Asking a pharmacist about medicine safely | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. この薬のラベルを理解できているか、自信がありません。

   I am not sure I understand this medicine label.

   この

   this

   薬

   medicine

   ラベル

   label

   理解できているか

   whether I understand

   自信がありません

   I am not sure

   More detail

   この means “this” when it appears before a noun. It is an attributive demonstrative: この + noun, as in この薬 (“this medicine”). Its form does not change for the noun’s number or gender. 薬 means “medicine” here. In この薬のラベル, の links 薬 to ラベル, so the phrase means “the label of this medicine” or, naturally, “this medicine’s label.” The following context also concerns taking medicine, which supports this reading. ラベル is the noun “label.” Japanese commonly uses this loanword for a label or written identifying information. Together with the preceding modifier, 薬のラベル means “medicine label.” 理解できているか asks whether the speaker is in a state of being able to understand something. The underlying verb is 理解する (“to understand”); できる expresses ability, and 理解できる means “can understand.” The form 理解できている presents that ability or successful understanding as an existing state. The final か turns the clause into an embedded yes-or-no question: 理解できているか = “whether I understand” or “whether I am able to understand.” Japanese omits the subject here; the fixed translation identifies it as “I.” 自信がありません literally describes not having confidence, and in this sentence it naturally means “I am not sure.” 自信 is the noun “confidence,” while ありません is the polite negative form of ある (“to exist” or “to have” in this pattern). The construction 自信がある／ありません expresses having／not having confidence. It is not the same as directly saying that the label is false or incomprehensible; it reports the speaker’s uncertainty about their own understanding. The whole sentence is structured as ［理解できているか］、［自信がありません］: “I do not have confidence about whether I understand [this medicine’s label].” A natural English rendering is “I am not sure I understand this medicine label.”

2. 次の薬を飲む前に、薬剤師に電話してください。

   Call the pharmacist before you take the next dose.

   次の

   next

   薬

   medicine; dose

   飲む

   take; drink

   前に

   before

   薬剤師

   pharmacist

   電話してください

   please call

   More detail

   次の means “next” here. 次 is the noun “next/coming one,” and の links it to the noun that follows: 次の薬 = “the next medicine/dose.” In this sentence, the fixed translation makes “next dose” the intended meaning; the Japanese wording itself uses 薬, whose basic meaning is “medicine.” 薬 means “medicine” here and refers to the dose to be taken. The same word can refer to medicine more generally, so the exact “dose” reading comes from this instruction to take the next one, together with the fixed translation. 飲む is the dictionary form meaning “to drink” or, with medicine, “to take.” Japanese commonly uses this verb for swallowing medicine. The form itself is non-past and plain; after 薬を, it expresses the action “take the medicine.” Example: 薬を飲みます。 — “I take the medicine.” 前に means “before.” 前 is “front” or “before,” and に marks the time point or occasion. The pattern ［clause］前に means “before [doing something / something happens].” Here, 飲む前に means “before taking it.” Example: 寝る前に薬を飲みます。 — “I take medicine before going to bed.” 薬剤師 means “pharmacist.” It is a noun for the professional being contacted; に after it marks the person who is the target of the call: 薬剤師に電話する = “call the pharmacist.” 電話してください means “please call.” 電話する is the verb “to telephone/call,” formed with the noun 電話 (“telephone/phone call”) and する (“do”). In the observed form, 電話して is the て-form followed by ください, a polite request pattern: ［て-form］ください = “please do ….” This is a request, not a statement that the call has already happened. Example: 明日、電話してください。 — “Please call tomorrow.” Together, 次の薬を飲む前に sets the time condition, “before taking the next dose,” and 薬剤師に電話してください gives the polite request, “please call the pharmacist.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Call the pharmacist before you take the next dose.”

3. 特定の食べ物を避けるべきかどうかも、聞きたいです。

   I also want to ask whether I should avoid certain foods.

