Making a plan after being locked out | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 締め出されてしまい、予備の鍵はアパートの中にあります。

   I am locked out, and my spare key is inside the apartment.

   締め出されてしまい

   having been locked out

   予備

   spare

   鍵

   key

   アパート

   apartment

   中

   inside

   あります

   is; exists

   More detail

   締め出されてしまい expresses the speaker’s situation here: being locked out. The base verb is 締め出す, “to shut someone out” or “to lock someone out.” 締め出される is its passive form, so the person outside is presented as the one affected. てしまい is the connective form of てしまう; here it presents the lockout as a completed, unfavorable situation and links it to the next clause. The omitted subject is understood as “I” from the fixed translation, not from an explicitly stated Japanese pronoun. 予備 means “spare” in the sense of an extra item kept for use when the main one is unavailable. It is a noun and modifies 鍵 through 予備の鍵, “spare key.” Example: 予備の電池 means “spare batteries.” 鍵 means “key.” In this sentence it is the key that is inside the apartment; the translation identifies it as the speaker’s spare key. Japanese possession or association can be expressed with の, as in 私の鍵 (“my key”), but 私の is not present in the target sentence. アパート means “apartment.” It is a loanword used as a noun. In アパートの中, の links “apartment” to 中, giving the pattern “the inside of the apartment.” 中 means “inside” or “the interior.” With a location, Nの中 means “inside N.” Example: 箱の中 means “inside the box.” Here アパートの中 identifies the location where the key is. あります is the polite nonpast form of ある, used here for the existence or location of an inanimate thing. The useful location pattern is thing は place に あります, meaning “the thing is in/at the place.” 鍵はアパートの中にあります therefore says that the key is located inside the apartment. The polite ending makes the statement suitable for a respectful or neutral interaction; it does not itself mean “my.” Together, 締め出されてしまい gives the completed lockout as the first situation, and 予備の鍵はアパートの中にあります states where the spare key is. The whole utterance means: “I am locked out, and my spare key is inside the apartment.”

2. まず大家さんに連絡してみてください。

   Try the landlord first.

   まず

   first

   大家さん

   landlord

   連絡してみてください

   please try contacting

   More detail

   まず means “first” here: it places this action before the other possible action in the sequence. It is a reusable ordering adverb, as in まず確認します (“I’ll check first”). 大家さん means “the landlord.” 大家 is the noun for “landlord,” and さん is a polite respectful suffix used when referring to a person. The suffix does not itself indicate a number or a particular gender. 連絡してみてください is a polite request built from 連絡する (“to contact”), its て-form 連絡して, みる (“to try”), and ください (“please”). In the pattern verb-てみる, みる means trying the action rather than literally seeing. 〜てみてください asks someone politely to try doing something. For example, 使ってみてください means “Please try using it.” Together, まず sets the order, 大家さんに marks the landlord as the person being contacted, and 連絡してみてください politely asks the listener to try that action. The complete utterance means: “Try contacting the landlord first.”

3. すぐに助けてもらえないなら、そのあとで鍵屋さんに電話してください。

   Then call a locksmith if you cannot get help soon.

