Choosing an Online Course by Priorities | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. オンライン講座を比べていますが、それぞれ違う学習スタイルに合いそうです。

   I'm comparing online courses, and they seem to fit different learning styles.

   オンライン講座

   online course

   比べています

   am comparing

   それぞれ

   each

   違う

   different

   学習スタイル

   learning style

   合いそうです

   seem to suit

   More detail

   オンライン講座 means “online course.” オンライン is a loanword meaning “online,” and 講座 means a course or lecture series. The compound can be reused with a number or type before 講座, such as 日本語講座 (“Japanese course”). 比べています means “am comparing” here. Its base form is 比べる (“to compare”); 比べています uses the ている form to present the comparison as an activity in progress. The polite ending is ます. Example: 二つの案を比べています。 — “I’m comparing two plans.” それぞれ means “each” or “each one.” It distributes the statement across the relevant items rather than treating them as one undifferentiated group. Example: それぞれ特徴があります。 — “Each one has its own characteristics.” 違う means “different” in 違う学習スタイル, where it modifies the following noun directly. Its base form is also 違う; the form does not change here to agree with the number or gender of 学習スタイル. 違う can also be used as a predicate meaning “differ” or, in another context, “be wrong,” but the meaning here is the descriptive one. 学習スタイル means “learning style.” It is a compound of 学習 (“learning” or “study”) and スタイル (“style”). In this sentence it is the thing that a course may suit, marked by に in the following construction. 合いそうです means “seems likely to suit.” Its base form is 合う, “to suit, fit, or match.” The stem 合い- combines with そうです to express an appearance or prediction based on available information: 合いそうです = “it looks as though it will suit.” This is different from 合っています, which more directly describes something as fitting or matching. Example: この方法はあなたに合いそうです。 — “This method seems likely to suit you.” Together, オンライン講座を比べています says that the speaker is currently comparing online courses. それぞれ distributes the later assessment over the courses, while 違う学習スタイルに identifies different learning styles as the things they may suit. The final 合いそうです presents that suitability as an impression or expectation, so the whole utterance means: “I’m comparing online courses, and they seem to fit different learning styles.”

2. あなたにとって一番大切なのは、フィードバック、柔軟さ、それとも会話の練習ですか。

   What matters most to you: feedback, flexibility, or speaking practice?

   あなたにとって

   for you

   一番

   most

   大切

   important

   フィードバック

   feedback

   柔軟さ

   flexibility

   それとも

   or

   会話

   conversation

   練習

   practice

   ですか

   is it?

   More detail

   あなたにとって sets the viewpoint: “for you” or “as far as you are concerned.” にとって is a useful pattern for expressing whose perspective or standards are being used, as in 私にとって大切です (“It is important to me”). あなた is a second-person pronoun meaning “you”; its level of directness and politeness depends on context, so it is best learned here as part of the fixed expression あなたにとって. 一番 means “the most” in a comparison. It commonly appears before an adjective or another descriptive expression: 一番高い (“the most expensive/highest”). Unlike もっと, which means “more,” 一番 identifies the top degree within the relevant comparison. 大切 means “important” or “valuable.” In this sentence it is a な-adjective used as a predicate: 大切です means “is important.” Its attributive form is 大切な, as in 大切な時間 (“important time”). The sentence uses the combination 一番大切 (“most important”), with 一番 modifying 大切. フィードバック is the loanword “feedback.” It is a noun, so it can be used directly as an item being compared or followed by particles and predicates. Example: フィードバックが必要です。— “Feedback is necessary.” This example is new and is not a claim about the speaker in the fixed sentence. 柔軟さ means “flexibility.” The ending -さ turns the quality expressed by an adjective into a noun: 柔軟な (“flexible”) becomes 柔軟さ (“flexibility”). Here it names one possible priority alongside the other nouns. 柔軟さ is not the adjective itself; the adjective is 柔軟な. それとも means “or” when presenting alternatives, especially in a question. It introduces the later alternative rather than simply connecting two statements. A reusable pattern is Aですか、それともBですか。— “Is it A, or B?” 会話 means “conversation.” It is a noun and can combine with another noun to specify a type or purpose, as in 会話の練習 (“conversation practice”). The particle の connects 会話 to the following noun; it is not included in the selected 会話 quote. 練習 means “practice” or “practising.” It is a noun that can also be used with する: 練習する (“to practise”). In 会話の練習, it refers to practice involving conversation; the phrase does not by itself specify a particular speaking method. ですか makes the ending a polite question. です is the polite copular form, and か marks the sentence as a question. The word です agrees with neither person nor number in the way an English verb does. Here it completes the predicate 一番大切なのは…ですか, asking which listed option is most important. The の after 大切 nominalizes the preceding description, and は marks that nominalized part as the topic: “As for what is most important…”. Together, あなたにとって一番大切なのは means “as for what matters most to you,” and the following items list the alternatives: フィードバック, 柔軟さ, or 会話の練習. The final ですか turns the whole choice into a polite question. Thus the complete utterance means: “What matters most to you: feedback, flexibility, or speaking practice?”

