Planning an Outdoor Visit During a Heatwave | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 猛暑は続くと予想されています。

   The heatwave is expected to continue.

   猛暑

   heatwave; extreme heat

   続く

   continue

   と予想されています

   is expected to

   More detail

   猛暑 is a noun meaning “extreme heat” or “a heatwave.” It refers to unusually severe hot weather, rather than simply ordinary warmth. A useful related form is 暑い (“hot”), an adjective; for example, 今日は暑いです。 means “Today is hot.” 続く means “continue” or “last.” It is the dictionary form, and here it describes what is expected to happen to the heatwave. Japanese commonly uses this form before と when presenting the content of a prediction or other statement: 雨が続くと予想されています。 means “The rain is expected to continue.” と予想されています expresses that something is expected or forecast. と marks the preceding clause as the content of the prediction. 予想する means “to anticipate” or “to forecast,” and its passive form 予想される means “be expected” or “be forecast.” Here, 予想されています is the polite form of 予想されている: 予想されて combines the passive form with て, and います presents that expectation as current or relevant now. This is not the same as simply saying that someone actively expects it: 専門家は雨が続くと予想しています。 means “Experts expect the rain to continue.” Together, 猛暑は sets “the heatwave” as the topic, 続くと gives the content “continue,” and 予想されています says that this is currently expected. The complete utterance therefore means “The heatwave is expected to continue.”

2. それなら、外での予定は涼しい時間帯に計画したほうがよさそうです。

   Then we should plan anything outside for the cooler part of the day.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   外での

   outdoor; outside-related

   予定

   plan; schedule

   涼しい

   cooler

   時間帯

   time period

   計画した

   plan

   ほうがよさそうです

   seems it would be better to

   More detail

   それなら means “then” or “in that case.” それ points to the situation just mentioned, and なら makes that situation the basis for what follows. A reusable pattern is それなら、… when drawing a conclusion from given information. 外での modifies the following noun. 外で means “outside” or “outdoors,” and の connects that setting to a noun. Thus, 外での予定 means “plans for being outside” or “outdoor plans.” The で marks the setting of the activity. 予定 is a noun meaning a plan, schedule, or intended arrangement. Here it refers to plans involving being outside. For example, 明日の予定 means “tomorrow’s plans.” 涼しい is an i-adjective meaning “cool.” Here the surrounding meaning supplies the comparison, so it is naturally translated as “cooler”; the adjective itself has not changed into a special comparative form. Its negative form is 涼しくない, “not cool.” In 涼しい時間帯, it describes 時間帯. 時間帯 means “time period” or “part of the day.” Together, 涼しい時間帯 means “a cool time period,” naturally rendered here as “the cooler part of the day.” Example: 朝の涼しい時間帯 means “the cool part of the morning.” 計画した is the past-form shape of 計画する, “to plan.” Before ほうがいい or the related ほうがよさそうです pattern, this form helps make a recommendation; it does not by itself say that the planning already happened. The reusable pattern Vたほうがいい means “it is better to do V,” as in 早く計画したほうがいい — “It is better to plan early.” ほうがよさそうです expresses that one option seems preferable. In 計画したほうがよさそうです, the speaker politely suggests that planning the outdoor arrangements for the cooler time would be better. そうです here presents the judgment as an appearance or assessment rather than a forceful command. As a whole, それなら、外での予定は涼しい時間帯に計画したほうがよさそうです。 means: “Then we should plan anything outside for the cooler part of the day.” は makes 外での予定 the topic. The に after 涼しい時間帯 marks the time for which the outdoor plans are to be scheduled; it need not mean that the act of planning itself takes place then. The subject corresponding to “we” is understood rather than stated in Japanese.

3. 市場に行きたかったのですが、人混みで難しくなるかもしれません。

   I wanted to visit the market, but the crowds might make it harder.