   すぐに

   soon

   助けてもらえない

   cannot get help

   なら

   if

   そのあとで

   after that

   鍵屋さん

   locksmith

   電話してください

   please call

   More detail

   すぐに means “soon” or “immediately,” depending on the situation. It modifies the timing of the following event. The noun すぐ can also be used without に, but すぐに is a common adverbial form. Example: すぐに来てください。 — “Please come soon.” 助けてもらえない expresses being unable to receive help. Its base expression is 助けてもらう, literally “receive someone’s help”; もらえない is its negative non-past form, giving “cannot receive.” The construction verb-te + もらう presents an action as a favor received from someone. Example: 友だちに手伝ってもらいました。 — “I had a friend help me.” なら introduces a condition based on the preceding situation: “if that is the case” or “if ….” Here it follows 助けてもらえない, so the condition is “if you cannot get help.” It is distinct from たら, another common conditional form; なら is especially useful when responding to or framing a stated situation. そのあとで means “after that.” その points to something already established, and あとで means “afterward.” The exact event referred to by その is not independently named in this sentence; the phrase simply orders the requested call after the inability to get help soon. Example: そのあとで、もう一度確認してください。 — “After that, please check again.” 鍵屋さん means “a locksmith.” 鍵屋 is the noun for a locksmith or key shop, and さん is a respectful title attached here to the service provider or business. The さん ending is not part of the noun’s core meaning and is not a plural marker. Example: 鍵屋さんに相談しました。 — “I consulted a locksmith.” 電話してください is a polite request meaning “please call.” 電話する is the verb expression “to telephone”; 電話して is its request-form connective form, and ください adds the polite request. The person being called is marked with に, as in 鍵屋さんに電話してください — “Please call a locksmith.” This form requests the action; it does not by itself specify when the call will be completed. Together, すぐに助けてもらえないなら sets the condition “if you cannot get help soon.” そのあとで places the next action afterward, and 鍵屋さんに電話してください requests calling a locksmith. The complete meaning is: “Then call a locksmith if you cannot get help soon.”

4. メッセージを残しましたが、大家さんはまだ返事をしていません。

   I left a message, but the landlord has not replied yet.

   メッセージ

   message

   残しました

   left

   大家さん

   landlord

   まだ

   yet

   返事

   reply

   返事をしていません

   has not replied

   More detail

   メッセージ means “message.” It is a noun and can be used with を when it is the direct object of an action: メッセージを送る (“send a message”) or メッセージを残す (“leave a message”). 残しました is the polite past form of 残す, “to leave” or “to leave behind.” The form 残し- + ました presents the action as completed politely. Here it means that the speaker left a message; it does not mean that the message itself remained in some other sense. 大家さん means “landlord.” 大家 is the noun for a landlord or property owner, and さん is a polite title attached to a person’s name or role. The phrase does not itself specify the landlord’s gender or number. まだ means “still” or “yet.” With the following negative predicate, まだ返事をしていません means “has not replied yet.” Compare the positive pattern まだ待っています, “is still waiting.” 返事 means “reply” or “response.” In 返事をする, it combines with する to form the verb “to reply.” The を marks 返事 as the object of する; this is a common pattern with noun-plus-する verbs. Example: 予約をする means “to make a reservation.” 返事をしていません means “has not replied.” The core verb is 返事をする, “to reply.” Its て-form, 返事をして, combines with いません, the polite negative form of いる. In this context, the construction presents the replying as not having occurred up to the relevant time. The subject is understood from context as the person identified in the translation: the landlord. The first clause is メッセージを残しました, “I left a message.” The が after that clause contrasts it with the next situation: 大家さんはまだ返事をしていません, “the landlord has not replied yet.” Together, the utterance means: “I left a message, but the landlord has not replied yet.”

5. すぐに中に入る必要がなければ、もう少し待ってください。

   Wait a little longer unless you need to get in right away.

   すぐに

   right away

   中に

   inside

   入る

   enter; get in

   必要がなければ

   if it is not necessary

   もう少し

   a little longer

   待ってください

   please wait

   More detail

   すぐに means “right away” or “immediately.” Here, すぐ functions adverbially, and に is part of this adverbial form; it is not an adjective ending. Example: すぐに来てください。 means “Please come right away.” 中に means “inside” here. 中 means “inside” or “the interior,” and に marks the destination associated with entering. The exact place meant by “inside” is not specified in this sentence. 入る is the dictionary form meaning “to enter” or “to get in.” Its polite non-past form is 入ります. With a destination, 中に入る means “enter inside” or “get in.” 必要がなければ expresses the condition “if it is not necessary” and is naturally rendered here as “unless you need to.” 必要 means “necessity” or “need”; 必要がある means “there is a need,” while 必要がない means “there is no need.” The negative form ない changes to なければ in this conditional pattern: 必要がなければ means “if there is no need.” もう少し means “a little more” or, with waiting, “a little longer.” もう adds “more” here, while 少し means “a little.” Example: もう少し食べます。 means “I will eat a little more.” 待ってください is a polite request meaning “please wait.” 待つ is the dictionary form meaning “to wait”; its て-form is 待って, followed by ください to make a polite request. The same pattern appears in 見てください, “please look,” and 聞いてください, “please listen.” Together, すぐに中に入る必要がなければ means “unless you need to get inside right away,” and もう少し待ってください asks the listener to wait a little longer. The whole utterance is therefore: “Wait a little longer unless you need to get in right away.”

