Troubleshooting a Washing Machine Warning | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 洗濯機がコースの途中で止まりました。

   The washing machine stopped halfway through the cycle.

   洗濯機

   washing machine

   コース

   cycle / program

   途中で

   midway through

   止まりました

   stopped

   More detail

   洗濯機 means “washing machine.” It is a compound built from 洗濯 (“laundry; washing”) and 機 (“machine”). In this sentence, 洗濯機が marks the washing machine as the subject of what happened. A useful related word is 洗濯物 (“laundry; clothes to be washed”), which refers to the items, not the machine. コース means the machine’s selected cycle or program here. Japanese also uses this loanword for a course or route in other contexts, but the washing-machine context gives it the “cycle/program” sense. コースの途中 means “partway through the cycle”: の links the cycle with the point within it. 途中で expresses that something happens while a process is in progress or at an intermediate point. The で marks the circumstance or point at which the event occurs. For example, 映画の途中で寝ました。 means “I fell asleep partway through the movie.” 止まりました is the polite past form of the intransitive verb 止まる, “to stop.” The form chain is 止まる → 止まりました (polite past). Because 止まる is intransitive here, the machine itself is presented as stopping; 止めました would mean that someone or something stopped another thing. For example, 時計が止まりました。 means “The clock stopped.” Together, 洗濯機が identifies the machine as the subject, コースの途中で places the event partway through its selected cycle, and 止まりました says that it stopped. The whole utterance therefore means: “The washing machine stopped halfway through the cycle.”

2. 画面に警告が表示されていますか。

   Is there a warning on the screen?

   画面

   screen

   警告

   warning

   表示されていますか

   is displayed?

   More detail

   画面 means “screen” here. It is a noun and can be used with location expressions: 画面を見る means “look at the screen.” In 画面に, the particle に marks the place where something is displayed, so the phrase means “on the screen.” Example: 画面に写真があります。 — “There is a photo on the screen.” 警告 means “warning.” It is a noun for a notice or message that warns about a problem or danger. In this sentence, it is the thing being displayed. Example: 警告を確認してください。 — “Please check the warning.” 表示されていますか asks whether something is displayed. The useful underlying verb is 表示する, “to display” or “to show.” Here it appears as the passive 表示される, “be displayed,” followed by 〜ている, which presents the resulting displayed state, and polite ます plus question particle か. Thus 表示されていますか is literally “is it being displayed?” or, more naturally here, “is it displayed?” The passive is appropriate because 警告 is the item shown on the screen, not the actor displaying it. Compare 警告を表示します — “(Someone or something) displays a warning” — with 警告が表示されます — “A warning is displayed.” Together, 画面に identifies the location, 警告が marks the warning as the displayed item, and 表示されていますか asks whether that state holds. The whole utterance therefore means “Is a warning displayed on the screen?”, naturally translated as “Is there a warning on the screen?” It is a polite yes-or-no question.

3. フィルターが詰まっているかもしれないと表示されています。

   It says the filter may be blocked.

   フィルター

   filter

   詰まっている

   is blocked

   かもしれない

   may; might

   と表示されています

   it says that …

   More detail

   フィルター means “filter.” It is a noun and can be reused in compounds such as エアフィルター (“air filter”). 詰まっている describes the filter’s current blocked state. The base verb is 詰まる (“become blocked” or “get clogged”); 詰まっている uses ている to present the resulting state as continuing now. For example, 排水口が詰まっている。 means “The drain is blocked.” かもしれない expresses uncertainty: “may” or “might.” It follows the plain form of the preceding clause, so 詰まっているかもしれない means “may be blocked.” It does not assert that the filter is definitely blocked. と表示されています is a reporting pattern: と marks the content being displayed, and 表示されています means “is being displayed” or “is shown.” The verb 表示する means “display”; here its passive form with ています describes information currently shown on a screen. For example, エラーが表示されています。 means “An error is displayed.” Together, フィルターが詰まっているかもしれない says “the filter may be blocked,” and と表示されています presents that proposition as the message currently shown on the screen. The whole utterance therefore means: “It says the filter may be blocked.”

