもしれません expresses possibility politely: “may” or “might.” It applies to the preceding action as a whole, so 延長してくれるかもしれません means “may extend it for me/us.” It is less definite than 延長してくれます, “will extend it” or “extends it.” Together, ログインの問題があったと分かれば means “if they understand that there was a login problem.” 貸出期間を延長してくれるかもしれません means “they may extend the loan period as a favor.” The complete utterance therefore means: “They may extend it if they can see there was a login problem.”

5. 誰かがその本を予約していたら、どうなりますか。

   What if someone has reserved it?

   誰か

   someone

   その

   that; the one mentioned

   本

   book

   予約していたら

   if someone had reserved it

   どうなりますか

   what will happen?

   More detail

   誰か means “someone.” 誰 is the question word “who,” and か turns it into an indefinite expression: 誰か = “someone,” not a request to identify the person. Here it is marked with が, so it is the person who makes the reservation. その is a demonstrative determiner meaning “that” or, in this context, “the one already identified.” It comes before the noun it modifies. Unlike a form such as これ, which can stand alone as “this,” その normally points to a noun: その本 = “that book” or “the book mentioned.” 本 means “book.” In その本, it is the noun selected by the determiner. The particle を marks it as the object of the reservation action. 予約していたら is the conditional phrase “if someone had reserved [it]” in this sentence. Its lexical verb is 予約する, “to reserve” or “to book.” The observed form contains 予約していた, the past form of the ている construction: 予約している can describe a reservation that is in effect, while 予約していた places that state before the relevant point. Adding ら creates a condition: 予約していたら = “if that reservation had been made” or “if someone had reserved it.” The subject is supplied by 誰か, and the object is その本; Japanese does not repeat those roles inside this phrase. A useful contrast is 予約したら, “if someone reserves/reserved it,” which presents the reservation more directly as an event. 予約していたら instead highlights the reservation as an existing or completed state at the relevant time. The choice between them depends on the intended time relationship and viewpoint. どうなりますか asks “what will happen?” or “what happens?” Its base expression is どうなる, literally “become how” or “turn out how”; どう asks about the resulting state or outcome, and なる means “become” or “come to be.” なります is the polite non-past form of なる, and か marks the sentence as a question. For example, どうなりますか。 can be used when asking about the result of a procedure or situation. The form is polite; it does not itself specify the exact future time. Together, 誰かがその本を予約していたら sets up the condition: someone had reserved the book. どうなりますか asks about the resulting situation. The complete utterance therefore means “What will happen if someone has reserved it?” Here the fixed translation identifies その本 as “it,” referring to the item already under discussion.

6. その場合、電話でもたぶん更新できません。

   Then they probably won't be able to renew it, even by phone.

   その場合

   in that case

   電話

   phone; telephone

   でも

   even

   たぶん

   probably

   更新

   renewal; updating

   できません

   cannot; is unable to

   More detail

   その場合 means “in that case.” 場合 is a noun meaning a case or situation, and その points to a situation already under discussion. A reusable pattern is その場合、… (“in that case, …”). Here it connects the sentence to the situation mentioned in the surrounding discussion. 電話 means “phone” or “telephone.” It is a noun. For example, 電話で聞きます。 means “I’ll ask by phone.” でも contributes the idea “even” in this sentence. The で immediately following 電話 marks the means or method, while も adds the sense of “even.” Together, 電話でも means “even by phone.” Thus, the method meaning comes from 電話で, not from でも by itself. たぶん means “probably” and marks the statement as uncertain rather than fully definite. For example, たぶん来ます。 means “They will probably come.” 更新 means “renewal” or “updating.” It is a noun that can also function as a verbal noun with する, as in 更新する (“to renew” or “to update”). In this sentence it appears before できません in the compound 更新できません, so the relevant action is being able to renew or update something. できません is the polite negative form of できる, meaning “can” or “be able to.” The form chain is できる → できない → できません: can → cannot (plain) → cannot (polite). In 更新できません, できる expresses ability to perform the preceding action, so the whole form means “cannot renew” or, with the sentence’s future context, “will not be able to renew.” Japanese often leaves subjects and objects unspoken when they are understood from context. Here the subject is not stated in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation identifies it as “they.” The object of 更新 is also omitted, while the fixed translation identifies it as “it,” referring in this context to the item under discussion. Putting the parts together: その場合 sets the situation, 電話でも adds phone as a method while emphasizing “even,” たぶん makes the prediction tentative, and 更新できません says that they will not be able to renew it. The complete meaning is: “Then they probably won’t be able to renew it, even by phone.”

