Dealing with a Cracked Phone Screen | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. スマートフォンを落として、画面にひびが入りましたが、まだ使えます。

   I dropped my phone, and the screen is cracked but still works.

   スマートフォン

   smartphone

   落として

   dropped, and…

   画面

   screen

   ひびが入りました

   a crack appeared

   まだ

   still

   使えます

   can be used; works

   More detail

   スマートフォン means “smartphone.” It is a noun; Japanese nouns do not change for singular or plural. In スマートフォンを, を marks it as the object of the following verb, so the phrase means “the smartphone” as the thing affected by the action. 落として is the te-form of the transitive verb 落とす (“to drop”). The te-form connects this action to what follows: Xを落として、Y means “drop X, and then/as a result Y.” The Japanese sentence does not explicitly state “my”; the fixed translation supplies that possessive reading in English. 画面 means “screen.” In 画面に, に marks the place or surface where a change occurs. This noun can be reused in compounds such as 画面表示 (“screen display”), but here it simply identifies the screen. ひびが入りました says that a crack appeared. ひび is “a crack,” and 入る is an intransitive verb meaning “enter” or, with a crack, “form/appear.” 入りました is its polite past form: 入る → 入りました. The が marks the thing that appeared, so the construction is ひびが入る (“a crack forms”), rather than a construction saying that someone cracked the screen directly. まだ means “still” here. It shows that the next situation remains true despite the damage: something is still usable. For example, まだ使えます。 means “It still works / It can still be used.” 使えます is the polite nonpast potential form of 使う (“to use”): 使う → 使える → 使えます. It means “can use” or, for an object, naturally “can be used” / “works.” The subject or user is not stated in this form; the context determines who can use it. The nonpast form can describe a current ability or current usability, not only a future action. Together, スマートフォンを落として gives the cause or preceding event, 画面にひびが入りました states that a crack appeared on the screen, and が contrasts that damage with the remaining usability. まだ使えます therefore means that the phone still works despite the cracked screen. The whole utterance is: “I dropped my phone, and the screen is cracked, but it still works.”

2. 状態が悪化する前に、データをバックアップしてください。

   Back up your data before the damage gets worse.

   状態

   condition; state

   悪化する

   get worse

   前に

   before

   データ

   data

   バックアップしてください

   please back up

   More detail

   状態 means “condition” or “state.” Here it refers to the condition that may worsen; the surrounding context supports a problem with the phone, but this noun itself can describe many kinds of conditions. 悪化する means “to become worse” or “to deteriorate.” 悪化 is the noun-like element meaning “deterioration,” and する makes a verb. This is an intransitive expression: the condition becomes worse. A related transitive expression is 悪化させる, “to make something worse.” 前に means “before” in this sentence. The pattern verb in the plain form + 前に places one event before another: 寝る前に歯を磨きます。 — “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” Here, 悪化する前に means “before it gets worse.” 前 can have other meanings, including “in front,” but the following clause makes the temporal meaning clear. データ is the loanword “data.” It is the object of the backup action. For example, 写真のデータ means “photo data.” バックアップしてください means “please back up.” バックアップする is the verb “to back up,” formed from バックアップ plus する. In the request form, する becomes して and combines with ください: 〜してください is a polite request to do the action. The polite request applies to backing up, not to the preceding condition clause. Together, 状態が悪化する前に means “before the condition gets worse,” and データをバックアップしてください means “please back up your data.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Back up your data before the damage gets worse.” It is a polite instruction with a time limit: the backup should happen first.

3. 今すぐそうします。割れたガラスが不安です。

   I will do that now. The broken glass is making me nervous.

