Preparing for Changing Weather on a Hike | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. ハイキングの天気予報は、晴れの予報になったり、にわか雨の可能性が出たりして、変わり続けています。

   The forecast for the hike keeps changing, with sun and possible showers.

   ハイキング

   hiking

   天気予報

   weather forecast

   晴れ

   sunny weather

   になったり

   sometimes becoming

   にわか雨

   sudden shower

   可能性

   possibility

   出たり

   appearing at times

   変わり続けています

   keeps changing

   More detail

   ハイキングの identifies the hike as the context or purpose of the forecast: の links ハイキング to the following noun. ハイキング is a noun meaning “hiking,” and the same pattern can be reused with another noun, such as 旅行の天気予報 (“the weather forecast for a trip”). 天気予報 is the compound noun “weather forecast.” 天気 means weather, while 予報 means a forecast or prediction. Together they refer to the forecast itself, not to the weather as an observed fact. 晴れ means clear or sunny weather here. It is a noun-like weather-state expression; it is not the adjective form “sunny.” In 晴れの予報, の connects that weather state to 予報, giving “a forecast of clear weather.” になったり uses the base verb なる (“become”) with に, which marks the resulting state, followed by たり. Thus 晴れの予報になったり means “sometimes becoming a clear-weather forecast.” The たり...たり pattern lists representative situations or changes; it does not necessarily say that these are the only possibilities. For example, 静かになったり、にぎやかになったりする means “It sometimes becomes quiet and sometimes lively.” にわか雨 is the noun “sudden shower.” にわか describes something sudden or short-lived, and 雨 means rain. In this sentence, にわか雨の可能性 is “the possibility of a sudden shower.” 可能性 means “possibility” or “likelihood.” The phrase にわか雨の可能性 uses の to specify what the possibility concerns. The following 出たり comes from the base verb 出る; in this context, 出る means that an indication or possibility emerges or appears, not that a person physically goes out. 可能性が出たり therefore means “sometimes a possibility appears.” Together with the earlier になったり, the two たり forms list changing forecast situations. 変わり続けています combines the base verb 変わる (“change”) with 続ける (“continue doing”) and the polite progressive/state form ています. It means “is continuing to change” or “keeps changing.” Here 続ける expresses continuation of the change, while ています presents that continuing situation as current and politely stated. For example, 状況は変わり続けています means “The situation keeps changing.” The whole structure is Aは、Bたり、Cたりして、D: the topic ハイキングの天気予報 is described as taking changing forms—sometimes a clear-weather forecast and sometimes an emerging possibility of a sudden shower—and 変わり続けています states that this change is still continuing. This matches the fixed meaning “The forecast for the hike keeps changing, with sun and possible showers.”

2. 重ね着をして、防水ジャケットを持ってきてください。

   Wear layers and bring a waterproof jacket.

   重ね着

   wearing layers

   して

   and do

   防水ジャケット

   waterproof jacket

   持ってきてください

   please bring

   More detail

   重ね着 means wearing multiple layers of clothing. It is a noun that can be used with する: 重ね着する means “to wear layers.” Example: 重ね着します。 — “I wear layers.” して is the te-form of する. Here it follows 重ね着を and links that action to the request that follows: 重ね着をして means “wear layers and …”. The te-form can connect actions in sequence or as parts of one instruction. 防水ジャケット is a compound noun: 防水 means “waterproof” and ジャケット means “jacket.” In this sentence, 防水 describes the type of jacket. Example: 防水ジャケットを着ます。 — “I put on a waterproof jacket.” 持ってきてください is a polite request meaning “please bring.” It consists of 持つ (“to hold; have”) in its te-form 持って, followed by くる (“to come”) in its te-form きて, and ください (“please”). Together, 持ってくる means “to bring,” literally “come while carrying.” The explicit object is 防水ジャケット: 防水ジャケットを持ってきてください means “please bring a waterproof jacket.” Example: 水を持ってきてください。 — “Please bring water.” The whole sentence combines the two requested actions: 重ね着をして (“wear layers and”) + 防水ジャケットを持ってきてください (“please bring a waterproof jacket”). Thus it means: “Wear layers and bring a waterproof jacket.”

