Checking an Email Before Sending | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. このメールを送る前に、文面のトーンを確認してもらえますか。

   Could you check the tone of this email before I send it?

   この

   this

   メール

   email

   送る

   send

   前に

   before

   文面

   wording

   トーン

   tone

   確認して

   check

   もらえますか

   can you?

   More detail

   この means “this” before a noun. It is an attributive demonstrative: このメール means “this email.” Japanese この is used before the noun it modifies; it is not normally used by itself as a standalone noun-like demonstrative. メール is the noun “email,” commonly used for an email message. A noun can follow この directly: このメール (“this email”). 送る is the dictionary form of the verb “to send.” Before 前に, the dictionary form creates the pattern verb-dictionary form + 前に, meaning “before doing [the verb].” Example: 出かける前に、電話します。 — “I’ll call before going out.” In this sentence, the omitted subject of 送る is understood as the speaker, matching “before I send it” in the fixed translation. 前に means “before” in this time-related pattern. Thus 送る前に means “before sending.” 前 can also mean “in front of” in other constructions, but that is not its meaning here. 文面 means the wording or written content of a message. It focuses on what is written, including its phrasing, rather than simply naming the message as an object. Example: 文面を確認します。 — “I’ll check the wording.” トーン means “tone”: the impression or attitude conveyed by wording. In 文面のトーン, の links 文面 to the thing being described, producing “the tone of the wording.” 確認して is the て-form of 確認する, meaning “to check” or “to confirm.” Here it connects the checking action to the following request expression. Example: これを見てもらえますか。 — “Could you take a look at this for me?” もらえますか consists of the potential form もらえる (“can receive”) in polite form もらえます, followed by the question particle か. After a preceding て-form, as in 確認してもらえますか, this forms a polite request asking whether the listener can perform the action for the speaker. The request meaning comes from the combination with 確認して, not from もらえますか alone. Together, このメールを送る前に means “before I send this email.” 文面のトーンを確認して identifies the wording’s tone as what should be checked. The final もらえますか turns the request into a polite question directed to the listener. The whole utterance means: “Could you check the tone of this email before I send it?”

2. プロフェッショナルな内容ですが、書き出しが少しきつく感じられます。

   It is professional, but the opening feels a little sharp.

   プロフェッショナルな

   professional

   内容

   content

   ですが

   but

   書き出し

   opening

   少し

   a little

   きつく

   sharp

   感じられます

   feels

   More detail

   プロフェッショナルな modifies the noun 内容. Words ending in な before a noun are a common way to connect a な-adjective: プロフェッショナルな内容 means “professional content.” The な is required in this attributive position; it is not part of the English loanword itself. 内容 means “content” or “substance.” Here it refers to what the writing contains, while the later 書き出し identifies a particular part of that writing. ですが connects this statement to a contrasting one: “but.” It is the polite connective form of です plus が; in this sentence it does not mean possession. A reusable pattern is A ですが、Bです — “A, but B.” 書き出し means the opening or beginning of a piece of writing. It is a noun built from 書き出す, “to start writing” or “to write out,” but in this sentence the whole form 書き出し functions as the noun “opening,” not as an independent finite verb. For example, メールの書き出しを考えます means “I will think about the opening of the email.” 少し means “a little” or “slightly.” It softens the evaluation: the opening is presented as somewhat sharp, not simply as sharply so. It modifies the following description in 少しきつく感じられます. きつく is the adverbial form of the い-adjective きつい. In this context, きつい means “sharp,” “strong,” or “harsh” in its effect or tone; it does not mean physically tight. The form chain is きつい → きつく, with -く allowing the adjective to describe how something is perceived. For example, その言い方はきついです means “That way of saying it is harsh.” 感じられます means “feels” or “comes across as.” Its base verb is 感じる, “to feel,” and 感じられる is the corresponding -られる form. Here it presents the impression as something perceived from the opening: きつく感じられます means “comes across as sharp.” The polite ending ます makes the statement polite. This wording focuses on the impression produced, rather than directly declaring that the opening is objectively harsh. Together, プロフェッショナルな内容ですが says “The content is professional, but,” and 書き出しが少しきつく感じられます says “the opening feels a little sharp.” The whole utterance therefore means: “It is professional, but the opening feels a little sharp.” In the supplied context, this is a polite comment on the tone of the email’s opening.