   今すぐ

   right now

   そうします

   will do that

   割れた

   broken

   ガラス

   glass

   不安

   uneasy; anxious

   More detail

   今すぐ means “right now,” combining 今 (“now”) with すぐ (“immediately/soon”). It makes the timing especially immediate. Example: 今すぐ来てください。 — “Please come right now.” そうします means “I will do that.” そう points to an action or manner already understood, and します is the polite nonpast form of する (“do”). In this sentence, the nonpast form expresses the speaker’s immediate intention or commitment. Because the translation identifies the action as “that,” そう refers to the previously understood action rather than naming it again. Example: はい、そうします。 — “Yes, I will do that.” 割れた means “broken” here. It is the plain past form of the intransitive verb 割れる (“break; become cracked or shattered”), used before a noun to describe its resulting state: 割れたガラス = “broken glass.” This differs from transitive 割る (“break something”), which names an agent causing the break. Example: 窓が割れた。 — “The window broke.” ガラス is the noun “glass.” In 割れたガラス, it is the material or object being described as broken. Example: ガラスを触らないでください。 — “Please do not touch the glass.” 不安です expresses being uneasy, anxious, or nervous. 不安 is a noun that also functions as a な-adjective; with polite です, it describes the speaker’s state. The pattern Xが不安です can mean that X is what the speaker feels uneasy about or that X is causing concern. Example: 結果が不安です。 — “I am anxious about the result.” Together, 今すぐそうします says “I will do that right now.” Then 割れたガラスが不安です presents 割れたガラス (“the broken glass”) as the subject of concern with が, followed by 不安です (“is making me nervous / I feel uneasy about it”). The complete meaning is: “I will do that now. The broken glass is making me nervous.”

4. 一時的な画面保護フィルムを貼って、強く押さないでください。

   Put on a temporary screen protector and avoid pressing hard on it.

   一時的な

   temporary

   画面

   screen

   保護フィルム

   protective film

   貼って

   put on and

   強く

   hard

   押さないでください

   please do not press

   More detail

   一時的な means “temporary” here. It is the attributive form of the な-adjective 一時的だ: 一時的な + noun. The ending な links this descriptive word to the following noun; it is not part of the noun 画面. Example: 一時的な対応 means “a temporary measure.” 画面 means “screen.” It is a noun and can combine with another noun to specify what kind of screen is meant. In this utterance, it helps identify the protective film as one used for a screen. 保護フィルム is the compound noun “protective film,” intended here as a screen protector. 保護 means protection, and フィルム means film, but the compound functions as one useful item name. Example: 保護フィルムを買います。 means “I will buy a screen protector.” 貼って is the connective form of the verb 貼る, “to attach, stick, or apply.” 貼る becomes 貼って in the て-form. Here it gives the first requested action and connects it to the following request: apply the protective film, then avoid pressing hard. The て-form itself does not mark past time here. 強く means “strongly” or “hard” in this sentence. It is the adverbial form of the i-adjective 強い, “strong”: 強い → 強く. It modifies the action 押さないでください, specifying the force to avoid. Example: 強く押さないでください。 means “Please do not press hard.” 押さないでください is a polite request not to press. It is built from 押す, “to press,” through the negative form 押さない, followed by でください. The pattern verb-negative form + でください asks someone politely not to do the action. Here 押さない means “not press,” and ください makes the request polite; the form does not itself identify the object through a separate pronoun. Together, 一時的な画面保護フィルム is “a temporary screen protector.” 貼って requests applying it, and 強く押さないでください requests avoiding hard pressing. The complete utterance therefore means: “Put on a temporary screen protector and avoid pressing hard on it.” The two actions are directed to the same practical situation, with the second instruction following the first.

5. 修理サービスに見てもらうまで、使い続けてもよいですか。

   Should I keep using it until a repair service checks it?

   修理サービス

   repair service

   見てもらう

   have someone check it

   まで

   until

   使い続けてもよい

   may continue using

   More detail

   修理サービス means “repair service.” In this sentence, it is the organization that checks the item. The particle に marks the person or organization from whom the speaker receives the action in the pattern Vてもらう. 見てもらう combines 見る (“check; look at”) with てもらう. The pattern Vてもらう presents the speaker as receiving the benefit of someone else’s action. Here, the repair service checks the item for the speaker. 見る is the base form; 見てもらう is the form used for “have someone check it.” まで means “until” when it marks the endpoint of an action or event. Here it follows 見てもらう, so the endpoint is the repair service’s checking the item. A reusable pattern is Vるまで, as in 帰るまで待ちます (“I will wait until [someone] returns”). 使い続けてもよい contains 使う (“use”) and 続ける (“continue”), followed by てもよい (“it is permissible to”). 使い続ける means “continue using”; 使い is the connecting form of 使う used before 続ける. The pattern Vてもよいですか asks politely for permission to do something. てもよい itself expresses permission, not certainty that the action will occur. ですか gives the permission question a polite form. The sentence therefore asks whether the speaker is allowed to continue using the item. Whole utterance: 修理サービスに identifies who will check the item, 見てもらうまで sets that checking as the endpoint, and 使い続けてもよいですか asks for permission to continue using it. The meaning is “Should I keep using it until a repair service checks it?”

6. ガラスが外れて指を切ることがあるので、簡単なことだけに使ってください。

   Use it only for simple tasks, because loose glass can cut your finger.