   市場

   market

   行きたかった

   wanted to go

   のですが

   but…

   人混み

   crowd

   難しくなる

   become difficult

   かもしれません

   might

   More detail

   市場 means “market” here. It is a noun, and 市場に uses に to mark the destination of movement. Example: 市場に行きます。 — “I go to the market.” 行きたかった means “wanted to go.” It is built from the verb 行く (“go”): 行く → 行きたい (“want to go”) → 行きたかった (“wanted to go”). The past form presents the desire as belonging to an earlier point or to the situation being described; it does not by itself say that the speaker regrets not going. のですが links the first situation to a contrasting or inconvenient point. Here, 行きたかったのですが presents wanting to go and then leads into the difficulty. の gives the preceding clause an explanatory or background-setting role, and ですが is the polite connective form based on です plus が, meaning “but” or “although.” Example: 行きたいのですが、時間がありません。 — “I want to go, but I do not have time.” 人混み is a noun meaning “a crowd” or “crowded conditions.” In 人混みで, で marks the circumstance or cause, giving the sense “because of the crowd” or “with the crowd present.” 難しくなる combines the i-adjective 難しい (“difficult”) with なる (“become”). Before なる, the adjective changes to its adverbial form: 難しい → 難しくなる, literally “become difficult.” This pattern is reusable with other i-adjectives, for example 暑い → 暑くなる (“become hot”). Here, difficulty is presented as arising or increasing because of the crowd, rather than simply as a fixed description. かもしれません expresses possibility in polite speech: “might” or “may.” It follows the plain form 難しくなる, giving 難しくなるかもしれません — “it might become difficult.” It does not assert that the difficulty will definitely occur. Example: 明日は雨かもしれません。 — “It might rain tomorrow.” Together, 市場に行きたかったのですが means “I wanted to go to the market, but,” and 人混みで難しくなるかもしれません says that the crowd might make the situation more difficult. The complete utterance therefore means: “I wanted to visit the market, but the crowds might make it harder.”

4. その暑さでは、静かな時間を選んで、立ち続けるのは避けたほうがよさそうです。

   In that heat, we should choose a quieter time and avoid standing around.

   その

   that

   暑さ

   heat

   では

   in that situation

   静かな

   quiet

   時間

   time

   選んで

   choose and

   立ち続ける

   keep standing

   避けた

   avoided

   ほうがよさそうです

   seems better

   More detail

   その means “that” here and modifies 暑さ, pointing to heat already identifiable in the situation. It is a demonstrative determiner; the form itself does not identify who is experiencing the heat. A useful contrast is この “this” for something treated as near the speaker and あの “that over there” for something more distant. 暑さ is “heat” as a noun, formed from the adjective 暑い “hot” with the noun-forming ending -さ. Compare 暑い日 “a hot day” with 暑さに耐える “endure the heat”: the first describes a noun, while the second names the quality or condition itself. では frames その暑さ as the situation or condition: “in that heat” or “under those conditions.” Here で marks the setting or circumstances, and は adds it as the topic. This is different from ではない, where では is part of a negative copular expression. 静かな means “quiet” and directly modifies 時間. 静か is a na-adjective, so it uses な before a noun: 静かな時間 “a quiet time.” In a sentence position where it is not directly modifying a noun, the corresponding form is 静かです “is quiet.” 時間 means “time”; in this sentence it is a suitable time period or time slot. The combination 静かな時間 therefore means “a quieter time,” with the comparison to a busier time supplied by the situation rather than by a separate comparative ending. 選んで is the te-form of the verb 選ぶ “choose.” The te-form links this action to the following action: Aを選んで、B means “choose A and then/while doing so, B.” The subject is omitted in Japanese; the fixed translation presents the intended actor as “we.” 立ち続ける means “continue standing” or “keep standing.” It combines the verb stem 立ち- from 立つ “stand” with 続ける “continue.” This pattern is reusable with another verb stem, such as 読み続ける “continue reading.” It describes continuation of the activity, not merely one moment of standing. 避けた is the past-form element of 避ける “avoid,” appearing here in the recommendation pattern V-たほうがいい. The complete expression 立ち続けるのは避けたほうがよさそうです recommends avoiding the activity. 避けた here does not report that someone already avoided it; its form is required by this comparison/recommendation construction. ほうがよさそうです means “seems better.” In V-たほうがいい, the past-looking form presents one option as preferable, while よさそうです adds the speaker’s impression or assessment: “it seems better.” This is a suggestion rather than a firm command. The sequence first sets the condition, その暑さでは “in that heat,” then proposes the action 静かな時間を選んで “choose a quieter time.” It identifies the activity to avoid with 立ち続けるのは—“as for continuing to stand”—and finishes with 避けたほうがよさそうです, “it seems better to avoid it.” Taken together, the utterance means: “In that heat, we should choose a quieter time and avoid standing around.”