3. せかしているように聞こえずに、その依頼を相手に思い出してもらいたいです。

   I want to remind them about the request without sounding impatient.

   せかしているように

   as if pressuring someone

   聞こえずに

   without sounding

   その

   that; the mentioned

   依頼

   request

   相手

   the other person; the other party

   思い出してもらいたいです

   want them to remember

   More detail

   せかしているように contains せかす, “to hurry or pressure someone.” せかしている uses -ている to present the action as ongoing or as a current manner, while ように here means “as if” or “in a way that.” In this sentence, the phrase describes sounding as though the speaker is pressuring the other person. A reusable pattern is Vているように聞こえる, “sound as if someone is V-ing.” 聞こえずに comes from 聞こえる, “to be heard” or “sound.” The form -ずに means “without doing” and is a written or somewhat formal alternative to -ないで; it does not express simple past or completion. Here it means “without sounding,” connecting this condition to the main wish. その is an attributive demonstrative meaning “that” or “the mentioned.” It comes before the noun it modifies, as in その依頼, “that request.” The form itself does not mark number or grammatical gender. 依頼 is a noun meaning “request.” It can also refer to a request for someone to carry out a task. Here it is the request that the speaker wants the other person to remember. The related verb 依頼する means “to request” or “to commission,” but the observed form 依頼 is a noun, not that verb form. 相手 means “the other person” or “the other party,” viewed in relation to the speaker. Here it refers to the person represented by “them” in the fixed translation. The particle に after it marks the person associated with the action in Vてもらう; it is not part of the noun’s meaning. 思い出してもらいたいです is built from 思い出す, “to remember,” plus its -て form 思い出して and もらいたいです. The pattern 人に Vてもらいたい expresses wanting a person to do V, with もらう presenting that action as something the speaker wants to receive as a favor or benefit. たい expresses desire, and です makes the statement polite. Thus this form expresses the speaker’s wish, not a claim that the person has already remembered the request. Example: 担当者に確認してもらいたいです。 means “I want the person in charge to check it.” As a whole, せかしているように聞こえずに sets the manner: the speaker wants the message not to sound as though they are pressuring the recipient. その依頼を相手に思い出してもらいたいです states the goal: the speaker wants the other party to remember the request. Together, the utterance means, “I want to remind them about the request without sounding impatient.”

4. フォローアップの連絡だと伝える、もう少しやわらかい書き出しを試してみてください。

   Try a softer opening that says you are following up.

   フォローアップ

   follow-up

   連絡

   contact; message

   だと伝える

   say that it is …

   もう少し

   a little more

   やわらかい

   soft; gentle

   書き出し

   opening

   試してみてください

   please try

   More detail

   フォローアップ is a loanword meaning “follow-up.” In フォローアップの連絡, の links one noun to another: the message is a follow-up message. 連絡 is a noun for contact or a message used to communicate. For example, 確認の連絡 means “a message to confirm.” だと伝える is a reusable pattern meaning “to convey that it is …” or “to say that …”. Here, だ is the plain copula inside the content being conveyed, and と marks that content; 伝える means “convey” or “tell.” The phrase therefore presents the opening as conveying that the contact is a follow-up. だ is not the polite ending of the whole request; the politeness appears later in ください. もう少し means “a little more” or “somewhat more.” It adjusts the degree of the following description. やわらかい is an i-adjective meaning “soft” here in a communication-style sense: gentle and less forceful. Its base form is やわらかい; the form before the noun 書き出し stays やわらかい. For example, もう少し短い文 means “a slightly shorter sentence.” 書き出し is a noun meaning the opening or opening wording of a written message. It is formed from 書く (“write”) and 出す (“put out”), but it functions here as one established noun. In やわらかい書き出し, the adjective describes the kind of opening being tried. 試してみてください asks someone politely to try something. 試す means “try”; 試して is its て-form, and みる after a て-form adds the idea of trying an action to see how it works. In this construction, みる is an auxiliary rather than the ordinary verb “see.” ください makes the request polite. A reusable pattern is 動詞て-form + みてください, as in 読んでみてください—“please try reading it.” Together, フォローアップの連絡だと伝える identifies the message as a follow-up, もう少しやわらかい書き出し describes a somewhat gentler opening, and を試してみてください requests that the learner try it. The full meaning is: “Please try a slightly softer opening that conveys that it is a follow-up message.”