7. その本を借り続けられると思う前に、予約について聞きます。

   I'll ask about holds before I assume I can keep it.

   その

   that

   本

   book

   借り続けられる

   can keep borrowing

   と思う

   think; assume

   前に

   before

   予約

   hold; reservation

   について

   about; concerning

   聞きます

   ask; inquire

   More detail

   その modifies 本, giving その本 “that book.” Japanese demonstratives such as その identify a noun as “that …” relative to the discourse; the fixed translation supports the book as the item referred to by “it.” 本 means “book,” and を marks that noun as the object of the borrowing action. 借り続けられる is built from 借りる “borrow,” 続ける “continue,” and the potential form of the resulting verb: 借りる → 借り続ける “continue borrowing” → 借り続けられる “can continue borrowing.” Here it expresses the possibility of continuing to borrow the book, matching “can keep it” in the fixed translation; it does not by itself mean permanently keeping ownership. と思う means “think” or, in this context, “assume.” The と marks the preceding clause as the content of the thought: 借り続けられると思う, “assume that [I] can continue borrowing [it].” 思う is in its plain form here because it occurs inside the larger sentence, while the main verb 聞きます is polite. 前に means “before.” It follows the clause 借り続けられると思う, so the order is “before assuming I can continue borrowing it.” The pattern verb/clause + 前に is reusable: 出かける前に “before going out.” 予約 means a reservation; in this library context, the fixed translation and surrounding context support the sense “hold” or “reservation request.” について is the pattern “about; concerning,” formed after a noun: 予約について “about the hold.” 聞きます is the polite nonpast form of 聞く. In this sentence, the surrounding phrase 予約について selects the “ask/inquire” meaning rather than “listen” or “hear.” The nonpast polite form can refer to a planned future action, so 聞きます is naturally translated here as “I’ll ask.” Together, その本を借り続けられると思う前に means “before I assume I can continue borrowing that book,” and 予約について聞きます means “I’ll ask about the hold.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll ask about holds before I assume I can keep it.”

8. 予約が入っていたら、今日返して、後でもう一度借りてください。

   If there is a hold, return it today and borrow it again later.

   予約

   hold; reservation

   入っていたら

   if one has been placed

   今日

   today

   返して

   return it

   後で

   later

   もう一度

   again; once more

   借りてください

   please borrow it

   More detail

   予約 means a reservation or hold. Here, the fixed translation identifies it specifically as a hold. The noun can be used in reusable phrases such as 予約がある (“there is a reservation/hold”) and 予約する (“make a reservation”), but this sentence uses it as the thing that may have been placed. 入っていたら is the conditional phrase “if one has been placed.” Its base verb is 入る, “to enter” or “to be put in”; in this context, the reservation is recorded in the system. 入っていた combines the ている pattern with past form to describe an existing state resulting from an earlier event, and -たら makes that condition: 入っていたら = “if it is on record / if there is one.” The subject is the hold, not a newly identified person. 今日 means “today.” It places the return on today, while 後で later places the next borrowing at a later time. Example: 今日返します。 — “I’ll return it today.” 返して comes from 返す, “to return something.” The -て form connects this action to the following request: “return it, and then …” The object is understood from the fixed translation as the borrowed item. 返す is transitive, so an explicit object can be added when needed, for example 本を返す — “return a book.” 後で means “later” or “afterward.” It is an adverbial expression, so it tells when the next action happens. Example: 後で電話します。 — “I’ll call later.” もう一度 means “again” or “once more.” もう contributes the sense of “another time,” and 一度 means “one time,” but the expression functions together as a reusable adverb meaning “again.” Example: もう一度説明してください。 — “Please explain it again.” 借りてください is a polite request meaning “please borrow it.” Its base verb is 借りる, “to borrow”; 借りて is its -て form, followed by ください to make a polite request. This form asks the listener to borrow something, whereas 返して in the same sentence tells the listener to return something. Example: この本を借りてください。 — “Please borrow this book.” Together, 予約が入っていたら sets the condition “if there is a hold,” 今日返して requests returning the item today, and 後でもう一度借りてください requests borrowing it again later. The complete meaning is: “If there is a hold, return it today and borrow it again later.” The conditional clause comes first, and the two requested actions are linked in sequence.