3. フィードバックは必要ですが、予定がよく変わります。

   I need feedback, but my schedule changes a lot.

   フィードバック

   feedback

   必要

   necessary; needed

   よく

   often; frequently

   変わります

   changes

   More detail

   フィードバック means “feedback” here. It is a loanword commonly used for comments or evaluations that help someone improve. Example: フィードバックをお願いします。—“Please give me feedback.” 必要 expresses that something is needed or necessary. The useful base form is 必要だ, with the polite form 必要です; before the contrastive ending in the sentence, it appears as 必要ですが. Example: 休憩が必要です。—“A break is necessary.” よく modifies the following verb 変わります here and means “often” or “frequently.” It is different from よく meaning “well” in contexts such as 日本語をよく話します (“I speak Japanese well/often”); the surrounding verb determines the relevant reading. 変わります is the polite nonpast form of 変わる, “to change.” The nonpast form can describe a habitual or generally occurring change, so it does not by itself mean that one single change is happening right now. Example: 天気がよく変わります。—“The weather changes frequently.” In the first clause, フィードバックは marks “feedback” as the topic, and 必要ですが says that it is needed, with ですが linking to a contrasting clause. 予定 means “schedule,” and 予定がよく変わります says that the schedule changes frequently; が marks it as the changing subject. Together, the utterance means: “I need feedback, but my schedule changes a lot.”

4. それなら、参加したいときだけ参加できるライブ授業のある、柔軟な講座が一番合いそうです。

   Then a flexible course with optional live sessions may fit best.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   参加したい

   want to participate

   ときだけ

   only when

   参加できる

   can participate

   ライブ授業

   live class

   ある

   there is; has

   柔軟な

   flexible

   講座

   course

   一番

   the most; best

   合いそうです

   seems suitable

   More detail

   それなら means “then” or “in that case.” それ refers to the situation just mentioned, and なら presents that situation as the condition for the following suggestion. It is a useful way to connect a conclusion to earlier information without adding a new participant or event. 参加したい is built from 参加する (“to participate”) plus たい, which expresses the speaker’s or another person’s desire to do something. Here 参加したい modifies とき: “times when [someone] wants to participate.” The たい form behaves like an adjective in this use; its negative counterpart is 参加したくない (“does not want to participate”). Example: 映画を見たいです。 — “I want to watch a film.” ときだけ means “only when.” とき is the noun “time” or “occasion,” and だけ limits the condition. Thus, 参加したいときだけ means “only when [the learner] wants to participate,” not that participation happens a stated number of times. Example: 必要なときだけ使います。 — “I use it only when necessary.” 参加できる means “can participate.” It is the potential form of 参加する: 参加する → 参加できる. This expresses ability or possibility, while 参加したい expresses desire; the two forms therefore give different information. In this sentence, 参加したいときだけ参加できる describes the participation condition of the live classes. ライブ授業 is a compound noun meaning “live class.” ライブ specifies the live format, while 授業 means a class or lesson. As a compound, it can be used as a noun: ライブ授業があります。 — “There is a live class.” ある means “there is” here and is the form used for an existing nonliving thing such as a class or course. In 参加したいときだけ参加できるライブ授業のある講座, the relative clause 参加したいときだけ参加できる modifies ライブ授業, and ライブ授業のある then describes a course that has such live classes. Japanese commonly places a modifying clause before the noun it describes. 柔軟な means “flexible.” 柔軟 is a な-adjective, so な appears before the noun 講座: 柔軟な講座 (“a flexible course”). A な-adjective uses な in this attributive position, unlike an い-adjective such as 高い, which directly precedes a noun. 講座 means “course.” It often refers to an organized course or program, rather than one individual class. Here it is the course that contains the live classes, not the live class itself. 一番 means “the most” or, in this recommendation, “best.” It marks the highest degree among the relevant options. Example: この方法が一番簡単です。 — “This method is the easiest.” 合いそうです means “seems suitable” or “seems to fit.” The base verb is 合う (“to suit” or “to fit”), and its stem 合い combines with そうです to indicate an appearance or prediction based on the available information: 合う → 合いそうです. This is different from 合っています, which says that something fits or is suitable as an asserted fact. Example: この靴は私に合いそうです。 — “These shoes seem to suit me.” Together, それなら links the recommendation to the changing schedule mentioned earlier. 参加したいときだけ参加できる identifies live classes that can be attended only when participation is wanted. ライブ授業のある attaches those classes to 講座, and 柔軟な講座 describes the course as flexible. Finally, 一番合いそうです says that this course appears to be the best fit. The whole utterance means: “Then a flexible course with optional live sessions may fit best.”

