Taking responsibility for a damaged borrowed saw | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 借りたのこぎりについて、正直に話す必要があります。

   I need to be honest about the saw I borrowed.

   借りた

   borrowed

   のこぎり

   saw

   について

   about; concerning

   正直に

   honestly

   話す

   speak; talk

   必要があります

   be necessary; need to

   More detail

   借りた is the past form of 借りる (“to borrow”). Before a noun, this form works as a relative clause: 借りたのこぎり means “the saw that [someone] borrowed.” Japanese places this modifying clause before the noun. The form itself does not identify the borrower; here, the fixed translation supports the reading “the saw I borrowed.” Example: 昨日借りた本 means “the book I borrowed yesterday.” のこぎり is the noun “saw.” Japanese nouns generally do not mark singular versus plural in this form, so context determines the number intended. Example: のこぎりを使います。 means “I use a saw.” について is a particle construction meaning “about” or “concerning.” It follows the noun or noun phrase that identifies the topic: のこぎりについて means “about the saw.” Example: その問題について話します。 means “I will talk about that problem.” 正直に means “honestly.” It is the adverbial form of the na-adjective 正直な (“honest”): 正直な describes a noun, while 正直に describes an action. Example: 正直に答えてください。 means “Please answer honestly.” 話す is the dictionary form of the verb “to speak” or “to talk.” Here it appears before 必要があります, where the dictionary form expresses the action that is necessary. Example: 先生に話す必要があります。 means “I need to talk to the teacher.” 必要があります expresses necessity politely. 必要 is a noun meaning “necessity” or “need,” and あります is the polite form of ある (“to exist”); together with 話す, the pattern verb-dictionary form + 必要があります means “need to do the verb.” The が marks 必要 as what exists or is present. Example: 予約する必要があります。 means “It is necessary to make a reservation.” The sentence first identifies the topic with 借りたのこぎりについて, “about the saw I borrowed.” 正直に says that the speaking should be honest, and 話す必要があります says that speaking is necessary. Together, the utterance means that I need to speak honestly about the saw I borrowed.

2. 何が起きたのか説明してもらえますか。

   Can you explain what happened?

   何が

   what (as the subject)

   起きた

   happened

   のか

   whether / what … is

   説明して

   explain

   もらえますか

   could you …?

   More detail

   何が 何 means “what,” and が marks it as the subject of the embedded question. The sentence therefore asks about the event or situation that occurred, without specifying what that subject is. 何 can also appear with other particles, such as 何を (“what” as an object); the particle changes its role. 起きた 起きた is the past form of 起きる, “to happen” or “to occur,” in this sentence. The useful chain is 起きる (happen) → 起きた (happened). This is different from 起きる meaning “to get up”; the surrounding question about an event gives the intended sense here. Example: 事故が起きた。 — “An accident happened.” のか Here の turns the preceding clause into a noun-like explanatory unit, and か marks that unit as a question: 何が起きたのか means “what happened” as the content to be explained. This is not the same as simply asking the listener directly with 何が起きましたか; it embeds the question inside a larger sentence. In an embedded question, か does not need to be translated as a separate English word. 説明して 説明して is the て-form of 説明する, “to explain.” The て-form connects this verb to the following request expression. A reusable pattern is Xを説明する (“explain X”); here, the content 何が起きたのか is what is explained. Example: 理由を説明してください。 — “Please explain the reason.” もらえますか もらえますか is the polite potential form used to ask whether the listener can do the requested favor. With a preceding て-form, 説明してもらえますか politely asks, “Could you explain it?” The underlying verb is もらう (“receive”), but in this pattern the speaker presents the listener’s action as a favor the speaker would receive. It is a request, not a claim that the speaker has already received an explanation. Together, 何が起きたのか supplies the content—“what happened”—and 説明してもらえますか asks the listener politely to explain that content. The whole utterance means: “Can you explain what happened?” This pattern is reusable with another embedded question, such as いつ始まったのか説明してもらえますか。 — “Could you explain when it started?”

3. 厚い木を切っているときに、刃が傷みました。

   The blade got damaged while I was cutting thick wood.

