Lesson 141: 読める 町、変わる 町

N3 · Lesson 141 · 20 min — Late October. The ward office posts a notice about road work. Read the notice and a news report with Rin, and review the most useful N3 reading patterns in one go

No new grammar in this lesson! We string together the patterns from Lessons 99-140 that you meet most in notices and news. Kanji in the vocabulary have hiragana above them. Tap one if you can't read it.

After this lesson, you can:

• Understand "planned," "when ...," "rules," and "from ... to ... (period)" in notices: 予定よてい・の 際さいは・こと・から〜に かけて
• Tell the news source from the reason: に よると・そうだ・と いう ことだ・ため
• Read the writer's judgment: おそれが ある・のでは ないか・とは 限かぎらない・わけでは ない
• Follow the direction of a text with connectors: ところが・つまり・ただし・そこで
• Read short notices and news, and choose the correct content

A Notice from the Ward Office

Manager Tanuki finally remembers Rin's name, and the company supports the Yanaka tour. In late October, a new notice goes up on the board... (お知しらせ = notice, 工事こうじ = construction work, 着工ちゃっこう = start of work)

To read a notice, look for "planned" and "rules." To read the news, look for the source, the reason, and the writer's judgment. Next time, Rin goes to the ward office meeting to speak up for that tree...

In Front of the Notice Board

Sentences from the notice and the news are in 「」. Look for the N3 patterns you've learned! Tap each line to hear the Japanese.

Vocabulary for This Lesson

• 掲示板けいじばん (keijiban): notice board, bulletin board
• 丁目ちょうめ (chōme): -chome (a block number in an address)
• 拡張かくちょう (kakuchō): expansion, widening
• 着工ちゃっこう (chakkō): start of construction, breaking ground
• 再来年さらいねん (sarainen): the year after next
• 行おこなう (okonau): to hold, to carry out
• 救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ (kyūkyūsha): ambulance
• 安全あんぜん (anzen): safety
• 記事きじ (kiji): article, report (in a newspaper or magazine)
• 沿道えんどう (endō): along the road, both sides of the road
• 樹木じゅもく (jumoku): trees
• 伐採ばっさい (bassai): cutting down (trees)
• 方法ほうほう (hōhō): method, way
• できる (dekiru): (a new shop or building) opens, gets built

Grammar 1 / 4: Notices: 予定よてい・際さいは・こと・にかけて

The four notice patterns: 〜予定よていです = planned to ~; 〜の 際さいは = when ~ (formal); sentence-final 〜こと = a rule; 〜から〜に かけて = from ~ to ~ (a period)

• 〜予定よていです: planned to ~: Dictionary form / noun + の + 予定よてい. 予定よてい = a plan already set in the schedule (by a person or a group). つもり = your own intention in your mind. Notices and schedules use 予定よてい. Notices often attach a kanji verb directly: 着工ちゃっこう予定よてい・伐採ばっさい予定よてい.
• 〜の 際さいは: when ~: Noun + の / dictionary form or た-form + 際さい（は）. The meaning is the same as とき, but much more formal. You see it most in notices, hotel instructions, and announcements.
• Final こと・から〜に かけて: Dictionary form / ない-form + こと. At the end of a sentence, it means a rule or something to follow (very common on prohibition signs). から〜に かけて = from ~ to ~, a period or an area. It is looser than から〜まで.

• 説明会せつめいかいは 来週らいしゅう 行おこなう 予定よていです。 — The information session is planned for next week.
• 工事こうじの 際さいは、大おおきい 音おとが します。 — During the work, there will be loud noise.
• 教室きょうしつで 物ものを 食たべない こと。 — Do not eat in the classroom. (rule)
• 明日あしたの 朝あさから 夕方ゆうがたに かけて、雨あめが 降ふるでしょう。 — Tomorrow, from morning to evening, it will probably rain.

