Why a Payment Card Was Blocked | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. カードが使えませんでしたが、口座はまだ有効なはずです。

   My card was declined, but the account should still be active.

   カード

   card

   使えませんでした

   could not be used

   口座

   account

   まだ

   still

   有効

   active; valid

   はずです

   should be; is expected to be

   More detail

   カード means “card” here. It is a noun; in this sentence it is the subject of the first clause. A reusable pattern is Xが for marking the thing that has the stated condition or experience. 使えませんでした means that the card could not be used. Its base verb is 使う (“to use”); 使える is the potential form (“can use” or, with a thing as subject, “can be used”), and 使えない is its negative. 使えませんでした is the polite past negative form, so it presents the inability as a past event. In this context, the fixed translation specifies that the card was declined. Example: このカードは使えません。 — “This card cannot be used.” 口座 means “account,” specifically the account referred to in the fixed translation. It is a noun. Example: 口座を確認します。 — “I will check the account.” まだ means “still” here: the account’s status is understood to continue. It commonly appears with an affirmative expression when something remains true, as in まだ有効です (“it is still active”). Its meaning comes from its combination with the following predicate, not from the noun alone. 有効 means “active” or “valid” here. It is a na-adjective, also usable as a noun-like status term. With です, 有効です means “is active/valid”; the form itself does not mark the account’s number or gender. Example: この証明書はまだ有効です。 — “This certificate is still valid.” はずです expresses an expectation or conclusion that the speaker regards as well-founded: “should be” or “is expected to be.” The pattern Xはずです presents X as what is expected, rather than as an unqualified direct assertion. Here, 有効なはずです contains 有効な because 有効 modifies the noun-like element はず, and です makes the expression polite. The preceding まだ scopes over the expected status: the account should still be active. Example: 彼はもう着いているはずです。 — “He should have arrived already.” Together, カードが使えませんでした says that the card was declined or could not be used, while 口座はまだ有効なはずです contrasts that event with the speaker’s expectation that the account remains active. The complete meaning is: “My card was declined, but the account should still be active.”

2. システムが通常とは異なる利用を検出した後に、カードがブロックされた可能性があります。

   It may have been blocked after the system flagged unusual activity.

   システム

   system

   通常とは異なる

   different from usual

   利用

   use; activity

   検出した

   detected

   後に

   after

   カード

   card

   ブロックされた

   was blocked

   可能性があります

   may; there is a possibility

   More detail

   システム means “system.” It is a noun and can be used as the subject of an action: システムが異常を検出する means “the system detects an anomaly.” The particle が marks the subject here. 通常とは異なる means “different from what is usual.” 異なる is a verb meaning “to differ,” and 通常とは異なる is a useful modifier before a noun: 通常とは異なる動き means “movement different from usual.” とは marks the standard used for comparison. 利用 means “use” or, in this context, “activity/use of the service or card.” It is a noun that can also be used in compounds and with する, as in サービスを利用する (“use a service”). Here it is modified by 通常とは異なる, so the phrase refers to use that differs from the usual pattern. 検出した means “detected.” Its base form is 検出する (“to detect”); した is its past form. The subject is システム, so システムが利用を検出した means “the system detected the activity.” 後に means “after.” It follows a noun or a clause to place one event later than another. Here, システムが通常とは異なる利用を検出した後に means “after the system detected unusual activity.” Example: 確認した後に連絡します。 — “I will contact you after checking.” カード means “card.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as the card that may have been blocked. It is a noun; カードを使う means “use the card.” ブロックされた means “was blocked.” The base verb is ブロックする (“to block”), and ブロックされた is its past passive form: the card is presented as the thing affected by someone’s or some system’s blocking action. The passive form does not by itself identify who performed the action. Example: アカウントがブロックされた。 — “The account was blocked.” 可能性があります means “there is a possibility” or, in this sentence, “may.” 可能性 is “possibility,” and あります is the polite present form of ある (“exist”). A clause before 可能性があります expresses what is possible: 遅れた可能性があります means “it may have been delayed.” This construction presents the event as uncertain rather than asserting it as fact. Together, システムが通常とは異なる利用を検出した後に sets the time as after the system detected activity different from usual. カードがブロックされた says that the card was blocked, using the passive form, and 可能性があります marks that claim as possible. The whole utterance therefore means: “It may have been blocked after the system flagged unusual activity.”

3. 最近旅行していたので、それがきっかけになったのかもしれません。

   I was traveling recently, so that might have triggered it.