5. 日陰のある道を通って、必要なときは屋内で休めます。

   We can take shaded streets and rest indoors when needed.

   日陰のある

   shaded; with shade

   道

   road; street

   通って

   go through; take (a route)

   必要なとき

   when needed

   屋内

   indoors; inside

   休めます

   can rest

   More detail

   日陰のある means “that has shade” or “shaded.” Here, ある is the attributive form of ある “to exist; to be present,” linking the condition to the noun that follows: 日陰のある道 = “a road with shade.” The useful pattern is [noun]のある[noun], as in 窓のある部屋 (“a room with a window”). 道 means “road,” “street,” or “route.” It is a noun and can refer to a route in a general sense, not only to a particular named road. 通って comes from 通る (“to pass through; to go via”). The て form connects this action to what follows: 道を通って means “going via the road” or “by taking the road.” A reusable pattern is [place or route]を通って、… (“go via … and …”). 必要なとき means “when necessary” or “when needed.” 必要 means “necessity” or “need” and takes な before the noun とき (“time; when”): 必要なとき literally describes a time that is necessary, yielding the natural meaning “when needed.” This pattern can be reused with other descriptions before とき, such as 暇なとき (“when free”). 屋内 means “indoors” or “inside a building.” It is a noun that can function adverbially here, indicating where the resting takes place. Its useful contrast is 屋外 (“outdoors”): 屋内で means “indoors,” while 屋外で means “outdoors.” 休めます means “can rest.” It is the polite form of the potential form 休める, which comes from the verb 休む (“to rest; to take a break”). The chain is 休む → 休める → 休めます; the potential form expresses ability or possibility, and the polite ending makes the statement suitable for polite conversation. For example, ここで休めます means “We can rest here” or, depending on context, “You can rest here.” Together, 日陰のある道を通って gives “by taking a shaded road,” and 必要なときは屋内で休めます gives “we can rest indoors when needed.” The complete utterance therefore means: “We can take a shaded road and rest indoors when needed.” The Japanese subject is omitted; the fixed translation supplies “we” for this utterance. は in 必要なときは marks “when needed” as the condition or situation being highlighted.

6. そうすれば、暑さがさらに厳しくなっても、予定を柔軟に変えられます。

   That gives us more flexibility if the heat gets worse.

   そうすれば

   if that happens; then

   暑さ

   heat

   さらに

   further; more

   厳しくなっても

   even if it gets more severe

   予定

   plans; schedule

   柔軟に

   flexibly

   変えられます

   can change

   More detail

   そうすれば sets up a consequence from an action or situation just mentioned: “if that is done, then …” Here, the fixed translation presents that consequence as giving us more flexibility. It is a useful reusable pattern for linking a condition to a result. 暑さ means “heat” here. It is a noun referring to the intensity or presence of hot weather, not simply the adjective “hot” itself. The ending -さ can turn a quality expressed by an adjective into a noun, as in 暑い “hot” → 暑さ “heat” or “hotness.” さらに adds the meaning “further” or “even more.” It modifies the following change, so the sentence describes the heat becoming more severe than before. 厳しくなっても means “even if it becomes severe.” 厳しい is the base form meaning “severe” or “harsh”; its -く form, 厳しく, connects it to なる “become.” Thus 厳しくなる is “become severe.” The て form in なって followed by も creates a concessive condition: 〜ても means “even if …” or “even when ….” With 暑さ, the intended reading is “even if the heat gets worse.” 予定 is a noun meaning “plans” or “schedule.” It is the thing being changed in this sentence. For example, 予定を変える means “change the plans,” with を marking the object of the transitive verb 変える. 柔軟に means “flexibly.” It is the adverbial form of 柔軟な “flexible,” and it describes how the plans can be changed. Example: 柔軟に対応します。 — “We will respond flexibly.” 変えられます has the potential meaning “can change.” Its base verb is the transitive verb 変える “change,” and 変えられる is its potential form “be able to change”; 変えられます is the polite form. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies “us” as the understood actor, so the intended meaning is that we can change the plans. This differs from 変わります, “change” or “become changed,” which does not present the subject as the agent changing something. Together, そうすれば introduces the result, 暑さがさらに厳しくなっても gives the concessive condition “even if the heat gets worse,” and 予定を柔軟に変えられます says “we can change the plans flexibly.” The whole utterance means: “That gives us more flexibility if the heat gets worse.” The polite ending ます makes the sentence suitable for a polite, practical conversation.

