Describing cough symptoms before calling a clinic | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 咳がよくなっていないので、クリニックに電話する必要があります。

   I need to call the clinic because my cough is not getting better.

   咳

   cough

   よくなっていない

   not getting better

   ので

   because / since

   クリニック

   clinic

   電話する

   to call

   必要があります

   need to / it is necessary

   More detail

   咳 means “cough” here. It is a noun, so it can be marked with が as the thing whose condition is described. Example: 咳が出ます。 — “I have a cough.” よくなっていない says that the cough has not become better or is not improving. The useful base expression is よくなる, “to get better”; よく is the form used before なる. なって is the connective form of なる, and いない expresses a continuing state that is not occurring: よくなっている means “be getting better / have improved,” while よくなっていない negates that. Example: 痛みがまだよくなっていません。 — “The pain still has not improved.” ので links a reason to a result: “because” or “since.” Here, the lack of improvement is the reason for the need to call. It follows the plain form よくなっていないので. Example: 雨なので、家にいます。 — “Because it is raining, I am staying home.” クリニック is the noun “clinic,” written as a loanword in Japanese. In this sentence it is marked by に, which identifies the destination or contact target of 電話する. 電話する means “to call” in this context. 電話 is “telephone/a phone call,” and する is the verb “to do”; together, this is the reusable expression “to make a phone call.” Its polite form is 電話します. Example: 病院に電話します。 — “I will call the hospital.” 必要があります expresses necessity: “need to” or “it is necessary.” The noun 必要 means “necessity” or “need,” and あります is the polite form of ある, “to exist,” so the construction literally presents a need as existing. In this sentence, the person who has the need is understood from the fixed translation as the speaker; Japanese does not state that subject overtly. Example: 予約する必要があります。 — “I need to make a reservation.” Together, 咳がよくなっていないので gives the reason, “because my cough is not getting better,” and クリニックに電話する必要があります gives the resulting necessity, “I need to call the clinic.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I need to call the clinic because my cough is not getting better.”

2. 何が変わったのか、そして何が一番心配なのかを伝えてください。

   Tell them what has changed and what worries you most.

   何が

   what (as the subject)

   変わった

   changed

   そして

   and

   一番

   most

   心配

   worry; concern

   伝えてください

   please tell

   More detail

   何が asks “what” as the subject: literally, “what [did something]…?” The same form appears again later with the same subject-question role. 何 means “what,” and が marks the subject. For example, 何が起きましたか。 means “What happened?” 変わった is the past form of 変わる (“to change”). In this sentence, the past form refers to a change that has occurred, so it is naturally translated as “has changed.” The useful chain is 変わる → 変わった (“change” → “changed/has changed”). For example, 状況が変わった。 means “The situation has changed.” そして connects the two requested pieces of information. Here it means “and,” linking the question about what changed with the question about what is most worrying. The repeated 何が again means “what” with が marking it as the subject. In 何が一番心配なのか, it asks which thing is the greatest source of concern, matching “what worries you most.” 一番 means “the most” or “the greatest” in a comparison. It commonly comes before an adjective or another descriptive expression: 一番大きい means “the biggest.” Here it modifies 心配, making the concern the greatest one. 心配 means “worry” or “concern.” In this sentence it functions as the predicate in 一番心配なのか, describing what is most concerning. 心配だ is the plain form; before のか, it appears as 心配なのか, where な connects this noun-like or na-adjectival predicate to の. のか turns the preceding content into an embedded question. Thus 何が変わったのか means “what has changed,” and 何が一番心配なのか means “what worries you most.” The final か marks the question, while の packages the question content so the entire expression can be the object of 伝えてください. 伝えてください is a polite request formed from 伝える (“to tell” or “to convey”) in its て-form, 伝えて, plus ください (“please”). The pattern verb-てください means “please do [the verb].” For example, 名前を伝えてください。 means “Please tell me your name.” The intended translation identifies the recipients as “them”; the Japanese sentence itself does not explicitly mark that recipient. Together, 何が変わったのか and 何が一番心配なのか are two embedded questions joined by そして and marked by を as the content to be conveyed. 伝えてください then requests that this information be told to them. The whole utterance therefore means: “Tell them what has changed and what worries you most.”

