Borrowing a non-stick pan and caring for it | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 料理に使いたいので、あなたのノンスティックパンを借りてもいいですか？

   Can I borrow your non-stick pan for something I am cooking?

   料理

   cooking; cuisine

   使いたい

   want to use

   ので

   because; since

   あなたの

   your

   ノンスティックパン

   non-stick pan

   借りてもいいですか？

   May I borrow it?

   More detail

   料理 means cooking here. It is a noun, also used in compounds and contexts about cuisine or prepared dishes. In 料理に使う, the particle に marks the purpose: “use for cooking.” Example: 仕事に使います。 — “I use it for work.” 使いたい means “want to use.” Its base verb is 使う (“to use”); the ending -たい expresses the speaker’s desire, so 使いたい is “want to use.” The form is plain-style inside the following reason clause, even though the overall request is polite. Example: これを使いたいです。 — “I want to use this.” ので connects the preceding reason to what follows and means “because” or “since.” Thus 料理に使いたいので means “because I want to use it for cooking.” ので commonly presents a reason in a relatively gentle, explanatory way. It follows a clause rather than functioning as an independent verb. あなたの means “your.” Here の marks possession or association: あなたのノンスティックパン is “your non-stick pan.” Japanese often omits a pronoun when the owner is already clear, but this sentence states the owner explicitly. ノンスティックパン is a noun compound meaning “non-stick pan.” ノンスティック describes the type of パン; the noun パン here means “pan” in this loanword compound, not the separate word meaning bread. The object marker を follows the whole noun phrase, showing that the pan is what the speaker wants to borrow. 借りてもいいですか？ is a permission pattern built from 借りる (“to borrow”). The て-form 借りて plus もいいですか asks whether doing the action is acceptable: “May I borrow it?” or “Is it okay if I borrow it?” This differs from 貸す, “to lend,” which describes the owner giving an item for someone else to use. Example: この本を借りてもいいですか？ — “May I borrow this book?” Putting the parts together, 料理に使いたいので gives the reason “because I want to use it for cooking,” and あなたのノンスティックパンを借りてもいいですか？ asks permission to borrow the other person’s non-stick pan. The complete utterance is therefore: “Can I borrow your non-stick pan for something I am cooking?” It is a polite request for permission, with the reason presented first.

2. いいですが、金属製の調理器具は使わないでください。

   You can, but please do not use metal utensils on it.

   いいですが

   That is fine, but…

   金属製

   metal-made

   調理器具

   cooking utensil

   使わないでください

   please do not use

   More detail

   いいですが expresses “that is okay, but …”. いい means “good/fine,” and ですが adds a soft contrast or transition; here it connects permission with the following request. A reusable pattern is Xですが、Yです (“X, but Y”). 金属製 means “made of metal.” 金属 is “metal,” while 製 indicates what something is made of. This compound modifies the noun that follows: 金属製のN means “a metal-made / metal N.” 調理器具 means “cooking utensil” or “cooking implement.” It is a noun referring to equipment used for cooking. In this sentence, 金属製の調理器具 is the noun phrase “metal utensils”; の links the material description to the noun. 使わないでください is a polite negative request: “please do not use.” Its base verb is 使う (“to use”). The negative form is 使わない, and ないでください asks someone not to perform the action. Compare 使ってください (“please use”) with 使わないでください (“please do not use”). Putting the parts together, いいですが first accepts the proposed borrowing or use, then 金属製の調理器具は sets metal cooking utensils as the topic, and 使わないでください requests that they not be used. The object of 使う is understood from the context: the borrowed non-stick pan, corresponding to “use metal utensils on it.” The complete meaning is: “You can, but please do not use metal utensils on it.”

3. 表面を傷つけないように、木のスプーンを使います。

   I will use a wooden spoon so I do not scratch the surface.

   表面

   surface

   傷つけないように

   so as not to scratch

   木

   wood

   スプーン

   spoon

   使います

   will use

   More detail

   表面 means “surface.” It is a noun and can refer to the outer or upper face of an object. Example: 表面を拭きます。 — “I wipe the surface.” 傷つけないように expresses a purpose or precaution: “so as not to scratch/damage.” The useful base form is 傷つける (“to scratch; damage”), and 傷つけない is its negative form. The pattern verb-negative + ように commonly means “so that [something] does not happen” or “in order not to [verb].” Here, the avoided action is scratching or damaging the surface. 木 means “wood.” In 木のスプーン, の links one noun to another: 木の describes the material or type of スプーン, giving “wooden spoon.” This does not mean that 木 is the spoon itself. スプーン means “spoon.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In this sentence, it is the object selected for the action; the particle を marks it as the object of 使います. 使います means “will use” here. Its dictionary form is 使う (“use”), and 使います is the polite nonpast form. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action, so the fixed translation presents this as the speaker’s intended action. The form itself does not mark gender, and its subject is understood from context rather than stated in this sentence. Together, 表面を傷つけないように gives the purpose “so as not to scratch the surface,” while 木のスプーンを使います gives the action “I will use a wooden spoon.” The complete meaning is: “I will use a wooden spoon so I do not scratch the surface.”