5. そのほうがよさそうです。私の依頼は十分わかりやすいですか。

   That sounds better. Is my request clear enough?

   そのほうが

   that option / that way

   よさそうです

   seems good

   私の

   my

   依頼

   request

   十分

   enough / sufficiently

   わかりやすい

   clear / easy to understand

   ですか

   is it? / is ...?

   More detail

   そのほうが presents one option or way as preferable in a comparison. その indicates the option or way referred to by the situation, ほう means “option” or “way,” and が marks this option as the one being compared. A useful pattern is Aほうがいい, meaning “A is better” or “A is preferable.” よさそうです means “seems good.” The adjective is よい (also commonly いい), and its form before そう is よさ-: よい → よさそう. Here そう expresses an appearance or judgment based on how something seems, while です adds polite style. For example, この方法はよさそうです。 means “This method seems good.” Together with そのほうが, the phrase means “That seems better.” 私の means “my.” 私 is the first-person pronoun, and の links it to the following noun in a relationship such as possession or association. In this sentence, 私の依頼 means “my request.” 依頼 means “request.” It is a noun for something one asks another person or organization to do. Here it is the thing whose clarity is being assessed. 十分 means “sufficiently” or “enough” here. It modifies the following description, so 十分わかりやすい means “clear enough” or “sufficiently easy to understand.” It does not by itself state a numeric amount. わかりやすい means “easy to understand” or “clear.” It combines わかる (“understand”) with -やすい, a pattern used to say that something is easy to do or experience: 読みやすい means “easy to read.” Here わかりやすい describes 私の依頼; it does not mean that the request itself understands something. It is an i-adjective, and です can follow it for polite style. ですか makes the preceding polite statement a question. With an i-adjective, the adjective supplies the predicate, as in わかりやすいです, and か marks the utterance as a question. Thus わかりやすいですか asks whether something is clear or easy to understand. Together, そのほうがよさそうです。 means “That sounds better.” Then 私の依頼は十分わかりやすいですか。 uses は to set “my request” as the topic and asks whether it is sufficiently clear: “Is my request clear enough?”

6. 同じ段落で、次の手順を説明してください。

   Explain the next step in the same paragraph.

   同じ

   same

   段落

   paragraph

   次の

   next

   手順

   step; procedure

   説明してください

   please explain

   More detail

   同じ means “same” here and modifies 段落, giving “the same paragraph.” It is used directly before a noun in this pattern; unlike a typical な-adjective, it does not take な here. Example: 同じ本 means “the same book.” 段落 means “paragraph.” The pattern 同じ段落 is therefore “the same paragraph.” The particle で follows it: 同じ段落で means “in the same paragraph,” marking the place or setting associated with the explaining. This で is not part of the noun itself. 次の means “next” before a noun. 次 can also be used as a noun meaning “next” or “the next one,” while 次の links it directly to a following noun. Example: 次のページ means “the next page.” 手順 means “step” or “procedure.” In this sentence, it refers to the next step in an ordered procedure. The noun is followed by を, which marks it as the object of the verb. 説明してください means “please explain.” It is formed from 説明する, “to explain,” plus てください, a polite request pattern. The request is directed to the listener, but Japanese does not require an explicit subject here. 説明してください asks the listener to perform the explaining. Together, 同じ段落で sets the location, 次の手順を identifies what should be explained, and 説明してください makes a polite request. The whole utterance means: “Explain the next step in the same paragraph.”

7. 最後のほうに、追加の背景情報も入れました。

   I also added extra context near the end.