3. ひどくなっていて、熱っぽくて疲れています。

   It has gotten worse, and I feel feverish and tired.

   ひどくなっていて

   has gotten worse

   熱っぽくて

   feverish and

   疲れています

   am tired

   More detail

   ひどくなっていて comes from ひどくなる, “to become worse.” The form ひどく is the adverbial form of ひどい, and なっていて connects the worsening to the next description while presenting it as a current situation. A useful pattern is 〜くなる for “become more 〜” with an adjective: 痛くなる means “become painful.” 熱っぽくて comes from 熱っぽい, “feverish” or “having a feverish feeling.” The ending 〜くて is the connecting form of this adjective, so it links this description to 疲れています. It is not the same as simply asserting a specific temperature. For example, 今日は少し熱っぽいです。 means “I feel a little feverish today.” 疲れています uses the verb 疲れる, “to become tired” or “to get tired.” 疲れて is its て-form, and います makes the result a current state: “am tired” or “am feeling tired.” The polite ending ます makes the statement suitable for a respectful conversation. For example, 仕事のあと、疲れています。 means “I am tired after work.” Together, ひどくなっていて、熱っぽくて疲れています。 links three current descriptions: the condition has gotten worse, the speaker feels feverish, and the speaker is tired. The fixed translation naturally renders these as “It has gotten worse, and I feel feverish and tired.”

4. いつ始まったのか、何か楽になったかどうかを伝えてください。

   Mention when it started and whether anything has helped.

   いつ始まったのか

   when it started

   何か

   anything

   楽になった

   became easier

   かどうか

   whether

   伝えてください

   please tell me

   More detail

   いつ始まったのか means “when it started.” いつ asks about time. 始まった is the past form of the intransitive verb 始まる (“to start”): the event itself starts, rather than someone starting it. The ending のか turns the question into an embedded question, so it can be the information that someone is asked to tell. 何か means “anything” in this question. 何 means “what,” and the following か makes an indefinite expression such as “something” or, in a question about whether a result occurred, “anything.” 楽になった means “became easier” or, in this context, “became more relieved.” 楽 is a na-adjective meaning “comfortable,” “easy,” or “relieved”; に gives the state that results, and なった is the past form of なる (“become”). The pattern 楽になる is useful for describing symptoms or a situation becoming less difficult. Example: 少し楽になりました。 — “I feel a little better.” かどうか means “whether or not.” It follows the clause whose truth is being checked: 何か楽になったかどうか asks whether anything became easier or brought relief. Unlike the time question marked by のか, this pattern explicitly presents an either/or question. 伝えてください is a polite request meaning “please tell [me]” or “please let [someone] know.” 伝えて is the connective/request form of 伝える (“to tell” or “to convey”), and ください makes the request polite. Example: 結果を伝えてください。 — “Please tell me the result.” The recipient is understood from the situation and is not stated in this utterance. Together, the first embedded question, いつ始まったのか, supplies the starting time, and the second, 何か楽になったかどうか, supplies information about whether anything brought relief. Both are marked as the information to be conveyed by 伝えてください, giving: “Mention when it started and whether anything has helped.”

5. 今夜さらに悪くなったらどうすればいいのかも知っておく必要があります。

   I also need to know what to do if it gets worse tonight.