4. 強火はコーティングを傷めることがあるので、火加減も中火にしてください。

   Keep the heat at medium too, because high heat can damage the coating.

   強火

   high heat

   コーティング

   coating

   傷める

   damage

   ことがある

   can; sometimes does

   ので

   because; so

   火加減

   heat level

   も

   too; also

   中火

   medium heat

   にしてください

   please set it to

   More detail

   強火 means high heat or a high-heat setting. It is a noun for a cooking heat level; 中火 later in the sentence names the medium-heat level. Example: 強火で炒めます。 — “I stir-fry it over high heat.” コーティング is the coating or coated layer being discussed here. It is a loanword used as a noun. The fixed translation identifies this as the object that high heat may damage. 傷める is the transitive verb “to damage” in this sentence. Its base form is 傷める; the nonpast form here states a possible general effect rather than a completed past event. Example: 熱で表面を傷める。 — “Heat damages the surface.” ことがある follows the attributive form 傷める and expresses that such an event can occur: “there are cases in which it damages” or, naturally here, “can damage.” This is different from asserting that damage always happens. Example: この薬は眠くなることがあります。 — “This medicine can make you sleepy.” ので attaches to the preceding clause and gives its reason: “because” or “so.” Thus, the possibility of damaging the coating is the reason for the request that follows. Compared with a simple sequence of events, this form clearly presents the preceding clause as the basis for the next one. 火加減 means the heat level or heat adjustment used while cooking. It is a noun about controlling the degree of heat, not the fire as a physical object. Example: 火加減を調整します。 — “I adjust the heat level.” も adds the meaning “also” or “too.” Here it says that the heat level should also be set to medium, alongside the other care already relevant in the situation. Its exact scope is supplied by the sentence’s request; it does not itself name a second specific action. 中火 means medium heat. As a cooking-level noun, it contrasts with levels such as 弱火 “low heat” and 強火 “high heat.” Example: 中火で五分煮ます。 — “Simmer it over medium heat for five minutes.” にしてください is a polite request meaning “please make it” or “please set it to.” In the pattern Nにしてください, に marks the resulting setting and ください makes the request polite. Here 中火にしてください asks the listener to set the 火加減 to medium; it is not merely describing medium heat. Together, 強火はコーティングを傷めることがあるので means “because high heat can damage the coating.” Then 火加減も中火にしてください asks the listener to set the heat level to medium as well. The whole utterance therefore means: “Keep the heat at medium too, because high heat can damage the coating.”

5. 推測して台無しにするより、今聞いておきたいです。

   I would rather ask now than guess and ruin it.

   推測して

   guess

   台無しにする

   ruin it

   より

   rather than

   今

   now

   聞いておきたいです

   would like to ask now

   More detail

   推測して comes from 推測する, “to guess” or “to infer.” Its て form links this action to what follows: here, the speaker is considering guessing and then causing the result expressed by 台無しにする. The て form can also connect actions in other sentences, for example 本を読んで寝ます means “I read a book and go to bed.” 台無しにする means “to ruin” or “to spoil.” 台無し is a noun-like expression meaning that something is wasted or spoiled, and にする makes it “make [something] become spoiled.” In this sentence, the object is understood from the fixed translation as “it”; the sentence does not name that object. The observed form する is the plain, non-past form of する, while a polite version is します. より marks the option used as the comparison point in the pattern AよりB: “B rather than A” or “B more than A.” Here 推測して台無しにするより sets guessing and ruining it as the option the speaker prefers not to choose. For example, 待つより、確認します means “Rather than waiting, I will check.” 今 means “now.” It specifies when the asking is to happen, rather than describing the timing of the comparison phrase. 聞いておきたいです is built from 聞く (“to ask” or “to hear”), ておく (“do in advance” or “leave something done”), たい (“want to”), and polite です. In this context, 聞く means “ask,” and 聞いておきたい expresses wanting to ask in advance so that the speaker does not have to guess. です makes the statement polite. For example, 先に確認しておきたいです means “I would like to check in advance.” Together, 推測して台無しにするより means “rather than guessing and ruining it,” while 今聞いておきたいです means “I would like to ask now, in advance.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I would rather ask now than guess and ruin it.” It is a polite way to state a preference for checking first.

