Breakdown of kaigi de ha, zyunban ni iken wo itte kudasai.
Questions & Answers about kaigi de ha, zyunban ni iken wo itte kudasai.
Why is it 会議では and not just 会議で?
で marks the place or setting where something happens, so 会議で means in/at the meeting.
Adding は after that gives 会議では, which makes the whole phrase the topic or frame: as for in the meeting or when it comes to the meeting. It can also add a slight contrastive nuance, depending on context.
So:
- 会議で、順番に意見を言ってください。 = neutral At the meeting, please give your opinions in order.
- 会議では、順番に意見を言ってください。 = In the meeting, please do it this way / possibly contrasting with other situations
Both are natural.
How is では pronounced here?
It is pronounced de wa, not de ha.
That is because は is a particle here, and the particle は is pronounced wa.
So 会議では sounds like kaigi dewa.
What does 順番に mean exactly?
順番 means order, sequence, or turn.
So 順番に means:
- in order
- one by one
- in turn
In this sentence, it suggests that each person should give an opinion one after another, following the decided order.
What is the に doing in 順番に?
Here, に turns 順番 into an adverb-like expression.
So:
- 順番 = order / turn
- 順番に = in order / in turn
This に is not marking a destination here. It is making the noun describe how the action is done.
A similar pattern appears in words like:
- 静かに話す = speak quietly
- 別々に行く = go separately
Why is 意見 marked with を?
Because 意見 is the thing being said.
The pattern is:
- 意見を言う = to state an opinion
So を marks the direct object of 言う.
Other similar examples:
- 名前を言う = say your name
- 本当のことを言う = tell the truth
Using が here would not be natural.
How does 言ってください work?
言って is the て-form of 言う.
Then:
- て-form + ください = please do ...
So:
- 言う = to say
- 言ってください = please say / please state
This is a standard polite request or instruction. It is polite, but still fairly direct, so it works well in meetings, classrooms, and announcements.
Why is there no word for you in the sentence?
Japanese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.
In this sentence, the listener is clearly the person or group being told what to do, so there is no need to say you.
In English, you usually need you, but in Japanese it is often omitted if everyone already knows who is meant.
Can the word order be changed?
Yes, to some extent.
Because Japanese uses particles like で, に, and を, the roles of the words are clear even if the order changes a little.
For example, this is also natural:
- 会議では、意見を順番に言ってください。
The original:
- 会議では、順番に意見を言ってください。
puts 順番に earlier, which highlights the idea of taking turns a bit more.
So the word order is somewhat flexible, but not completely free.
Why use 言う here instead of 話す?
言う and 話す are related, but they are not the same.
- 言う = to say, to state
- 話す = to speak, to talk
In this sentence, each person is being asked to state an opinion, so 言う fits very well.
If you used 話す, it would sound more like talk about something or speak, rather than give your opinion as a specific statement.
So 意見を言う is a very common and natural expression.
Does 会議 mean any kind of meeting?
会議 usually sounds fairly formal. It often refers to a business meeting, official meeting, committee meeting, or conference-style discussion.
It is less casual than something like a friendly get-together.
So in this sentence, the setting sounds organized and somewhat formal, which matches the instruction please give your opinions in order.
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