3. 道は開いていますが、高い場所の区間はぬかるんでいるかもしれません。

   The trail is open, but the higher section may be muddy.

   道

   trail

   開いています

   is open

   高い

   high; higher

   場所

   place

   区間

   section

   ぬかるんでいる

   is muddy

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   道 means a path, road, or trail. Here, the fixed translation identifies it as “the trail.” The noun itself does not specify whether a path is paved or unpaved; that comes from context. 開いています uses the intransitive verb 開く (“to open”) in the 〜ている form, with polite ます. In this sentence, 〜ている describes the resulting state: the trail is open. This is different from 開けています, which would describe someone keeping or making something open. Example: 店が開いています。 — “The shop is open.” 高い is the adjective “high” or “tall.” Its form does not change here to mark comparison; the translation “higher” comes from the context of contrasting sections of the trail. The useful pattern is 高い + noun, as in 高い山 — “a high mountain.” 場所 means “place” or “location.” In 高い場所, it forms the noun phrase “a high place.” The following の links that phrase to the next noun, so 高い場所の区間 refers to a section associated with the high part or higher area. 区間 means “section,” “stretch,” or “segment,” especially a defined part of a route. It is useful for dividing a road or trail into parts. Example: この区間は狭いです。 — “This section is narrow.” ぬかるんでいる describes a muddy condition. It comes from the intransitive verb ぬかるむ, “to become muddy,” in the 〜ている form; here that form presents the resulting state, “is muddy.” Example: 道がぬかるんでいます。 — “The path is muddy.” かもしれません is a polite expression of possibility: “may,” “might,” or “it is possible that.” The possible situation appears before it: ぬかるんでいるかもしれません means “may be muddy.” It expresses uncertainty, not a firm prediction. The sentence first states 道は開いています: “the trail is open.” The particle は sets 道 as the topic. Then が contrasts that fact with a caution: 高い場所の区間はぬかるんでいるかもしれません means that the section in the higher area may be muddy. Together, the utterance means: “The trail is open, but the higher section may be muddy.”

4. 特に下りの区間では、ゆっくり進んだほうがいいです。

   We should take it slowly, especially on the downhill parts.

   特に

   especially

   下り

   downhill

   区間

   section; stretch

   ゆっくり

   slowly

   進んだほうがいいです

   it is better to proceed

   More detail

   特に means “especially” and highlights one situation within a broader recommendation. It is an adverb and can be placed before the part being singled out, as here. 下り means “downhill” or “a descent.” It is a noun-like form used here before の to describe the kind of 区間. The related direction contrast is 上り “uphill/ascent,” but that word is not present in the fixed sentence. 区間 means a section or stretch of a route. The pattern Aの区間 means “the section of A” or “the A section.” Here, 下りの区間 is “the downhill sections.” ゆっくり means “slowly” or “at an unhurried pace.” It commonly modifies an action: ゆっくり歩く means “walk slowly.” In this sentence it describes the manner of proceeding, not a separate command. 進んだほうがいいです is the polite pattern verb past form + ほうがいいです, meaning “it is better to do the verb” or “should do the verb.” The verb is 進む “to proceed”; its past form is 進んだ. The past-shaped form here does not express past time. In this recommendation pattern, it presents one option as preferable. For example, 休んだほうがいいです means “You should rest.” The omitted subject is understood from the situation; the fixed translation presents the recommendation as “we should,” without Japanese explicitly stating a subject. Combining the parts, ゆっくり進んだほうがいいです means “it is better to proceed slowly,” and 特に下りの区間では limits that advice especially to the downhill sections. The complete meaning is: “We should take it slowly, especially on the downhill parts.”

5. 天気が悪くなったら、展望台で引き返せます。

   If the weather turns bad, we can turn back at the viewpoint.