   ガラス

   glass

   外れて

   come loose

   指

   finger

   切る

   cut

   ことがある

   sometimes; can happen

   ので

   because; since

   簡単な

   simple

   こと

   task; matter

   だけに

   only for

   使ってください

   please use

   More detail

   ガラス means “glass.” Here it is marked by が as the subject of the first clause. The fixed translation identifies loose glass as the thing that may cause the injury. 外れて is the te-form of the intransitive verb 外れる, “come loose” or “come off.” The te-form links this event to what follows: 外れて、… means “coming loose and then …” or “because it comes loose …”. Example: ふたが外れている。 — “The lid has come off.” 指 means “finger.” In 指を切る, を marks it as the object affected by 切る. The translation supports “your finger,” but Japanese does not state the possessive pronoun here. 切る means “cut.” In this sentence it is the transitive verb “cut [a finger],” not the intransitive “be cut.” The actor is not separately written; with the fixed translation, the loose glass is understood to be able to cut the finger. Example: 紙で指を切った。 — “I cut my finger on paper.” ことがある expresses that something happens on some occasions: “there are times when …” or “can ….” It follows the plain form 切る, giving 指を切ることがある — “there are times when [it] cuts your finger.” This is different from ことがある after a past form, which can describe having an experience. ので connects the preceding reason to the instruction: “because” or “since.” Thus the possibility of cutting a finger is presented as the reason for the request. ので is often a relatively soft, explanatory reason connector. 簡単な means “simple” or “easy.” It is the attributive form of the adjective 簡単だ, used before a noun. The な is required in this position: 簡単なこと means “simple things” or, in this context, “simple tasks.” Example: これは簡単な作業です。 — “This is a simple task.” こと is a noun meaning “thing,” “matter,” or “action.” In 簡単なこと, it refers broadly to things or tasks rather than naming a specific object. The context and translation support “simple tasks.” だけに consists of だけ, “only,” plus に, which marks the purpose or range of use here. 簡単なことだけに means “only for simple tasks.” It limits what the object should be used for; だけ does not itself state a number. 使ってください is a polite request meaning “please use.” 使って is the te-form of 使う, “use,” followed by ください, which makes a request. The understood subject is the listener, and the object is understood from the surrounding situation. Example: この道具を使ってください。 — “Please use this tool.” Together, ガラスが外れて指を切ることがあるので gives the reason “because the glass can come loose and cut your finger.” 簡単なことだけに使ってください gives the request “please use it only for simple tasks.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Use it only for simple tasks, because loose glass can cut your finger.”

7. ケースに入れて、注意して持ち運べます。

   I can keep it in a case and carry it carefully.

   ケース

   case

   入れて

   put in

   注意して

   carefully

   持ち運べます

   can carry

   More detail

   ケース is a noun meaning “case” or “container.” In this sentence, ケースに marks the case as the place or destination into which something is put: に is the particle used for that target. The omitted object is understood from the situation and is translated as “it,” but the sentence itself does not identify the object by name. 入れて is the te-form of 入れる (“to put something in”). The te-form connects this action with what follows: “put it in a case and …” The pattern Nに入れる is reusable for placing something into a container or location. Example: 箱に本を入れてください。 — “Please put the book in the box.” 注意して comes from 注意する (“pay attention” or “take care”) and uses the te-form adverbially. Here it describes how the carrying is done: with care. Example: 注意して運んでください。 — “Please carry it carefully.” 持ち運べます is the polite non-past potential form of 持ち運ぶ (“to carry from one place to another”): 持ち運ぶ → 持ち運べる → 持ち運べます. The potential form expresses ability or possibility, so this form means “can carry,” not simply “carry.” ます adds polite style. Example: このバッグなら簡単に持ち運べます。 — “With this bag, you can carry it easily.” Together, ケースに入れて gives the first action, 注意して gives the manner of the next action, and 持ち運べます states that carrying is possible. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can keep it in a case and carry it carefully.” In this context, it presents careful containment and carrying as a safer way to handle the item.

8. 修理を手配する間、そのほうが危険を減らせるでしょう。

   That should lower the risk while you arrange the repair.