6. それは助かります。丁寧に扱えば、長持ちするはずです。

   That helps. It should last longer if it is handled carefully.

   それは

   That...

   助かります

   helps

   丁寧に

   carefully

   扱えば

   if handled

   長持ちする

   last a long time

   はずです

   should

   More detail

   それは sets “that” as the topic. それ is a demonstrative pronoun for something not identified more specifically in this sentence, and は marks the topic. Here, the fixed translation supports the meaning “That” in reference to the thing being discussed. 助かります is the polite nonpast form of 助かる, meaning “be helpful” or “save someone trouble.” The polite ending ます makes the statement suitable for a courteous conversation. In this sentence, it means that the situation or action is helpful to the speaker, not simply that someone physically helps. 丁寧に means “carefully” here. 丁寧な is a descriptive word meaning careful or meticulous, and に makes this type of description adverbial: 丁寧に扱う = “handle [something] carefully.” In another context, 丁寧 can describe polite treatment or wording, but the handling context gives the careful-treatment meaning here. 扱えば is the conditional form of the verb 扱う, “handle” or “treat.” The ending -えば creates an “if” condition: 扱えば = “if [someone] handles it.” Japanese does not require the English passive wording “if it is handled”; the person who handles the item is simply left unspoken here. 長持ちする means “last a long time” or “be durable.” Its base verb is the compound 長持ちする; 長持ち expresses lasting for a long time, and する makes the expression verbal. For example, この靴は長持ちします。 means “These shoes last a long time.” はずです expresses an expectation or conclusion that the speaker considers well-founded: “should” or “is expected to.” はず is the expectation pattern, while です gives it a polite form. It is not an absolute guarantee. Together, 丁寧に扱えば gives the condition “if it is handled carefully,” and 長持ちするはずです gives the expected result “it should last longer.” With the opening それは助かります, the complete utterance means: “That helps. It should last longer if it is handled carefully.”

7. 食器洗い機に入れずに、手で洗ったほうがいいですか？

   Should I wash it by hand instead of putting it in the dishwasher?

   食器洗い機

   dishwasher

   に入れずに

   without putting it in

   手

   hand

   洗った

   washed

   ほうがいいですか

   is it better to...?

   More detail

   食器洗い機 means “dishwasher.” It is a compound noun referring to the appliance used to wash dishes or tableware. Here it names the appliance where the item might be placed. に入れずに expresses “without putting it in.” The particle に marks the destination, and 入れ is the form of 入れる (“to put in”) used before ずに. Here ずに expresses doing something without doing the preceding action, so 入れずに means “without putting [it] in.” A common alternative is 入れないで, with the same basic meaning. 手で means “by hand.” The particle で marks the means or method: 手で洗う is “wash by hand.” It does not itself state who is doing the washing; the subject is understood from the question and its translation. 洗った is the past form of 洗う (“to wash”). In this sentence, it appears in the pattern 洗ったほうがいいですか, which asks whether it would be better for the speaker to wash the item. The object is omitted because the intended item is understood from the exchange. The polite ending ですか makes the question polite. ほうがいいですか is a reusable pattern for asking whether one option is preferable or advisable. With a past-form verb, V-たほうがいい commonly means “it is better to do V” or “you should do V”; with ですか, it becomes “would it be better to do V?” Example: 早く寝たほうがいいですか。 means “Would it be better to go to bed early?” Together, 食器洗い機に入れずに sets up the alternative of not putting the item in the dishwasher, while 手で洗ったほうがいいですか asks whether washing it by hand would be preferable. The whole utterance therefore means: “Should I wash it by hand instead of putting it in the dishwasher?”

8. 手でやさしく洗って、返す前に乾かしてください。

   Wash it gently by hand and dry it before you bring it back.