   最近

   recently; lately

   旅行していた

   was traveling

   ので

   so; because

   それ

   that

   きっかけ

   trigger; catalyst

   になった

   became

   かもしれません

   might; may

   More detail

   最近 means “recently” or “lately.” It places the travel in the recent past and modifies the following situation. Example: 最近忙しいです。 means “I have been busy lately.” 旅行していた comes from 旅行する (“to travel”). The form 旅行していた uses the ている pattern in the past: it presents the traveling as an ongoing or continuing situation at that past time, roughly “was traveling” or “had been traveling.” The form does not itself specify how many trips occurred. ので connects a reason or background situation to a result. Here, the recent travel is presented as the reason for the speaker’s possibility: “because I had been traveling, so …” In polite speech, ので is a relatively soft way to give a reason. Example: 雨なので、出かけません。 means “Because it is raining, I am not going out.” それ is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” In this sentence it points to an already understood matter and is the thing treated as a possible trigger; the fixed translation supports “that” without identifying a more specific referent. きっかけ is a noun meaning a trigger, catalyst, or occasion that starts or prompts something. きっかけになる is a reusable pattern meaning “to become a trigger” or “to serve as a catalyst.” Example: その出会いが勉強を始めるきっかけになりました。 means “That meeting became the trigger for me to start studying.” になった is the past form of になる (“to become”). In きっかけになった, the noun きっかけ is followed by に, and なった says that it became or served as that trigger. The past form presents this triggering role as an established event or interpretation, not as a present change happening now. かもしれません expresses uncertainty in a polite form: “may,” “might,” or “perhaps.” It is the speaker’s uncertainty about the preceding claim, so それがきっかけになったのかもしれません means “that might have been the trigger.” The polite ending is ません; it does not make the whole sentence a simple negative statement. Together, 最近旅行していたので gives the background reason, and それがきっかけになったのかもしれません says that “that” may have become the trigger. The whole utterance therefore means: “I was traveling recently, so that might have triggered it.”

4. それなら納得できますが、本人確認はやはり必要です。

   That would make sense, but we still need to verify your identity.

   それなら

   if that is the case; then

   納得できます

   can make sense

   本人確認

   identity verification

   やはり

   still; after all

   必要です

   is necessary

   More detail

   それなら combines それ (“that”) with なら, which presents a condition or assumption: “if that is the case” or “then.” Here it refers to the situation described by the preceding context, without identifying a more specific referent than the supplied translation supports. A reusable pattern is Xなら、… = “if X is the case, …”. 納得できます comes from 納得する, “to be convinced” or “to accept something as making sense.” できます is its polite potential form, so the phrase literally expresses that something “can be accepted as reasonable”; in this sentence, the intended meaning is “that would make sense.” The potential form here describes acceptability or possibility, not physical ability. For example: その説明なら納得できます。 — “With that explanation, I can accept it.” The ending が follows this clause in the source and links it contrastively to what comes next: “but.” Thus それなら納得できますが means “That would make sense, but …”. 本人確認 is a compound noun: 本人 means “the person themself” or “the actual person,” and 確認 means “verification” or “checking.” Together, 本人確認 is “identity verification,” the process of checking that someone is the person they claim to be. 確認 also appears in broader combinations such as 内容を確認する (“check the contents”), but the compound here specifically concerns the person’s identity. やはり is an adverb meaning “still” or “after all.” Here it marks that the need for identity verification remains despite the preceding point being acceptable: “we still …”. Its placement before 必要です makes it modify the continuing necessity, not the identity-verification noun itself. 必要です means “is necessary.” 必要 is the word carrying the meaning “necessary”; with です, it forms a polite statement. A useful contrast is 必要です (“is necessary”) versus 不要です (“is unnecessary”). In this sentence, the understood thing that is necessary is 本人確認, so 本人確認はやはり必要です means “identity verification is still necessary.” Putting the parts together, それなら納得できますが gives the concessive first part, “That would make sense, but,” and 本人確認はやはり必要です states the contrasting requirement, “identity verification is still necessary.” The complete utterance is: “That would make sense, but we still need to verify your identity.”

5. すべての購入履歴を一つずつ確認しなくても、本人確認はできますか？

   Can we check that without going through every purchase?

   すべての

   all

   購入履歴

   purchase history

   一つずつ

   one by one

   確認しなくても

   without checking

   本人確認

   identity verification

   できますか

   can it be done?