   最後のほうに

   near the end

   追加の

   additional; extra

   背景情報

   background information; context

   も

   also

   入れました

   added; put in

   More detail

   最後のほうに means “near the end.” 最後 is “the end” or “the last part,” and ほう presents it as a general area or part rather than a precise point. The particle に marks the location or point where something is included. A reusable pattern is [place or time]に入れる for putting or including something at a place or point. Here, the phrase refers to the end area of the material, consistent with the translation. 追加の modifies the following noun and means “additional” or “extra.” The form 追加 is a noun meaning “addition” or “additional material,” and の links it to another noun: 追加の情報 means “additional information.” 背景情報 means “background information” or “context.” It is a compound noun: 背景 is “background,” and 情報 is “information.” In this sentence it refers to contextual material that was included, not necessarily to a physical background. も means “also” or “too.” It marks 追加の背景情報 as an additional thing included, alongside other material already understood from the context. Its scope is the noun phrase immediately before it here: “extra context also.” 入れました is the polite past form of 入れる, “to put in” or “to include.” The ending ました makes the action polite and past; the subject is not stated in the utterance. In an editing or writing context, 入れる commonly means “include” or “add,” as it does here. Do not confuse it with 入る, “to enter” or “to be included”: 入れる describes someone putting something in, while 入る describes something entering or being included. Example: 説明を入れました。 — “I added an explanation.” Together, 最後のほうに sets the location, 追加の背景情報 identifies the material, も adds it to previously included material, and 入れました states politely that the speaker added it in the past. The complete meaning is: “I also added extra context near the end.”

8. 背景情報は役に立ちます。送る前に、宛先リストを確認してください。

   The context is helpful. Check the recipient list before you send it.

   背景情報

   context information

   役に立ちます

   is helpful

   送る

   send

   前に

   before

   宛先リスト

   recipient list

   確認してください

   please check

   More detail

   背景情報 means “context information” here. It is a noun compound: 背景 is “background” and 情報 is “information,” so it can be reused for background/context information in other settings. The previous sentence also uses this same compound in 追加の背景情報 (“additional context”), confirming this intended sense. 役に立ちます is the polite nonpast form of 役に立つ, “to be useful” or “to help.” The form 立ちます is not the ordinary verb “stand” in this expression; together with 役に, the construction means that something is useful. For example, この地図は役に立ちます。 means “This map is useful.” 送る is the plain, nonpast form of 送る, “to send.” In 送る前に, this plain form comes before 前に to form a time expression meaning “before sending.” The object of sending is not stated in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation supplies “it” as the intended context-supported object. The same pattern is reusable: 出かける前に means “before going out.” 前に means “before” in this time pattern. 前 is “front” or “before,” and に marks the relevant time point. Here it attaches to the preceding verb phrase, 送る, rather than expressing a physical location. 宛先リスト is the noun phrase “recipient list.” 宛先 means the destination or addressee, especially the address or recipient for a message, and リスト means “list.” The compound is therefore a list of intended recipients. For example, 宛先を確認する means “check the recipient/address.” 確認してください is a polite request meaning “please check” or “please confirm.” It consists of 確認する, “to check/confirm,” in its て-form 確認して, plus ください. This pattern, verb-てください, asks someone to do an action politely; for example, 読んでください。 means “Please read it.” Together, 背景情報は役に立ちます。 makes 背景情報 the topic with は and says that it is useful: “The context is helpful.” The second sentence places 送る before 前に, giving “before you send it,” then identifies the object to be checked as 宛先リスト and ends with the polite request 確認してください: “Check the recipient list before you send it.”

9. それは見落としやすいですね。誤って別の人が宛先に含まれていました。

   That was easy to miss. The wrong person was included by mistake.

   それは

   that / it

   見落としやすい

   easy to overlook

   ですね

   isn't it? / right?

