Making shared spreadsheet figures clearer | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 画面は見えていますが、スプレッドシートの文字がかなり小さく見えます。

   Your screen is visible, but the spreadsheet text looks rather small.

   画面

   screen

   見えています

   is visible

   スプレッドシート

   spreadsheet

   文字

   text; characters

   かなり

   rather; quite

   小さく

   small

   見えます

   looks; appears

   More detail

   画面 means “screen.” In this sentence it is the topic marked by は, so the sentence first describes the screen. A reusable pattern is N は ... for setting the topic: 画面は見えています。 — “The screen is visible.” 見えています comes from 見える, “to be visible” or “to be perceptible,” not from the transitive verb 見る, “to look at” or “to see.” The 〜ています form presents the visibility as a current state here. 見える describes what is perceptible without saying that someone deliberately looked at it. Example: 山が見えます。 — “The mountain is visible.” スプレッドシート is the loanword “spreadsheet.” It is the noun that modifies the following noun in スプレッドシートの文字, with の linking the two nouns: “the spreadsheet’s text” or “text in the spreadsheet.” 文字 means “text” or “characters.” Here it refers to the written characters in the spreadsheet, and が marks them as the subject of 見えます. Example: 文字が見えません。 — “The characters are not visible.” かなり means “quite” or “rather,” increasing the degree of the description. It modifies 小さく見えます here; it does not itself mean “small.” 小さく is the adverbial form of the i-adjective 小さい, “small.” The ending changes from 小さい to 小さく because the adjective describes how something appears: 小さく見える means “look small.” The corresponding opposite is 大きい (“large”); its adverbial form is 大きく, as in 大きく見えます — “It looks large.” 見えます is the polite non-past form of 見える. With 小さく before it, it means “looks small” or “appears small,” rather than simply “is visible.” Example: この文字は読みやすく見えます。 — “These characters look easy to read.” The connector が after 見えています contrasts the two clauses: the screen is visible, but the spreadsheet text appears quite small. In the second clause, スプレッドシートの文字 is the thing that appears, かなり strengthens the description, and 小さく modifies 見えます. Together, the utterance means: “Your screen is visible, but the spreadsheet text looks rather small.”

2. でも、拡大できます。

   I can zoom in, though.

   でも

   though; but

   拡大

   zooming in; enlargement

   できます

   can; is possible

   More detail

   でも appears first and sets up a contrast with what came before: “though” or “but.” At the start of a sentence, it can introduce a point that limits or contrasts with the previous statement. Example: でも、できます。 — “But I can do it.” 拡大 means “enlargement” or, in this context, “zooming in.” It is a noun that can also combine with する to form 拡大する (“to enlarge; to zoom in”). With できる, the reusable pattern 拡大できる means “can enlarge” or “can zoom in.” できます is the polite form of できる, meaning “can” or “is possible.” Here, together with 拡大, it expresses the speaker’s ability to zoom in, matching the fixed translation “I can zoom in.” Example: この画像は拡大できます。 — “This image can be enlarged.” Together, 拡大できます means “can zoom in,” and でも marks this as a contrast with the preceding observation that the text looks small. The complete utterance is therefore: “I can zoom in, though.”

3. ただ、いくつかの列が画面に収まらなくなるかもしれません。

   It may push a few columns out of view.