   特定の

   certain; specific

   食べ物

   food(s)

   避けるべき

   should avoid

   かどうか

   whether

   も

   also; as well

   聞きたい

   want to ask

   More detail

   特定の means “specific” or “certain.” It modifies the noun that follows, so 特定の食べ物 means “certain foods” here. 特定 is a noun-like word that can describe something as specifically identified; の links it to the following noun. 食べ物 means “food” or “foods.” It is a noun formed from 食べる (“to eat”) and 物 (“thing”), but it is used as an ordinary noun meaning something edible. Example: 食べ物を選びます。 — “I choose food.” 避けるべき expresses “should avoid” here. 避ける means “to avoid,” and べき follows the plain form of a verb to express what is advisable or expected: 避けるべき = “should avoid” or “ought to avoid.” The form before べき is the verb’s plain form; it is not an inflection of 食べ物. Example: 夜は運転を避けるべきです。 — “You should avoid driving at night.” かどうか turns the preceding content into a yes-or-no question meaning “whether.” The pattern ～かどうか can be used when the answer is essentially “yes or no”: 薬を飲むべきかどうか means “whether one should take the medicine.” Here, 避けるべきかどうか means “whether [I] should avoid [them].” も adds the meaning “also” or “as well.” In this sentence it marks this question as an additional thing the speaker wants to ask. Its exact scope comes from the surrounding sentence: it is not part of the meaning of かどうか itself. 聞きたい means “want to ask” in this context. 聞く can have several uses, including “ask” and “listen/hear”; with the question content marked by かどうか, the relevant meaning here is “ask.” ～たい attaches to the verb stem to express the speaker’s desire: 聞く → 聞きたい. The final です makes the statement polite. Example: 先生に聞きたいです。 — “I want to ask the teacher.” Putting the parts together, 特定の食べ物を避けるべきかどうか means “whether I should avoid certain foods,” with を marking 特定の食べ物 as what is avoided. Adding も makes this an additional question, and 聞きたいです says “I want to ask.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I also want to ask whether I should avoid certain foods.”

4. 特にラベルに食事について書かれているなら、それも確認したほうがいいです。

   That is worth checking, especially if the label mentions meals.

   特に

   especially

   ラベル

   label

   食事

   meals; food

   について

   about; concerning

   書かれている

   is written; mentions

   なら

   if

   それも

   that too

   確認したほうがいいです

   it is worth checking

   More detail

   特に means “especially” and highlights the condition that follows. It is a useful adverb for singling out one particularly relevant case without changing the basic meaning of the sentence. ラベル is the loanword “label.” In this sentence, ラベルに marks the label as the place or surface where the information is written. The particle に can mark such a location. 食事 means “meals” or “food” here. It is a noun; 食事について means “about meals” or “concerning food.” The pattern Xについて introduces the topic being discussed, written about, or explained. For example, 薬について説明します means “I will explain about the medicine.” 書かれている is the passive/resultative form related to 書く (“to write”). Here it describes information that is written on the label, so “is written” or, naturally in this context, “mentions.” The form does not mean that the label itself actively writes; it presents the written content as existing there. The -ている form shows the resulting state: the information is currently written there. なら makes the preceding situation a condition: “if” or “if it is the case that.” Thus 食事について書かれているなら means “if it mentions meals” or “if information about meals is written there.” The conditional applies to the whole preceding clause, not just to 食事. それも means “that too” or “that as well.” それ is a demonstrative pronoun, and も adds the meaning “also.” Its specific referent is not uniquely identified by the supplied sentences, so this sentence supports only the meaning “that item or information also.” 確認したほうがいいです is a recommendation pattern literally based on “it is better to check.” 確認する means “to check” or “to confirm,” and した is its past-shaped form inside the pattern V-たほうがいい, which commonly recommends doing something: 確認したほうがいいです = “you should check” or “it is worth checking.” This is advice, not a statement that the checking has already happened. Putting the parts together: 特に (“especially”) focuses attention on ラベルに食事について書かれているなら (“if the label mentions meals”). The recommendation is それも確認したほうがいいです (“that is worth checking too”). The whole utterance therefore means: “That is worth checking, especially if the label mentions meals.”

5. それを飲んだ後、軽い頭痛がありました。

   I had a mild headache after taking it.