Grammar 2 / 4: News: によると・そうだ・ため

Three steps for news: 〜に よると = the source; final 〜そうだ / 〜と いう ことだ = "I heard" (not the writer's own words); 〜ため = because ~ (written)

• 〜に よると: the source: Noun + に よると (also に よれば). First you say "who said it" or "where it was written." Then the sentence usually ends with そうだ・と いう ことだ・との ことだ, which show it is not your own words.
• 〜そうだ・〜と いう ことだ: hearsay: Plain form + そうだ / と いう ことだ. Careful: hearsay そうだ follows the plain form (せまい そうだ). It is different from そうだ meaning "looks like ~" (せまそうだ).
• 〜ため: reason and purpose: Plain form / noun + の + ため（に）. If what comes before is an event or a state, it is a reason (大雪おおゆきの ため). If it is something you want to do, it is a purpose (勉強べんきょうする ために). Common in news and notices, and more formal than から.

• ニュースに よると、今年ことしの 冬ふゆは 寒さむい そうです。 — I heard from the news that this winter will be cold.
• 部長ぶちょうに よると、会議かいぎは 三時さんじからと いう ことだ。 — According to the manager, the meeting starts at three.
• 大雪おおゆきの ため、学校がっこうが 休やすみに なりました。 — Because of the heavy snow, school was closed.
• 日本語にほんごを 勉強べんきょうする ために、日本にほんへ 来きました。 — I came to Japan in order to study Japanese.

Grammar 3 / 4: Judgment: おそれ・のでは・とは限かぎらない

Read the writer's attitude: 〜おそれが ある = there is a risk of ~ (bad things); 〜のでは ないか = isn't it ~? (a soft opinion); 〜とは 限かぎらない = not always ~; 〜わけでは ない = it's not that ~

• 〜おそれが ある: there is a risk of ~: Dictionary form / noun + の + おそれが ある. Only for bad possibilities. Common in news, weather reports, and notices. For good things, use かもしれない.
• 〜のでは ないか: isn't it ~?: Plain form (na-adjective / noun + な) + のでは ないか. It looks like a question, but it is really a soft way to give your own opinion. Very common in opinion articles.
• 〜とは 限かぎらない・〜わけでは ない: Both are "partial denials." とは 限かぎらない = "not always like that"; わけでは ない = "it's not (what you might think)." Neither is a full denial.

• 強つよい 雨あめで、川かわの 水みずが 増ふえる おそれが あります。 — Because of the heavy rain, the river may rise.
• この 計画けいかくは、町まちの 人ひとに とって 大変たいへんなのでは ないか。 — Isn't this plan hard on the people in town?
• 高たかい 店みせが おいしいとは 限かぎらない。 — An expensive restaurant is not always a tasty one.
• 工事こうじに 反対はんたいして いる わけでは ない。 — It's not that I'm against the work.

Grammar 4 / 4: Connectors: ところが・つまり・ただし・そこで

Signposts in a text: ところが = unexpectedly (a surprise); つまり = in other words (a summary); ただし = however (an added condition); そこで = so (taking action)

• ところが vs そこで: ところが = something happened that is the opposite of what you expected (a surprise). そこで = because of the earlier situation, someone took an action (a fix). What follows, a surprise or an action, is the key to telling them apart.
• つまり: in other words: It restates what came before or draws a conclusion. It often goes with a final わけだ: つまり、〜わけだ.
• ただし: an added condition: First you state the general rule, then ただし adds an exception or a condition. Most common in notices, price lists, and event info: "Free. However, a reservation is required."

• 早はやく 家いえを 出でた。ところが、電車でんしゃが 止とまって いた。 — I left home early. Unexpectedly, the trains had stopped.
• 月曜日げつようびは 休やすみです。つまり、土曜日どようびから 三日みっか 休やすめる わけです。 — Monday is a holiday. In other words, you get three days off from Saturday.
• 写真しゃしんを 撮とっても いいです。ただし、店みせの 中なかは だめです。 — You can take photos. However, not inside the shop.
• 道みちが わからなかった。そこで、駅えきの 人ひとに 聞きいた。 — I didn't know the way. So I asked someone at the station.