   天気

   weather

   悪くなったら

   if it turns bad

   展望台

   viewpoint

   引き返せます

   can turn back

   More detail

   天気 means “weather.” It is a noun; here, が marks it as the subject of the change described next. Example: 天気がいいです。 — “The weather is good.” 悪くなったら means “if it turns bad.” The adjective 悪い (“bad”) becomes 悪く before なる (“become”): 悪い → 悪くなる (“become bad”). Here, なった is the past form of なる, and たら forms a conditional meaning “if” or “when.” Example: 暗くなったら、帰りましょう。 — “When it gets dark, let’s go home.” 展望台 means “viewpoint” or “observation deck.” It is a noun for a place or structure from which one views a landscape; it is not a proper place name in this sentence. The particle で marks the place where the turning back can happen. Example: 展望台で休みます。 — “We will rest at the viewpoint.” 引き返せます means “can turn back.” Its base verb is 引き返す (“turn back”), and 引き返せる is its potential form, expressing ability or a feasible option. The polite ending ます gives the observed form a polite style. The form does not itself say that anyone actually turns back. Example: ここから引き返せます。 — “We can turn back from here.” Together, 天気が悪くなったら sets the condition, 展望台で specifies the place, and 引き返せます states the available action: “If the weather turns bad, we can turn back at the viewpoint.”

6. 始める前にそう伝えましょう。そうすれば、誰も続けなければならないと感じません。

   Let's say that before we start, so no one feels pressured to continue.

   始める

   start; begin

   前に

   before

   そう

   that; so

   伝えましょう

   let’s say; let’s tell

   そうすれば

   if that is done; then

   誰も

   no one

   続けなければならない

   must continue

   感じません

   does not feel

   More detail

   始める means “to start” or “to begin.” It is the dictionary form; 始める前に uses it before 前に to mean “before starting.” For example, 食べる前に手を洗います。 means “I wash my hands before eating.” 前に means “before” when it follows a verb in its plain form. The event before which something happens is 始める, so 始める前に means “before we start.” そう refers here to the content being conveyed: “that.” In そう伝えましょう, it does not mean that the listener should perform an unspecified action; it points to the proposition to be said. そう can also mean “so” or “in that way” in other contexts, so its meaning comes from its connection with 伝えましょう here. 伝えましょう comes from 伝える, “to convey” or “to tell.” The ending ましょう is the polite volitional form, used for “let’s …” or a polite proposal. Thus そう伝えましょう means “let’s say that” or “let’s convey that.” The person being told is not stated in this sentence. そうすれば means “if that is done” or “then, if so.” It connects the proposed action in the first part with its result in the next part. The そう points back to the preceding act of saying it, while すれば is the conditional form of する, “to do.” 誰も means “no one” in this sentence because it is used with the negative predicate 感じません. The same form can mean “everyone” in a positive context, so the negative marking is important. For example, 誰も来ません。 means “No one comes” or “Nobody is coming.” 続けなければならない expresses obligation: “must continue” or “have to continue.” Its lexical verb is 続ける, “to continue”; 続けなければならない is built from its negative conditional form plus ならない, a construction meaning that not doing it is unacceptable or cannot be allowed. This is not the same as simply 続ける, “continue.” In the full sentence, 続けなければならないと makes “that they must continue” the content of the following verb. The particle と marks the quoted or thought content. 感じません comes from 感じる, “to feel,” and its polite negative form means “does not feel.” With 誰も, 誰も…感じません means “no one feels …” here. Putting the parts together: 始める前にそう伝えましょう。 means “Let’s say that before we start.” そうすれば、誰も続けなければならないと感じません。 means “If we do that, no one will feel that they must continue.” Together, the utterance proposes communicating this before starting so that nobody feels pressured to keep going. The polite ましょう gives the first sentence the form of a collaborative suggestion.

7. グループに普段履きの靴を履かないように伝えたほうがいいですか。

   Should we remind the group not to wear casual shoes?