   厚い

   thick

   木

   wood

   切っている

   am cutting

   ときに

   while

   刃

   blade

   傷みました

   was damaged

   More detail

   厚い means “thick” here and is the attributive form of the i-adjective 厚い, placed before the noun it describes: 厚い木 = “thick wood.” For comparison, 厚い describes thickness, while 太い describes something being thick or wide in a different physical dimension, such as a rope or pole. 木 means “wood” here. It can also mean “tree” in other contexts, so the surrounding expression determines whether the material or a living plant is intended. In this sentence, the translation identifies it as the material being cut. 切っている comes from the verb 切る (“to cut”). The ている form presents the cutting as in progress: 切る → 切って → 切っている. In this sentence, the implied cutter is the speaker, as shown by the fixed translation, but Japanese does not require an explicit subject here. Example: 今、紙を切っています。 — “I am cutting paper now.” ときに is the time expression “while/when.” とき means “time” or “when,” and に marks the relevant time. The clause before it, 厚い木を切っているときに, means “while [I] was cutting thick wood.” Japanese commonly places this time clause before the event clause. 刃 means “blade,” specifically the cutting edge or blade of a tool. It is the grammatical subject of the later event, and the translation identifies it as the blade that was damaged. 傷みました comes from the intransitive verb 傷む (“to become damaged, deteriorate, or be worn”). Its polite past form is 傷みました, so it presents the damage as having occurred: 傷む → 傷みます → 傷みました. Because 傷む is intransitive, the blade is described as undergoing damage; it is not grammatically presented as someone directly damaging the blade. The exact kind of damage is left general in this sentence. Together, 厚い木を切っているときに sets the time and activity, while 刃が傷みました states what happened during that activity: “The blade got damaged while I was cutting thick wood.”

4. そののこぎりには、木が厚すぎたのですか。

   Was the wood too thick for that saw?

   その

   that

   のこぎり

   saw

   には

   for ...

   木

   wood

   厚すぎた

   was too thick

   のですか

   is it that ...?

   More detail

   その means “that” and appears before the noun it identifies: そののこぎり = “that saw.” This is an attributive demonstrative, so it directly modifies a following noun. The related forms are この “this” and あの “that over there”; choose among them according to the demonstrative distance or discourse distinction used in the situation. Example: その本は新しいです。 — “That book is new.” のこぎり is the noun “saw.” It is written here as one lexical word, not as a grammatical ending attached to その. Japanese nouns do not change form for singular and plural in this expression; the context determines whether one saw or more than one is intended. Example: のこぎりを使います。 — “I use a saw.” には consists of the particle に followed by the topic/contrast particle は. Here it marks the saw as the item with respect to which the wood’s excessive thickness is being considered, giving the intended relation “for that saw.” は can also contrast its marked item with another one, while に has several other functions in Japanese, so the combined meaning must be read from the construction. Example: この箱には本が入っています。 — “There are books in this box.” 木 is the noun “wood.” In this sentence it is the material being evaluated as too thick. The same word can refer to a tree or wood depending on context, but the fixed translation and the surrounding sentence support the material sense here. Example: 木を切ります。 — “I cut wood.” 厚すぎた means “was too thick.” Its adjective base is 厚い “thick,” and すぎる adds the meaning “be too much” or “exceed an appropriate degree.” After an adjective, it forms a compound such as 厚すぎる “be too thick”; 厚すぎた is its past form, describing excessive thickness in the relevant past situation. The た is part of the past form of すぎる, not an ending on the noun 木. Example: この本は厚すぎます。 — “This book is too thick.” のですか forms an explanatory question. In this sentence, it asks whether the situation was that the wood was too thick, rather than simply presenting 厚すぎた as a bare question. のです is the explanatory form, and か marks the sentence as a question. In less formal speech, の？ can serve as a shorter explanatory question, while the exact level of politeness depends on the surrounding form. Putting the parts together, そののこぎりには sets “that saw” as the item for which the evaluation is relevant, 木が厚すぎた says that the wood was excessively thick, and のですか asks for confirmation of that explanation. The whole utterance therefore means: “Was the wood too thick for that saw?”

5. たぶんそうです。試す前に聞くべきでした。

   Probably, and I should have asked before trying.