5. ある講座は評価がとても高いですが、会話の練習はほとんどありません。

   One course has strong reviews, but it has very little speaking practice.

   ある

   a certain; one

   講座

   course

   評価

   reviews; evaluation

   とても高い

   very high

   ですが

   but

   会話

   conversation; speaking

   練習

   practice

   ほとんどありません

   very little; almost none

   More detail

   ある appears before 講座 and means “a certain” or “one particular” here. It does not by itself state a numeric count; it identifies an unspecified course. In other contexts, ある can also be the plain form meaning “exist” for an inanimate thing. 講座 means a course or organized class. A useful related distinction is 授業, which more often means a lesson or class session, while 講座 can refer to the course as a broader offering. Example: 日本語の講座を受けます。 — “I take a Japanese course.” 評価 means an evaluation or the reviews/reputation given to something. In this sentence, 評価が marks the evaluation as the subject of the description. 高い is the adjective “high”; with 評価, it describes the evaluation as favorable or strong, not physically high. Its basic contrast is 低い “low.” Example: この店は評価が高いです。 — “This shop has good reviews.” とても高い combines とても “very” with 高い “high.” The adjective remains 高い; とても only increases its degree. The polite present form is 高いです, as in the supplied sentence’s larger clause. ですが connects the first statement to a contrast, meaning “but” here. It is a polite connective form of です; it does not change the meaning of the preceding noun phrase by itself. Example: 便利ですが、高いです。 — “It is convenient, but it is expensive.” 会話 means conversation or speaking interaction. In the supplied sentence, it is part of the noun phrase 会話の練習, so it specifies what kind of practice is involved. の links one noun to another: 会話の練習 is “conversation practice,” literally practice related to conversation. Example: 会話の練習をします。 — “I practice conversation.” 練習 means practice or training. Here it is the thing whose availability is being discussed. The pattern Xの練習 is reusable for “practice in X,” for example 発音の練習 — “pronunciation practice.” ほとんどありません means “there is very little” or “there is almost none” in this context. ほとんど means “almost” or “nearly,” and with the negative polite form ありません it gives the meaning “almost none.” ありません is the polite negative of あります, the inanimate existence/availability form. Thus, 会話の練習はほとんどありません says that conversation practice is scarcely available; it does not say that conversation itself does not exist. Together, ある講座は sets up one particular course as the topic. 評価がとても高い says that its evaluation or reviews are very strong. ですが introduces a contrast, and 会話の練習はほとんどありません says that conversation practice is very limited. The whole utterance therefore means: “One course has strong reviews, but it has very little speaking practice.”

6. 会話が目標なら、その違いは大切です。

   If speaking is your goal, that gap matters.

   会話

   speaking; conversation

   目標

   goal

   なら

   if

   その

   that

   違い

   difference; gap

   大切

   important

   More detail

   会話 means “conversation” or “speaking” here. It is a noun, so it can be used in patterns such as 会話の練習 (“conversation practice”). Example: 会話を練習します。 — “I practise conversation.” 目標 means “goal” or “aim.” In this sentence, it is the goal being discussed, not a person or an action. Example: 会話が目標です。 — “Conversation is the goal.” なら follows 会話が目標 and makes that clause a condition: “if conversation is the goal” or, naturally here, “if speaking is your goal.” A useful pattern is Nなら、... — “if N is the case / if N is what you mean.” The conditional applies to the whole preceding statement, not just to 目標 by itself. その is an attributive demonstrative meaning “that” or “the ... just identified.” It must come before a noun, as in その違い (“that difference”). Its grammatical form does not identify the exact referent on its own; here the translation and context support the intended difference between the courses’ amount of speaking practice. 違い means “difference” or “gap.” It is a noun and refers here to the difference relevant to the stated goal. A useful related form is 違う (“to differ; be different”), but 違い itself is the noun used in this sentence. Example: 二つの方法には違いがあります。 — “There is a difference between the two methods.” 大切 means “important” or “valuable.” In 大切です, it describes the difference as important. 大切 is a な-adjective: before a noun, use 大切な; at the end of a polite sentence, 大切です. Example: この練習は大切です。 — “This practice is important.” Together, 会話が目標なら sets the condition “if speaking/conversation is your goal.” その違い then identifies the relevant gap, and 大切です says that gap matters. The complete meaning is: “If speaking is your goal, that gap matters.”

