Borrowing a Drill and Working Safely | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 小さな棚を取り付けたいので、ドリルを借りてもいいですか？

   Could I borrow your drill to put up a small shelf?

   小さな

   small

   棚

   shelf

   取り付けたい

   want to put up

   ので

   so; because

   ドリル

   drill

   借りてもいいですか

   may I borrow?

   More detail

   小さな means “small” here and describes the noun 棚 that follows. 小さな is a fixed attributive word used before a noun; it is not the ordinary inflected form of the な-adjective 小さい. 小さい棚 is also a common way to say “a small shelf.” The choice between these forms does not change the basic meaning here. 棚 means “shelf.” It is a noun; this sentence does not state how many shelves there are. Example: 棚を作ります。 — “I will make a shelf.” 取り付けたい means “want to put up” or “want to install” here. It is formed from 取り付ける (“to install, attach, or put up”) plus たい, which expresses the speaker’s desire: 取り付ける → 取り付けたい. The speaker is the understood subject. Example: ライトを取り付けたいです。 — “I want to install a light.” ので connects a reason to what follows: “because” or “so.” Here, wanting to put up the shelf is the reason for asking to borrow the drill. A reusable pattern is 理由 + ので、依頼・結果 (“because [reason], [request/result]”). ドリル is the noun “drill,” referring here to the tool. Example: ドリルを使います。 — “I use a drill.” 借りてもいいですか is a polite permission question meaning “May I borrow it?” or “Could I borrow it?” 借りる means “to borrow,” and the form here is 借りて followed by もいいですか: 借りて + もいいですか. This pattern asks whether an action is permitted. 借りる is borrowing from someone’s perspective; 貸す means “to lend” from the lender’s perspective. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the object as the listener’s drill, although Japanese does not use a separate word for “your” here. Together, 小さな棚を取り付けたいので means “because I want to put up a small shelf,” and ドリルを借りてもいいですか asks permission to borrow the drill. The whole utterance is therefore: “Could I borrow your drill to put up a small shelf?”

2. いいですよ。今までにドリルを使ったことはありますか？

   You can. Have you used a drill before?

   いいですよ

   Sure; you can.

   今までに

   before; up to now

   ドリル

   drill

   使ったことはありますか？

   Have you ever used it?

   More detail

   いいですよ is a polite way to grant permission here: “Sure; you can.” いい is the adjective meaning “good” or, in this situation, “acceptable,” and です gives the utterance a polite form. よ adds an assuring, informing tone. This is not the same as the adjective 大きい (“big”), for example. 今までに means “up to now” and, in this question, naturally gives “before” or “ever.” 今まで means “until now”; the particle に marks the relevant time. A reusable example is 今までに日本へ行ったことがあります。 — “I have been to Japan before.” ドリル is the noun “drill.” It is a loanword written in katakana. Here it refers to the drill mentioned in the preceding request, so the question asks about using that kind of tool; the noun itself does not encode who owns it. 使ったことはありますか？ asks whether someone has the experience of using something. 使った is the past form of the verb 使う (“to use”): 使う → 使った. In the pattern 動詞た形 + ことがある, the past-form verb plus こと expresses having done something before. Here は makes that experience the topic, and ありますか makes it a polite question. The object is understood from context as the drill, while the person being asked is understood from the translation as “you.” Together, 今までに (“before/up to now”) and 使ったことはありますか？ (“do you have the experience of using it?”) produce “Have you used a drill before?” The opening いいですよ first grants permission, so the whole utterance is: “You can. Have you used a drill before?”

3. 一度だけ使ったことがあるので、基本的な説明があると助かります。

   Only once, so basic instructions would help.

