kono sisetu ha kyou tukaemasu.

Questions & Answers about kono sisetu ha kyou tukaemasu.

What does この mean, and why does it come before 施設?

この means this and it must come directly before a noun.

So:

  • この施設 = this facility

You cannot use この by itself as a standalone pronoun. If you want to say this by itself, you would usually say これ.

Compare:

  • この施設 = this facility
  • これ = this

So in this sentence, この is modifying 施設.

How do you read 施設, and what kind of word is it?

施設 is read しせつ.

It means facility, institution, or building/facility for a particular purpose, depending on context.

Examples of things that might be called 施設:

  • a sports facility
  • a public facility
  • a care facility
  • a training facility

In this sentence, it simply means facility.

Why is there a は after 施設?

The は marks この施設 as the topic of the sentence.

So the sentence is structured like:

  • この施設は = as for this facility / this facility
  • 今日使えます = can be used today

A natural English translation is:

  • This facility can be used today.
  • This facility is available today.

Even though は is often introduced as meaning is or as a subject marker, it is more accurate to think of it as a topic marker.

Why is は used instead of が?

Using は makes the sentence sound like a general statement about this facility.

  • この施設は今日使えます。
    = As for this facility, it can be used today.

If you used が instead, it could sound more like identifying or emphasizing the facility itself:

  • この施設が今日使えます。

That version is less neutral in many contexts and might feel like:

  • This facility is the one that can be used today
  • or it may contrast with other facilities

So は is the most natural choice for a simple statement.

What does 今日 mean here, and how is it read?

今日 here means today, and it is read きょう.

So:

  • 今日 = today

In this sentence, it tells you when the facility can be used.

Japanese often places time words before the verb, so:

  • 今日使えます = can use it today / it is usable today
Why does 今日 come before 使えます?

Japanese time expressions often appear before the main verb.

So this order is very normal:

  • この施設は 今日 使えます。

Literally, it is something like:

  • This facility, today, can-be-used.

That may sound unusual in English, but in Japanese it is standard.

You could think of the sentence pattern as:

  • [topic] は [time] [verb]
What exactly does 使えます mean?

使えます is the polite form of 使える, which is the potential form of 使う (to use).

So:

  • 使う = to use
  • 使える = can use / be usable
  • 使えます = can use / can be used / is usable

In this sentence, it means the facility is available for use.

A natural translation is:

  • This facility can be used today.
  • This facility is available to use today.
Is 使えます the same as 使います?

No.

  • 使います = use / will use
  • 使えます = can use / be able to use

So compare:

  • この施設を使います。
    = I use / will use this facility.
  • この施設は今日使えます。
    = This facility can be used today.

The second sentence is about possibility or availability, not the act of using.

Is 使えます passive?

No, it is not passive. It is the potential form.

That matters because English often translates it with something that looks passive:

  • can be used

But grammatically in Japanese, 使えます comes from 使う → 使える, meaning to be able to use or to be usable.

So although English may say can be used, the Japanese grammar here is not the same as the passive form.

For reference:

  • potential: 使える = can use / is usable
  • passive: 使われる = is used
Why is there no を in this sentence?

You might expect を because 使う normally takes a direct object:

  • この施設を使う = to use this facility

But with the potential form, Japanese often changes the structure.

Instead of marking the thing with を, Japanese often treats it as the thing that is possible/usable, and it may appear with:

  • が
  • は
  • sometimes を in modern speech, depending on the verb and style

Here, the sentence is framed as a statement about the facility:

  • この施設は今日使えます。

So the focus is not someone uses the facility, but the facility is usable today.

Who is the person that can use the facility? Why isn’t that stated?

Japanese often leaves out information that is understood from context.

This sentence does not explicitly say:

  • I can use it
  • you can use it
  • people can use it

It just says the facility is usable/available today.

Depending on context, the implied meaning could be:

  • You can use this facility today
  • We can use this facility today
  • This facility is open for use today

Japanese often avoids mentioning the subject when it is obvious or unnecessary.

Could this sentence also mean will be able to use today or is available today?

Yes. The polite non-past form 使えます can cover present and future meaning depending on context.

So this sentence could naturally be understood as:

  • This facility can be used today
  • This facility is available today
  • You can use this facility today

Because 今日 already fixes the time as today, the meaning is clear enough without a separate future marker.

Why are there spaces between the words here? Doesn’t Japanese usually have no spaces?

Yes, normal Japanese writing usually does not use spaces between words.

So the sentence would normally be written as:

  • この施設は今日使えます。

Spaces are often added in learning materials to make the sentence easier to read and to show word boundaries.

So:

  • この 施設 は 今日 使えます。 = learner-friendly spacing
  • この施設は今日使えます。 = normal Japanese writing

Both represent the same sentence.

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Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".

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