   それを

   it

   飲んだ

   drank; took

   後

   after; afterward

   軽い

   mild; light

   頭痛

   headache

   ありました

   was; existed

   More detail

   それを means “it” as the object of the action. それ is a demonstrative pronoun, and を marks the object. Here, the fixed translation supports the reading “it” without identifying more specifically what the item is. 飲んだ is the plain past form of 飲む, “to drink” or, with medicine, “to take.” In this utterance it means “took,” as in taking the item by mouth. The useful chain is 飲む (nonpast) → 飲んだ (plain past). The past form also links this action to the following time expression. 後 means “after” or “afterward.” In 飲んだ後, a past plain-form clause comes before 後: Vた後 means “after doing V.” Example: 食べた後に薬を飲みます。 — “I take medicine after eating.” 軽い is the i-adjective 軽い, meaning “light” or “mild” here. It describes the following noun, so 軽い頭痛 means “a mild headache.” Its adverbial form is 軽く, as in 軽く食べる (“eat lightly”); 軽い itself modifies a noun. 頭痛 is the noun “headache.” It is a compound of 頭 (“head”) and 痛 related to pain, but it is best learned as the fixed noun 頭痛. Example: 頭痛があります。 — “I have a headache.” ありました is the polite past form of ある, used for the existence or occurrence of something. With 頭痛が, it literally presents a headache as something that existed or occurred, which naturally translates as “I had a headache.” The chain is ある (nonpast plain) → ありました (polite past). が marks 頭痛 as what existed or occurred. Together, それを飲んだ後 means “after taking it,” and 軽い頭痛がありました means “there was a mild headache” or naturally “I had a mild headache.” The complete utterance therefore means “I had a mild headache after taking it.” The polite past ending ました makes the report polite; 飲んだ remains in the plain form because it appears inside the clause before 後.

6. では、そのことも伝えたほうがいいですね。

   So I should bring that up.

   では

   so / in that case

   そのこと

   that matter

   も

   also / too

   伝えたほうがいい

   should tell / should mention

   ですね

   right? / I suppose

   More detail

   では links this utterance to what was just discussed. Here it means “so” or “in that case,” introducing the speaker’s next decision. Example: では、始めましょう。 — “Then, let’s begin.” そのこと means “that matter” or “that point.” その is a demonstrative for something treated as identifiable from the situation; the phrase does not by itself specify a new noun. こと broadly refers to a matter, fact, or issue rather than a physical object. Example: そのことを説明してください。 — “Please explain that matter.” も adds the sense “also” or “too.” It marks そのこと as an additional thing to mention, alongside something else understood from the context. It is a particle attached to the phrase it marks. 伝えたほうがいい is the reusable pattern verb-past form + ほうがいい, meaning that doing the action is preferable or advisable. Here 伝える means “to tell” or “to convey,” and 伝えた is its past form, used inside this pattern—not simply a past-tense claim that the telling already happened. Thus, 伝えたほうがいい means “it would be better to tell/mention it” or “should tell/mention it.” Example: 早く伝えたほうがいい。 — “You should tell them soon.” The subject is omitted in Japanese; the fixed translation supplies the speaker’s “I.” ですね is the sentence-final combination です + ね. It presents the statement as something to confirm or share, giving the English effect “right?” or “I suppose,” rather than adding a separate action. In this utterance it softens the speaker’s conclusion that mentioning the matter is advisable. Example: 今日は休みですね。 — “It’s a day off, right?” Together, では sets up a consequence, そのことも means “that matter too,” and 伝えたほうがいいですね says that telling or mentioning it is the better course, with a soft request for agreement. The whole utterance therefore means: “So I should bring that up too.”

7. 副作用の可能性があるか、そしてどんな危険な兆候に注意すべきかを聞いてください。

   Ask whether it could be a side effect and what warning signs to watch for.

   副作用

   side effect

   可能性

   possibility

   あるか

   whether there is

   そして

   and

   どんな

   what kind of

   危険な

   dangerous

   兆候

   warning sign

   注意すべきか

   should watch for

   聞いてください

   please ask

   More detail

   副作用 means “side effect,” especially an unintended effect of a medicine or treatment. The phrase 副作用の可能性 means “the possibility of a side effect”; の links the noun being discussed to 可能性. 可能性 means “possibility” or “likelihood.” In 可能性がある, the pattern literally presents a possibility as existing, and in this sentence it asks whether a side effect is possible. Example: 雨の可能性がある。 — “There is a possibility of rain.” あるか uses ある (“exist” or “be present”) plus か to turn the clause into an embedded yes-or-no question: “whether there is” or, in this context, “whether it could be.” The か here is not the final question marker of a standalone question; it is inside the larger request. そして connects the two things being asked about: the possibility of a side effect and the warning signs to watch for. It is a fairly direct “and,” often useful for linking items or clauses. どんな asks “what kind of” or “what sort of.” It normally comes before a noun, as in どんな症状 (“what kind of symptoms”). Here it asks for the type or nature of the signs, not for a numeric amount. 危険な means “dangerous” or “concerning.” It is the form of the adjective 危険だ used before a noun; な connects this noun-like adjective to 兆候. For example, 危険な状態 means “a dangerous condition.” 兆候 means “sign,” “warning sign,” or “indication.” In this sentence it refers to signs that may indicate danger, without specifying any particular sign. It is a noun and can be modified by adjectives such as 危険な. 注意すべきか asks whether one should pay attention to or watch for something. 注意する means “pay attention” or “be careful,” and べき expresses what is advisable or what one ought to do. The か again makes this an embedded question: “which signs one should watch for” or “whether one should watch for them.” In the larger phrase, 危険な兆候に注意する means “watch for dangerous signs,” with に marking what attention is directed toward. 聞いてください is a polite request meaning “please ask.” 聞く is the base form, and ください after the verb’s request form makes the request polite: 聞いてください = “please ask.” Here the object of asking is the two-part embedded question that comes before it. Putting the parts together, 副作用の可能性があるか asks whether the problem could be a side effect, while どんな危険な兆候に注意すべきか asks what dangerous warning signs one should watch for. そして joins these two embedded questions, and the final 聞いてください requests that the listener ask both things: “Please ask whether it could be a side effect and what warning signs to watch for.”