4. 適当にボタンを押す前に、取扱説明書を確認してください。

   Check the manual before trying random buttons.

   適当に

   randomly

   ボタン

   button

   押す

   press

   前に

   before

   取扱説明書

   instruction manual

   確認してください

   please check

   More detail

   適当に means “randomly” here: it describes pressing without carefully choosing a button. The same word can also mean “appropriately” in a different context, so the surrounding action determines the sense. Example: 適当に選ばないでください。— “Please do not choose randomly.” ボタン is the noun “button.” It is a loanword used for a physical or on-screen control. Example: このボタンを押してください。— “Please press this button.” 押す is the dictionary form meaning “to press.” In this sentence, it appears before 前に, in the pattern V-る前に, meaning “before doing V.” Its polite non-past form is 押します; a request form is 押してください, but that form is not used in this sentence. Example: スイッチを押します。— “I press the switch” or “I will press the switch,” depending on the context. 前に means “before.” With a verb in the dictionary form, the pattern V-る前に means “before doing V”: 出かける前に、電気を消します。— “I turn off the lights before going out.” Here, 押す前に means “before pressing.” 取扱説明書 means “instruction manual” or “user manual.” It is a compound noun referring to documentation for operating or handling something. Example: 取扱説明書を読んでください。— “Please read the instruction manual.” 確認してください is a polite request meaning “please check” or “please confirm.” 確認する is the verb “to check/confirm”; 確認してください uses the てください pattern to request that the listener perform the action. Example: 住所を確認してください。— “Please check the address.” The structure is 適当に ボタンを 押す前に、取扱説明書を 確認してください: “Before pressing buttons randomly, please check the instruction manual.” ボタンを marks buttons as the object of 押す, while 取扱説明書を marks the manual as the object of 確認してください. The sentence therefore gives checking the manual as the requested action and places it before the potentially random button-pressing.

5. 取扱説明書には、フィルターを注意して掃除するように書いてあります。

   The manual says I should clean the filter carefully.

   取扱説明書

   manual; instruction booklet

   フィルター

   filter

   注意して

   carefully

   掃除する

   clean

   ように書いてあります

   is written to say to do something

   More detail

   取扱説明書 means “instruction manual” or “manual.” It is a compound noun: 取扱 means handling or operation, and 説明書 means an explanatory booklet or manual. The same word appears in the preceding context, where it is the thing to check. フィルター is the noun “filter,” written in katakana as a loanword. In this sentence, を marks it as the object of the cleaning action: the filter is what gets cleaned. 注意して means “carefully” here. It is the て-form of 注意する, “to take care” or “to pay attention.” The て-form can connect this manner expression to the following action: 注意して掃除する means “clean carefully.” This does not mean that 注意して is the command itself; it describes how the cleaning should be done. 掃除する means “to clean.” 掃除 is the noun “cleaning,” and する turns it into the verb “to clean.” The form is non-past and, inside this construction, expresses the action that the manual instructs the reader to perform. For example, 部屋を掃除する means “clean a room.” ように書いてあります is a pattern meaning that something is written with an instruction or intended action: Vるように書いてあります can mean “it is written to do V” or “it says that one should do V.” Here, 掃除するように connects the recommended action to 書いてあります. 書いてあります is the polite form of 書いてある, using the て-form of 書く plus ある; it presents the written instruction as existing in the manual. The passive-like English “the manual says” is a natural translation, but the Japanese literally focuses on what has been written. The pattern Nには、...ように書いてあります presents a written instruction in a document. 取扱説明書には sets the manual as the topic or place where the instruction is found, and フィルターを注意して掃除するように書いてあります says that it is written to clean the filter carefully. The actor of 掃除する is not stated in Japanese; the fixed translation identifies that intended actor as the first-person participant (“I”). Altogether, the utterance means: “The manual says I should clean the filter carefully.”