   グループ

   group

   普段履き

   everyday use or wear

   靴

   shoes

   履かない

   not wear

   ように伝えたほうがいいですか

   would it be better to tell someone to…?

   More detail

   グループ means “group.” In this sentence, グループに uses に to mark the people who receive the communication: “to the group.” The noun itself does not show number; the context and translation support a group as the intended recipient. 普段履き refers to everyday use or wear. In 普段履きの靴, it describes the noun 靴, producing “casual/everyday shoes.” The の in AのB links A to B in a noun-modifying pattern: “B associated with or described by A.” 靴 means “shoes.” It is the object marked by を in 靴を履かない. Japanese commonly uses the verb 履く for putting on or wearing footwear, such as shoes and socks. Example: 靴を履きます。 — “I wear/put on shoes.” 履かない means “not wear” in this sentence. It is the negative form of 履く: 履く → 履かない. Here it is not a standalone prohibition; with ように伝える, it expresses what someone is being told not to do. Example: 雨の日はサンダルを履かない。 — “I do not wear sandals on rainy days.” ように伝えたほうがいいですか asks whether it would be better to tell someone to do something. With the preceding negative verb, 履かないように伝える means “tell someone not to wear [them].” The pattern is 〜ないように伝える = “tell someone not to …”; 〜たほうがいいですか turns the advice into a polite question: “would it be better to …?” 伝えた is the past form of 伝える, but in this advice pattern it presents the action as the recommended choice, not as an event that has already happened. Putting the parts together: グループに identifies the recipients, 普段履きの靴を identifies everyday/casual shoes as the object of 履かない, and 履かないように伝えたほうがいいですか asks whether it would be better to tell them not to wear them. The complete meaning is: “Should we remind the group not to wear casual shoes?”

8. みんなにしっかりした靴を履くように伝えてください。ぬかるんだ道は滑りやすいです。

   Ask them to wear proper shoes; muddy trails can be slippery.

   みんなに

   to everyone; to the whole group

   しっかりした

   proper; dependable

   靴

   shoes; footwear

   履く

   to wear footwear

   ように伝えてください

   please tell someone to …

   ぬかるんだ

   muddy

   道

   road; path

   滑りやすい

   slippery; easy to slip

   More detail

   みんなに identifies the whole group as the recipient of the message: みんな means “everyone” or “the whole group,” and に marks the recipient of communication. For example, 友だちに伝える means “tell a friend.” しっかりした describes the shoes as proper, dependable, or sturdy for the situation. It is the form used before the noun 靴. Here it expresses suitable, reliable footwear rather than merely physical hardness. For example, しっかりした靴を選ぶ means “choose sturdy/proper shoes.” 靴 means “shoes” or “footwear.” Japanese does not normally mark a plural distinction on this noun, so the context determines whether it refers to footwear generally or to one or more shoes. 履く is the basic form meaning “to put on” or “to wear” footwear and other lower-body clothing, such as socks or trousers. Its polite form is 履きます. In this sentence, 履く appears in the action described by the ように pattern. ように伝えてください is a reusable request pattern meaning “please tell someone to …” when the requested action comes before ように. Thus 靴を履くように伝える means “tell them to wear shoes.” 伝えてください consists of the て form of 伝える (“to convey; tell”) and ください (“please”). ぬかるんだ means “muddy” here and directly modifies 道. It is the form of ぬかるむ used before a noun: ぬかるんだ道を歩く means “walk along a muddy path.” 道 means “road,” “path,” or “trail.” Here it refers to the route described in the translation as a muddy trail, with ぬかるんだ supplying the description. 滑りやすい means “slippery” or “easy to slip on.” It combines 滑り-, from 滑る (“to slip”), with やすい, which expresses that an action is easy or likely to occur. For example, この床は滑りやすい means “This floor is slippery.” Together, みんなにしっかりした靴を履くように伝えてください asks the listener to tell the group to wear proper shoes. ぬかるんだ道は滑りやすいです explains that muddy trails can be slippery. Together, the sentences convey the fixed message: ask them to wear suitable footwear because the muddy route may be slippery.