   More detail

   すべての means “all” and modifies the noun that follows it. The particle の links the modifier to that noun: すべての + noun means “all the relevant ...”. Here it modifies 購入履歴. 購入履歴 means “purchase history,” a record of purchases. 購入 means “purchase,” while 履歴 means a history or record of past activity. Together they form a noun compound referring to purchase records. 一つずつ means “one by one” or “each individually.” 一つ is a general counter expression for one item, and ずつ gives a distributive meaning: the items are handled individually. Example: 質問に一つずつ答えます。 means “I will answer the questions one by one.” 確認しなくても contains 確認する, “to check” or “to confirm,” in the negative form 確認しない, followed by ても. The pattern V-なくても means “even without doing V” or “without doing V.” Here, it says that checking each item is not required for the possibility asked about in the main clause. Example: 全部を読まなくても分かります。 means “You can understand it without reading everything.” In the observed form, しなくて is the negative connective form of する, and も adds the “even if/without” condition. 本人確認 means “identity verification” or “identity confirmation.” 本人 refers to the person themself, and 確認 means confirmation or checking. Together, the compound refers to verifying that a person is the person they claim to be. できますか asks whether something is possible or can be done. できる is the base form meaning “can do,” “be possible,” or “be feasible”; できます is its polite form, and か marks the sentence as a question. The subject is omitted in Japanese; with the fixed translation and context, it is naturally understood as “we” asking whether this can be done. Example: ここで確認できますか。 means “Can it be checked here?” Together, すべての購入履歴を一つずつ確認しなくても means “without checking all the purchase records one by one.” 本人確認はできますか asks whether identity verification is possible under that condition. The whole utterance means: “Can we check that without going through every purchase?” More specifically in this context, it asks whether identity verification can be completed without reviewing every purchase record individually. The polite question is suitable for asking whether such a procedure is feasible.

6. 必要なのは、本人確認と最近の利用状況の大まかな確認だけです。

   We only need identity confirmation and a general sense of recent activity.

   必要なのは

   what is needed is

   本人確認

   identity confirmation

   最近

   recently; recent

   利用状況

   usage situation; activity

   大まかな

   general; approximate

   確認

   confirmation; check

   だけです

   is only; is just

   More detail

   必要なのは is the pattern 必要なのは X です: “what is needed is X.” 必要 means “necessary” or “needed,” and の turns the preceding statement into a noun-like unit; は marks that unit as the topic. The phrase itself does not specify what is needed until the following part supplies it. Example: 必要なのは時間です。 — “What is needed is time.” 本人確認 means confirming a person’s identity. 本人 refers to the person themselves, while 確認 means checking or confirming something. This is a compound noun, so it can be used as a reusable label for an identity-checking procedure. Example: 本人確認をしてください。 — “Please confirm your identity.” 最近 means “recently” or “recent,” depending on how it relates to the rest of the sentence. Here it modifies 利用状況, so it means “recent” activity. Example: 最近、忙しいです。 — “I have been busy recently.” 利用状況 means a person’s or system’s usage status or activity. 利用 means use or usage, and 状況 means situation or status; together they refer to how something has been used, rather than to one specific transaction. Example: サービスの利用状況を確認します。 — “We will check the service’s usage activity.” 大まかな means “general,” “broad,” or “approximate.” It is the attributive form of 大まか, placed before the noun it describes. Here it limits the scope of 確認: the check is general, not a detailed review. Example: 大まかな予定を説明します。 — “I will explain the general plan.” 確認 means “confirmation” or “checking.” As a noun, it can combine with other nouns, as in 本人確認; here it is the head of 大まかな確認, meaning a general check. The same word can also be used with する: 内容を確認します。 — “I will check the contents.” だけです expresses limitation: “it is only” or “that is all.” だけ means “only,” and です gives the polite sentence ending. In this sentence, it limits what is needed to the items named before it; it does not by itself state a numerical count. Together, 本人確認と最近の利用状況の大まかな確認 names two needed things: identity confirmation and a general check of recent activity. The structure 必要なのは … だけです presents those items as the complete requirement, so the whole utterance means: “What we need is only identity confirmation and a general sense of recent activity.”

7. すべての取引を一つずつ挙げるより、そのほうが合理的に思えます。

   That sounds more reasonable than listing every transaction.