6. それなら、何かに触る前に洗濯機のプラグを抜いてください。

   Then unplug the machine before you touch anything.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   何か

   anything; something

   触る

   touch

   前に

   before

   洗濯機

   washing machine

   プラグ

   plug

   抜いてください

   please unplug

   More detail

   それなら means “then” or “in that case.” It connects this instruction to the situation already established: if that is the case, the following action should be taken. 何か means “something” here, and in this precondition it is naturally translated as “anything.” Japanese 何か is an indefinite expression; the surrounding construction determines whether English uses “something” or “anything.” 触る is the dictionary form meaning “to touch.” Its useful forms include 触ります (polite), 触らない (do not touch / not touch), and 触って (te-form). In this sentence it is followed by に: 何かに触る, “touch something.” 前に means “before.” With a verb in dictionary form, V前に means “before doing V”: 触る前に, “before touching.” The verb remains in dictionary form in this pattern; 前に supplies the time relation. 洗濯機 means “washing machine.” It is a noun formed from 洗濯 (“laundry; washing”) and 機 (“machine”), but it is best learned here as the ordinary word for a washing machine. プラグ means “plug.” In 洗濯機のプラグ, の links the two nouns, giving “the washing machine’s plug” or “the plug of the washing machine.” 抜いてください is a polite request meaning “please unplug” in this context. The dictionary form is 抜く, “pull out; remove,” whose te-form is 抜いて; 抜いてください uses te-form + ください to request an action politely. Here the object being pulled out is 洗濯機のプラグ, so the context-specific meaning is “unplug the washing machine.” Putting the parts together: それなら sets the condition (“then/in that case”), 何かに触る前に gives the required timing (“before touching anything”), and 洗濯機のプラグを抜いてください gives the requested action (“please unplug the washing machine”). The whole utterance therefore means: “Then unplug the machine before you touch anything.”

7. その後、コースを再開したほうがいいですか。

   After that, should I restart the cycle?

   その後

   after that

   コース

   cycle

   再開した

   restarted or resumed

   ほうがいいですか

   would it be better?

   More detail

   その後 means “after that” and places the action after an already established event. In this context, the surrounding exchange supports the sequence after unplugging the machine. A reusable pattern is その後、… = “After that, …”. コース means “cycle” here: the machine’s selected operating cycle or program. It is a noun; in other contexts, this word can refer to a course or route, so the surrounding situation determines the intended sense. 再開した means “restarted” or “resumed” here. Its base form is 再開する, “to restart” or “to resume”; 再開した is its plain past form. The past form appears before ほうがいい in a recommendation pattern, even though the question concerns a possible action. Example: 作業を再開したほうがいいです。 means “It would be better to resume the work.” ほうがいいですか asks whether something would be the better choice. After a plain past verb, the pattern V-たほうがいいですか can ask politely, “Should I/we V?” or “Would it be better to V?” Here, the fixed translation identifies the omitted actor as the speaker asking whether the speaker should restart the cycle. Together, その後、コースを再開したほうがいいですか。 means “After that, should I restart the cycle?” The sentence first sets the time with “after that,” then identifies the cycle, and finally asks whether restarting it would be the better action.

8. 一度再開してください。ただし、警告がまた表示されたらメンテナンス担当に連絡してください。

   Restart it once, but contact maintenance if the warning returns.

   一度

   once

   再開してください

   please restart it

   ただし

   but

   警告

   warning

   また

   again

   表示されたら

   if it is displayed

   メンテナンス担当

   maintenance staff

   連絡してください

   please contact

   More detail

   一度 means “once” here: the requested restart is to be performed one time. It can also mean “one time” in other contexts, so the exact meaning comes from the action it modifies. 再開してください is a polite request meaning “please restart/resume it.” The base verb is 再開する (“to restart” or “to resume”); してください makes the request polite. Japanese often leaves the object unstated when it is understood from the situation, as in the translated “it.” ただし introduces an exception or condition to the instruction before it. It is a useful formal or practical equivalent of “but” or “however.” 警告 means “warning.” It is a noun and can be used in compounds, such as 警告メッセージ (“warning message”). また means “again” here: the warning is displayed again after the restart. It normally indicates recurrence, not simply a second item in a list. 表示されたら means “if it is displayed” or “when it appears.” The base expression is 表示される, “be displayed/appear”; 表示された is its plain past form, followed by ら to form a conditional. In this sentence, the warning is the thing that appears, and the condition is that this happens again. メンテナンス担当 means “the person or team responsible for maintenance.” 担当 identifies responsibility for an area or task; it does not by itself specify whether the responsible party is one person or a group. 連絡してください means “please contact [them].” The base verb is 連絡する, “to contact/get in touch,” and してください makes it a polite request. The recipient is understood from メンテナンス担当, so the full pattern is Xに連絡してください (“please contact X”). Together, the sentence gives the instruction “Restart it once,” then adds the condition introduced by ただし: if the warning appears again, contact the maintenance staff. The two polite requests, 再開してください and 連絡してください, make this a clear practical instruction.