   誤って

   by mistake

   別の人

   another person

   宛先

   recipient / addressee

   含まれていました

   was included

   More detail

   それは consists of それ (“that/it”) and the topic marker は. それ points to something identifiable from the situation; here the fixed translation presents it as “that.” The pattern Xは sets X as the topic, without requiring X to be a person or a physical object. 見落としやすい means “easy to overlook.” Its base verb is 見落とす (“to overlook; fail to notice”). The -やすい pattern attaches to the verb’s stem, 見落とし, and describes something as easy to do: Vます-stem + やすい. For example, この字は見落としやすい。 means “This character is easy to overlook.” ですね combines polite です with the sentence-ending particle ね. Here it presents the observation gently and invites agreement, so “isn’t it?” or “right?” is natural; it need not be a request for new information. Thus それは見落としやすいですね is a polite shared observation that something is easy to miss. 誤って is the adverbial form of 誤る (“to make a mistake; to be wrong”). It means “mistakenly” and modifies the following event. For example, 誤って別のファイルを選びました。 means “I mistakenly selected another file.” 別の人 means “another/different person.” 別の modifies the noun 人; the noun itself is 人 (“person”). In this utterance, it identifies the person as the wrong one for the recipient entry, while the wording does not state who entered that person. 宛先 is a noun meaning the recipient or addressee, especially the destination field or recipient information for a message. A reusable example is 宛先を確認してください。 — “Please check the recipient.” 含まれていました means “was included.” Its lexical base is 含まれる (“be included; be contained”), not the nearby noun 宛先. The form is 含まれている in the polite past: 含まれる → 含まれている → 含まれていました. This presents the person as being in an included state in the past; it does not identify an agent who included them. The subject marker が shows that 別の人 is the included person, while 宛先に marks the recipient field or destination in which that inclusion existed. Together, それは見落としやすいですね says “That was easy to miss” as a polite observation. Then 誤って (“by mistake”) modifies 別の人が宛先に含まれていました (“another person was included in the recipient information”). The complete meaning is: “That was easy to miss. The wrong person was included by mistake.”

10. その人をリストから外してください。

    Remove that person from the list.

    その人

    that person

    リスト

    list

    外してください

    please remove

    More detail

    その人 means “that person” here. その is a demonstrative that identifies a person in relation to the context, and 人 means “person.” The form 人 does not itself specify the person’s gender or number. Example: その人は先生です。 — “That person is a teacher.” リスト is the loanword for “list.” It is a noun and can be used for many kinds of lists. Example: 名前をリストに入れます。 — “I put the name on the list.” 外してください is a polite request meaning “please remove” in this sentence. Its lexical base is 外す, “to remove” or “to exclude.” The form 外して is the connective form of 外す, and adding ください makes a polite request: 外して + ください. This construction asks the listener to carry out the action; it does not merely describe a removal. Example: この名前を外してください。 — “Please remove this name.” を marks その人 as the direct object of the removal. から marks the source or set from which something is removed, so リストから means “from the list.” Together, その人をリストから外してください means “Please remove that person from the list.”

11. そうすれば、メールを送信できる状態になります。

    Then the email is ready to send.

    そうすれば

    then; if you do that

    メール

    email

    送信

    sending; transmission

    できる

    can; be possible

    状態

    state; condition

    なります

    becomes

    More detail

    そうすれば links a condition or completed action to its result. Here, with the preceding instruction as context, it means “if you do that” or “then.” The reusable pattern そうすれば、… can introduce a result after an action or condition. メール means “email.” It is a noun; for example, メールを読む means “read an email.” In this sentence, メールを marks the email as the object associated with sending. 送信 is a noun-like form meaning “sending” or “transmission,” especially of messages or data. With する, 送信する means “send” or “transmit.” Here it combines with できる in 送信できる, meaning that sending is possible. できる means “can” or “be possible.” In 送信できる, it expresses the possibility of sending, rather than the simple action 送信する (“send”). A reusable pattern is Nできる, meaning that an action involving N is possible when the context supports that reading. 状態 means “state” or “condition.” The pattern 〜できる状態 means “a state in which 〜 is possible.” Thus, 送信できる状態 is “a state in which sending is possible.” なります is the polite nonpast form of なる, “become.” After a noun or noun-like phrase, 〜になります describes becoming or coming to be that state. The plain form is なる; なります is the polite form used here. Together, メールを送信できる状態になります says that the email comes to be in a state where it can be sent. Combined with そうすれば, the whole utterance means “Then the email is ready to send,” matching the fixed translation. The Japanese wording describes the resulting sendable state.