Borrowing a Laptop Adapter Before a Presentation | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. ノートパソコンのアダプターが見つかりません。プレゼンテーションがもうすぐ始まります。

   My laptop adapter is missing, and my presentation starts soon.

   ノートパソコン

   laptop

   アダプター

   adapter

   見つかりません

   cannot be found; is missing

   プレゼンテーション

   presentation

   もうすぐ

   soon

   始まります

   starts; begins

   More detail

   ノートパソコン means “laptop.” It is a noun; ノートパソコンのアダプター uses の to connect it to the following noun, giving “the laptop’s adapter” or “laptop adapter.” アダプター is “adapter,” another noun. Here it is the item whose location is being discussed. 見つかりません comes from the intransitive verb 見つかる, “to be found” or “to turn up.” The form 見つかりません is its polite negative nonpast form: “is not found” or, naturally here, “is missing.” Because 見つかる is intransitive, the thing that turns up is the subject. For an affirmative statement, 見つかります means “is found” or “turns up.” Example: 鍵が見つかりません。 — “The key cannot be found.” プレゼンテーション means “presentation.” It is a noun and can be used with の when one noun modifies another, as in プレゼンテーションの資料 (“presentation materials”). もうすぐ means “soon” or “in a little while.” It indicates that an event is expected shortly, without stating an exact amount of time. 始まります comes from the intransitive verb 始まる, “to begin” or “to start.” 始まります is its polite nonpast form. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future event when the context makes that reading clear, so here it means “starts” or “will start.” Example: 授業は九時に始まります。 — “The class starts at nine.” Together, ノートパソコンのアダプターが見つかりません says that the laptop adapter cannot be found, with が marking it as the subject of 見つかりません. プレゼンテーションがもうすぐ始まります says that the presentation starts soon, with もうすぐ modifying the upcoming start. The complete meaning is: “My laptop adapter is missing, and my presentation starts soon.”

2. 使えるアダプターを一つ持っています。

   I have one you can use.

   使える

   usable; can use

   アダプター

   adapter

   一つ

   one

   持っています

   have; possess

   More detail

   使える means “can be used” or, with a person as the understood user, “can use.” It is the potential form of 使う (“to use”), expressing usability or ability rather than an action currently being performed. Here it describes the adapter: it is an adapter that can be used. Example: このペンは使える。 — “This pen can be used.” アダプター is the noun “adapter.” In this sentence, 使えるアダプター is a noun phrase: the modifier 使える comes before the noun and identifies which adapter is meant. 一つ means “one” when counting a general object. 一 is the number “one,” and つ is a general-purpose counter. The counter is separate from the noun here, so アダプターを一つ means “one adapter.” Example: りんごを一つください。 — “Please give me one apple.” 持っています means “have” or “possess” here. It is the polite form of 持っている, built from 持つ (“to hold; to have”) plus いる; in this use, the resulting form describes a current state of possession, not merely the act of holding something at this moment. 持っています is also used with polite speech for a current possession. Example: 鍵を持っています。 — “I have the key.” Together, 使えるアダプター means “an adapter that can be used,” 一つ specifies one such adapter, and 持っています states that the speaker has it. The object marker を links that counted adapter to 持っています, giving the complete meaning: “I have one you can use.” The Japanese wording explicitly identifies the item as an adapter; the English translation leaves that noun implicit because it is understood from the situation.

3. でも、あなたのノートパソコンで使えるか確認しましょう。

   But let's check that it works with your laptop.

