Requesting privacy at a clinic reception | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 受付で人に聞かれる可能性のあることを話すのは気が進みません。

   I am not comfortable discussing sensitive details at the reception desk.

   受付で

   at the reception desk

   人

   person; people

   聞かれる

   be heard by someone

   可能性のある

   possible; likely

   こと

   matter; detail

   話す

   talk about; discuss

   気が進みません

   do not feel comfortable; be reluctant

   More detail

   受付で marks the place where the activity occurs. The particle で commonly marks the location of an action, so this means “at the reception desk.” 人 means “person” or, in this general context, “people.” It is the noun referring to the people who may hear what is said. 聞かれる is the passive, nonpast form of 聞く. 聞く can mean “ask” or “hear,” but in this sentence the fixed translation supports “be heard.” In 人に聞かれる, に marks the person or people responsible for the passive event: “be heard by people.” The passive form is not the potential form; the potential form of 聞く is 聞ける. 可能性のある means “possible” or “likely” in the sense of “having the possibility of ...”. 可能性 means “possibility,” and ある is the nonpast form used in this modifier. The whole modifier comes before the noun: 雨の降る可能性のある日 means “a day on which it may rain.” こと is a noun meaning “matter,” “thing,” or “detail.” Here it refers to the content or details that may be heard, not to a physical object. The longer modifier 人に聞かれる可能性のある comes before it. 話す is the nonpast form of “to speak” or “to talk about.” With an object marked by を, as in ことを話す, it means “talk about the matter” or “discuss the details.” The nonpast form can describe a general or contemplated action, so it does not by itself assert that the speaker is talking now. Example: 先生に事情を話します。 means “I will explain the circumstances to the teacher.” In 話すのは, の turns 話す into a noun-like expression, and は marks that action as the topic: “As for discussing it ...”. This lets the speaker evaluate the action. 気が進みません is the polite negative form of the expression 気が進む, meaning “feel inclined” or “feel willing.” The verb carrying the inflection is 進む; 気 is a noun, not its base form. 進みません gives the negative polite meaning “do not feel inclined,” and the whole expression naturally means “feel reluctant” or “not feel comfortable.” Example: その提案には気が進みません。 means “I am reluctant about that proposal.” Together, 受付で sets the location; 人に聞かれる可能性のあること identifies details that people may hear; and 話すのは気が進みません says that the speaker is reluctant to discuss them. The complete meaning is: “I am not comfortable discussing sensitive details at the reception desk.”

2. 個人的なことは、別の人に聞かれない場所でお話しできます。

   We can move to a private area for anything personal.

   個人的なこと

   personal matters

   別の人

   another person

   聞かれない

   not be overheard

   場所

   place or area

   お話しできます

   can talk

   More detail

   個人的なこと means “personal matters” here. 個人的 is a な-adjective: before the noun-like こと, it takes な. こと presents the matter as something being discussed, rather than naming a specific physical object. Example: 大切なこと means “an important matter.” 別の人 means “another person.” 別の modifies 人; the phrase does not specify who that person is. Example: 別の場所 means “another place.” 聞かれない is the negative form of the passive 聞かれる, from 聞く. In this sentence, 別の人に聞かれない means that the personal matter will not be overheard by another person. The negative ending ない says that this passive event does not occur. In another context, 聞かれる can mean “be asked,” but the privacy context and fixed translation support “be overheard” here. Example: ここでは声を聞かれない。 means “No one will overhear my voice here.” 場所 means “place” or “area.” The clause 別の人に聞かれない comes before it and describes what kind of place it is. This is a common Japanese pattern: [description] 場所 = “a place where [the description].” お話しできます means “can talk” in a polite form. The lexical action is 話す “to talk”; できます expresses ability or possibility, and the ます ending makes the expression polite. Example: ここでお話しできます。 means “We can talk here.” The topic marker は after 個人的なこと sets “personal matters” as the topic. The particle に marks the person by whom the matter would be overheard, and で marks the place where the talking can take place. Thus, 別の人に聞かれない場所 is “a place where another person will not overhear [it],” and お話しできます says that talking there is possible. Together, the utterance means: “We can move to a private area for anything personal.”

