megane wo kakenaide hon wo yomu to, me ga tukaremasu.

Questions & Answers about megane wo kakenaide hon wo yomu to, me ga tukaremasu.

How is this sentence broken down grammatically?

A natural breakdown is:

  • 眼鏡をかけないで = without wearing glasses
  • 本を読むと = when/if (someone) reads a book
  • 目が疲れます = the eyes get tired

So the structure is basically:

  • [without doing A] [if/when doing B], [result happens]

In this sentence:

  • A = wearing glasses
  • B = reading a book
  • result = your eyes get tired
Why is used twice?

Because there are two different verbs, and each verb has its own object:

  • 眼鏡をかける = to wear glasses
  • 本を読む = to read a book

So:

  • 眼鏡を goes with かけないで
  • 本を goes with 読む

It may look repetitive at first, but it is completely normal in Japanese.

Why does かける mean to wear here?

Japanese uses different verbs for wearing depending on what you wear.

For example:

  • 帽子をかぶる = wear a hat
  • シャツを着る = wear a shirt
  • 靴をはく = wear shoes
  • 眼鏡をかける = wear glasses

So かける is the usual verb for things you put on your face, especially glasses.

What does ないで mean here?

ないで means without doing something.

So:

  • かけない = do not wear / not wear
  • かけないで = without wearing

In this sentence, 眼鏡をかけないで means without wearing glasses.

This is a very common pattern:

  • 朝ご飯を食べないで学校へ行った。
    = I went to school without eating breakfast.
  • 何も言わないで帰った。
    = I went home without saying anything.
What is the difference between ないで and なくて? Could this sentence use なくて instead?

Usually, ないで is the better choice when you mean without doing X, do Y.

  • 眼鏡をかけないで本を読む
    = read a book without wearing glasses

That is exactly the pattern here.

なくて often connects reasons or states instead:

  • お金がなくて困る。
    = I’m troubled because I have no money.

Sometimes learners try to use なくて everywhere, but in a sentence like this, ないで sounds more natural because it clearly means without wearing glasses.

What does mean in 読むと?

Here, is a conditional particle meaning something like:

  • when
  • if
  • whenever

So:

  • 本を読むと、目が疲れます。
    = When/If you read a book, your eyes get tired.

In this sentence, expresses a general result or natural consequence. It sounds like a rule or tendency:

  • If you read while not wearing glasses, your eyes get tired.

This use of is very common for habits, facts, and automatic results.

Why is used instead of たら or なら?

Because this sentence describes a general consequence, not a one-time event.

  • 読むと、目が疲れます。
    = When/If you read, your eyes get tired.
    This sounds like a regular result.

If you used たら, it would sound more like a specific situation:

  • 眼鏡をかけないで本を読んだら、目が疲れました。
    = When I read a book without glasses, my eyes got tired.

So is a good choice here because the sentence sounds like general advice or a common fact.

Why is it 目が疲れます and not 目を疲れます?

Because 疲れる is an intransitive verb.

  • 疲れる = to get tired

With intransitive verbs, the thing that changes state is often marked by :

  • 目が疲れる = the eyes get tired
  • 体が疲れる = the body gets tired

By contrast, 疲れさせる or other transitive expressions would use differently, but here the eyes themselves are the thing becoming tired, so is natural.

Why is singular in Japanese even though English usually says eyes?

Japanese often uses a singular body-part noun where English uses a plural translation.

So:

  • 目が疲れます is natural Japanese
  • In English, it is often translated as your eyes get tired

Japanese does this a lot with body parts:

  • 足が痛い = my leg hurts / my legs hurt
  • 手が冷たい = my hand is cold / my hands are cold

The exact English number depends on context, but the Japanese is perfectly normal.

Is the subject missing? Who is reading the book?

Yes, the subject is omitted, which is very normal in Japanese.

The sentence does not explicitly say:

  • you
  • I
  • people
  • someone

But from context, it usually means something like:

  • If you read a book without wearing glasses, your eyes get tired.
  • or more generally, When people read without glasses, their eyes get tired.

Japanese often leaves out subjects when they are obvious from context.

Why are the verbs in non-past form: 読む and 疲れます?

Japanese non-past forms are used not only for the future, but also for:

  • habits
  • general truths
  • repeated actions

So:

  • 本を読むと、目が疲れます。

does not mean only future time. It means something like:

  • When/if one reads a book, the eyes get tired
  • Reading a book causes eye fatigue

This is a standard way to talk about general facts.

What are the readings of the kanji in this sentence?

The usual readings here are:

  • 眼鏡 = めがね
  • = o
  • かけないで = kakenai de
  • = ほん
  • = o
  • 読む = よむ
  • = to
  • =
  • = ga
  • 疲れます = つかれます

So the full reading is:

めがね を かけないで ほん を よむ と、め が つかれます。

Is 眼鏡 commonly written in kanji?

It can be, but in everyday writing you will also often see:

  • メガネ
  • sometimes めがね

All of these are common enough depending on the context.
眼鏡 is correct, but many native speakers feel that メガネ is visually easier to read.

Why are there spaces in the sentence? Is Japanese normally written like that?

No, standard Japanese is normally written without spaces.

So this sentence would usually appear as:

眼鏡をかけないで本を読むと、目が疲れます。

Spaces are often added in learning materials to make it easier for beginners to see the parts of the sentence.

Could this sentence also be interpreted as a command, like Don’t wear glasses and read a book?

No, not in this sentence.

If ないで appears at the end of a sentence, it can sometimes work like:

  • 〜ないで。 = Don’t do that.

But here it is clearly connecting to the next action:

  • 眼鏡をかけないで本を読む
    = read a book without wearing glasses

So this is not a command. It is describing a condition and result.

Is this sentence natural Japanese?

Yes, it is natural.

It sounds like a general statement or piece of advice, similar to:

  • If you read without your glasses, your eyes will get tired.

A native speaker might also say similar versions such as:

  • 眼鏡をかけずに本を読むと、目が疲れます。
  • 眼鏡をかけないで本を読むと、目が疲れる。

The first is slightly more formal/literary because of かけずに, and the second is plain style because of 疲れる instead of 疲れます.

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How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?
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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