   でも

   but

   あなたの

   your

   ノートパソコン

   laptop

   使える

   can use; works

   確認しましょう

   let’s check

   More detail

   でも means “but” here and links this sentence to what came before. It is a conjunction commonly placed at the beginning of a sentence. あなたの combines あなた (“you”) with の, which marks possession or association. Thus, あなたのノートパソコン means “your laptop.” の is a reusable pattern: AのB means “B of A” or “A’s B.” ノートパソコン is the noun “laptop.” It is a compound noun: ノートパソコンで使える means “usable with/on a laptop,” with で marking the device or setting in which something is used. 使える is the potential form of the verb 使う (“to use”): 使う → 使える, “can use” or “can be used.” In this sentence, the intended meaning is that the item works with the specified laptop. Example: このアダプターはその機器で使える。— “This adapter can be used with that device.” 確認しましょう combines 確認する (“to check” or “to confirm”) with ましょう, the polite volitional form. Here ましょう proposes “let’s check.” A useful pattern is Vか確認する, “check whether V”: 動くか確認する means “check whether it works.” The ending か turns 使える into the content of a yes-or-no question: 使えるか means “whether it can be used.” The sentence therefore assembles as でも (“but”) + あなたのノートパソコンで (“with your laptop”) + 使えるか (“whether it works/can be used”) + 確認しましょう (“let’s check”). The complete meaning is “But let’s check that it works with your laptop.”

4. ポートに合います。まだプロジェクターをテストする必要があります。

   It fits the port. I still need to test the projector.

   ポート

   port

   合います

   fits

   まだ

   still

   プロジェクター

   projector

   テストする

   to test

   必要があります

   there is a need

   More detail

   ポート means “port,” the connection point referred to in the translation. It is a loanword written in katakana. Example: ポートを確認します。 — “I’ll check the port.” 合います means “fits” here. Its base form is 合う, and 合います is the polite nonpast form. 合う is intransitive: the thing that fits is marked with が, while the place or item it fits is marked with に, as in ポートに合う — “fit the port.” This is different from transitive 合わせる, “to make or adjust something to fit.” まだ means “still” here. With the affirmative statement that follows, it shows that the need continues: testing is still necessary. Example: まだ確認が必要です。 — “It is still necessary to check.” プロジェクター means “projector.” It is another katakana loanword and is the object of the testing action. Example: プロジェクターを使います。 — “I’ll use the projector.” テストする means “to test.” テスト is a noun used with する to form a verb; the form テストする is the nonpast/plain form used before another expression. With を, it marks what is tested: プロジェクターをテストする — “test the projector.” 必要があります expresses that something is necessary or that there is a need. In the reusable pattern V-plain + 必要があります, the plain-form verb before 必要 identifies the required action: 確認する必要があります — “It is necessary to check” or “I need to check.” The polite element is あります; 必要 itself is a noun meaning “necessity.” Together, ポートに合います says that it fits the port. まだ adds that the need continues, and プロジェクターをテストする必要があります says that testing the projector is necessary. The complete utterance therefore means: “It fits the port. I still need to test the projector.”

5. 今やってみてください。プレッシャーがかかると、小さな問題はもっと解決しにくくなります。

   Do it now; small problems get harder under pressure.

   今

   now

   やってみてください

   please try doing it

   プレッシャーがかかる

   pressure is applied; be under pressure

   小さな

   small

   問題

   problem

   もっと

   more

   解決しにくくなります

   becomes harder to solve

   More detail

   今 means “now,” placing the requested action at the present time. Japanese commonly places such time expressions near the beginning of a sentence; it does not itself mark the action as an order. やってみてください combines やる (“do”) with みる in the pattern -てみる, which means “try doing.” Here やってみて is the connected form, and ください makes the request polite: “please try doing it.” The object is left implicit, as is common in Japanese; the fixed translation supports “it” without specifying a noun in this sentence. Compare the reusable pattern 読んでみてください — “please try reading it.” プレッシャーがかかる literally presents “pressure” as something that bears down or is applied. かかる is an intransitive verb, so プレッシャー is marked with が; this is not the transitive pattern “someone applies pressure.” The following と creates a condition meaning “when” or “under the condition that”: プレッシャーがかかると means “when pressure is applied” or “under pressure.” 小さな means “small” here and directly modifies the following noun. It is the attributive form associated with 小さい (“small”): 小さい問題 and 小さな問題 can both mean “a small problem,” although 小さな is used before a noun rather than as a standalone predicate. The adjective describes 問題, not the pressure. 問題 means “problem” here. It is a noun and can be reused with modifiers such as 大きな問題 (“a major/big problem”) or 技術的な問題 (“a technical problem”). もっと means “more” or “to a greater extent.” In this sentence it increases the degree of difficulty: the problems become harder than they would otherwise be, rather than merely being difficult in an absolute sense. 解決しにくくなります describes becoming difficult to solve. 解決する means “solve,” and the pattern verb stem + にくい means “hard to do”; therefore 解決しにくい means “hard to solve.” The く form connects that description to なる (“become”): 解決しにくくなる means “become harder to solve.” The final ます makes the nonpast statement polite. For example, この問題は説明しにくいです means “This problem is hard to explain.” Together, 今やってみてください requests that the listener try the relevant action now. The second sentence sets up the condition プレッシャーがかかると (“when/under pressure”), identifies 小さな問題 (“small problems”) as the subject, and says that they もっと解決しにくくなります (“become harder to solve”). Thus the whole utterance means: “Do it now; small problems get harder under pressure.”