   今夜

   tonight

   さらに

   even further

   悪くなったら

   if it gets worse

   どうすればいいのか

   what to do

   知っておく

   know in advance

   必要があります

   need

   More detail

   今夜 means “tonight,” the time when the condition may occur. It is a time expression and can be placed before the rest of the clause, as here. Example: 今夜行きます。 — “I’ll go tonight.” さらに adds the idea of going beyond the current degree: “further” or “even more.” It modifies the worsening described next. Example: さらに大きくなりました。 — “It became even bigger.” 悪くなったら means “if it gets worse.” The useful base pattern is 悪くなる (“become bad/worse”): 悪い is the adjective “bad,” and 悪く is its form before なる. なった is the past form of なる; with ら, なったら forms a conditional, “if/when it becomes.” Thus 悪くなったら does not simply mean “was bad”; it describes a change into a worse condition and sets it as a condition. Example: 痛みが強くなったら、知らせてください。 — “If the pain gets stronger, please let me know.” どうすればいいのか asks what action is appropriate: “what to do” or “what one should do.” It is built from どうする (“do what/how to act”), the conditional form すれば, and いい (“good/okay”), with のか marking the embedded question. The pattern どうすればいいですか。 is a direct question meaning “What should I do?” In the supplied sentence, どうすればいいのか is embedded inside the larger expression “know what to do,” rather than being a separate direct question. 知っておく combines 知る (“know”) with 〜ておく. The 〜ておく pattern presents an action as being done beforehand or in preparation for a later situation; with 知る, 知っておく means “know in advance” or “make sure to know.” Example: 住所を知っておきます。 — “I’ll make sure to know the address beforehand.” 必要があります literally uses 必要 (“necessary/needed”) plus ある (“exist/be present”), in polite form. In this construction, 必要があります means “need” or “it is necessary.” The relevant thing needed is expressed before it: どうすればいいのかも知っておく必要があります means that knowing what to do is necessary. あります is the polite form of ある; it is not the main action of “knowing.” Together, 今夜さらに悪くなったら sets the condition “if it gets even worse tonight.” どうすればいいのか identifies the information sought—“what to do”—and 知っておく必要があります says that this should be known in advance. も adds “also” to this need. The whole utterance therefore means: “I also need to know what to do if it gets worse tonight.” The Japanese subject is not stated explicitly; the fixed translation supplies “I” as the speaker’s perspective.

6. 早く助けが必要になったら、どこへ行けばよいか聞いてください。

   Ask where you should go if you need help quickly.

   早く

   quickly

   助け

   help

   必要になったら

   if you come to need

   どこへ

   where to

   行けばよいか

   should go

   聞いてください

   please ask

   More detail

   早く is an adverb meaning “quickly” here. It adds urgency to the situation described by 助けが必要になったら: if help becomes necessary quickly or soon. Example: 早く来てください。 — Please come quickly. 助け is a noun meaning “help” or “assistance.” In 助けが必要, it is the thing that is necessary: “help is necessary.” 助け can also mean aid or rescue in other contexts, but the fixed translation supports “help” here. Example: 助けが必要です。 — Help is needed. 必要になったら is built from 必要になる, “become necessary” or “come to need,” plus the -たら conditional. The form なった is the past-shaped form of なる used before ら; it does not necessarily place the condition in the past. Thus 必要になったら means “if/when it becomes necessary” or, in this sentence, “if you come to need [it].” Example: 助けが必要になったら、知らせてください。 — If you come to need help, please let me know. どこへ combines どこ, “where,” with へ, a particle marking direction toward a destination. It means “where to.” The particle へ points toward the destination rather than naming an object being acted on. 行けばよいか contains the base verb 行く, “go,” its conditional form 行けば, and よい, “good” or “appropriate,” followed by か, which marks an embedded question. The phrase itself expresses “where one should go” only when combined with the preceding どこへ; together, どこへ行けばよいか means “where one should go” or “where it would be appropriate to go.” The addressee is understood as the person who should go, matching the fixed translation. Example: どこへ行けばよいですか。 — Where should I go? In the supplied sentence, the question is embedded inside 聞いてください, rather than asked directly. 聞いてください uses the base verb 聞く plus -てください, a polite request pattern meaning “please do ...” Here 聞く has the context-supported meaning “ask,” not “listen”: どこへ行けばよいか聞いてください means “please ask where you should go.” Example: 駅員に聞いてください。 — Please ask a station staff member. The conditional clause comes first: 早く助けが必要になったら means “if you quickly come to need help.” The embedded question どこへ行けばよいか identifies the information to ask for, and 聞いてください makes the whole utterance a polite request. Assembled, the sentence means: “Ask where you should go if you need help quickly.”

7. 電話する前に、要点を書き留めておきます。

   I will write the main points down before I call.

