Breakdown of haha ha ryouribon wo minagara, satou to sio no ryou wo seikaku ni hakarimasu.
Questions & Answers about haha ha ryouribon wo minagara, satou to sio no ryou wo seikaku ni hakarimasu.
は marks 母 as the topic of the sentence: we’re talking about the mother. The rest of the sentence is what she is doing.
- 母は: As for my mother / My mother, (she)…
If you used 母が, you would be focusing on who is doing the action, often in contrast to someone else, or newly introducing the subject:
- 母が料理本を見ながら、砂糖と塩の量を正確に量ります。
→ Emphasis on it is the mother (not someone else) who measures.
In ordinary narration where the subject is already known or not being contrasted, は is more natural.
料理本 (りょうりぼん) literally means “cooking book”, i.e., a cookbook / recipe book.
- 料理本: a general term for cookbooks.
- レシピ: a recipe (often a single dish or a list of instructions). Also used for collections of recipes, especially in casual speech or online.
- 料理の本: literally “book of cooking”; very close in meaning to 料理本, but a bit more descriptive and less like a fixed compound.
In this sentence, 料理本 is best understood as a cookbook.
ながら attaches to the ます-stem of a verb and means “while doing (that)”.
- 見る → 見 (ます-stem) + ながら → 見ながら
→ “while looking (at)” or “while watching”
Key points about Vます-stem + ながら:
It describes two actions happening at the same time:
- 料理本を見ながら: while (she is) looking at the cookbook
- 砂糖と塩の量を正確に量ります: she measures the sugar and salt.
The subject is the same for both actions (here, the mother).
Usually, the ながら part is the background action, and the main verb (here 量ります) is the main action.
So the structure is:
[母は] [料理本を見ながら]、[砂糖と塩の量を正確に量ります]
→ My mother measures the amounts of sugar and salt accurately while looking at a cookbook.
を after 料理本:
を marks 料理本 as the direct object of 見る.- 料理本を見る = to look at / consult a cookbook.
で would mean “by means of / at / in”, which doesn’t fit with 見る here; 見る always takes を for the object you’re looking at.
見る vs 読む:
- 読む (to read) emphasizes reading text.
- 見る (to see / look at / check) has a broader meaning and is often used when checking something like a timetable, a map, or a recipe.
In context, when someone is cooking, 料理本を見る suggests referring to / checking the cookbook rather than carefully reading it like a novel.
料理本を読みながら is not wrong, but it sounds more like she is reading the cookbook, not just consulting it while cooking.
It applies to both.
Structure:
- 砂糖と塩 = sugar and salt
- 砂糖と塩の量 = the amounts of sugar and salt
Even though の comes right after 塩, in Japanese it is normal for A と B の C to mean “C of A and B”:
- 父と母の写真
→ photo(s) of my father and mother (not only of my mother)
So 砂糖と塩の量 = the amount/quantity of sugar and (of) salt.
量 (りょう) is a noun meaning amount, quantity, or volume:
- 砂糖の量 = the amount of sugar
- 仕事の量 = amount of work
量る (はかる) is a verb meaning to measure (weight, volume, amount).
In the sentence:
- 砂糖と塩の量 = the amounts of sugar and salt (noun phrase)
- 量ります = measure(s) (verb)
So, literally:
砂糖と塩の量を量ります
= [She] measures the amounts of sugar and salt.
They share the same kanji 量, but one is the noun (amount) and the other is the verb (to measure quantity).
Japanese has multiple はかる verbs, written with different kanji. Roughly:
量る / 量ります
→ to measure weight, volume, or amount
→ used with things like sugar, salt, rice, liquids, etc.測る
→ to measure length, size, depth, temperature, speed, etc.
→ e.g., length of a table, depth of a pool, temperature.計る
→ to measure time, or to calculate / plan (somewhat broader/figurative).
→ e.g., measure time, plan a strategy.
In this sentence we’re dealing with the amount of ingredients (砂糖と塩の量)—that’s a quantity typically measured by weight or volume. So 量る / 量ります is the appropriate choice.
正確 (せいかく) is a na-adjective meaning exact, precise, accurate.
To make an adverb from a na-adjective, you generally add に:
- 正確な 計算 = an exact calculation (adjective)
- 正確に 計算する = to calculate exactly/accurately (adverb)
So:
- 正確に量ります = measure (it) accurately / exactly.
Grammar pattern:
[na-adjective] + に + verb → adverbial form:
- 静かな部屋 → 静かに話す (speak quietly)
- 安全な場所 → 安全に運転する (drive safely)
Here, 正確に modifies 量ります.
を marks the direct object of a transitive verb.
- Verb: 量ります (measure)
- What is being measured (direct object): 砂糖と塩の量
So we have:
- 砂糖と塩の量を量ります。
→ [She] measures the amounts of sugar and salt.
Without を, the sentence would be ungrammatical. Many transitive verbs in Japanese take を for the thing directly acted upon:
- 水を飲みます – drink water
- 日本語を勉強します – study Japanese
- 砂糖と塩の量を量ります – measure the amounts of sugar and salt
量ります is the polite non-past form of 量る.
- 量る → dictionary form (informal, non-past)
- 量ります → polite non-past (formal/polite speech)
- 量っています → polite progressive (is measuring right now)
In written example sentences and general descriptions, it’s common to use the polite non-past to describe habits or general actions:
- 母は毎日朝ごはんを作ります。
- 父は新聞を読みます。
Similarly:
- 母は料理本を見ながら、砂糖と塩の量を正確に量ります。
→ could describe a habitual way she cooks, or a specific event told politely.
If you wanted to emphasize that she is in the middle of doing it right now, you could say:
- 母は料理本を見ながら、砂糖と塩の量を正確に量っています。
Yes, both are possible, but the nuance changes:
Omitting 母は
If it’s already clear from context that you’re talking about your mother, Japanese often drops the topic:- （母は）料理本を見ながら、砂糖と塩の量を正確に量ります。
The sentence is still understood as referring to your mother. Dropping known subjects/topics is very natural in Japanese.
Using 母が instead of 母は
- 母が料理本を見ながら、砂糖と塩の量を正確に量ります。
This tends to emphasize who is doing it—the mother in contrast to someone else, or in answer to a who question:
- 誰が砂糖と塩の量を正確に量りますか。
母が量ります。
In neutral description (no special contrast), 母は as the topic is more typical.