ame no hi ni kuruma wo untensuru toki ha ki wo tukete kudasai.

Please be careful when driving a car on rainy days.

Breakdown of ame no hi ni kuruma wo untensuru toki ha ki wo tukete kudasai.

• は: topic particle
• 車くるま: car
• を: direct object particle
• の: possessive case particle
• に: time particle
• 雨あめ: rain
• 日ひ: day
• ください: please
• とき: when
• 運うん転てんする: to drive
• 気き を つける: to be careful

Questions & Answers about ame no hi ni kuruma wo untensuru toki ha ki wo tukete kudasai.

Why is の used in 雨の日? Is 雨日 a thing?

• の links two nouns, letting the first modify the second: 雨の⽇ = “day of rain” → “a rainy day.”
• 雨日 exists but is rare/archaic and not used in everyday modern Japanese.
• Other common ways to say “rainy weather”: 雨の日, or the more formal 雨天（うてん）.

What does に after 日 do in 雨の日に? Can I drop it?

• に marks time: 雨の⽇に = “on a rainy day.”
• You can sometimes omit に with time words: 日曜日(に)行く. Here, keeping に makes the timing inside the clause clear: 雨の日に車を運転する (“to drive a car on a rainy day”).
• Another natural option is to topicalize: 雨の日は、車を運転するとき… (As for rainy days, when you drive…).

Why is it 車を運転する and not 車で運転する?

• 運転する is a transitive verb: you “drive a car,” so the car is the direct object with を: 車を運転する.
• で marks means/vehicle for movement verbs: 車で行く (go by car).
• 車で運転する is redundant/unidiomatic; avoid it.

What’s the difference between ときは and ときに here?

• ときは topicalizes the whole “when…” clause and presents a general rule/advice. That matches this sentence’s tone.
• ときに marks the specific time something happens. It can work, but it sounds more like focusing on a particular occasion.
• For broad advice, prefer ときは.

How does verb tense before とき work? Why 運転する and not 運転した?

• Use non‑past (dictionary form) before とき when the action is ongoing/future/habitual relative to the main clause: 運転するとき (when you drive).
• Use past before とき when the action is completed before the main event: 日本に来たとき (when I came/after I arrived).
• Contrast: 日本に来るとき (when coming/before arriving) vs 日本に来たとき (after arrival).

Could I use なら or 場合 instead of とき?

• なら = “if/when it’s the case that…” (conditional, speaker’s assumption): 雨の日に運転するなら、気をつけてください (If you’re going to drive on a rainy day, be careful).
• 場合（ばあい） = “in the case of” (formal): 雨の日に運転する場合は、気をつけてください.
• とき is the neutral, most common “when.”

What does 気をつけてください literally mean, and how polite is it?

• Literally “attach your attention/spirit,” i.e., “please be careful.”
• It’s a polite request: て‑form + ください.
• Variations:
  • Casual: 気をつけてね。
  • Very polite/honorific: お気をつけください。
  • Formal “attention” wording: ご注意ください。 (closer to “please take caution/please note.”)

Why is を used with 気をつける? What is 気?

• 気をつける is a fixed transitive expression; 気 (“mind/attention/spirit”) is the direct object, hence を.
• Think of it as “apply your attention.” You don’t replace を here.

Can I drop 車 or rearrange parts?

• Yes, if context makes it clear: 雨の日に運転するときは、気をつけてください。
• Word order is flexible for modifiers, but the standard flow keeps modifiers before what they modify: [雨の日に][車を運転する]ときは….

Are spaces like 雨 の 日 に normal in Japanese?

• No. Standard Japanese doesn’t use spaces between words.
• The natural writing is: 雨の日に車を運転するときは気をつけてください。
• Spaces are sometimes added for learners.

Is 雨のとき acceptable instead of 雨の日? Any nuance?

• 雨のとき = “when it’s raining” (focus on the condition at that time).
• 雨の日 = “on rainy days” (day‑level, slightly more general/habitual).
• Both work here; 雨の日 sounds especially natural for general advice.

How do you pronounce the sentence?

• Kana: あめ の ひ に くるま を うんてんする とき は き を つけて ください。
• Romaji: ame no hi ni kuruma o unten suru toki wa ki o tsukete kudasai.
• Note: the particle は is pronounced “wa,” and を is pronounced “o.”

Why is とき in hiragana? Can I write 時?

• Both are fine: とき or 時. Many writers prefer hiragana for common grammar words; using 時 is also acceptable.

Why isn’t there a subject like あなた? How do we know it means “you”?

• Japanese often omits subjects when obvious from context.
• Imperative/request forms (…てください) are naturally directed at the listener, so “you” is understood.

Should ください be written in kanji (下さい)? And what about 気をつける vs 気を付ける?

• In requests, the convention is kana: ください (not 下さい). 下さい is typically for the independent verb “to give me.”
• 気をつける is commonly written with kana つける; 気を付ける (付) is also seen. For learners, 気をつける is a safe default.

Could I say 雨が降る日に instead of 雨の日に?

• Yes: 雨が降る日に literally “on days when it rains.” It’s a bit more explicit and descriptive.
• 雨の日に is shorter and very natural for general advice.