About This Lesson
Use Improving sleep habits realistically to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
早く寝ても、睡眠の質がよくありません。
HAH-yah-koo neh-teh-MOH, soo-ee-MEEN noh SHEE-tsoo gah yoh-koo ah-ree-mah-SEN. My sleep quality has been poor even when I go to bed early.
B
夜はどのように過ごしていますか。
YOH-roo wah doh-noh YOH-nee soo-GOH-shee-teh ee-MAHSS kah? What does your evening routine look like?
A
夕食後にコーヒーを飲み、ベッドでスマートフォンを見ています。
YOO-shoh-koo-goh nee KOH-hee oh NOH-mee, BEHD-doh deh soo-MAH-toh-fohn oh MEE-teh ee-MAHSS. I drink coffee after dinner and check my phone in bed.
B
カフェインと画面を見る時間は、どちらも気持ちを落ち着けにくくすることがあります。
kah-feh-IN toh GAH-men oh MEE-roo JEE-kahn wah, doh-chee-rah-moh kee-MOH-chee oh oh-chee-tsoo-keh-NEE-koo-koo soo-roo koh-toh gah ah-ree-MAHSS. Both caffeine and screen time can make it harder to wind down.
A
一度にすべてを変えることはできません。
EE-chee-doh nee soo-BEH-teh oh kah-EH-roo koh-toh wah deh-kee-MAH-sen. I cannot change everything at once.
B
夕食後のコーヒーをやめるなど、現実的な変化を一つ始めてみましょう。
YOO-shoh-koo-goh noh KOH-hee oh yah-MEH-roo nah-doh, GEHN-jee-tsoo-TEH-kee nah HEHN-kah oh hee-TOH-tsoo hah-jee-MEH-teh mee-mah-SHOH. Start with one realistic change, like skipping coffee after dinner.
A
それなら、寝る前にスマートフォンを見る代わりに読書ができます。
soh-reh-NAH-rah, neh-roo MAH-eh nee soo-MAH-toh-fohn oh MEE-roo kah-WAH-ree nee DOH-koo-shoh gah deh-kee-MAHSS. Then I can replace phone time with reading before bed.
B
完璧な習慣より、続けられる習慣のほうが大切です。
KAHN-peh-kee nah SHOO-kahn yoh-ree, tsoo-zoo-keh-rah-REH-roo SHOO-kahn noh HOH gah tie-SEH-tsoo dehss. A routine you can keep matters more than a perfect one.
A
結果を判断する前に、短い期間それを試してみます。
kehk-kah oh HAHN-dahn soo-roo MAH-eh nee, mee-jee-KAH-ee kee-KAHN soh-reh oh TAH-meh-shee-teh mee-MAHSS. I can test that for a short period before judging the result.
B
それなら、体が慣れるのに十分な時間を取れます。
soh-reh-NAH-rah, KAH-rah-dah gah nah-REH-roo noh nee JOOH-boon nah JEE-kahn oh toh-REH-mahss. That gives your body enough time to adjust.Word by Word
早く
「早く」 means early here and modifies 「寝ても」 in 「早く寝ても」. It is the adverbial form of 早い, used to describe when an action happens. A reusable pattern is a time expression followed by an activity.
寝て
「寝て」 means sleep or go to bed here, as in 「早く寝ても」. It is the te-form of 寝る and connects the action to 「も」. This form is commonly used before another element that adds a condition or connected action.
も
「も」 gives 「早く寝ても」 the meaning “even if one goes to bed early.” It follows the te-form 「寝て」 to present an unexpected condition. This pattern is useful when saying that a result remains true despite an action.
睡眠
「睡眠」 means sleep and appears in the compound 「睡眠の質」. It identifies the type of quality being discussed. It can be reused before another noun when discussing sleep-related matters.
の
「の」 links 「睡眠」 to 「質」 in 「睡眠の質」, showing the relationship between the two nouns. Here, the quality belongs to or concerns sleep. A common reuse point is noun の noun for a relationship such as category, possession, or topic.