   ただ

   however

   いくつかの

   a few; several

   列

   column

   画面

   screen

   収まらなくなる

   stop fitting

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   ただ means “however” or “though” here. It marks a qualification or drawback after the preceding idea. At the beginning of a sentence, it commonly introduces a contrasting point without changing the basic content of the following clause. いくつかの means “a few” or “several” and modifies the noun 列. いくつか indicates an unspecified small number; Japanese nouns usually do not change form to show plural number. The particle-like の links this quantity expression to the noun: いくつかの列 = “a few columns.” 列 means “column” here, as in a column in a table or spreadsheet. It is a noun; the phrase does not specify which columns individually. Example: 列を追加します。 — “I’ll add a column.” 画面 means “screen.” With に, as in 画面に, it marks the screen as the place or area in which something fits or is visible. Example: 画面に収まります。 — “It fits on the screen.” 収まらなくなる is built from 収まる, “fit” or “be contained,” and the pattern 〜なくなる, “become no longer ….” Thus 収まらない means “not fit,” and 収まらなくなる means “come to no longer fit” or “stop fitting.” 収まる is an intransitive verb: the thing that fits is the subject, while 画面に identifies the place it fits into. Example: 画像が枠に収まらなくなりました。 — “The image stopped fitting in the frame.” かもしれません expresses possibility or uncertainty: “may,” “might,” or “perhaps.” It follows the plain-form clause 画面に収まらなくなる and gives the whole prediction a polite tone. It does not mark person or number. The pattern 〜かもしれません is reusable for a possibility: 明日は雨かもしれません。 — “It might rain tomorrow.” Together, いくつかの列が makes “a few columns” the subject, 画面に収まらなくなる says that they may stop fitting within the screen, and かもしれません presents that as a possibility. With the contrast marker ただ, the complete utterance means: “However, a few columns may stop fitting on the screen,” naturally matching the fixed translation “It may push a few columns out of view.”

4. 重要な数値が見えるままなら、それで大丈夫です。

   That works as long as the key figures stay visible.

   重要な

   important; key

   数値

   figures; numerical values

   見える

   be visible; be seen

   ままなら

   as long as it remains that way

   それで大丈夫です

   that works; that's okay

   More detail

   重要な means “important” or “key” here and directly modifies the noun that follows it. The form is 重要だ in a statement, but 重要な before a noun: 重要な情報 means “important information.” This form does not itself specify why something is important. 数値 is a noun meaning a numerical value or figure. It is useful for measured or calculated data; 数字 more often means a numeral or digit, such as a written 3 or 8. Example: 数値を入力します。 — “I’ll enter the numerical value.” 見える means “be visible” or “can be seen” in this sentence. It is an intransitive verb: the visible thing is described as being perceptible, without making an actor who sees it the grammatical object. Its dictionary form is already 見える; for example, 山が見える。 means “The mountain is visible.” This differs from transitive 見る, “look at” or “watch,” which takes something being viewed. ままなら expresses a condition in which the preceding state continues unchanged. The pattern is verb in the relevant form + まま followed here by conditional なら; 見えるままなら therefore means “as long as it stays visible” or “if it remains visible.” Example: ドアを開けたままなら、風が入ります。 — “If the door remains open, wind comes in.” それで大丈夫です means “that works” or “that is okay” with それで referring to the described arrangement or condition. 大丈夫です is a polite way to say that something is acceptable or causes no problem; it is not a claim that the situation is ideal. Together, 重要な数値 identifies the key figures, and 見えるままなら sets the condition that those figures continue to be visible. それで大丈夫です gives the resulting assessment: “That works as long as the key figures stay visible.”

5. その場合は、差異の部分を先に表示します。

   In that case, I'll put the variance section first.

   その場合は

   in that case

   差異

   difference; variance

   部分

   part; section

   先に

   first; beforehand

   表示します

   display; show

   More detail

   その場合は sets the situation as the topic: “in that case.” その is a demonstrative meaning “that,” and 場合 means “case” or “situation.” The topic marker は frames the rest of the sentence as what will happen under that situation. Here, the situation is understood from the surrounding discussion; the phrase itself does not identify it more specifically. 差異 means a difference or variance, especially a difference between values, items, or conditions. It is a noun; a more everyday noun for “difference” is 違い, while 差異 is often more formal or analytical. 部分 means a part or section. In 差異の部分, の links the nouns: literally, “the part/section of the variance.” Japanese commonly uses this noun-linking pattern, as in 説明の部分 (“the explanation section”). 先に is an adverb meaning “first” or “beforehand.” It places the action ahead of another relevant action or step, so 先に表示します means that the displaying will happen first. The related expression 先の is a noun modifier meaning “previous,” “earlier,” or, in some contexts, “the aforementioned”; it is not the adverbial form used here. 表示します is the polite nonpast form of 表示する, “to display” or “to show.” The nonpast form can describe a future action, so in this sentence it expresses the speaker’s intended action: “I’ll display.” 表示する is a verb meaning to make information appear on a screen or other display; 見せる is a broader verb meaning to show something to someone. Together, その場合は establishes the relevant case, 差異の部分 identifies the variance section, 先に places that action first, and 表示します states the speaker’s polite intention to display it. The whole utterance therefore means: “In that case, I’ll put the variance section first.”