6. 画面は正しく表示されているので、これで準備はできました。

   The screen is showing correctly, so we're set.

   画面

   screen

   正しく

   correctly

   表示されている

   is being displayed; is showing

   ので

   so; because

   これで

   with this; now

   準備

   preparation; readiness

   できました

   was completed; is ready

   More detail

   画面 means “screen.” It is a noun and can be used in many practical compounds, such as 画面表示 (“screen display”). In this sentence, it is the topic marked by は: the sentence describes the screen. 正しく is the adverbial form of 正しい (“correct; right”). It describes how the display is functioning here: correctly. The related adverb 正確に means “accurately” and is more often about precision, whereas 正しく can describe something being done or functioning properly. 表示されている comes from 表示する (“display; show”) in its passive form 表示される, followed by いる. Together, this form presents the screen as currently in a displayed state: “is showing” or “is being displayed.” The passive form makes the screen the thing being displayed, without stating who or what is displaying it. Example: 文字が表示されている。 — “Characters are displayed.” ので connects a reason to its result. The clause before it gives the reason, and the clause after it gives the resulting situation: “because …, so ….” It is a neutral, commonly used explanatory connector. これで combines これ (“this”) with the particle で. Here it means “with this” or “given this situation,” indicating that the current condition is sufficient for what follows. The specific referent of これ is not identified more narrowly by the sentence; the intended result is that the preparation is now considered sufficient. 準備 is the noun “preparation” or “readiness.” In 準備は, は makes preparation the topic. The common expression 準備をする means “to prepare,” while 準備ができる means “to be ready” or “to have the preparation completed.” できました is the polite past form of できる. In this context, できる does not mean physical ability; with 準備, it means that the preparation has been completed or that readiness has been achieved. The past form presents that result as now established. Example: 準備ができました。 — “We’re ready.” Taken together, 画面は正しく表示されているので means “because the screen is showing correctly.” これで準備はできました means “with this, the preparation is complete” or, more naturally here, “we’re set.” The whole utterance therefore says: “The screen is showing correctly, so we’re set.”

7. 念のため、スライドの予備のコピーを別の端末にも保存しておいてください。

   Keep a backup copy of your slides on a second device, just in case.