質
「質」 means quality in 「睡眠の質」. It is the aspect of sleep that is being described as not good. It can be used with a noun before it to discuss the quality of that thing.
が
「が」 marks 「睡眠の質」 as the thing described by 「よくありません」. It identifies the subject of the statement. This particle commonly marks the specific thing that has a condition or characteristic.
よく
「よく」 means well or in good condition here, but 「よくありません」 means that the sleep quality is not good. It is the adverbial form used before the polite negative expression 「ありません」. A reusable pattern is an adjective meaning “good” followed by a polite negative form.
ありません
「ありません」 makes the statement polite and negative in 「よくありません」. Here it says that the sleep quality is not good. Its dictionary form is ある, and the form is commonly used to say that something is absent or is not the case.
夜
「夜」 means evening or night here and is the topic of the question 「夜はどのように過ごしていますか」. The context points to the part of the day when the evening routine happens. It can be used when asking about or describing activities at night.
は
「は」 marks 「夜」 as the topic in 「夜はどのように過ごしていますか」. The question asks what happens during that time. This particle is commonly used after a time, person, or thing when presenting it as the topic.
どのように
「どのように」 asks how or in what way someone spends the evening. It is the whole question expression made from 「どの」 and 「ように」, followed here by 「過ごしていますか」. A reusable pattern is 「どのように」 followed by an activity or verb when asking about a manner or method.
過ごして
「過ごして」 means spend time here, referring to how the person spends the evening. It is the te-form of 過ごす and is followed by 「います」 in 「過ごしています」. This form is useful when linking an activity to an expression of an ongoing situation.
います
「います」 works with 「過ごして」 in 「過ごしています」 to describe the current or ongoing way the evening is spent. It is the polite form of いる used as an auxiliary after a te-form. The reusable pattern is a te-form followed by 「います」 for an ongoing activity.
か
「か」 marks 「過ごしています」 as a question in 「過ごしていますか」. It turns the preceding polite statement into a question. It is commonly placed at the end of a polite question.
夕食後
「夕食後」 means after dinner and specifies when the coffee is drunk. It is a compound of dinner and after, followed by 「に」 in the dialogue. This kind of time expression can be used to locate an activity after a named event.
に
「に」 marks 「夕食後」 as the time when the action occurs in 「夕食後にコーヒーを飲み」. It connects the time expression to drinking coffee. A common reuse point is a time expression followed by 「に」 before an action.
コーヒー
「コーヒー」 means coffee and is the drink in 「コーヒーを飲み」. It is marked as the object of drinking by 「を」. It can be used with drink-related verbs when naming the beverage.
を
「を」 marks 「コーヒー」 as the object of 「飲み」. It shows what is being drunk. This particle commonly follows the thing directly affected by an action.
飲み
「飲み」 means drink here and connects 「コーヒーを飲み」 with the following action. It is the connecting form of 飲む used before the comma. A reusable point is that this form can join two actions performed by the same person.
ベッド
「ベッド」 means bed and identifies the place in 「ベッドでスマートフォンを見ています」. It is followed by 「で」 because the checking happens there. It can be used with a location particle when describing where an activity occurs.
で
「で」 marks 「ベッド」 as the place where the person checks the smartphone. It identifies the location of the action rather than its object. A common reuse point is a place followed by 「で」 and an activity.
スマートフォン
「スマートフォン」 means smartphone and is the thing being checked in 「スマートフォンを見ています」. It is marked as the object by 「を」. It can be used with actions involving looking at or using a phone.
見て
「見て」 means look at or check here, referring to checking the smartphone. It is the te-form of 見る and is followed by 「います」 in 「見ています」. The reusable pattern is a te-form followed by 「います」 for an action currently being done.