   修理

   repair

   手配する

   arrange

   間

   while; during

   そのほうが

   that way; that option

   危険

   risk

   減らせる

   can reduce

   でしょう

   should; probably

   More detail

   修理 means “repair” here and is a noun. With を, it marks what is being arranged: 修理を手配する = “arrange a repair.” 手配する is the base-form verb meaning “to arrange” or “to make arrangements for.” In this sentence, its plain form appears before 間 to form a time expression. 修理を手配する間 means “while arranging the repair.” 間 means “interval” or “period”; after a clause, 〜間 means “while” or “during the time that ….” The action inside the clause continues or is understood as the time frame for the main statement. For example, 仕事をしている間、音楽を聞きます。 means “I listen to music while working.” そのほうが refers to the option or way already under consideration and presents it as the relevant choice: “that way” or “that option.” ほう literally means “direction/side,” but in this pattern it compares or selects an option. The specific option is not independently named inside this sentence; the fixed translation identifies it as the option involving arranging the repair. 危険 can mean “danger” or “risk.” Here, the translation selects the meaning “risk,” and 危険を marks that noun as the object affected by the verb. The particle を does not itself mean “risk”; it marks what is reduced. 減らせる is the potential form of 減らす, “to reduce”: 減らす → 減らせる, “can reduce.” The form expresses ability or possibility, not a completed reduction. For example, 音を減らせます。 means “You can reduce the noise.” でしょう follows the statement and makes it a softened prediction or expectation, commonly translated here as “should” or “probably.” It does not itself mean “can”; that possibility is expressed by 減らせる. Together, 修理を手配する間 sets the time frame, “while arranging the repair.” そのほうが危険を減らせる says that the selected option can reduce the risk, and でしょう presents this as an expected outcome. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should lower the risk while you arrange the repair.”

9. 待つのではなく、修理を予約します。

   I will book a repair instead of waiting.

   待つ

   wait

   のではなく

   rather than

   修理

   repair

   予約します

   will book

   More detail

   待つ means “to wait” here. It is the dictionary form of the verb. Japanese uses this form before のではなく to contrast the action of waiting with a different action. Example: 少し待つ means “wait a little.” のではなく turns the preceding action into the thing being rejected or contrasted and means “rather than” or “instead of.” In the reusable pattern V-るのではなく、…, the speaker says they will do the second action instead of doing V. Here, 待つのではなく means “instead of waiting.” 修理 is the noun “repair.” It can combine with verbs to describe repair-related actions, as in 修理を予約する, “book a repair.” In this sentence, it is the object marked by を of the following verb. 予約します means “will book” in this sentence. Its base form is 予約する, “to book” or “to make a reservation”; します is the polite non-past form of する attached to the noun 予約. Japanese non-past forms can describe a future action when the context concerns an intended or scheduled action. Example: ホテルを予約します。 means “I will book a hotel.” Together, 待つのではなく sets up the alternative, and 修理を予約します states that alternative: “I will book a repair instead of waiting.” The polite ending します gives the utterance a polite tone.

10. スマートフォンを使い続けると、小さなひびが広がることがあります。

    Small cracks can spread if you keep using the phone.

    スマートフォン

    smartphone

    使い続ける

    keep using

    小さな

    small

    ひび

    crack

    広がる

    spread

    ことがあります

    can happen; sometimes

    More detail

    スマートフォン means “smartphone” here. It is a noun, and を marks it as the object of 使い続ける: the phone is what someone continues to use. 使い続ける means “keep using.” It combines 使う (“use”) with 続ける (“continue”), so the second verb shows that the action carries on. The form 使い続けると places this ongoing-use condition before the result: “if/when [someone] keeps using it.” In this sentence, と presents the result as something that can follow that condition; it does not itself identify the person doing the using. 小さな means “small” and modifies the noun immediately after it, ひび. 小さな is the prenominal form used before a noun; the related adjective 小さい can also mean “small,” with different grammatical behavior in other positions. For example, 小さい箱 means “a small box.” ひび means “crack,” as in a crack in a hard surface. It is the noun marked by が, which presents it as the thing that undergoes the change described by 広がる. 広がる means “spread” or “widen” here. It is an intransitive verb: the crack itself becomes wider or more extensive, rather than someone directly spreading it. Its base form is 広がる; 広がります is a polite form, while 広がった expresses “spread” or “became wider” in the past. ことがあります presents the event as something that can occur or sometimes occurs. Here it makes the result non-absolute: a crack may spread under the stated condition. The noun-like element こと helps turn the preceding event, ひびが広がる, into “the event of the crack spreading,” and あります says that such an event occurs. This is distinct from simply stating 広がります, “it spreads,” without that occurrence framing. Together, スマートフォンを使い続けると means “if you keep using the smartphone,” and 小さなひびが広がることがあります means “a small crack can spread.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Small cracks can spread if you keep using the phone.”