   電話する

   call; telephone

   前に

   before

   要点

   main points

   書き留めておきます

   will write down in advance

   More detail

   電話する means “to call” or “to telephone.” It is the verb 電話する in its dictionary form; 電話 is “telephone/call,” and する makes it a verb. Here, the form is used before 前に to identify the action that will happen later: “before I call.” Example: 電話します。— “I will call.” 前に means “before.” The pattern verb dictionary form + 前に places one action before another: 電話する前に means “before calling.” 前に can also follow a noun, as in 出発の前に—“before departure.” 要点 means “main points” or “key points.” It is a noun referring to the important parts of information, rather than every detail. In this sentence, it is the thing that will be written down. Example: 要点を確認します。— “I will check the main points.” 書き留めておきます means “will write down in advance.” 書き留める is the dictionary form meaning “to write down” or “to note.” Its て-form, 書き留めて, combines with おく. The pattern て-form + おく presents an action as preparation for a later situation; here, the speaker plans to note the key points before making the call. おきます is the polite nonpast form of おく, so the expression is polite and can describe a planned future action. This does not mean that おく alone means “in advance” in every use; that preparatory meaning comes from its combination with the preceding て-form. Example: 出発の前に予約しておきます。— “I will make a reservation in advance before departing.” Together, 電話する前に sets the time relationship: the writing happens first, and the call happens afterward. 要点を marks the main points as what is written down; を marks the direct object of 書き留める. 書き留めておきます says that the speaker will make this preparation. The whole utterance therefore means: “I will write the main points down before I call.”

8. そうすれば、二人にとって電話での話がもっと分かりやすくなるはずです。

   That should make the call clearer for both of you.

   分かりやすく

   clearly; in an easy-to-understand way

   More detail

   そうすれば means “if so” or “then.” Here, そう refers to the action or situation already under discussion, and すれば is the conditional form of する. The whole expression is a reusable way to introduce an expected result after a preceding action or condition. Example: そうすれば、時間を節約できます。— “If you do that, you can save time.” 二人 means “two people.” The fixed translation identifies these two people as both of you, so 二人にとって means “for both of you.” The reading ふたり (futari) is the established form for two people, rather than the ordinary generic counting pattern. Example: 二人で行きます。— “The two of us will go.” にとって marks the person or group whose viewpoint, benefit, or evaluation is relevant. The pattern Xにとって means “for X” or “from X’s point of view.” Here it presents the call’s clarity as a result relevant to the two people, not as a physical location. 電話 is a noun meaning “telephone” and, in this context, refers to a telephone call. The preceding context explicitly mentions 電話する (“to call”), and the fixed translation confirms the call-related reading. Example: 電話をします。— “I will make a phone call.” での combines で and の. In 電話での話, で marks the means or setting—“by telephone”—and の connects that description to the following noun. Thus 電話での話 means “a conversation over the phone.” This pattern can also describe other settings or means, as in オンラインでの会議—“an online meeting.” 話 is a noun meaning “talk,” “conversation,” or “what is said.” Here, in 電話での話, it refers to the conversation carried out by phone. In other contexts, 話 can also mean a topic or story, so its English rendering depends on the surrounding words. もっと is an adverb meaning “more” or “to a greater degree.” It increases the degree of the following description, so the conversation is expected to be clearer than before. Example: もっとゆっくり話してください。— “Please speak more slowly.” 分かりやすく is the adverbial form of the adjective 分かりやすい, meaning “easy to understand” or “clear.” 分かりやすい is a compound adjective built from the verb stem 分かり and the suffix -やすい, which expresses ease of doing something. The adjective’s final -い changes to -く before なる. The useful chain is 分かりやすい → 分かりやすくなる, “become easier to understand.” Example: この説明は分かりやすいです。— “This explanation is easy to understand.” なる means “become” or “come to be.” With an adjective in its adverbial form, the pattern adjective-くなる describes a change into that quality: 分かりやすくなる means “become clearer/easier to understand.” Example: 部屋が明るくなりました。— “The room became brighter.” はずです expresses an expectation or conclusion that the speaker considers well-founded. Here, “should” means “is expected to,” not a command. The polite ending です gives the statement a polite form. Compared with a simple prediction, …はずです emphasizes the expected result without making an absolute guarantee. Taken together, そうすれば sets up the preceding condition or action, 二人にとって identifies the people for whom the result matters, and 電話での話 names the phone conversation. もっと分かりやすくなる means “become clearer,” and はずです marks that outcome as expected. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should make the call clearer for both of you.”