   手で

   by hand

   やさしく

   gently

   洗って

   wash and

   返す

   return it

   前に

   before

   乾かして

   dry and

   ください

   please

   More detail

   手で means using the hand or hands as the method. Here で marks the means of an action, so 手で洗う is “wash by hand.” Example: 箸で食べます。 — “I eat with chopsticks.” やさしく describes how the washing is done here: gently, without rough handling. It is the adverbial form of やさしい (“gentle”; in other contexts, “kind”). The ending -く can turn this type of adjective into an adverb: やさしい → やさしく. 洗って is the te-form of 洗う (“to wash”). A te-form can connect this action to a following action or request. In this utterance, it links washing with the later instruction to dry. Example: 手を洗ってください。 — “Please wash your hands.” 返す means “to return something” in this context. It is a transitive verb, so the item being returned can be left unstated when it is understood. The form is the plain, dictionary form of 返す; before 前に, this form means “before returning.” 前に means “before.” With a verb in plain form, V-る前に means “before doing V”: 寝る前に歯を磨きます。 — “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” Here, 返す前に means “before returning it,” with the intended item supplied by the fixed translation and context. 乾かして is the te-form of 乾かす (“to dry something”). It links the drying action to the request at the end. This is different from 乾く, “to become dry”: 洗濯物を乾かす means “dry the laundry,” while 洗濯物が乾く means “the laundry becomes dry.” ください is a polite request form when it follows a verb’s te-form. 乾かしてください therefore means “please dry it.” The final request applies to the coordinated instructions: wash it gently by hand, and dry it before returning it. Together, 手でやさしく洗って gives the method and manner of washing, 返す前に places the drying before the return, and 乾かしてください makes drying the polite request. The whole utterance means: “Wash it gently by hand and dry it before you bring it back.”

9. 料理が終わったら、きれいにして返します。

   I will return it clean after I finish cooking.

   料理

   cooking

   終わったら

   when finished

   きれい

   clean

   して

   make/do

   返します

   return

   More detail

   料理 Here, 料理 means “cooking” in the fixed translation. It can also mean “a dish” or “cuisine”; the surrounding form 料理が終わったら supports the activity or process of cooking being finished here. Example: 料理をします。— “I cook.” 終わったら This is the conditional form of 終わる, “to finish/end”: 終わる → 終わった → 終わったら. The past-looking form before ら gives a condition meaning “when/after it has finished.” In this sentence, the intended reading is “when I finish cooking,” as fixed by the translation, although the Japanese subject is not stated in this clause. The が marks 料理 as the thing or activity associated with finishing. きれい Here, きれい means “clean.” It is a な-adjective, and before する it takes に: きれいにする, “to make something clean” or “to clean it.” Example: 部屋をきれいにします。— “I clean the room.” きれい can also mean “beautiful,” but “clean” is the intended sense here. して This is the て-form of する: する → して. In きれいにして, it completes the pattern きれいにする, “clean it,” and the て-form links that action to the following action. The omitted object is understood from the fixed translation as “it.” 返します This is the polite nonpast form of 返す, “to return something”: 返す → 返します. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the intended object as “it” and the subject as “I”; Japanese leaves both available from context. The nonpast polite form can express a present intention or a future action here. Example: 本を返します。— “I will return the book.” Whole utterance 料理が終わったら sets the time condition, “when I finish cooking.” きれいにして means “cleaning it” or “after cleaning it,” and 返します states the intended action politely: “I will return it.” Together, the utterance means: “I will return it clean after I finish cooking.”

10. 料理がどんな仕上がりになったか教えてください。

    Let me know how the dish turns out.

    料理

    dish

    どんな

    what kind of

    仕上がり

    finished result

    なった

    turned out

    教えてください

    please tell me

    More detail

    料理 means “dish” here. It can also refer to cooking as an activity, but the fixed translation identifies the prepared thing as the dish. Example: 料理を作ります。 — “I will make a dish.” どんな asks what kind or what sort of quality something has. It normally comes before a noun: どんな料理 means “what kind of dish.” Here it asks about the result described by 仕上がり. 仕上がり means the finished result or final state of something. It is a noun used for how something looks or turns out after completion. Example: 仕上がりがきれいです。 — “The finished result is neat.” なった is the past form of なる, “to become” or “to turn out.” Here, together with どんな仕上がり, it asks what sort of finished result the dish reached. Japanese verbs do not inflect for masculine or feminine gender, so なった does not mark that distinction. か follows どんな仕上がりになった and makes that clause an embedded question: “what kind of finished result it turned out to be.” The information requested is the content of this embedded question. 教えてください is a polite request meaning “please tell me.” 教えて is the te-form of 教える, “to tell” or “to teach”; with ください, it forms a polite request. Example: 結果を教えてください。 — “Please tell me the result.” Together, 料理が marks the dish as the grammatical subject of the result, どんな仕上がりになったか asks what finished state or result it reached, and 教えてください politely requests that information. The whole utterance means: “Let me know how the dish turns out.”