Checking in at a Hotel in Japanese - Practice

Practice checking in at a hotel in Japanese

Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to check in at a hotel in Japanese?

Welcome to Three Step Japanese Practice by JapanesePod101.com. In this lesson, you will practice using the particles "から" and "まで".

Let’s look at the main dialogue.

Two people are having a conversation in a hotel lobby.

チェックインは3じからですね。

Chekkuin wa san-ji kara desu ne.

Check-in starts at three o’clock, right?

あと30ぷん、ありますね。

Ato san-juppun, arimasu ne.

That's 30 minutes away.

In the first sentence, this person

says "チェックインは3じからですね," which uses the particle "から (kara)" to indicate that something starts "from" a specific time. In this case, it shows that the check-in, "チェックイン," starts from 3 o'clock, "3じ (san-ji)."

Let’s practice with this grammar as well as the particle まで (made), which means "until," more in this lesson.

Choose the best answer to complete the sentence. Ready?

授業は午前9時始まります｡

(Jugyō wa gozen ku-ji ___ hajimarimasu.)

授業は午前9時始まります｡

から (kara)

授業は午前9時から始まります｡

(Jugyō wa gozen ku-ji kara hajimarimasu.)

授業は午前9時から始まります｡

(Jugyō wa gozen ku-ji kara hajimarimasu.)

Lessons start at 9am.

から is correct here because the sentence is about what time something starts. Using まで (made) to describe when something starts would sound unnatural in Japanese.

As a note, while から can be used as "from," it can also be used to say something starts "at" a time.

Choose the best answers to fill in the blanks. Ready?

駅学校歩いて10分かかります｡

(Eki ___ gakkō ___ aruite juppun kakarimasu.)

駅学校歩いて10分かかります｡

から (kara)

から

まで (made)

まで

駅から学校まで歩いて10分かかります｡

(Eki kara gakkō made aruite juppun kakarimasu.)

駅から学校まで歩いて10分かかります｡

It takes ten minutes to walk from the station to the school.

から and まで can be used to describe from when something starts to until when it ends, but it can also describe going from one place to another. In this sentence, から is used to mean "from" in "walk from the station," and まで is used to mean "to" in "to the school."

Choose the best answer to fill in the blank. Ready?

スーパーは夜10時営業しています｡

(Sūpā wa yoru jū-ji ___ eigyō shite imasu.)

スーパーは夜10時営業しています｡

(Sūpā wa yoru jū-ji ___ eigyō shite imasu.)

まで

スーパーは夜10時まで営業しています｡

(Sūpā wa yoru jū-ji made eigyō shite imasu.)

The supermarket is open until 10pm.

Unlike the first question, this sentence is about when something closes. Just like how saying when something opens with まで would sound unnatural, it would also sound unnatural to use から to say when something closes or ends.

Choose the best answer to complete the sentence. Ready?

店は午後8時(から or まで)開いています｡

(Mise wa gogo hachi-ji (kara or made) aite imasu.)

店は午後8時(から or まで)開いています｡

(Mise wa gogo hachi-ji (kara or made) aite imasu.)

まで (made)

まで

店は午後8時まで開いています｡

Mise wa gogo hachi-ji made aite imasu.

The store is open until 8pm.

Even though から might sound like the right answer, since the sentence is about when the store is open, まで is used here instead.

This is because the verb 開いています (Aiteimasu) describes the current state of being open, NOT the starting point at which the store opens.

Choose the best answer to complete the sentence. Ready?

店は午後8時 (から or まで) 開きます｡

(Mise wa gogo hachi-ji (kara or made) akimasu.)

店は午後8時 (から or まで) 開きます｡

(Mise wa gogo hachi-ji (kara or made) akimasu.)

から (kara)

店は午後8時から開きます｡

(Mise wa gogo hachi-ji kara akimasu.)

The store opens at 8pm.

から is used in this sentence because 開きます is a verb that describes the opening of the store. Because it's the "starting point," we would not use まで here.

Unscramble the words to make a sentence.

Ready?

駅

(Eki)

駅から

(Eki kara)

駅から家

(Eki kara ie)

駅から家まで

(Eki kara ie made)

駅から家まで歩いて

(Eki kara ie made aruite)

駅から家まで歩いて10分

(Eki kara ie made aruite juppun)

駅から家まで歩いて10分かかります｡

(Eki kara ie made aruite juppun kakarimasu.)

It takes ten minutes to walk from the station to the house.

駅から家まで歩いて10分かかります｡

Let's translate some sentences.

Translate "Check-out starts at 3 o'clock." into Japanese.

チェックイン (Chekkuin). check-in.

followed by

は (wa). This is the topic marking particle.

3じ (san-ji). 3 o'clock.

followed by

から (kara). at.

lastly

です. This is a copula that roughly means "it is," or "to be."

チェックインは3じからです｡

(Chekkuin wa san-ji kara desu ne.)

チェックインは3じからです｡ Check-out starts at 3 o'clock.

Translate "Checkout is until twelve o'clock." into Japanese.

チェックアウト (chekkuauto). check-out.

followed by

は (wa). Topic-marking particle.

１２じ (jūni-ji). 12 o'clock.

followed by

まで. until.

and finally

です. The "it is" copula.

チェックアウトは１２時までです｡

(Chekkuauto wa jūni-ji made desu.)

チェックアウトは１２時までです｡

(Chekkuauto wa jūni-ji made desu.)

Checkout is until twelve o'clock.

Translate "The office is open from nine to five." into Japanese.

かいしゃ (Kaisha). Office.

followed by

は. Topic marking particle.

9じ (ku-ji). 9 o'clock.

followed by

から (kara). from.

then

5じ (go-ji). 5 o'clock.

followed by

まで (made). until.

and finally

です (desu). The "it is" copula.

かいしゃは9じから5じまでです｡

(Kaisha wa ku-ji kara go-ji made desu.)

かいしゃは9じから5じまでです｡

(Kaisha wa ku-ji kara go-ji made desu.)

The office is open from nine to five.

Listen to me as I speak. Can you hear if the sentence uses から (kara), まで (made), or both?

おんせんはよる12じまでですよ。

(Onsen wa yoru jū ni-ji made desu yo.)

Let’s listen one more time.

おんせんはよる12じまでですよ。

Did you hear, まで (made)?

おんせんはよる12じまでですよ。means "The hot spring is open until midnight."

How about...?

きっさてんは6じから開きます｡

(Kissaten wa roku-ji kara hirakimasu.)

Let’s listen one more time.

きっさてんは6じから開きます｡

Did you hear, から (kara)?

きっさてんは6じから開きます｡ means "The cafe opens at 6 o'clock."

Next...

えきからホテルまで5ふんかかります。

(Eki kara hoteru made go-fun kakarimasu.)

One more time.

えきからホテルまで5ふんかかります。

Did you hear, から AND まで?

えきからホテルまで 5ふんかかります。 means "It takes 5 minutes FROM the station TO the hotel."

Next...

えいがは7じからはじまります。

(Eiga wa shichi-ji kara hajimarimasu.)

One more time.

えいがは7じからはじまります。

Did you hear, から?

えいがは7じからはじまります。 means "The movie starts at 7 o'clock."

And finally...

パーティーは3じから5じまでです。

(Pātī wa san-ji kara go-ji made desu.)

One more time.

パーティーは3じから5じまでです。

Did you hear, から AND まで?

パーティーは3じから5じまでです。 means "The party is FROM 3 o'clock TO 5 o'clock."