9. まず安全な手順に従います。

   I will follow the safe steps first.

   まず

   first

   安全な

   safe

   手順

   steps

   従います

   will follow

   More detail

   まず means “first” or “to begin with.” It commonly marks the first step in an ordered action, as in the example まず説明を読みます。 — “First, I read the instructions.” 安全な means “safe” here. It is the attributive form of the な-adjective 安全だ; before a noun, 安全な modifies that noun. The same word can also appear predicatively as 安全です — “It is safe.” 手順 means a procedure or set of steps. It is a noun whose number is not marked by the form itself, so 手順 can refer to a procedure or to steps depending on context. In 安全な手順, 安全な describes the procedure. 従います is the polite nonpast form of the verb 従う, “to follow” or “to comply with.” Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action when the context is about an intention or plan, so it is naturally translated here as “will follow.” The particle に marks what is followed: 規則に従います means “I will follow the rules.” Together, まず安全な手順に従います。 means “I will follow the safe steps first.” The order is まず (“first”) + 安全な手順 (“safe steps/procedure”) + に従います (“will follow”). The polite ending makes the statement suitable for a respectful or professional setting.

10. 簡単な対処は役に立ちますが、洗濯機を壊す危険を冒さないでください。

    Simple troubleshooting is useful, but do not risk damaging the machine.

    簡単な

    simple

    対処

    troubleshooting

    役に立ちます

    is useful

    洗濯機

    washing machine

    壊す

    damage or break

    危険

    risk

    冒さないでください

    please do not risk

    More detail

    簡単な describes 対処 as simple or uncomplicated. It is the attributive form of the な-adjective 簡単だ; before a noun, 簡単な is used. Example: 簡単な方法 — “a simple method.” 対処 means dealing with a problem or taking corrective action. In this sentence, it refers to troubleshooting rather than to a particular action already named. Example: 問題に対処する — “deal with a problem.” 役に立ちます comes from 役に立つ, “to be useful” or “to help.” 立ちます is its polite nonpast form; the nonpast can describe a general usefulness, as here. Example: この道具は役に立ちます。 — “This tool is useful.” 洗濯機 means “washing machine.” It is a compound noun: 洗濯 relates to washing laundry, and 機 means a machine or device. Here it is the object marked by を of 壊す. 壊す is a transitive verb meaning “break” or “damage” something. Its intransitive counterpart is 壊れる, meaning that something breaks or becomes damaged: 機械を壊す — “damage a machine”; 機械が壊れる — “a machine breaks.” In the fixed sentence, the washing machine is the thing that could be damaged. 危険 means “danger” or “risk.” The phrase 危険を冒す means “take a risk,” especially a risk with a harmful possible result. The form 危険 is a noun here, marked by を as the object of 冒す. 冒さないでください is a polite request not to do something. It consists of the negative form 冒さない of 冒す (“take a risk”) plus でください. Example: 無理をしないでください。 — “Please do not overdo it.” This expression requests avoidance; it does not itself state that damage has occurred. The first clause, 簡単な対処は役に立ちます, presents simple troubleshooting as useful. が then marks a contrast. In the second clause, 洗濯機を壊す is a clause modifying 危険: literally, “the risk of damaging the washing machine.” 危険を冒さないでください asks the listener not to take that risk. Together, the utterance means: “Simple troubleshooting is useful, but do not risk damaging the machine.”