6. 誰かが助けに来たら、ここに住んでいることを証明する必要があるかもしれません。

   I may need to prove I live here if someone comes to help.

   誰か

   someone

   助けに来たら

   if the subject comes to help

   ここに住んでいる

   live here

   証明する

   prove

   必要がある

   need to

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   誰か means “someone.” The particle が marks this person as the subject of the conditional clause. 誰か is indefinite; for “no one,” Japanese uses a different pattern such as 誰も…ない. 助けに来たら means “if the subject comes to help.” 来たら is the conditional form made from 来る (“come”): 来る → 来たら. In 助けに来る, 助けに expresses the purpose of coming, so the construction means “come in order to help.” The past-looking form 来たら here marks a condition, not a completed past event. Example: 友達が遊びに来たら、知らせてください。 — “If a friend comes to visit, please let me know.” ここに住んでいる means “live here.” 住んでいる is the ている form of 住む (“live”) and describes the continuing state of residing. ここに marks the place where the person lives. Example: 私は東京に住んでいます。 — “I live in Tokyo.” 証明する means “prove” or “demonstrate.” It is the dictionary form of the verb and follows the content being proved: ここに住んでいることを証明する means “prove the fact that [I] live here.” The particle こと turns the preceding clause into a noun-like statement, and を marks that statement as the object of 証明する. 必要がある expresses “need to” or “it is necessary.” Literally, 必要 means “necessity,” が marks it as the subject of ある (“exist”), and the preceding verb phrase specifies what is necessary: 証明する必要がある — “there is a need to prove it.” This construction does not itself specify who has the need; here, the fixed translation identifies the person as “I.” かもしれません adds “may” or “might.” It presents the preceding situation as possible rather than certain. This is the polite form of かもしれない; in this sentence, 必要があるかもしれません means “may need to.” Example: 明日は雨かもしれません。 — “It might rain tomorrow.” The sentence is organized as a conditional clause followed by the main clause: 誰かが助けに来たら (“if someone comes to help”) + ここに住んでいることを証明する必要があるかもしれません (“I may need to prove that I live here”). Thus the whole utterance means: “I may need to prove I live here if someone comes to help.”

7. 身分証明書をすぐ出せるようにして、暖かい場所で待ってください。

   Keep your identification ready and wait in a warm place.

   身分証明書

   identification; ID document

   すぐ

   immediately; right away

   出せるようにして

   keep it ready to present

   暖かい

   warm

   場所

   place

   待ってください

   please wait

   More detail

   身分証明書 means an identification document or ID. The noun is made from 身分 “identity/status” and 証明書 “certificate/document,” but learn it as the established word for an identity document. With を, it is the thing being prepared or presented here. すぐ means “immediately” or “right away.” It modifies the ability to present the document: the intended idea is that it can be produced without delay. 出せるようにして combines 出せる with ようにして. 出せる is the potential form of 出す, “to take out” or “present,” so here it means “be able to present.” ようにする means “make or keep something in a state where …”; its て-form connects to the next instruction. Together, this asks the listener to arrange things so the ID can be presented immediately. Example: すぐ出せるようにしておきます。—“I’ll keep it ready so I can present it immediately.” 暖かい is the adjective “warm.” Before a noun, it directly describes that noun: 暖かい場所 means “a warm place.” Its opposite is 寒い, “cold.” 場所 means “place” or “location.” In 暖かい場所, it is the noun being described by 暖かい. The particle で marks the place where the waiting takes place; it does not mean that the place itself is the object of the waiting. 待ってください is the polite request pattern 待つ + てください: “please wait.” 待って is the て-form of 待つ, and ください makes the request polite. Example: ここで待ってください。—“Please wait here.” The utterance first asks the listener to keep the identification document ready so it can be presented immediately, then asks them to wait in a warm place. The connective て in 出せるようにして、 links the preparation instruction to the subsequent request, while 待ってください supplies the main polite request.