3. 待合室がすぐ近くにあるので、そうしていただけると助かります。

   That would help, because the waiting room is very close.

   待合室

   waiting room

   すぐ近く

   very close by

   ある

   be; exist

   そうしていただけると助かります

   I would appreciate it if you could do that

   More detail

   待合室 means “waiting room.” It is a noun formed from 待合 (“waiting together” or “waiting area”) and 室 (“room”), but learn the complete word as the normal label for this kind of room. Example: 待合室で待ってください。— “Please wait in the waiting room.” すぐ近く means “very close by.” すぐ strengthens the sense of closeness here; it does not mean that the room is merely somewhere nearby. 近く is the noun-like form of 近い (“near”), used for a nearby place or area. Example: 駅はすぐ近くです。— “The station is very close.” ある expresses existence or location for an inanimate thing, here saying that the waiting room is located nearby. The observed form is the plain form ある, used before ので; it is not あります in this sentence. あります is the polite form of the same verb. This contrasts with いる, which is used for people and animals in comparable existence or location statements. Example: 受付は一階にあります。— “The reception desk is on the first floor.” The ending ので gives the reason for what follows: “because” or “since.” Thus 待合室がすぐ近くにあるので means “because the waiting room is very close.” The particle が marks 待合室 as the thing whose location is being stated. そうしていただけると助かります is a polite way to say “I would appreciate it if you could do that.” そうして points to the action being discussed; in this context, the surrounding exchange supports understanding it as proceeding in the proposed way. いただける is the potential form of いただく, used here as a humble and polite way to frame receiving someone’s action: “if you could do it.” The conditional particle と connects that condition with the result. 助かります literally presents the speaker as being helped or relieved, and in this pattern it politely expresses appreciation. Example: ここに書いていただけると助かります。— “I would appreciate it if you could write it here.” Together, 待合室がすぐ近くにあるので gives the reason, “because the waiting room is very close,” and そうしていただけると助かります gives the polite request or appreciation, “I would appreciate it if you could do that.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That would help, because the waiting room is very close.”

4. プライバシーは大切ですし、そのようなことは人前で話すべきではありません。

   Your privacy matters, and those details should not be discussed in public.

   プライバシー

   privacy

   大切です

   is important

   し

   and; also

   そのような

   such; of that kind

   こと

   matter; thing

   人前で

   in public

   話すべきではありません

   should not discuss

   More detail

   プライバシー is the noun “privacy.” Japanese nouns generally do not mark singular versus plural, so this form can refer to privacy as a general concern or to a particular person’s privacy; here, the fixed translation identifies it as “your privacy.” 大切です means “is important” here. 大切 is a な-adjective; before polite です, it appears as 大切です. A useful contrast is 大切ではありません, “is not important.” The form です makes the statement polite; it does not itself add a numeric meaning. し connects this statement to another one. After a predicate such as 大切です, sentence-final or clause-linking し can present a reason or an additional relevant point. Here it works naturally as “and,” linking the importance of privacy with the following recommendation. そのような means “such” or “of that kind.” It is a modifier placed before a noun, as in そのような話, “such a story/talk.” The demonstrative form identifies a kind or type; the fixed sentence does not by itself specify a more precise referent than the “details” indicated by the translation. こと is a noun meaning a matter, thing, or fact. In そのようなこと, it makes “such a matter” or “such things.” The combination is a common way to refer to matters or content without repeating a more specific noun. 人前で means “in public” or “in front of other people.” 人前 is the noun for a public setting or other people’s presence, and で marks the setting where an action takes place. For example, 人前で電話をしない means “I do not make phone calls in public.” 話すべきではありません expresses “should not talk about it” or, with the fixed translation’s intended meaning, “should not discuss it.” The useful pattern is verb dictionary form + べきではない: 話すべきではない means “should not talk/discuss,” while polite ありません gives 話すべきではありません. The base form of this verb is 話す (“to speak” or “to talk”); べき adds a normative judgment, not simple inability. Japanese does not state the omitted subject here, and this form is not a passive form; the translation conveys the relevant meaning as a prohibition on discussing those details. Together, そのようなこと refers to such matters, 人前で sets the public setting, and 話すべきではありません says they should not be discussed there. The whole utterance is therefore: “Your privacy matters, and those details should not be discussed in public.”