カフェイン
「カフェイン」 means caffeine and is one of the two things discussed as affecting the ability to wind down. It is joined to 「画面を見る時間」 by 「と」. It can be used as a noun when discussing caffeine intake or its effects.
と
「と」 connects 「カフェイン」 and 「画面を見る時間」 in the list of two factors. Here it means and. It is commonly used between nouns when listing items together.
画面
「画面」 means screen and appears in 「画面を見る時間」. It identifies what is being looked at. It can be placed before 「を見る時間」 to specify the activity that takes time.
見る
「見る」 means look at or watch in 「画面を見る時間」. Its plain form links 「画面」 to the noun 「時間」, describing time spent looking at a screen. A reusable pattern is a plain-form verb followed by a noun to describe the activity associated with it.
時間
「時間」 means time here, specifically the time spent looking at a screen. It is part of 「画面を見る時間」 and is one of the two factors being discussed. It can be used after an activity to identify the amount or period of time devoted to it.
どちら
「どちら」 refers to either one of the two items, 「カフェイン」 and 「画面を見る時間」. With the following 「も」 in 「どちらも」, the meaning is both. A reusable pattern is AとBのどちらも when including both of two items.
気持ち
「気持ち」 means feelings or mental state in 「気持ちを落ち着けにくくする」. It is the thing whose calmness is made harder to achieve. It can be used with expressions about calming, changing, or expressing one’s feelings.
落ち着け
「落ち着け」 contributes the meaning calm in 「気持ちを落ち着けにくくする」. It is the form of 落ち着ける used before 「にくく」, and 「気持ちを」 marks what is being calmed. A common reuse point is an object followed by a verb meaning to calm or settle it.
にくく
「にくく」 means difficult to in 「落ち着けにくくする」. It connects to 「する」 and describes making the preceding action difficult. It is the connecting form of にくい, commonly used after a verb to express difficulty in performing that action.
する
「する」 means make or cause in 「落ち着けにくくする」. It causes the state of being difficult to calm down. A reusable pattern is an expression describing a state followed by 「する」 when something causes that state.
こと
「こと」 turns the preceding action or situation into a noun-like expression in 「落ち着けにくくすることがあります」. It allows the possibility of that situation to be stated with 「あります」. A common reuse point is a verb or action followed by 「ことがあります」.
あります
「あります」 means that something exists or can occur in 「ことがあります」. Here, it says that caffeine and screen time can sometimes make winding down difficult. Its dictionary form is ある, and the pattern 「ことがあります」 commonly expresses possibility or occasional occurrence.
一度
「一度」 means one time or one go in 「一度に」. Together with 「に」, it expresses doing everything at once. A reusable pattern is 「一度に」 followed by an action or quantity when describing something done all at the same time.
すべて
「すべて」 means everything or all in 「すべてを変える」. It refers to all the habits being considered for change. It can be followed by 「を」 when it is the complete object of an action.
変える
「変える」 means change and takes 「すべてを」 as its object in 「すべてを変える」. It is also part of 「変えることはできません」, where the action of changing is treated as something one cannot do. A reusable pattern is an object followed by 「を変える」.
できません
「できません」 means cannot in 「変えることはできません」. It is the polite negative form of できる and expresses inability to change everything at once. A common reuse point is an action followed by 「ことはできません」 when politely saying that it cannot be done.
やめる
「やめる」 means stop or give up here, referring to stopping coffee after dinner in 「夕食後のコーヒーをやめる」. It takes the thing being stopped with 「を」. It can be reused when describing a decision to stop a habit or activity.
など
「など」 means such as in 「夕食後のコーヒーをやめるなど」. It presents stopping coffee as one example of a realistic change rather than necessarily the only example. A common reuse point is a noun or action followed by 「など」 when giving examples.
現実的
「現実的」 means realistic in 「現実的な変化」. It describes a change that can realistically be carried out in the speaker’s situation. It is a na-adjective and is followed by 「な」 before a noun.