   たぶん

   probably

   そうです

   that is so

   試す

   try

   前

   before; in front

   聞く

   ask; listen

   べきでした

   should have

   More detail

   たぶん means “probably” here. It marks the speaker’s judgment as uncertain rather than fully certain. Example: たぶん明日です。 — “It is probably tomorrow.” そうです literally presents something as being so, and here it refers to the proposition under discussion: “That is so” or “That’s probably right.” そう is a demonstrative-like form meaning “so/in that way”; it is not itself a specific noun or person reference. The polite ending です makes the statement polite. 試す is the dictionary form meaning “to try” or “to test.” In 試す前に, it appears before 前に, giving the reusable pattern verb-dictionary form + 前に — “before doing [the verb].” Example: 出かける前に、電話します。 — “I will call before going out.” 前 means “before” in this temporal construction; its other common meaning is “in front.” The に after 前 marks the time point relative to which the action occurs. Thus 試す前に means “before trying,” not merely “before” as an isolated word. 聞く can mean “to ask” or “to listen/hear,” depending on its construction and context. Here the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning as “ask.” Its dictionary form is used before べき, so 聞くべき means “should ask.” Example: 先生に聞きます。 — “I will ask the teacher.” べきでした expresses that the speaker considers an action to have been the proper or advisable action in the past, but it was not done: “should have.” The reusable pattern is verb-dictionary form + べきでした; the verb remains in dictionary form, while でした gives the expression its polite past form. Example: もっと早く寝るべきでした。 — “I should have gone to bed earlier.” This expresses past self-judgment or regret, not a simple report that the action happened. Together, たぶんそうです gives “Probably, that is so,” and 試す前に聞くべきでした gives “I should have asked before trying.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Probably, and I should have asked before trying.”

6. 隠さずに正直に話してくれて、ありがたいです。

   I appreciate you being upfront instead of hiding it.

   隠さずに

   without hiding it

   正直に

   honestly; upfront

   話してくれて

   for telling me

   ありがたいです

   I appreciate it

   More detail

   隠さずに comes from 隠す (“to hide”). The form 隠さずに means “without hiding” and connects this action to what follows. 〜ずに is a written or somewhat formal alternative to 〜ないで; for example, 何も言わずに帰った means “I went home without saying anything.” The Japanese sentence leaves the object of “hide” unspoken; the fixed translation supplies the intended sense as not hiding the relevant matter. 正直に is the adverbial form of 正直 (“honest,” “straightforward”). It describes speaking in an honest, upfront way. The same pattern applies to many descriptive words: 静かに話す means “speak quietly,” while 正直に話す means “speak honestly.” 話してくれて is the て-form of 話す (“to speak; to tell”) combined with くれる. Here 〜てくれる presents an action as something done for the speaker’s benefit, so 話してくれて means “for telling me” or “thank you for telling me.” The て-form also links this action to the appreciation expressed afterward. In an example, 手伝ってくれてありがとう means “Thank you for helping me.” ありがたいです is the polite form of ありがたい, meaning that something is appreciated or welcome. In this sentence, it expresses the speaker’s appreciation for the other person’s upfront telling. ありがとう is the common standalone expression “thank you,” whereas ありがたいです describes the situation as appreciated. Together, 隠さずに正直に describes the manner of 話してくれて: the person told the speaker something honestly and without hiding it. ありがたいです then expresses the speaker’s appreciation for that action. The whole utterance means, “I appreciate you being upfront instead of hiding it.”

7. 修理を手配するか、刃を交換できます。

   I can arrange a repair or replace the blade.

   修理

   repair

   手配する

   arrange

   刃

   blade

   交換

   replacement; exchange

   できます

   can; be able to

   More detail

   修理 means “repair” here and functions as a noun: it is the thing being arranged. It can also form the verb 修理する, “to repair,” but that is not the form used in this sentence. 手配する means “to arrange” or “to make arrangements.” 手配 is a noun used with する; the whole expression is a verb. Its polite non-past form is 手配します, while the plain form is 手配する. Example: ホテルを手配します。 — “I will arrange a hotel.” 刃 means “blade,” the cutting part of a tool or implement. The sentence does not specify the blade’s owner or the exact object it belongs to. 交換 means “replacement” or “exchange” here, in the verb expression 交換する, “to replace” or “to exchange.” The object marker を after 刃 marks the blade as the thing replaced. 交換 is a noun; 交換する is the corresponding する-verb. Example: 電池を交換します。 — “I replace the battery.” できます is the polite non-past form of できる, expressing ability or feasibility: “can” or “be able to.” In this sentence, the final できます applies to the coordinated alternatives: arranging a repair and replacing the blade. The Japanese subject is omitted; the fixed English translation identifies that omitted actor as “I.” The pattern is Aを手配するか、Bを交換できます: か presents an alternative, and the final polite predicate closes the sentence. Thus 修理を手配するか means “arrange a repair or,” while 刃を交換できます means “can replace the blade.” Together, the utterance means: “I can arrange a repair or replace the blade.”

8. 刃を交換すれば十分なはずです。

   Replacing the blade should be enough.