7. 帽子と多めの水があると役に立ちますか。

   Would a hat and extra water help?

   帽子

   hat

   多めの

   extra; a generous amount of

   水

   water

   があると

   if there is; if you have

   役に立ちます

   helps; is useful

   More detail

   帽子 means “hat.” It is a noun and can be used directly as the topic or subject of a sentence. Example: 帽子をかぶります。 — “I put on a hat.” 多めの means “more than usual” or “a generous amount of.” 多め is the form used before a noun with の, so 多めの水 means “extra water” without specifying an exact quantity. This is different from 多い (“many; much”), which directly describes a large amount: 水が多い — “There is a lot of water.” 水 means “water.” With 多めの, it forms the noun phrase 多めの水, “extra water.” があると combines ある, “to exist; to be available,” with と, a conditional connective. Here it presents the availability of the hat and water as the condition: “if there is” or, naturally for usable supplies, “if you have.” The と pattern often introduces a predictable result. Example: 水があると安心です。 — “If there is water, it is reassuring.” 役に立ちます means “helps” or “is useful.” Its base form is 役に立つ; 立ちます is the polite nonpast form. The expression 役に立つ is used for something that is useful or helpful, not specifically for physically standing. Example: この地図は役に立ちます。 — “This map is useful.” The final か marks the utterance as a question. The structure is A と役に立ちますか, roughly “Would A help?” First, 帽子と多めの水 joins “a hat” and “extra water” with と. The condition があると says that having or having available those things is the condition, and 役に立ちますか asks whether that would be useful. Together, the sentence means: “Would a hat and extra water help?”

8. 帽子があると助かりますし、軽い服を着れば歩きやすくなります。

   A hat will help, and light clothing would make the walk easier.

   帽子

   hat

   があると

   when there is

   助かります

   it helps

   し

   and

   軽い

   light

   服

   clothing

   着れば

   if someone wears it

   歩きやすくなります

   becomes easier to walk

   More detail

   帽子 means “hat.” It is a noun, and が marks it as the thing that exists in 帽子があると. The fixed translation identifies a hat as the helpful item here. があると combines ある, “to exist / be available,” with と, which marks a condition whose result follows. Here it naturally means “when/if there is one” or “having one.” ある is used for inanimate things such as objects; いる is generally used for people and animals. The と condition often presents the result as a natural consequence. 助かります is the polite nonpast form of 助かる, “to be helped” or “to be useful/helpful.” In this sentence, having the hat is beneficial, so “it helps” is the intended meaning. The ます ending makes the statement courteous; Japanese nonpast forms can refer to a present or future situation, and the translation renders this one as “will help.” し links this helpful point to another one. It can mean “and,” and it can also suggest that the first point is one reason among several. Here it connects the hat condition with the clothing-and-walking condition. 軽い is the i-adjective “light,” describing 服 here. Its base form is 軽い; its negative form is 軽くない, and its adverbial form is 軽く, as in 軽くなる, “become light.” In the sentence, 軽い modifies the clothing, not the walking. 服 means “clothing” or “clothes.” It is a noun, and this form does not itself specify a singular/plural count. 軽い服 therefore means “light clothing,” without specifying a particular number of garments. 着れば is the conditional form of 着る, “to put on / wear.” The -ば form presents a condition, so this means “if [someone] wears it.” Japanese does not state the subject here; the wearer is understood from the situation rather than marked by this form. In the full clause, the clothing is the object. 歩きやすくなります means “becomes easier to walk.” 歩き is the stem of 歩く, “walk,” and やすい added to a verb stem means “easy to do”: 歩きやすい means “easy to walk.” The resulting adjective changes to 歩きやすく before なる, “become,” producing 歩きやすくなる, “become easy to walk.” なります is its polite nonpast form. This construction describes a change in ease rather than simply saying that someone walks. Together, 帽子があると助かりますし says that having a hat is helpful, and 軽い服を着れば歩きやすくなります says that wearing light clothing will make walking easier. The whole utterance therefore means: “A hat will help, and light clothing would make the walk easier.”