5. 背景については、ほとんどを記入用紙に書いてもよろしいでしょうか。

   Could I put most of the background on the written forms instead?

   背景

   background

   については

   as for / concerning

   ほとんど

   most / almost all

   記入用紙

   form for filling in

   書いて

   write, in the linking form

   もよろしいでしょうか

   would it be acceptable?

   More detail

   背景 means “background” here. It is a noun, and 背景を説明します。 means “I will explain the background.” については presents the background as the topic: “as for / concerning the background.” について marks the subject matter, and は makes it the topic, with possible contrast. Example: この問題については、後で話します。 — “As for this issue, I’ll talk about it later.” ほとんど means “most” or “almost all.” Here it refers to most of the background information identified in the translation; it does not state an exact proportion. With を, the whole expression ほとんどを marks most of that information as what will be written. 記入用紙 is a noun meaning “a form for filling in.” It is a compound of 記入 (“filling in information”) and 用紙 (“paper or a sheet for a purpose”). In 記入用紙に, the particle に marks the form as the place or surface where the information is written. Example: 記入用紙に名前を書きます。 — “I write my name on the form.” 書いて is the te-form of 書く, “to write.” Here it combines with the following もよろしいでしょうか to form a permission question; it should not be understood as an ordinary “write and then” sequence. Example: ここに住所を書いてください。 — “Please write your address here.” もよろしいでしょうか is part of the polite permission pattern [て-form] + もよろしいでしょうか, meaning “would it be acceptable to …?” よろしい is a formal/polite form related to よい (“good; acceptable”), and でしょうか makes the question tentative and polite. In this sentence, the “instead” sense comes from the surrounding context and proposed alternative; も here is part of the permission construction, not an independent requirement to translate it as “also.” Example: ここで待ってもよろしいでしょうか。 — “Would it be all right for me to wait here?” Together, 背景については introduces the background as the topic, ほとんどを記入用紙に書いて describes writing most of it on the form, and もよろしいでしょうか politely asks whether that action is acceptable. The complete meaning is: “Could I put most of the background on the written forms instead?”

6. そうしていただけますが、医療従事者が個別に質問することもあります。

   You can, although the clinician may still ask questions in private.

   そうしていただけます

   you can do that

   が

   although

   医療従事者

   clinician

   個別に

   individually

   質問する

   ask questions

   こともあります

   may also happen

   More detail

   そうしていただけます means “you can do that.” Here そうして refers to the action described in the preceding exchange: putting most of the background on the forms. いただけます is the polite potential form of いただく, used in the pattern Vていただける／いただけます for receiving someone’s action as a favor. The polite form is suitable for this interaction. For example, ここに書いていただけますか。 means “Could you write it here?” が connects this statement to a contrast. In this position it is naturally “but” or “although,” rather than the subject marker. The first part grants that the action is possible, while the following part adds an exception or remaining possibility. 医療従事者 means “healthcare worker” or, in this translation, “clinician.” It is a noun referring to a person working in healthcare. Japanese nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural, so this form does not by itself state how many clinicians there are. 医療 means healthcare/medical care, and 従事者 means a person engaged in an occupation or activity. 個別に means “individually” or “in private” here: the questioning is done separately with the person concerned. The related adjective 個別の modifies a noun, as in 個別の質問 (“individual questions”), whereas 個別に describes how an action is carried out. 質問する means “to ask questions” in this sentence. 質問 is the noun “question,” and する turns it into the verb “ask a question / make an inquiry.” Its plain non-past form is 質問する; a polite form is 質問します. For example, 担当者が質問します。 means “The person in charge asks questions.” こともあります presents an event as something that can also occur, giving the sense “may still happen” or “there may also be cases where.” こと nominalizes the preceding action, も adds “also/even,” and あります is the polite non-past form of ある, “to exist” or “to occur.” The negative counterpart is ことはありません, “does not happen / there is no such occurrence,” though its exact force depends on context. Together, そうしていただけますが says that the other person can carry out the previously mentioned action, while 医療従事者が個別に質問することもあります adds that a clinician may nevertheless ask questions separately. Thus the complete meaning is: “You can do that, although the clinician may still ask questions in private.”