8. 特に薬については、推測で判断するのは危険だと思います。

   Guessing feels risky, especially with medicine.

   特に

   especially

   薬

   medicine; medication

   については

   as for; regarding

   推測

   guess; inference

   判断する

   judge; decide

   危険だ

   be risky; be dangerous

   と思います

   I think; I believe

   More detail

   特に means “especially” and highlights one case within a broader set. Example: 特に冬は寒いです。 — “It is especially cold in winter.” 薬 is the noun “medicine” or “medication.” In this sentence it refers to medicine as the topic of concern, without specifying a particular drug. Example: 薬を飲みます。 — “I take medicine.” については marks a topic as “regarding” or “as for.” について means “about/regarding,” while は presents that topic and can add a contrastive “as for.” Here, 特に薬については means “especially regarding medicine.” 推測 is the noun “guess” or “inference.” The following で expresses the basis or manner: 推測で means “based on a guess” or “by guessing.” This does not say that the guess is correct; it identifies guesswork as the basis for the judgment. 判断する means “to judge,” “to assess,” or “to decide.” It is formed from the noun 判断 (“judgment” or “assessment”) and する (“do”), a common pattern for making a verb from a noun. In 推測で判断する, the action is “make a judgment based on guesswork.” のは turns the preceding action clause into a topic: 推測で判断するのは means “as for judging based on guesswork.” The の nominalizes the clause, and は marks that nominalized action as the topic. This is a useful pattern for evaluating an action: 早く決めるのは難しいです。 — “Deciding quickly is difficult.” 危険だ means “is dangerous” or, in this context, “is risky.” 危険だ is the predicate form of the na-adjective 危険な; use 危険な before a noun, as in 危険な方法 (“a dangerous method”), but 危険だ as a predicate. Here it evaluates the action of judging based on guesswork. と思います presents the statement as the speaker’s opinion or assessment. 思います is the polite non-past form of 思う (“think”), and と marks the preceding proposition as the content of that thought. Thus 危険だと思います means “I think it is risky,” expressing an assessment rather than an unqualified assertion. As a whole, 特に薬については sets medicine apart as the especially relevant topic. 推測で判断するのは makes “judging based on guesswork” the action being evaluated, and 危険だと思います gives the speaker’s assessment: “I think judging based on guesswork is risky, especially with medicine.”

9. 専門家なら、危険性をもっと分かりやすく説明できます。

   A professional can explain the risks more clearly.

   専門家

   professional; expert

   なら

   if ...; when ...

   危険性

   risk; danger

   もっと

   more

   分かりやすく

   clearly; in an easy-to-understand way

   説明できます

   can explain

   More detail

   専門家 means “professional” or “expert.” It is a noun. With なら, the phrase 専門家なら sets a condition: “if the person is a professional” or, in this sentence, “a professional can ….” なら follows a noun or another suitable form to present the condition or topic; it does not itself mean that the person definitely is a professional. 危険性 means “risk” or “danger,” specifically the possibility or quality of being dangerous. The final 性 is a useful noun-forming element meaning a property or tendency, as in 可能性 (“possibility”). Here, 危険性を marks risk as what is explained. The particle を marks the direct object. もっと means “more” or “to a greater degree.” It modifies the following manner expression, so the explanation is to be clearer than some understood comparison point. It does not by itself identify what that comparison point is. 分かりやすく is the adverbial form of 分かりやすい, “easy to understand.” The adjective changes from 分かりやすい to 分かりやすく when it describes how an action is performed. For example, 簡単な言葉で分かりやすく説明します。 means “I will explain it clearly in simple words.” 説明できます means “can explain.” 説明 is the noun “explanation” or the action “explaining,” and できる expresses ability or possibility; できます is its polite form. This is different from simply stating 説明します (“will explain” or “explain”), which does not specifically present the ability construction. In this sentence, 説明できます describes the professional’s ability, not a command or permission. Together, 専門家なら supplies the condition or identifying description of the person, 危険性を marks the risks as the object, もっと分かりやすく says that the explanation can be made more understandable, and 説明できます expresses ability. The whole utterance therefore means: “A professional can explain the risks more clearly.”