9. 今夜、荷物の準備について知らせてもらえると助かります。

   A packing reminder tonight would help.

   今夜

   tonight

   荷物

   luggage

   準備

   preparation

   について

   about

   知らせてもらえる

   could let me know

   助かります

   that would help

   More detail

   今夜 means “tonight.” It is a time expression, and it appears at the beginning to set when the requested notification would be useful. Compare 今 (“now”) and 今夜 (“tonight”); 夜 specifically contributes the “night” meaning. 荷物 means “luggage” or “baggage.” It is a noun and can refer to belongings being carried or transported. In this sentence it is part of 荷物の準備, where の links one noun to another: “the preparation of luggage,” naturally “packing.” 準備 means “preparation” or “getting ready.” It is a noun that can also be used with する in other sentences: 準備する means “to prepare.” Here, 荷物の準備 identifies the preparation concerned with the luggage, rather than preparation in general. について means “about” or “regarding.” It follows the topic being discussed, so 荷物の準備について means “about the luggage preparation” or, naturally here, “about packing.” This is a reusable pattern: Nについて知らせる means “to inform someone about N.” 知らせてもらえる contains 知らせる (“to inform” or “let someone know”) and the pattern V-てもらう, which expresses receiving the favor or benefit of someone’s action. もらえる is the potential form of もらう, so 知らせてもらえる presents being able to have someone let the speaker know. The form does not itself specify the identity of the person who will give the information. For example, 先生に結果を知らせてもらう means “to have the teacher let me know the result.” 助かります is the polite nonpast form of 助かる, literally “be helped” or “be saved.” In this sentence, 知らせてもらえると助かります uses と to connect the condition or result: “If I can have you let me know, it would help.” This is a polite, softened way to make a request, rather than a direct command. The form 助かります is polite; the dictionary form is 助かる. Putting the parts together: 今夜 sets the time, 荷物の準備について specifies that the information concerns packing, and 知らせてもらえると助かります politely says that being informed would be helpful. The whole utterance means that a reminder or notification about packing tonight would help the speaker. The wording is suitable for a considerate request.

10. みんなが準備できるように、十分早く送ってください。

    Send it early enough for everyone to prepare.

    みんな

    everyone

    準備

    preparation

    できる

    can do; be able to

    ように

    so that

    十分早く

    early enough

    送ってください

    please send it

    More detail

    みんな means “everyone” and is a noun referring to all the relevant people as a group. With が, it is marked as the subject of the subordinate clause: みんなが = “everyone” as the people who can prepare. 準備 means “preparation” and is also used in the verb 準備する, “to prepare.” In this sentence it combines with できる: 準備できる = “be able to prepare” or simply “can prepare.” The form できる is the non-past form of できる, “can do; be able to.” It can describe ability or a situation in which something is possible; here the intended meaning is that everyone has enough opportunity to prepare. ように follows the clause みんなが準備できる and expresses a desired result or purpose: “so that everyone can prepare.” A reusable pattern is AがBできるように、… = “so that A can B, …”. The clause before ように states the result the speaker wants to make possible. 十分早く means “early enough” or “sufficiently early.” 十分 means “enough/sufficiently,” and 早く is the adverbial form of 早い, “early” or “early in time.” The adverbial form lets it modify the sending action: the sending should happen sufficiently early. 早い contrasts with 遅い, “late.” 送ってください is a polite request meaning “please send it.” 送って is the connective request form of 送る, “to send,” and ください makes the request polite. Japanese often leaves an understood object unspoken; here the fixed translation identifies that object as “it,” without the sentence naming it explicitly. The pattern verb in -て form + ください is a reusable polite request, for example: 見てください。 = “Please look.” In the full sentence, みんなが準備できるように gives the purpose, 十分早く specifies the necessary timing, and 送ってください makes the polite request: “Send it early enough for everyone to prepare.”