7. そうしていただけると、私にとって会話がずっと楽になります。

   That would make the conversation much easier for me.

   そうしていただけると

   if you would do that

   私にとって

   for me

   会話

   conversation

   ずっと

   much; considerably

   楽

   easy; comfortable

   なります

   becomes

   More detail

   そうしていただけると means “if you would do that.” そうする is “to do that,” with そう referring to an understood action rather than a newly named action in this sentence. いただける is the potential form of いただく; in this construction, it respectfully presents the speaker as receiving the listener’s action as a favor. The と marks the condition: “if/when that happens.” A reusable pattern is V-ていただけると、… — “if you could do V, …” 私にとって means “for me” or “from my point of view.” にとって marks the person for whom an evaluation or effect applies. For example, 私にとって大切です。 means “It is important to me.” 会話 is “conversation.” It is a noun that can combine with particles and modifiers, such as 会話を続ける (“continue the conversation”). ずっと strengthens the following evaluation here: “much” or “considerably.” It can also describe something continuing for a long time, but that duration sense is not the intended meaning in this sentence. 楽 means “easy,” “comfortable,” or “less burdensome” here. It is a na-adjective: 楽だ, 楽な会話, and 楽に話す. In 楽になります, it describes a change to a less difficult state; it does not mean that the conversation itself becomes physically relaxed. なります is the polite form of なる, “to become.” The pattern 名詞・な-adjective + に なる expresses becoming or changing into a state, as in 静かになります。 (“It becomes quiet.”) Here, 楽になる means “become easier.” Together, そうしていただけると sets the condition, 私にとって identifies whose experience is being evaluated, and 会話がずっと楽になります says that the conversation becomes considerably easier. Thus the whole utterance means: “If you would do that, the conversation would be much easier for me.”

8. お呼びする前に、ご希望を記録しておきます。

   I will note your preference before you are called.

   お呼びする

   call you

   前に

   before

   ご希望

   your preference

   記録しておきます

   will note in advance

   More detail

   お呼びする means “call you” here. It is the polite humble pattern お + verb stem + する, used when the speaker presents their own action respectfully toward the person being addressed or served. The observed form is based on 呼ぶ “to call”; 呼び is its stem, and お呼びする is not a different basic verb. For example, 係員がお客様をお呼びします。 means “A staff member will call the customer.” 前に means “before.” In this sentence, it follows お呼びする, so お呼びする前に means “before calling you.” The pattern verb-dictionary-form + 前に places one action before another: 出かける前に、確認します。 means “I check before going out.” ご希望 means “your preference” here. 希望 is the noun “preference” or “wish,” and ご is a respectful prefix attached to this Sino-Japanese noun. The prefix makes the reference respectful; it does not itself state a number or add a separate concrete meaning. ご希望を聞きます。 means “I will ask about your preference.” 記録しておきます means “will note it in advance.” 記録する means “to record” or “to note”; して is its て-form. ておく adds the idea of doing something beforehand or keeping the result prepared for later, and おきます is its polite nonpast form. Thus 記録しておきます presents the speaker’s intention to make the record in advance. For example, 必要な情報を保存しておきます。 means “I will save the necessary information beforehand.” Together, ご希望を記録しておきます means “I will note your preference in advance,” while お呼びする前に specifies that this happens before calling you. The complete utterance is therefore: “I will note your preference before you are called.”