   一度だけ

   only once

   使った

   used

   ことがある

   have the experience of

   ので

   because; so

   基本的な

   basic

   説明

   explanation; instructions

   あると助かります

   it would help if there were

   More detail

   一度だけ means “only once.” 一度 is “one time,” and だけ restricts it to that amount. This is a useful pattern: N + だけ = “only N.” 使った is the past form of 使う (“to use”). Here it appears inside an experience pattern, so it refers to a completed use in the past. The polite form is 使いました; the plain past form is 使った. ことがある expresses having the experience of doing something when it follows a past plain form: V-たことがある = “have done V before.” Thus, 使ったことがある means “have used [it] before.” The subject and object are not stated in this sentence; the preceding context supports understanding the object as the drill, but Japanese leaves these roles unspoken here. ので connects the preceding reason to what follows. 使ったことがあるので means “because I have used it,” with 一度だけ specifying that the experience happened only once. ので is a common relatively gentle way to give a reason; its polite counterpart is often seen as ですので after a noun or adjective. 基本的な is the attributive form of the na-adjective 基本的だ, meaning “basic” or “fundamental.” Before a noun, this adjective uses な: 基本的な説明 = “basic instructions.” It is the adjective 基本的な, not the noun 説明, that describes the instructions. 説明 is a noun meaning “explanation” or, in a practical task, “instructions.” In this sentence, the translation “basic instructions” fits the context. Example: 簡単な説明をお願いします。 — “Please give me a simple explanation.” あると助かります is a useful pattern meaning “it would help if there were [something].” ある expresses the existence or availability of something, and と marks the condition; 助かります is the polite form of 助かる (“to be helped” / “to find it helpful”). Here, 説明があると助かります means “it would help if there were instructions.” This is an indirect, polite way to request or express that instructions would be useful, without explicitly using an imperative. Putting the parts together: 一度だけ使ったことがあるので gives the reason, “because I have only used it once,” and 基本的な説明があると助かります states the helpful condition, “basic instructions would help.” The whole utterance means: “I’ve only used it once, so basic instructions would help.”

4. まず壁の種類を確認して、安全メガネをかけてください。

   Check what kind of wall it is first, and wear safety glasses.

   まず

   first

   壁

   wall

   種類

   kind; type

   確認して

   check; confirm

   安全メガネ

   safety glasses

   かけてください

   please put on

   More detail

   まず means “first” here: it places the checking action before the other requested action. It is an adverb, so it does not change form. Example: まず説明を読んでください。 — “Please read the instructions first.” 壁 means “wall.” It is a noun. In 壁の種類, の connects two nouns: literally “the wall’s type,” or naturally “what kind of wall.” The noun 種類 specifies the category or type being checked; it does not mean that several walls are being counted. 種類 means “kind” or “type.” The reusable pattern Aの種類 means “the type/kind of A.” Example: 木の種類を調べます。 — “I will find out what kind of wood it is.” 確認して is the te-form of 確認する, “to confirm” or “check.” The te-form links this action to what follows. Here it gives the sequence “check ..., and then ...,” while ください in the final construction makes the combined request polite. Example: 名前を確認して、入力してください。 — “Check the name and enter it.” 安全メガネ means “safety glasses.” It is a compound noun: 安全 means “safety” in this compound, and メガネ means “glasses.” Japanese nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural in this form, so the expression can refer to safety glasses as an item without stating a numeric count. かけてください is a polite request built from かける and ください. In this sentence, かける means “put on” or “wear” glasses; it is not the unrelated uses of the same verb such as hanging or applying something. The te-form かけて plus ください gives “please put on/wear.” Example: メガネをかけてください。 — “Please put on your glasses.” Together, 壁の種類を確認して means “check what kind of wall it is,” and 安全メガネをかけてください means “please put on safety glasses.” With まず at the beginning, the full utterance means: “Check what kind of wall it is first, and wear safety glasses.”

5. 電気の配線に当たることも心配です。

   I'm also worried about hitting electrical wires.