6. 数値はその点を裏付けていますが、説明にはもう少し背景情報が必要です。

   The figures support the point, but the explanation needs more context.

   数値

   figures; numerical values

   その点

   that point

   裏付けています

   support; substantiate

   説明

   explanation

   もう少し

   a little more

   背景情報

   background information; context

   必要です

   is needed

   More detail

   数値 means numerical values or figures. Japanese nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural, so this form can refer to one or more numerical values; the translation presents them as “figures.” With は, 数値は sets them as the topic: “as for the figures.” その点 means “that point.” その is the demonstrative modifier “that,” while 点 is the noun “point.” The translation identifies the intended referent only as “the point”; the supplied context does not identify a more specific referent. The particle を marks this noun phrase as the object of 裏付ける. 裏付けています comes from the transitive verb 裏付ける, “to support” or “substantiate.” The form 〜ています is the polite form of 〜ている; here it presents the figures’ support as a current, relevant state rather than simply an isolated past event. 裏付ける can be reused with an object: 証拠が主張を裏付けています。 — “The evidence supports the claim.” 説明 means “explanation.” It is a noun and appears in 説明には, where に marks the thing for which something is needed and は makes it the topic, with a possible contrast against another thing that might need a different amount of information. もう少し means “a little more” or “somewhat more.” もう adds the sense of “more/additional,” and 少し means “a little.” Together they modify the amount of 背景情報 needed; they do not state an exact quantity. 背景情報 is “background information” or “context”: 背景 means “background,” and 情報 means “information.” This compound is useful for information that helps explain circumstances or details behind a subject. Example: この説明には背景情報が必要です。 — “This explanation needs background information.” 必要です means “is needed” or “is necessary.” The adjective 必要 means “necessary,” and です gives it a polite sentence ending. In the pattern XにはYが必要です, X is the domain or thing that needs something, and Y is what is needed. Here, 説明には is that domain and 背景情報が is the needed item. The sentence first states 数値はその点を裏付けています: “The figures support that point.” が then contrasts this with the second statement, 説明にはもう少し背景情報が必要です: “the explanation needs a little more background information.” Overall, it is a polite, formal-sounding assessment that the numerical evidence supports the point, while the explanation itself requires additional context.

7. それぞれの予測の前提について触れます。

   I'll mention the assumptions behind each projection.

   それぞれの

   each; every respective

   予測

   projection; forecast

   前提

   assumption; premise

   について

   about; regarding

   触れます

   mention; touch on

   More detail

   それぞれの means “each” or “each respective” and modifies the following noun 予測. It presents the predictions individually, without stating how many there are. それぞれ can also stand alone when the relevant items are already clear; それぞれの + noun is a reusable pattern. 予測 is the noun “prediction” or “forecast.” In this sentence it means a projection, matching the fixed translation. It can refer to a prediction about a future result, while 予想 is a commonly related word often used for an expectation or forecast; the choice depends on the intended usage and context. 前提 means an assumption or premise: something taken as a basis for reasoning. 予測の前提 is a noun phrase meaning “the assumptions behind the prediction.” The particle の links 予測 to 前提 here; it does not itself mean “behind.” For example, この計画の前提 means “the premise of this plan.” について marks the topic or subject being discussed, so 前提について means “about the assumptions” or “regarding the assumptions.” The pattern Nについて話す means “talk about N,” and Nについて説明する means “explain N.” Here it attaches to the noun phrase それぞれの予測の前提. 触れます is the polite nonpast form of 触れる. In this context, 触れる means “to mention” or “to touch on” a topic, not physically to touch something. The polite form is used for a present or future statement such as “I will mention…”; the exact time is supplied by context. For example, その問題について少し触れます。 means “I will briefly mention that issue.” Together, それぞれの予測の前提 identifies the assumptions associated with each projection, について marks those assumptions as the topic, and 触れます says that the speaker will mention them. The whole utterance therefore means “I’ll mention the assumptions behind each projection.”

8. 先ほどの話し合いを聞き逃した人にも役立ちます。

   That will help listeners who missed the earlier discussion.