8. 必要でない限り、鍵屋さんに電話したくありません。

   I do not want to call a locksmith unless it is necessary.

   必要でない限り

   unless necessary

   鍵屋さん

   locksmith

   電話したくありません

   do not want to call

   More detail

   必要でない限り means “unless necessary.” 必要 means “necessary,” and でない is the negative form of the copular pattern 必要だ, so the phrase literally describes a condition in which something is not necessary. 限り here marks the limiting condition “unless/as long as …”: 必要でない限り、… = “unless it is necessary, …”. The sentence does not specify what “it” refers to; the condition is simply that calling should be necessary. 鍵屋さん is the noun for “locksmith” (or a locksmith business). 鍵 means “key,” and 屋 can form a word for someone or a business associated with something; さん is a polite name suffix. In this sentence, the whole word is the intended object of the call. The following context also uses the same word, but the fixed sentence itself does not add further details about the locksmith. 電話したくありません means “do not want to call.” Its base verb is 電話する, “to telephone/call.” The form 電話したい expresses the speaker’s desire to call; changing たい to its negative たくない gives “do not want to call,” and the polite negative is 電話したくありません. Thus, したくありません is not merely a general inability or refusal: here it presents the speaker’s lack of desire to make the call. The useful pattern is V-たくありません = “do not want to V,” for example: 今日は出かけたくありません。 — “I do not want to go out today.” Putting the parts together, 必要でない限り sets the exception or condition, 鍵屋さんに電話する means “call a locksmith,” and 電話したくありません expresses the speaker’s negative desire toward that action. The whole utterance is therefore: “I do not want to call a locksmith unless it is necessary.”

9. 大家さんがまだ返事をしないなら、鍵屋さんに電話して、状況を説明してください。

   If the landlord still does not reply, call one and explain the situation.

   大家さん

   landlord

   まだ

   still

   返事をしない

   does not reply

   なら

   if

   鍵屋さん

   locksmith

   電話して

   call by phone

   状況

   situation

   説明してください

   please explain

   More detail

   大家さん means “landlord” here. 大家 is the noun for a landlord or property owner, and さん is a respectful name suffix. The suffix does not itself specify gender or number. まだ means “still” in this sentence: the non-reply continues up to the relevant time. With a negative predicate, it can describe something that has not happened yet or continues not to happen. For example, まだ来ていません means “They have not come yet.” 返事をしない means “does not reply.” 返事 is “reply” or “response,” and 返事をする is the reusable expression “to reply.” Here しない is the plain nonpast negative form of する, so 返事をしない literally presents replying as something the landlord does not do. This form can describe a present or future condition; it does not by itself mark a completed past event. なら makes the preceding condition the basis for what follows: Xなら、Y means roughly “if X is the case, Y.” Thus 大家さんがまだ返事をしないなら is “if the landlord still does not reply.” The explicit subject 大家さんが identifies who is not replying; the subject of the following instructions is understood from the situation rather than stated in this sentence. 鍵屋さん means “locksmith.” 鍵屋 is the noun for a locksmith or key shop, and さん adds respectful reference. In this sentence it is the person or service to be contacted, matching the fixed translation’s “call one.” 電話して is the te-form of 電話する, “to call by phone.” The te-form links this action to what follows and, in an instruction sequence, gives the first step: “call ..., and then ...” The full verb is 電話する; 電話 here functions in the compound verb rather than meaning only a physical telephone. 状況 means “situation” or “circumstances.” It is the object of the next verb, so the thing to be explained is the situation. A useful related expression is 状況を確認する, “check the situation,” but that is a different verb and is not what this sentence says. 説明してください means “please explain.” 説明する is “to explain,” and its te-form combined with ください makes a polite request: 説明してください = “please explain.” The requested action is directed toward the understood listener; the form itself does not identify that listener by name. Putting the parts together: 大家さんがまだ返事をしないなら sets the condition “if the landlord still does not reply.” The sequence 鍵屋さんに電話して、状況を説明してください asks the listener to call the locksmith and explain the situation. The complete meaning is: “If the landlord still does not reply, call the locksmith and explain the situation.”