   電気

   electricity; electrical

   配線

   wiring

   当たることも

   also hitting

   心配です

   be worried

   More detail

   電気 means “electricity” and here it combines with の to describe the type of 配線: 電気の配線 means “electrical wiring.” 電気 can also mean electricity in other contexts; its meaning here is attributive, identifying the wiring as electrical. 配線 means “wiring,” especially wires installed as part of a building or device. The pattern AのB links A to B as a description or relationship, so 電気の配線 is “electrical wiring.” 当たる means “to hit” or “come into contact with.” In this sentence, the understood event is hitting the electrical wiring while drilling, as reflected by the fixed translation. Its dictionary form is 当たる; a polite present form is 当たります. This verb has other context-dependent uses, so here it should not be understood as simply “be correct” or “win.” For example, ボールが壁に当たる。 means “The ball hits the wall.” In 当たることも, こと turns the preceding action into a noun-like event: 当たること means “hitting” or “the event of hitting.” The particle も adds “also,” indicating that this event is another concern. The pattern V-ることも心配です can express being worried about an additional possible event. も is attached to the nominalized event here, not to 当たる as part of the verb. 心配です means “am worried” or “is a worry.” 心配 is a noun or na-adjective-like word meaning “worry” or “anxious concern,” and です gives the polite predicate form. The subject is not stated in Japanese; the fixed translation identifies the speaker’s concern, so the natural English rendering is “I’m worried.” A useful related contrast is 安心です, “am relieved” or “feel at ease,” which expresses the opposite evaluation. Together, 電気の配線 identifies the object, 当たること nominalizes the possible action of hitting it, も adds that concern to other concerns, and 心配です states the speaker’s worry. The whole utterance means: “I’m also worried about hitting electrical wires.”

6. どこに穴を開ける場合でも、先にこの探知機を使ってください。

   Use this detector before you drill anywhere.

   どこに

   where; to where

   穴

   hole

   開ける

   drill; make (a hole)

   場合でも

   even when; in any case

   先に

   beforehand

   この

   this

   探知機

   detector

   使ってください

   please use

   More detail

   どこに means “where” or “to where,” with に marking the place or destination relevant to the action. In this sentence, it is part of the broader pattern どこに〜場合でも, giving the meaning “wherever one …”. Japanese often leaves the subject unstated; here the request is directed to the listener, as reflected by the fixed translation. 穴 means “hole.” It is the object of the action, marked by を in the complete phrase 穴を開ける. Example: 穴があります。 — “There is a hole.” 開ける is the transitive verb “to open” or “to make a hole,” and its base form is 開ける. In 穴を開ける, it means “make/drill a hole.” This is different from the intransitive 開く, which describes something opening or being open without a direct object. Example: 壁に穴を開けます。 — “I will drill a hole in the wall.” 場合でも combines 場合 (“case” or “situation”) with でも, which adds an “even” or “regardless” idea. After a clause, 〜場合でも means “even if/when …” or “in any case where …”. Here, どこに穴を開ける場合でも means “wherever you drill a hole,” not merely one particular case. 先に means “beforehand” or “first,” indicating that an action happens earlier than another relevant action. It is an adverbial form of 先 (“ahead” or “before”). Example: 先に確認します。 — “I’ll check first.” この is the demonstrative used before a noun for “this.” It modifies the following noun 探知機; Japanese demonstratives such as この occur directly before the noun they specify. Example: この道具を使います。 — “I use this tool.” 探知機 means “detector,” a device used to detect something. It is a noun and is the object of 使ってください. The compound contains 探知, “detection,” and 機, “machine/device,” but the complete word should be learned as the device noun 探知機. 使ってください is a polite request meaning “please use.” The lexical verb is 使う, “use”; its te-form is 使って, followed by ください to make a polite request. The te-form here is not past tense. Example: この道具を使ってください。 — “Please use this tool.” Together, どこに穴を開ける場合でも sets the condition “wherever you drill a hole.” 先に says that the next action should happen first, and この探知機を使ってください requests use of this detector. The complete meaning is: “Use this detector before you drill anywhere.”