10. 電話をする前に、質問を書き出しておけます。

    I can write down the questions before calling.

    電話

    call; telephone

    前に

    before

    質問

    question(s)

    書き出して

    write down

    おけます

    can leave prepared

    More detail

    電話 means “telephone” or “call.” In 電話をする, it forms the reusable expression “to make a telephone call”; をする turns the noun into the action of calling. Example: 友だちに電話をする。 — “I call a friend.” 前に means “before.” Here it follows 電話をする, so 電話をする前に means “before calling.” With a verb, the plain nonpast form can come before 前に: 寝る前に本を読む。 — “I read a book before going to bed.” 質問 means “question.” Japanese does not mark plural on this noun, so it can mean “a question” or “questions” depending on the context; the fixed translation supports “the questions” here. Example: 質問があります。 — “I have a question.” 書き出して is the te-form of 書き出す, “to write out” or “to write down.” The compound combines 書く (“write”) with 出す (“put out”), giving the sense of putting words onto the page or listing them. The te-form links this action to the following part: 質問を書き出しておく means “write the questions down in advance and leave them prepared.” おけます is the polite form of the potential おける, from 置く (“put/place”), used here in the auxiliary construction Vておく. After 書き出して, おく indicates that the action is done beforehand for later use; its potential form おける adds “can.” Thus 書き出しておけます means “can write them down in advance” in this sentence. The polite nonpast ending ます makes the statement courteous and presents the ability or possibility as current. Example: 必要なことをメモしておけます。 — “I can make a note of the necessary things in advance.” Together, 電話をする前に sets the time as “before calling,” and 質問を書き出しておけます says that the questions can be written down and kept ready beforehand. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can write down the questions before calling.”

11. そうすれば、電話で話す内容を追いやすくなるはずです。

    That should make the call easier to follow.

    そうすれば

    if so; that way

    電話

    call; telephone

    話す

    talk; speak

    内容

    content

    追いやすくなる

    become easier to follow

    はずです

    should; be expected to

    More detail

    そうすれば means “if that is done” or “that way.” そう refers back to an understood situation or action, and すれば is the conditional form of する (“do”): する → すれば. In the supplied context, the preceding action of writing down questions provides a natural thing to refer back to. Example: そうすれば、忘れにくくなります。 — “That way, it will become harder to forget.” 電話 is the noun “telephone” or “phone call.” In 電話で, the particle で marks the means or setting: “by phone” or “on the call.” The noun itself does not mean the whole phrase “by phone”; that meaning comes from 電話 plus で. 話す means “to talk” or “to speak.” Its dictionary form is 話す; a useful polite form is 話します. Here it modifies 内容 in the phrase 話す内容, literally “the content that [someone] talks about,” or more naturally “what is discussed.” Japanese often places this kind of verb-based modifier before the noun it describes. 内容 means “content” or “what is included.” In this sentence, 電話で話す内容 refers to the material or points discussed on the call. The particle を marks this noun phrase as the object of 追いやすくなる. 追いやすくなる means “become easy to follow.” The relevant verb is 追う, “follow” or “keep track of”; 追い is its stem in this compound. 追いやすい uses -やすい after a verb stem to mean “easy to do,” and なる means “become,” so 追いやすくなる means “become easier to follow.” Example: この説明は理解しやすいです。 — “This explanation is easy to understand.” はずです expresses an expected result: “should” or “is expected to.” はず is a noun meaning an expected or logically anticipated state, and です makes the statement polite. It presents the result as an expectation, not as an absolute guarantee. Together, 電話で話す内容 is “what is discussed on the call.” それを追いやすくなる would mean “become able to follow that more easily,” and the object is expressed here within 内容を追いやすくなる. With そうすれば and はずです, the whole utterance means: “That should make the call easier to follow.”`