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densya ga okureta node, kaigi ni maniaimasen desita.

電車でんしゃ　が　遅おくれた　ので、　会議かいぎ　に　間まに合あいません　でした。densya ga okureta node, kaigi ni maniaimasen desita.
Because the train was late, I did not make it to the meeting on time.
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Questions & Answers about densya ga okureta node, kaigi ni maniaimasen desita.

What does が after 電車 indicate?
In this sentence, が is the subject marker. It tells you that 電車 (the train) is the one performing the action 遅れた (was delayed). Without が, you wouldn’t know what’s causing the following result.
Who is being late here—the train or the speaker?
The train is late. The structure 電車が遅れた literally means “the train was delayed.” The speaker is telling you why they (implied) missed the meeting.
Why is 遅れた in the past tense? Couldn’t we use 遅れる or 遅れて?

We use the past tense 遅れた because the delay already happened, and it’s presented as the completed reason for missing the meeting.

  • 遅れる (dictionary form) would sound like a general statement: “trains get delayed.”
  • 遅れて (て-form) can connect actions but often sounds like a sequence (“the train was delayed, and then…”), not strictly a cause.
    By using 遅れたので, you clearly express “because the train was delayed (and that’s the reason).”
What is ので doing here? Can I use から or just the て-form instead?

ので is a conjunction meaning “because/so” that softly explains a reason.

  • から also means “because,” but it’s a bit more direct and can sound stronger or less polite in certain contexts.
  • The て-form (遅れて) can imply causation in casual speech, but it can also just link actions sequentially.
    Using ので makes the reason–result relationship explicit and polite.
Why is に used after 会議?

Here, 会議に marks the target or event you’re trying to reach on time.

  • に indicates “to” or “for” when talking about arriving somewhere or making it to an event.
    So 会議に間に合いませんでした means “(I) didn’t make it to the meeting on time.”
What does 間に合いませんでした mean, and how is it put together?

間に合いませんでした is the polite, past-negative form of 間に合う (“to be in time; to make it”).
Breakdown:

  • 間に合う = “to be in time”
  • 間に合いません = polite present/future negative (“will not make it”)
  • 間に合いませんでした = polite past negative (“did not make it”)
    Together: “did not manage to arrive in time.”
Could this sentence be more casual? How would you say it in the plain form?

Yes. In casual/plain style, you’d switch to dictionary/past/negative-plain forms:

  • 電車が遅れたから, 会議に間に合わなかった。
    Or using ので in plain form:
  • 電車が遅れたので, 会議に間に合わなかった。
Who didn’t make it to the meeting? Why isn’t 私が (I) mentioned?
The speaker (“I”) didn’t make it to the meeting. In Japanese, once the context is clear, you often omit subjects like 私が. It’s understood from the conversation or situation, so adding 私が would be redundant.