   刃

   blade

   交換すれば

   if [someone] replaces/exchanges [it]

   十分

   enough; sufficient

   はずです

   should be; is expected to be

   More detail

   刃 means “blade.” It is a noun, and here it is the thing being replaced. The particle を immediately after it marks that object. Example: 刃を替える means “replace the blade.” 交換すれば comes from the verb 交換する, “to exchange” or “to replace,” plus the ば conditional ending. In this sentence, 交換すれば means “if [someone] replaces it” or, in the natural English reading, “replacing it.” The person who performs the replacement is not stated in this sentence. Example: 部品を交換すれば、動きます。 — “If you replace the part, it will work.” 十分 means “enough” or “sufficient.” It describes whether the proposed action meets the needed level. The following なはずです completes the polite expression 十分なはずです; な links this na-adjective use of 十分 to はず. はずです expresses an expectation based on what the speaker considers likely or logically expected. はず is a noun meaning an expected state or outcome, and です is its polite copula. This is not an absolute guarantee. For example, 明日届くはずです。 means “It should arrive tomorrow.” Together, 刃を交換すれば presents replacing the blade as the condition or proposed action, and 十分なはずです says that this is expected to be sufficient. The complete meaning is “Replacing the blade should be enough.”

9. 今日、その対応をします。

   I will take care of that today.

   今日

   today

   その

   that

   対応

   handling; response

   します

   do; carry out

   More detail

   今日 means “today.” It is a time word and can appear at the beginning of a sentence, as here. Example: 今日は休みます。 — “I will take the day off today.” The topic marker は in that example is separate from the source sentence. その means “that” and comes before the noun it describes. It is a demonstrative determiner, so it does not stand alone here: その対応 means “that handling/response.” The exact matter referred to is not named in this sentence, but the fixed translation confirms the intended “that.” Compare この (“this”) and あの (“that over there”); the choice depends on the speaker’s demonstrative perspective and context. 対応 means handling a matter, responding to it, or taking appropriate action. In this sentence it is a noun used with する, forming the reusable pattern 対応する — “to handle/respond to a matter.” Example: 問題に対応する。 — “I handle the problem.” The noun 問題 (“problem”) is only an example, not a participant identified in the source. します is the polite nonpast form of する, whose base form is する. With a noun such as 対応, 対応します means “handle/respond” in a polite style. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action when the time expression and context point forward, so here します is naturally understood as “will handle,” matching the fixed translation. Example: 明日、確認します。 — “I will check tomorrow.” The form しました is the polite past form, meaning “did.” Putting the parts together, 今日 sets the time, その対応 identifies the matter to be handled, and します states the speaker’s polite action: “I will take care of that today.”

10. のこぎりを返す前に、刃を交換したら教えてください。

    Tell me when it is replaced before you bring the saw back.

    のこぎり

    saw

    返す

    return; bring back

    前に

    before

    刃

    blade

    交換したら

    when replaced

    教えてください

    please tell me

    More detail

    のこぎり means “saw.” It is a noun and can be reused with an object marker: のこぎりを使う means “use a saw.” The を after it marks the saw as the object of 返す. 返す means “return” or “bring back” here. This is the dictionary form, and it appears before 前に because Japanese commonly uses a plain-form verb before this time expression. Example: 本を返す前に、連絡します。 — “I will contact you before returning the book.” 前に means “before.” With a verb, the pattern plain verb + 前に places one action before another: 寝る前に、歯を磨きます。 — “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” Thus のこぎりを返す前に means “before returning the saw.” 刃 means “blade.” In this sentence it is the object of 交換する, “to replace/exchange.” Japanese can mark that object with を: 刃を交換する means “replace the blade.” 交換したら is the conditional form of 交換する, “to replace/exchange.” The form chain is 交換する → 交換した → 交換したら: dictionary form, past form, and “if/when …” form. Here たら gives the time condition “when the replacement is done”; it does not by itself state who performs the replacement. The surrounding request leaves that participant understood. Example: 準備ができたら、教えてください。 — “When you are ready, please tell me.” 教えてください is a polite request meaning “please tell me.” It consists of 教える, “to tell/inform” or “to teach,” in the request pattern て-form + ください. In this context, it asks the listener to provide information. Example: 結果を教えてください。 — “Please tell me the result.” Together, 刃を交換したら教えてください means “Please tell me when the blade has been replaced.” Japanese does not explicitly state the subject of 交換したら here, and the fixed translation identifies the intended event as the blade being replaced. The full sentence first sets the time limit with のこぎりを返す前に (“before returning the saw”), then requests notification with 刃を交換したら教えてください: “Tell me when the blade is replaced before you bring the saw back.”