   念のため

   just in case

   スライド

   slides

   予備

   backup

   コピー

   copy

   別の

   another; separate

   端末

   device

   にも

   also on

   保存しておいてください

   please save and keep it saved

   More detail

   念のため means “just in case” or “as a precaution.” It introduces an action taken to prepare for a possible problem, without saying that the problem will happen. Example: 念のため、鍵を持っていきます。 — “I’ll take the key, just in case.” スライド is the loanword “slides.” Here it refers to the presentation slides. It is a noun and is followed by の in スライドの予備のコピー, linking it to the copy. 予備 means “backup” or “spare.” In 予備のコピー, 予備の describes the copy as one kept for possible later need. The pattern 予備の + noun is reusable: 予備の電池 means “spare batteries.” コピー means “copy.” In this sentence, it is the noun being saved; 予備の describes what kind of copy it is. The compound 予備のコピー therefore means “a backup copy.” 別の means “another” or “different.” It modifies 端末, so 別の端末 means “another device,” distinguishing that device from one already being considered. The related pattern 同じ + noun means “the same noun,” as in 同じ端末 — “the same device.” 端末 means “device” or “terminal.” In this sentence, it is the device used as the storage location. Japanese 端末 does not itself specify a particular kind of device; the context supplies the general meaning “device.” にも is に plus も. Here に marks the location or destination for saving, and も adds “also,” giving “also on another device.” The pattern 場所にも保存する can mean “save it at/on that place too,” with the exact English preposition depending on the location. 保存しておいてください is a request built from 保存する (“to save”), the て form 保存して, おく, and ください. 保存しておく means “save in advance” or “save and leave it saved for later use.” The polite request form 保存しておいてください asks someone to do that. In this form, おく is not the ordinary verb “put”; it marks preparation or maintenance of the result. Example: 資料を保存しておいてください。 — “Please save the materials in advance / leave the materials saved.” Together, スライドの予備のコピー identifies a backup copy of the slides. 別の端末にも specifies that the copy should also be saved on another device, and 保存しておいてください requests that it be saved there in preparation. With the precaution marker 念のため at the beginning, the whole utterance means: “Keep a backup copy of your slides on a second device, just in case.”

8. 始める前に、別の端末にももう一つ保存しておきます。

   I'll put one on another device before I start.

   始める

   start; begin

   前に

   before

   別の

   another; different

   端末

   device

   にも

   also; on ... too

   もう一つ

   one more; another one

   保存しておきます

   will save it in advance

   More detail

   始める means “to start” here. It is the dictionary form of the verb; 始めます is its polite nonpast form. In 始める前に, the plain form comes before 前に to make “before starting.” Example: 仕事を始める前に、コーヒーを飲みます。 — “Before starting work, I drink coffee.” 前に means “before.” With a verb in the plain form, the pattern V-る前に means “before doing V.” Here, に marks the time relation; it does not mean “to” in this phrase. 別の means “another” or “different.” 別 is a noun-like modifier that takes の before the noun it describes. It identifies 端末 as a device different from one already under discussion. Example: 別の方法を試します。 — “I’ll try another method.” 端末 means “device” or “terminal.” In this sentence it refers to the other device used as a storage location. The word itself does not specify a particular type of device. にも combines に, which marks a location or destination, with も, meaning “also” or “too.” Thus 別の端末にも means “on another device too,” adding this location to an already relevant one. The も shifts the location marker from simply “on” to “also on.” もう一つ means “one more” or “another one.” もう adds the sense of an additional item, while 一つ is the general counter expression for one item. In this utterance, the fixed translation identifies the omitted object as one copy or item to be saved; the noun itself is not stated in the Japanese sentence. Example: もう一つください。 — “Please give me one more.” 保存しておきます expresses saving something in advance or leaving it saved for later use. 保存する is the dictionary form “to save”; its て-form, 保存して, combines with おく. In this construction, おく does not primarily mean physical placement: V-ておく means to do something beforehand or as preparation. おきます is the polite nonpast form of おく, so the whole expression is polite and can refer to a planned future action. Example: 必要な資料を印刷しておきます。 — “I’ll print the necessary materials in advance.” Together, 始める前に sets the time as “before I start.” 別の端末にも adds another storage location, もう一つ specifies an additional item, and 保存しておきます says that the speaker will save it beforehand. The complete meaning is: “I’ll put one on another device before I start.”

9. セッションが終わったら、アダプターを返してもらえますか。あとで必要です。

   Could you bring the adapter back after the session? I need it later.

   セッション

   session

   終わったら

   after it ends

   アダプター

   adapter

   返してもらえますか

   could you return it?