7. もう一つの講座には、参加型の授業と先生のコメントがあります。

   The other course includes interactive classes and teacher comments.

   もう一つの

   another

   講座

   course

   参加型

   interactive

   授業

   class

   先生

   teacher

   コメント

   comment

   あります

   there is; there are

   More detail

   もう一つの modifies the noun that follows it: it identifies one other course, distinguishing it from a course already under discussion. 一つ is the general counter for one item, and もう一つ means “one more” or “another”; の connects this expression attributively to 講座. This does not by itself specify how many courses exist in total. 講座 means “course” or “course offering.” It is a noun and can be modified before it, as in もう一つの講座 (“the other course” here). Do not confuse it with 授業, which refers more specifically to a class or lesson. 参加型 describes something organized around participation. It is a compound using 参加 (“participation”) and 型 (“type” or “model”); here it modifies 授業, giving 参加型の授業, “interactive classes.” The の links this type description to the noun. Example: 参加型の活動 means “participatory activities.” 授業 means “class” or “lesson.” In this sentence it is part of the coordinated noun phrase 参加型の授業と先生のコメント: “interactive classes and teacher comments.” 先生 means “teacher” or “instructor.” In 先生のコメント, の marks the relation between the teacher and the comments: “teacher comments.” It does not necessarily state that the teacher personally wrote every comment; the exact relation is left at the general connection expressed by の. コメント is a noun meaning “comment” or “feedback.” Here it is modified by 先生の, so the relevant meaning is “teacher comments.” あります is the polite affirmative form of ある, used for the existence or presence of an inanimate thing. It follows the coordinated items and presents them as being included or available in the course. The polite plain-form counterpart is ある; for a person or another animate being, Japanese normally uses います instead. The structure is もう一つの講座には (“in the other course”), followed by 参加型の授業と先生のコメント (“interactive classes and teacher comments”), and then あります (“there are/it has”). に marks the course as the setting or location, while は makes that setting the topic. Together, the sentence means: “The other course includes interactive classes and teacher comments.”

8. 自分が本当に学びたい方法に合う講座を選んでください。

   Choose the one that matches how you actually want to learn.

   自分

   oneself; one’s own

   本当に

   really; actually

   学びたい

   want to learn

   方法

   way; method

   合う

   fit; match

   講座

   course

   選んでください

   please choose

   More detail

   自分が identifies the person who wants to learn. Here, with the fixed translation, 自分 refers to the addressee themself: “you yourself.” 自分 can be used for “oneself” or “one’s own,” while が marks it as the subject of the embedded clause. The form 自分が does not by itself identify a particular person without context. 本当に means “actually” or “really” here. It emphasizes that the learning preference is genuine, rather than merely assumed or superficial. 学びたい comes from 学ぶ (“to learn”) plus -たい, which expresses wanting to do something. Thus 学ぶ → 学びたい means “learn → want to learn.” The form is nonpast and plain in itself; politeness is supplied by the later request 選んでください. In this sentence, the fixed translation makes the intended desire the addressee’s: “you actually want to learn.” 方法 means “way” or “method.” In 学びたい方法, it is the way or method of learning that the person wants. The noun is modified by the preceding clause, so the pattern is [clause] + noun: 学びたい方法 = “the method [that you] want to learn by.” に合う is a useful pattern meaning “to fit” or “to match.” 合う is an intransitive verb, and the thing that something matches is marked with に: 方法に合う = “match the method.” For example, この靴は足に合います。 means “These shoes fit my feet.” 講座を means “the course” as the object being selected. 講座 is a course or organized class, and を marks the direct object of 選んでください. The source does not state a numeric count; the English “the one” identifies the intended course selection in the translation. 選んでください is a polite request formed from 選ぶ (“to choose, select”) with the connective form 選んで plus ください. The pattern V-てください asks someone politely to do V: 読んでください means “Please read.” Together, 自分が本当に学びたい方法に合う講座 means “the course that matches how you actually want to learn.” The relative clause 自分が本当に学びたい方法に合う modifies 講座, and 講座を選んでください asks the addressee to choose that course. The complete meaning is: “Choose the one that matches how you actually want to learn.”