10. ロビーに座って、携帯電話の電源を入れたままにしておけます。

    I can sit in the lobby and keep my phone on.

    ロビー

    lobby

    座って

    sit

    携帯電話

    mobile phone

    電源

    power

    入れたままにしておけます

    can leave it switched on

    More detail

    ロビー means “lobby.” It is a noun, and ロビーに marks the place where the sitting occurs. The particle に can mark a destination or a location associated with an action; here it marks the location. 座って is the te-form of 座る (“to sit”). Here it links sitting with the following action: “sit in the lobby and …” The te-form itself does not mark past time. Example: ここに座って待ってください。 — “Please sit here and wait.” 携帯電話 means “mobile phone.” It is a compound noun: 携帯 means portable/mobile, and 電話 means telephone. In this sentence, it is the possessor of 電源: “the mobile phone’s power.” 電源 means “power” in the sense of a device’s power supply or power state. With を入れる, the useful expression 電源を入れる means “turn on a device,” literally “put in the power.” The observed form 電源を入れた uses the past form 入れた of 入れる; inside 入れたまま, it describes the state resulting from having turned the power on. 入れたままにしておけます expresses the ability to keep something in the state it is already in. まま means “as it is” or “remaining in a state,” にする means “make/keep something in a state,” and しておけます is the potential polite form of しておく, “can leave/keep it that way.” Thus, 電源を入れたままにしておけます means “can keep it switched on.” This pattern is reusable: ドアを開けたままにしておけます。 — “I can leave the door open.” Together, ロビーに座って gives the first action and its location, while 携帯電話の電源を入れたままにしておけます says that the speaker can maintain the phone’s power-on state. The whole utterance means: “I can sit in the lobby and keep my phone on.” The polite ending ます makes the statement polite.

11. 大家さんにもう少し時間をあげる間、そこで暖かくしていられます。

    You can stay warm there while you give the landlord a little more time.

    大家さん

    landlord

    もう少し

    a little more

    時間

    time

    あげる

    give

    間

    while; during

    そこで

    there

    暖かくしていられます

    can stay warm

    More detail

    大家さん means “landlord.” The ending particle に (immediately after this noun in the sentence) marks the recipient of what is given: 大家さんに means “to the landlord.” さん is a respectful suffix used with a person’s name or role. もう少し means “a little more.” It combines もう (“more; additionally”) with 少し (“a little”), and is useful for requesting or describing a small additional amount. For example, もう少し待ってください。 means “Please wait a little longer.” 時間 means “time.” Here it is the thing being given, and もう少し時間 means “a little more time.” The noun does not itself express a particular measured quantity. あげる means “to give.” In this sentence, the understood giver is “you,” and the recipient is marked by に, so the pattern is Aが Bに Cをあげる: “A gives C to B.” The form is the nonpast form; in this context it describes allowing the landlord a little more time, rather than a completed past event. あげる can also be used when someone gives a concrete object, such as 友達に本をあげる (“give a book to a friend”). 間 means “while” or “during.” Following the clause about giving more time, 間 makes that clause the time period during which the next situation holds. The pattern clause + 間 commonly means “while …” or “during the time that …”. そこで means “there,” referring to a location understood from the situation. The particle で marks the place where an action or state occurs; it is not part of the demonstrative itself. The form そこ is a location demonstrative, while ここ means “here” and あそこ means “over there.” 暖かくしていられます expresses “can stay warm.” 暖かい is the base adjective meaning “warm”; its -く form, 暖かく, connects it to する in 暖かくする, “make or keep [something] warm.” Here している presents that warm condition as continuing, and いられます is the polite potential form of いる, meaning “can remain.” Together, 暖かくしていられます says that the person can remain warm, not simply that something is warm. The polite ending ます makes the statement courteous. The sentence first sets the time frame: while you give the landlord a little more time. It then states the available situation in that period: you can remain warm there. Thus the intended meaning is that remaining warm at that location is possible during the additional time given to the landlord.