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Breakdown of kaigityuu ni mizu wo nonde mo ii desu.
をwo
direct object particle
水mizu
water
飲むnomu
to drink
にni
time particle
会議kaigi
meeting
〜て も いい〜te mo ii
to be permitted to
〜中〜tyuu
during 〜
Questions & Answers about kaigityuu ni mizu wo nonde mo ii desu.
What is the grammar pattern behind 飲んで＋も＋いい?
This is the permissive pattern “V-te + も + いい(です)”, meaning “It’s okay if you V” or simply “You may V.” The も here is the concessive も (“even if”), but as a set phrase it marks permission.
Why is 飲んで in the te-form?
The te-form of a verb is used to connect to もいい. You take the verb 飲む, change it to 飲んで, and then add もいい to form the permission expression.
Can you drop the も and just say 飲んでいいです?
Yes. 飲んでいい (or 飲んでいいです) is a more casual way to give permission. The nuance is nearly identical, but the textbook-standard polite pattern is て-form + も + いいです.
Why is there a に after 会議中? Can it be omitted?
会議中 means “during the meeting” and already acts adverbially, so in colloquial speech you often omit に:
会議中、水を飲んでもいいです。
Adding に (会議中に) treats it explicitly as a time-location noun (“in/during the meeting”), which is also perfectly correct.
Why is 水 marked with を?
Because 飲む is a transitive verb that takes a direct object. 水を飲む literally means “to drink water.” The particle を marks 水 as the thing being drunk.
What role does です play at the end?
いい is an i-adjective meaning “good/okay.” To make the sentence polite, you often add です after an adjective: いいです. In casual speech, you could simply say 飲んでもいい without です.
How do you turn this into a question to ask for permission?
Change いいです to いいですか:
会議中に水を飲んでもいいですか？
This means “May I drink water during the meeting?”
How do you express prohibition (i.e., “You must not drink water”)?
Use the negative prohibition pattern て-form + は + いけません:
会議中に水を飲んではいけません。
This means “You must not drink water during the meeting.”
What’s a more formal way to ask for permission than いいですか?
You can use よろしいでしょうか:
会議中に水を飲んでもよろしいでしょうか？
This is more polite and suitable for very formal or business contexts.
What’s the difference between 飲んでもいい and 飲んでもかまいません?
Both grant permission:
- 飲んでもいい (“it’s okay if you drink”) is common and neutral.
- 飲んでもかまいません (“I don’t mind if you drink”) is slightly more formal or impersonal. The nuance of かまわない focuses on “I don’t mind.”
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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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