な
「な」 links 「現実的」 to 「変化」 in 「現実的な変化」. It is the attributive form used after a na-adjective before a noun. This pattern is used when an adjective describes a following noun.
変化
「変化」 means change in 「現実的な変化」. Here it refers to one practical change in the person’s sleep routine. It can be used when discussing a change in habits, behavior, or circumstances.
始めて
「始めて」 means start here and is part of 「始めてみましょう」. It is the te-form of 始める and connects the action of starting to 「みましょう」. The dialogue uses it to suggest beginning one realistic change.
みましょう
「みましょう」 suggests trying an action in 「始めてみましょう」. It follows the te-form 「始めて」 and gives the sentence an encouraging suggestion to try starting. The reusable pattern is a te-form followed by 「みましょう」 when proposing that someone try an action.
それ
「それ」 means that and refers back to the realistic change just proposed. In 「それなら」, it carries the previous suggestion into the next statement. Pronouns like this are useful for referring to an idea already mentioned in the conversation.
なら
「なら」 means if so or in that case in 「それなら」. It shows that the next statement follows from the previous suggestion. A reusable pattern is a previously mentioned situation or idea followed by 「なら」 to introduce a response based on it.
寝る
「寝る」 means sleep or go to bed in 「寝る前に」. It identifies the action that must happen before reading. A common reuse point is a plain-form verb followed by 「前に」 for “before doing” something.
前
「前」 means before in the time expression 「寝る前に」. It places reading before going to bed. This noun is commonly used after an action in the pattern “before that action.”
代わり
「代わり」 means instead or replacement in 「スマートフォンを見る代わりに」. The whole expression sets reading as a replacement for looking at the smartphone. A reusable pattern is one action followed by 「代わりに」 and then the action chosen instead.
読書
「読書」 means reading as an activity in 「読書ができます」. It is presented as the activity that replaces phone time before bed. It can be used as a noun with expressions describing whether an activity is possible or suitable.
できます
「できます」 means can or be able to in 「読書ができます」. Here it expresses that reading can be done instead of looking at the smartphone. It is the polite form of できる and commonly follows an activity noun marked by 「が」.
完璧
「完璧」 means perfect in 「完璧な習慣」. It describes a routine that meets an ideal standard. It is a na-adjective and takes 「な」 before the noun it describes.
習慣
「習慣」 means habit or routine in both 「完璧な習慣」 and 「続けられる習慣」. The discussion focuses on a sleep routine that can realistically be maintained. It can be used with adjectives or modifying phrases to describe different kinds of habits.
より
「より」 marks the comparison point in 「完璧な習慣より」. It means than and introduces the habit that is being compared against. A reusable pattern is AよりBのほうが when saying that B has more of a quality than A.
続けられる
「続けられる」 means can continue or can maintain in 「続けられる習慣」. It describes a routine that the person is able to keep doing over time. It is related to 続ける and can describe habits, plans, or actions that are feasible to maintain.
ほう
「ほう」 means the side or option in 「続けられる習慣のほうが大切です」. Together with 「より」, it identifies the option judged to be more important. The reusable comparison pattern is AよりBのほうが followed by a description.
大切
「大切」 means important in 「続けられる習慣のほうが大切です」. It gives the speaker’s judgment that a maintainable routine has greater value than a perfect one. It can be used before 「です」 to state that something is important.
です
「です」 makes the statement polite in 「大切です」. It links the description 「大切」 to the topic of the sentence. This polite ending is commonly used for a clear, respectful statement.
結果
「結果」 means result in 「結果を判断する」. It refers to the outcome that will be assessed after testing the new routine. It can be marked by 「を」 when it is the object of judging or evaluating.
判断する
「判断する」 means judge or determine in 「結果を判断する前に」. It describes assessing the result after the trial period. It takes the thing being judged with 「を」 and can appear before 「前に」 to mean before judging it.
短い
「短い」 means short in 「短い期間」. It describes the length of the trial period. It is an adjective placed directly before the noun it modifies.