9. それなら、暑すぎると感じたら予定を変えられます。

   Then we can change the plan if it feels too hot.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   暑すぎる

   too hot

   感じたら

   if [someone] feels

   予定

   plan; schedule

   変えられます

   can change

   More detail

   それなら means “then” or “in that case.” それ refers back to something already established, and なら presents that situation as the condition for what follows. A reusable pattern is Xなら、Y = “if X is the case, Y.” 暑すぎる means “be too hot.” The adjective is 暑い (“hot”); before すぎる, its final い is removed: 暑い → 暑すぎる. すぎる means “be too much” or “exceed an appropriate degree,” so 暑すぎる is stronger than simply 暑い. 感じたら comes from 感じる (“feel; perceive”) and uses its たら conditional form: 感じる → 感じた → 感じたら. In 暑すぎると感じたら, the particle と marks what is felt or judged: “if [someone] feels that it is too hot.” Japanese leaves the subject unstated here; the fixed translation gives the intended impersonal reading “if it feels too hot.” A reusable pattern is Xと感じたら = “if you feel that X” or, when the context supports it, “if it feels that X.” 予定 means “plan” or “schedule.” It is a noun and can be used with を when it is the thing affected by an action, as in 予定を変える (“change the plan/schedule”). 変えられます means “can change.” It is the polite form of the potential form 変えられる, based on the verb 変える (“change something”). Compare 変える (“change something”) with 変わる (“change; become different” without stating an agent): 予定を変える means “change the plan,” while 予定が変わる means “the plan changes.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the understood subject as “we”; Japanese does not show that subject in the verb form. The ending ます makes the statement polite. The sentence builds as それなら (“then/in that case”) + 暑すぎると感じたら (“if it feels too hot”) + 予定を変えられます (“[we] can change the plan”). Together: “Then we can change the plan if it feels too hot.”

10. 暑い日に十分柔軟な計画だと思います。

    That sounds flexible enough for a hot day.

    暑い

    hot

    日

    day

    十分

    sufficiently; enough

    柔軟な

    flexible

    計画

    plan

    と思います

    I think; I believe

    More detail

    暑い means “hot” here. It is the nonpast form of the い-adjective 暑い, used before 日 to describe the day. For example, 暑い日 means “a hot day.” 日 means “day.” In 暑い日に, the particle に marks the time or situation: “on a hot day.” The same pattern can be reused with another time expression, such as 月曜日に (“on Monday”). 十分 means “sufficiently” in this sentence. Before the adjective 柔軟な, it says that the plan has flexibility to an adequate degree: “flexible enough.” It is not itself a numeric count. For example, 十分安全です means “It is safe enough.” 柔軟な means “flexible.” This is the na-adjective form of 柔軟だ; the な form is used directly before the noun 計画. Here it describes the plan’s ability to adapt. A useful contrast is 固定的な (“fixed” or “inflexible”), when that meaning is intended. 計画 means “plan.” In 柔軟な計画, the noun is modified by the na-adjective: “a flexible plan.” The following だ makes this a nominal predicate inside the quoted thought, roughly “is a flexible plan.” と思います means “I think” or “I believe.” 思います is the polite nonpast form of 思う (“to think”), and と marks the content of the thought. The preceding clause is therefore presented as the speaker’s assessment rather than as an unqualified assertion. In this sentence, the natural translation “That sounds flexible enough” conveys this assessment. Together, 暑い日に sets the situation as “for/on a hot day,” 十分柔軟な計画 describes the plan as sufficiently flexible, and だと思います presents that judgment as the speaker’s belief. The whole utterance means: “I think it is a plan flexible enough for a hot day,” naturally rendered as “That sounds flexible enough for a hot day.”