9. そこにいる間に、パスワードもリセットします。

   I'll reset my password while I'm there too.

   そこ

   there

   いる間に

   while being/staying

   パスワード

   password

   も

   also

   リセットします

   reset

   More detail

   そこ means “there,” pointing to a place understood from the situation. Its exact location is not specified in this sentence. A reusable pattern is ここ “here,” そこ “there,” and あそこ “over there,” with the choice depending on the speaker’s viewpoint and the shared context. いる間に expresses “while being/staying there.” いる is the form used for the existence or presence of an animate subject; in this sentence, the understood subject is the speaker, as reflected by “I’ll” in the translation. 間 means a period or interval, and に marks the time during which the next action occurs. The pattern [verb or state]間に、... means “while ...; during the time that ...” For example: 家にいる間に、電話します。 — “I’ll call while I’m at home.” パスワード is the loanword “password.” It functions here as the object of the following action. A useful related compound is パスワードを変更する, “change a password”; リセットする specifically presents the action as resetting it. も adds the meaning “also” or “too” to the item it follows. Here it follows パスワード, so resetting the password is an additional action alongside the other relevant plans or actions. It does not itself identify what the other item is. The pattern Nも means “N too/as well.” リセットします means “reset” in a polite form. The base form is リセットする; します is the polite non-past form of する, and with a loanword noun it forms the verb リセットする. Japanese non-past forms can describe a future action, so the translation “I’ll reset” is appropriate here; the form does not by itself mark a separate English-style future tense. For example: 設定をリセットします。 — “I’ll reset the settings.” Together, そこにいる間に sets the time—“while I’m there”—and パスワードもリセットします adds the speaker’s password reset as another planned action. The whole utterance means: “I’ll reset my password while I’m there too.”

10. そうすれば、次の更新はそれほど心配にならないはずです。

    That should make the next renewal less stressful.

    そうすれば

    if that is done; then

    次の

    next

    更新

    renewal

    それほど

    that much; so

    心配

    worry; concern

    ならない

    does not become

    はずです

    should; is expected to

    More detail

    そうすれば links an action or condition to its result: “if that is done, then …”. Here, そう refers to the action described in the preceding context, and すれば is the conditional form of する (“do”). A reusable pattern is Xすれば、Y = “if X happens/is done, Y.” 次の means “next” and modifies the noun that follows it. 次 means “next” or “the next one”; 次の更新 is therefore “the next renewal.” Japanese の commonly connects a noun-like modifier to a following noun. 更新 means “renewal” here. It can also mean “update” when the context concerns software, information, or a similar item; the fixed translation identifies the intended sense as a renewal. The noun can be reused in compounds such as 契約の更新 (“contract renewal”). それほど means “that much” or “to that extent.” With the following negative form, it gives the pattern それほど～ない, meaning “not so much” or “not that ….” For example, それほど難しくない means “not that difficult.” 心配 means “worry” or “concern.” In 心配になる, it combines with に and なる to express becoming worried: 心配になる = “become worried.” This is different from 心配する, “worry about [something]” or “be concerned about [something].” ならない is the negative form of なる, “become” or “come to be.” In this sentence, 心配にならない literally describes not becoming worried. The negative form is what combines with それほど to mean “not become that worried” or, naturally, “be less stressful.” はずです marks an expectation based on the speaker’s reasoning: “should” or “is expected to.” はず is the expectation itself, while です gives the polite sentence ending. For example, 彼は来るはずです means “He should come” or “He is expected to come.” Together, そうすれば introduces the result of the relevant action, 次の更新 identifies the upcoming renewal, and それほど心配にならない says that it will not cause as much worry. はずです presents this as an expected outcome. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should make the next renewal less stressful.”