期間
「期間」 means period in 「短い期間」. Here it is the limited amount of time during which the new routine will be tested. It can be modified by a length description such as 「短い」.
試して
「試して」 means try or test in 「試してみます」. It is the te-form of 試す and connects the testing action to 「みます」. This form is commonly used before the auxiliary in an expression meaning try doing something.
みます
「みます」 expresses trying an action in 「試してみます」. It follows the te-form 「試して」 and is polite in this sentence. The reusable pattern is a te-form followed by 「みます」 when saying that the speaker will try something.
体
「体」 means body in 「体が慣れる」. It is the subject that needs time to adjust to the change in routine. It can be used with expressions about physical adjustment or condition.
慣れる
「慣れる」 means get accustomed or adjust in 「体が慣れる」. Here it describes the body becoming used to the new routine. It commonly appears when describing adjustment to a new condition, activity, or situation.
十分
「十分」 means enough or sufficient in 「十分な時間」. It says that the available time is adequate for the body to adjust. It is followed by 「な」 before a noun when describing that noun as sufficient.
取れます
「取れます」 means can take or can secure in 「十分な時間を取れます」. Here it says that enough time can be allowed for the body to adjust. It is related to 取る and can be reused with 「時間を取る」 when arranging or allowing time for an activity.
Grammar Points
〜にくくする
カフェインは気持ちを落ち着けにくくする。
kah-feh-IN wah kee-MOH-chee oh oh-chee-tsoo-keh-NEE-koo-koo soo-roo.Caffeine makes it harder to wind down.
「〜にくい」は「hard to do」を表し、「〜にくくする」で「make it harder to do」となります。
Aの代わりにB
一度にすべてを変える代わりに、現実的な変化を試してみます。
EE-chee-doh nee soo-BEH-teh oh kah-EH-roo kah-WAH-ree nee, GEHN-jee-tsoo-TEH-kee nah HEHN-kah oh TAH-meh-shee-teh mee-MAHSS.Instead of changing everything at once, I'll try a realistic change.
「Aの代わりにB」は、Aを選ばずにBを選ぶ「instead of A, B」という表現です。
Japanese Vocabulary
カフェイン
noun
kah-feh-IN
caffeine
カフェインと画面を見る時間は、どちらも気持ちを落ち着けにくくすることがあります。
すべて
pron
soo-BEH-teh
everything; all
一度にすべてを変えることはできません。
一度に
adv
EE-chee-doh nee
at once; all at the same time
一度にすべてを変えることはできません。
過ごす
verb
soo-GOH-soo
spend time
過ごしています
夜はどのように過ごしていますか。
画面を見る時間
noun
GAH-men oh MEE-roo JEE-kahn
screen time
画面を見る時間は、気持ちを落ち着けにくくすることがあります。
気持ちを落ち着けにくくする
phrase
kee-MOH-chee oh oh-chee-tsoo-keh-NEE-koo-koo soo-roo
make it harder to wind down
カフェインと画面を見る時間は、どちらも気持ちを落ち着けにくくすることがあります。
現実的な
adj
GEHN-jee-tsoo-TEH-kee nah
realistic
現実的な変化を一つ始めてみましょう。
睡眠の質
noun
soo-ee-MEEN noh SHEE-tsoo
sleep quality
睡眠の質がよくありません。
早く寝る
verb
HAH-yah-koo NEH-roo
go to bed early
早く寝ても
早く寝ても、睡眠の質がよくありません。
変える
verb
kah-EH-roo
change
一度にすべてを変えることはできません。
夜
noun
YOH-roo
evening; night
夜はどのように過ごしていますか。
夕食後
noun
YOO-shoh-koo-goh
after dinner
夕食後にコーヒーを飲みます。
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
screen time
Show Answer
画面を見る時間sleep quality
Show Answer
睡眠の質spend time
Show Answer
過ごしていますgo to bed early