   先ほど

   earlier; a short while ago

   話し合い

   discussion

   聞き逃した

   missed hearing; failed to catch

   人

   person

   にも

   also for; even for

   役立ちます

   is useful; helps

   More detail

   先ほど means “earlier” or “a short while ago.” It usually points to a relatively recent time, rather than an unspecified distant past. In 先ほどの話し合い, の links this time expression to the noun that follows: “the discussion from earlier.” 話し合い is the noun “discussion.” The related verb 話し合う means “to discuss” or “to talk something over,” while 話し合い names the discussion itself. 聞き逃した means “missed hearing” or “failed to catch.” Its base form is 聞き逃す; the ending -た makes the form past. Here, 先ほどの話し合いを聞き逃した is a clause placed before 人, so it describes the people: “people who missed hearing the earlier discussion.” Japanese does not need a separate relative pronoun in this pattern. Example: 大事な説明を聞き逃しました。 — “I missed an important explanation.” 人 means “person” or “people.” In this sentence it is the noun described by the preceding clause; the fixed translation identifies these people as listeners who missed the discussion. The form itself does not specify their number. にも combines the particle に, which marks the people for whom something is useful, with も, which adds the sense “also” or “even.” Thus 人にも means “for those people too” in this sentence. The も does not change the identity or number of 人. 役立ちます means “is useful” or “helps.” Its base form is 役立つ, an intransitive verb meaning “be useful” or “be helpful”; 役立ちます is its polite nonpast form. In this context, the nonpast form describes the expected usefulness expressed in English as “will help.” A related expression is 役に立つ, also meaning “be useful,” but it is not the form used here. Example: この地図は旅行者に役立ちます。 — “This map is useful to travelers.” Together, 先ほどの話し合い identifies the earlier discussion, and 聞き逃した modifies 人 to identify the people who failed to hear it. 人にも marks those people as additional recipients of the usefulness, and 役立ちます states the result. The whole utterance therefore means: “That will help listeners who missed the earlier discussion.”

9. 予測の前に短い注記を入れれば、それで十分なはずです。

   A short note before the projections should cover it.

   予測

   projections

   前に

   before

   短い

   short

   注記

   note

   入れれば

   if [someone] puts in

   それで

   with that

   十分

   enough

   はずです

   should be

   More detail

   予測 means “projections” here. It is a noun; 予測する is the related verb meaning “to predict” or “to forecast.” For example, 売上を予測する means “to forecast sales.” 前に means “before.” 前 is a noun meaning “front” or “before,” and に marks the time point relative to which something happens. The pattern Nの前に means “before N”: 会議の前に means “before the meeting.” Here, 予測の前に means “before the projections.” 短い means “short.” This is the form of the い-adjective 短い; before a noun, it directly modifies that noun: 短い注記 means “a short note.” Its opposite is 長い, “long.” 注記 means “note” or “annotation.” It is a noun, and in this sentence it is the thing being put in before the projections. A related but different word is メモ, which usually refers to a more informal memo or note. 入れれば comes from the verb 入れる, “to put in” or “insert.” The ending -れば forms a conditional: 入れれば means “if [someone] puts in” or, in this context, “if [someone] includes.” The sentence leaves the person who would do this unspoken. Example: 名前を入れれば、分かりやすくなります。 — “If you include the name, it will become easier to understand.” それで consists of それ, “that,” and で, which marks the means or condition. Here it refers to the proposed inclusion of the short note: “with that” or “with that in place.” The pattern それで十分 means “that is enough” or “that will suffice.” 十分 means “enough” or “sufficient.” In 十分です, it describes the situation as sufficient; it is not the noun 注記 itself that is grammatically marked as “enough.” Example: これで十分です。 — “This is enough.” はずです expresses an expectation based on what is considered likely or logically expected: “should be” or “is expected to be.” はず is a noun meaning an expected outcome or state, and です gives the expression a polite form. It is different from a firm statement of fact. For example, 彼は来るはずです。 means “He should come” or “He is expected to come.” Putting the parts together, 予測の前に sets the time relation, 短い注記を identifies a short note as the object, and 入れれば says “if it is included.” それで十分な connects that result to the judgment of sufficiency, while はずです presents it as an expected conclusion. The whole utterance means: “A short note before the projections should cover it.”