   すべての

   every; all

   取引

   transaction

   一つずつ

   one by one

   挙げる

   list; name

   より

   than

   そのほうが

   that option; that way

   合理的に

   reasonably

   思えます

   seems

   More detail

   すべての Here, すべての means “every/all” and modifies the noun that follows. すべて means “all” or “everything”; adding の lets it directly modify a noun. In this sentence, it gives the scope “every transaction,” rather than identifying a particular number of transactions. 取引 取引 means “transaction” here. It is a noun and can also be used in compounds, for example 取引先 (“business partner” or “client”), but that longer word has its own meaning. 一つずつ 一つずつ means “one by one.” 一つ is the general counter expression for one item, and ずつ distributes the action equally across the items. Example: 一つずつ確認します。 — “I will check them one by one.” 挙げる The base form 挙げる means “to list” or “to name” in this context: listing each transaction. It is a verb in the non-past form, and that form can appear before より to make a comparison. Do not confuse this use with every other meaning of the same spelling; here the intended action is giving items one at a time as examples or entries in a list. より より marks the comparison standard: “than.” The pattern [verb in plain form] より means “rather than doing [the verb].” Here, 一つずつ挙げるより means “rather than listing them one by one.” The compared alternative is introduced before the preferred option in the sentence. そのほうが そのほうが means “that option” or “that way,” with が marking it as the subject of the following description. ほう literally refers to a side or option in a comparison; その points to the option already under discussion. In this sentence, it refers to the option contrasted with listing every transaction one by one, without needing to restate that option. 合理的に 合理的に means “reasonably” or “in a rationally efficient way” here. It is the adverbial form of 合理的だ: 合理的 describes something as rational or reasonable, while 合理的に describes how an action or judgment is made. Example: 合理的に考えましょう。 — “Let’s think about it rationally.” 思えます 思えます is the polite form of 思える, meaning “seems” or “appears” here. 思える is related to 思う (“think”), but this form presents the judgment as something that appears reasonable to the speaker, rather than as a direct, emphatic statement of personal belief. The polite ending ます makes the utterance suitable for a respectful conversation. Whole sentence すべての取引を marks every transaction as the object, and 一つずつ挙げるより sets up the alternative “rather than listing them one by one.” そのほうが合理的に思えます then says that the other option seems more reasonable. Together, the sentence means: “That sounds more reasonable than listing every transaction.”

8. 本人確認が完了すれば、通常はすぐにカードの利用停止を見直せます。

   Once your identity is verified, we can usually review the block right away.

   本人確認

   identity verification

   完了すれば

   once completed

   通常は

   usually

   すぐに

   right away

   カード

   card

   利用停止

   use suspension; block

   見直せます

   can review

   More detail

   本人確認 means identity verification here. 本人 refers to the person whose identity is being checked, and 確認 means checking or confirming something. Together, this is a reusable compound noun for an identity-check process, rather than a general confirmation of any object. 完了すれば means “once it is complete.” The form is built from 完了する (“to be completed”) plus the conditional ending -ば. With this kind of condition, the later action is presented as available after the earlier process reaches completion. Example: 登録が完了すれば、利用できます。 — “Once registration is complete, you can use it.” 通常は means “usually” or “under normal circumstances.” 通常 is the noun/adverbial expression for what is usual, and は sets it as the topic or frames the statement in contrast with less usual cases. It modifies the sentence’s general likelihood, not the identity-verification process itself. すぐに means “right away” or “soon after.” It indicates that little time is expected between the condition being met and the later action. Example: 確認後、すぐに連絡します。 — “After checking, I’ll contact you right away.” カード is the loanword “card.” In this utterance it is the card connected with the use suspension; the form itself does not specify a more particular card type. 利用停止 is a compound noun meaning suspension or blocking of use. 利用 means use or usage, while 停止 means stopping or suspension. In this sentence, it refers to the existing block on card use, matching the translation’s “the block.” A related but different expression is 利用再開, “resumption of use,” which describes allowing use again rather than stopping it. 見直せます means “can review” in this context. Its base form is 見直す, “to review, reconsider, or reassess,” and 見直せます is its polite potential form: 見直す → 見直せる (“can review”) → 見直せます (“can review,” polite). The potential form expresses that the review is possible, not that it has definitely already happened. Example: 設定を見直せます。 — “You can review the settings.” Together, 本人確認が完了すれば sets the condition, 通常はすぐに says that the next step is normally possible without delay, and カードの利用停止を見直せます identifies that step as reviewing the block on card use. With the intended participants supplied by the fixed translation, the whole utterance means: “Once your identity is verified, we can usually review the block right away.”