   あとで

   later

   必要

   needed

   More detail

   セッション is a loanword meaning “session.” It is a noun and can be used with particles such as が to mark it as the subject of an event: セッションが始まります。 — “The session will begin.” 終わったら comes from the verb 終わる (“to end, finish”). The form 終わった is its past form, and adding ら gives a conditional/time form. With an event, 終わったら means “when it ends” or “after it ends,” not simply “ended.” For example, 仕事が終わったら、帰ります。 means “When work is over, I’ll go home.” アダプター is the noun “adapter.” The particle を after it marks it as the object of the following action. A similar object pattern is 本を読む — “read a book.” 返してもらえますか is a polite request built from 返す (“return, give back”), its て-form 返して, and もらう (“receive”). Here 返してもらう literally presents the speaker as receiving the favor of someone returning something; the potential polite question 返してもらえますか asks whether the listener can do that favor, giving the intended meaning “Could you return it?” The object is supplied by アダプターを. The past-tense form 返した instead means “returned,” while 返して by itself is the connective/request form and does not contain the polite question meaning. あとで means “later” or “afterward.” It is an adverbial time expression and does not itself specify exactly when. For example, あとで確認します。 means “I’ll check later.” 必要 is a word meaning “necessary” or “needed.” In 必要です, it functions as the predicate with polite です; the supplied translation identifies the omitted needed item as the adapter: “I need it.” 必要な is the attributive form before a noun, as in 必要な情報 — “necessary information.” Together, セッションが終わったら sets the time condition, “after the session ends.” アダプターを返してもらえますか politely asks the listener to return the adapter. あとで必要です adds that the speaker needs the adapter later. The complete meaning is: “Could you bring the adapter back after the session? I need it later.”

10. セッションが終わったら、すぐに返します。

    I'll return it as soon as the session ends.

    セッション

    session

    終わったら

    when it ends

    すぐに

    immediately

    返します

    return it

    More detail

    セッション means “session.” It is a noun, and the が after it marks it as the subject of the following condition: the session is what ends. Japanese nouns do not change form for singular or plural. 終わったら means “when it ends.” The base verb is 終わる (“to end”); 終わった is its past form, and adding ら creates a conditional or time clause. In this sentence, it is temporal: “when/after the session ends,” not a separate claim that the speaker is describing a completed past event. Example: 仕事が終わったら、帰ります。 — “When work ends, I’ll go home.” すぐに means “immediately” or “right away.” It modifies the action that follows, so the return is to happen promptly after the condition is met. Example: 終わったら、すぐに連絡します。 — “When it’s over, I’ll contact you right away.” 返します means “return it” here. Its base form is 返す (“to return something”); 返します is the polite non-past form. Japanese non-past forms can describe a future action, so here it expresses the speaker’s commitment or intention to return the item. The object is omitted in the Japanese sentence; in the supplied context, the intended item is the adapter. Example: 本を返します。 — “I’ll return the book.” Together, セッションが終わったら sets the time condition, すぐに says the next action will happen without delay, and 返します states the polite promise to return the item. The whole utterance is: “I’ll return it as soon as the session ends.”

11. それで、心配することが一つ減りますね。

    That should give you one less thing to worry about.

    それで

    so; that way

    心配する

    to worry

    こと

    thing; matter

    一つ

    one

    減ります

    becomes fewer; decreases

    ね

    right?; you know

    More detail

    それで means “so” or “with that,” linking this result to something already mentioned. It presents the following situation as an outcome or consequence; it does not itself identify the cause. 心配する is the verb “to worry.” Its dictionary form is 心配する, and the form does not change here for politeness or tense until the ending is added. In 心配すること, the verb modifies こと, giving the idea of “worrying” or “a matter to worry about.” For example, 明日の天気を心配する means “to worry about tomorrow’s weather.” こと is a noun meaning “thing” or “matter,” and it can also turn an action or clause into a noun-like expression. Here, 心配すること refers to a matter that involves worrying, rather than to a physical thing. 一つ means “one” when counting items or matters. In this sentence, it presents one worry or matter as a countable item; it does not by itself identify exactly which matter it is. For example, 問題が一つあります means “There is one problem.” 減ります is the polite nonpast form of 減る, “to decrease” or “to become fewer.” The subject is understood as becoming fewer in number, so 一つ減ります means “becomes one fewer” or, naturally in English, “there is one less.” 減る is intransitive: something decreases. The related transitive verb 減らす means “to reduce something,” as in 仕事を減らす, “reduce the workload.” ね is a sentence-ending particle that makes the statement gentler and invites shared acknowledgment, roughly “right?” or “you know?” Here it does not change the fact that one worry becomes fewer. Together, それで introduces a consequence, 心配すること identifies the matters involving worry, and 一つ減ります says that their number decreases by one. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should give you one less thing to worry about.”