7. 穴の位置に印を付ける前に、その場所を調べます。

   I'll scan the spot before I mark the holes.

   穴

   hole

   位置

   position

   印を付ける

   mark

   前に

   before

   その

   that

   場所

   place; spot

   調べます

   scan; examine

   More detail

   穴 means “hole.” Japanese does not mark a plural here, so 穴 can refer to one or more holes when the context does not specify the count. In 穴の位置, の links the noun 穴 to 位置: 穴の位置 means “the position of the hole(s).” Example: 穴の位置を確認します。 — “I check the position of the hole(s).” 位置 means “position” or “location.” It is useful when describing where something is located, while 場所 more generally means a place or spot. Here, 位置 specifically identifies where the holes are. 印を付ける is the reusable expression “to mark” or, more literally, “to put a mark.” The verb 付ける is the dictionary form; 印を付ける uses を to mark what receives the action. Example: ここに印を付けます。 — “I’ll mark here.” 前に means “before” in a time sequence. 前 is “before/front,” and に marks the time point or stage. In 印を付ける前に, the verb phrase is in its plain form before 前に: verb + 前に means “before doing something.” Example: 出かける前に、窓を閉めます。 — “I close the window before going out.” その is a demonstrative determiner meaning “that” or “the ... referred to in context.” It comes before a noun and does not stand alone in this use. Example: その本を読みます。 — “I’ll read that book.” 場所 means “place” or “spot.” In その場所, it forms “that place” or “that spot.” The translation identifies this as the spot intended for examination, but the Japanese word itself does not specify its physical nature beyond being a place. 調べます means “examine,” “check,” or, in this context, “scan.” Its dictionary form is 調べる; 調べます is its polite nonpast form. The nonpast form can describe a present or planned action, so the fixed translation naturally uses “I’ll scan.” Example: 地図で場所を調べます。 — “I check the location on a map.” The sentence first presents 穴の位置に印を付ける, “mark the position of the hole(s),” and places 前に after that action to make “before marking the hole(s).” The following clause, その場所を調べます, says “I’ll scan that spot.” Together, the utterance means: “I’ll scan the spot before I mark the holes.” Japanese leaves the subject unspoken; the fixed translation supplies “I” for this utterance.

8. ドリルを、充電器とビットも一緒に返してください。

   Please bring the drill back with the charger and bits together.

   ドリル

   drill

   充電器

   charger

   ビット

   bits

   一緒に

   together

   返してください

   please return

   More detail

   ドリル means “drill” here. It is a noun, written in katakana as a borrowed equipment name. A reusable pattern is Xを返す (“return X”): を marks what is being returned, and 返す is the base form of the verb “to return.” 充電器 means “charger.” It is a noun for a charging device. In 充電器とビット, と links nouns in the sense “and.” ビット means “bits” in the fixed translation. Japanese nouns generally do not mark singular versus plural by changing the noun form, so ビット can refer to one bit or multiple bits when context supplies the number. Here the translation identifies multiple bits. Example: ビットを返します。 — “I’ll return the bit(s).” 一緒に means “together” or “along with.” The noun 一緒 means “togetherness/sameness,” and に makes the expression function adverbially. Example: 説明書も一緒に返します。 — “I’ll return the manual together with it.” This example introduces a new item to show the reusable pattern. 返してください is a polite request meaning “please return.” It consists of the verb 返す (“to return”) in its て-form, 返して, plus ください (“please do ...”). The request pattern is Vてください; for example, 待ってください。 means “Please wait.” The thing being returned is not stated inside 返してください; here, ドリルを and the additional items marked by も supply it. The sentence assembles as ドリルを (“the drill,” marked as the object) + 充電器とビットも (“the charger and bits also”) + 一緒に (“together/along with”) + 返してください (“please return”). も adds the charger and bits as additional items, while 一緒に indicates that they should be returned along with the drill. Thus the whole utterance means: “Please bring the drill back with the charger and bits together.”

9. 返す前に、ほこりをきれいに拭き取ります。

   I'll clean off the dust before I return it.

   返す

   return

   前に

   before

   ほこり

   dust

   きれいに

   cleanly

   拭き取ります

   wipe off

   More detail

   返す means “to return” here. Its dictionary form is 返す, and it is used before 前に to form a time clause: Vる前に means “before doing V.” The object is omitted in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation supplies “it.” Example: 寝る前に歯を磨きます。 — “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” 前に means “before” when it follows a verb in dictionary form. The same word can also mean “in front of” with a noun, as in 駅の前 (“in front of the station”), so the form immediately before it helps determine the meaning. ほこり is the noun “dust.” It is the thing being removed here. Example: 机のほこりを取ります。 — “I remove the dust from the desk.” きれいに is the adverbial form of the na-adjective きれいな. Here it describes the result or manner of the wiping: the dust is cleaned off thoroughly. きれい can also mean “beautiful” or “clean,” so the surrounding verb determines the relevant sense here. Example: 部屋をきれいにします。 — “I clean the room.” 拭き取ります means “wipe off” or “wipe away.” Its dictionary form is the compound verb 拭き取る; 拭く means “wipe,” while 取る contributes the idea of removing something. The ending ます makes this a polite non-past form, which can describe a present or future action. Example: 水を拭き取ります。 — “I wipe up the water.” Together, 返す前に sets the time condition “before returning it.” Then ほこりを marks dust as the object being acted on, and きれいに拭き取ります says that it will be wiped off thoroughly. The complete meaning is: “I’ll clean off the dust before I return it.”

10. 急がずに作業してください。速さより安全のほうが大切です。

    Take your time with it; safety matters more than speed.

    急がずに

    without hurrying

    作業

    work; task

    してください

    please do

    速さ

    speed

    より

    than; rather than

    安全

    safety

    のほうが

    the ... side is more

    大切

    important

    More detail

    急がずに means “without hurrying” here. It comes from 急ぐ (“to hurry”) plus the negative ずに pattern, meaning “without doing.” The reusable pattern is verb-ずに + ...: for example, 急がずに読んでください。 means “Please read it without hurrying.” 作業 means “work” or “a task.” It is a noun that can combine with する to mean “to work” or “to carry out a task”: 作業する means “to work/do the task.” In this sentence, it is followed directly by the request form してください, giving 作業してください (“please do the work”). してください is a polite request form meaning “please do.” It is formed from する (“to do”) and the polite request pattern てください. The word before it identifies what should be done; here, 作業してください means “please do the work.” Together, 急がずに作業してください means “Please do the work without hurrying” or “Take your time with it.” The instruction concerns the manner of doing the work, not a claim that the work should be stopped or postponed. 速さ means “speed.” The noun is formed from the adjective 速い (“fast”) with -さ, which turns a quality into a noun: 速い → 速さ, “fast” → “speed.” This is distinct from 速い, which describes something as fast. より marks the standard of comparison, meaning “than” in this use. The pattern AよりBのほうが... compares A and B and states that B has the described quality more strongly. Here, 速さより means “than speed.” 安全 means “safety” or “being safe.” It is a noun that can also be used with な when directly describing a noun, as in 安全な方法 (“a safe method”). In this sentence it is the thing being compared with speed. のほうが identifies one side of a comparison as the more applicable or preferable one. In 速さより安全のほうが, 安全 is the side selected as more important than 速さ; ほう literally presents it as the relevant “side,” and が marks that side in the comparison. 大切 means “important” or “valuable.” It is a な-adjective: before a noun, use 大切な, as in 大切な安全規則 (“an important safety rule”). With です, 大切です means “is important.” The second sentence assembles as 速さより安全のほうが大切です: “Safety is more important than speed.” The first sentence asks the listener politely to perform the task without hurrying; the second gives the comparison that explains the priority. Together, the utterance means: “Take your time with it; safety matters more than speed.”