Breakdown of beddo no tikaku ni konsento ga aru kara, sumaho wo zyuuden dekiru.
Questions & Answers about beddo no tikaku ni konsento ga aru kara, sumaho wo zyuuden dekiru.
Why is there a の in ベッドの近く?
Here, の links two nouns.
- ベッド = bed
- 近く = vicinity / nearby area
So ベッドの近く literally means the bed’s nearby area, or more naturally, near the bed.
This is a very common pattern in Japanese:
- 駅の近く = near the station
- 家の前 = in front of the house
- 学校の後ろ = behind the school
Even though English uses a preposition like near, Japanese often uses a noun-like word plus の.
What exactly is 近く? Is it the same as 近い?
They are related, but they are not used the same way.
- 近い is an i-adjective meaning near
- 近く is a noun-like form meaning nearby area / vicinity
Compare:
- ベッドは近い = The bed is near.
This sounds incomplete unless you say what it is near to. - ベッドの近く = near the bed
So in this sentence, 近く is the right form because it works as a location noun.
Why is the particle に used after 近く?
The に marks the location where something exists.
The key part is:
- コンセントがある = there is an outlet
- ベッドの近くに = near the bed
So:
- ベッドの近くにコンセントがある = There is an outlet near the bed.
With ある and いる, に often marks the place of existence:
- 机の上に本がある = There is a book on the desk.
- 部屋に人がいる = There is a person in the room.
Why is it コンセントがある and not コンセントはある?
が is used because the outlet is the thing that exists.
With ある and いる, the thing that exists is very often marked by が:
- 猫がいる = There is a cat.
- 店がある = There is a shop.
So:
- コンセントがある = There is an outlet.
If you said コンセントはある, it would sound more contrastive, like:
- コンセントはあるけど、使えない = There is an outlet, but you can’t use it.
So が is the neutral, natural choice here.
Why is it ある and not いる?
What does から mean here?
Here, から means because.
So the sentence structure is:
- ベッドの近くにコンセントがあるから、
Because there is an outlet near the bed, - スマホを充電できる。
I can charge my phone.
This から connects a reason to a result.
You can use it in many sentences:
- 時間がないから、行けない。 = Because I don’t have time, I can’t go.
- 安いから、買う。 = Because it’s cheap, I’ll buy it.
Could ので be used instead of から?
Yes, ので could also be used:
- ベッドの近くにコンセントがあるので、スマホを充電できる。
Both mean because, but the nuance is a little different:
- から = more direct, casual, straightforward
- ので = a bit softer, slightly more formal, often more explanatory
In everyday speech, から is very common and natural here.
Why does the sentence say スマホを充電できる? How does できる work here?
できる means can do or be able to do.
Here it attaches to the verbal noun 充電:
- 充電する = to charge
- 充電できる = can charge
So:
- スマホを充電できる = can charge a smartphone / can charge my phone
This is a very common pattern with する-verbs:
- 勉強する → 勉強できる = can study
- 予約する → 予約できる = can make a reservation
Why is the phone marked with を in スマホを充電できる? I thought potential forms often use が.
Great question. This is something many learners notice.
Traditionally, with potential expressions, Japanese often uses が:
- 日本語が話せる = can speak Japanese
But with many modern expressions, especially する-verbs, を is also very common and natural:
- スマホを充電できる
- 予約を変更できる
- 漢字を勉強できる
So in real Japanese, を with できる is often acceptable and very common.
Nuance-wise:
- スマホを充電できる = can charge the phone
- スマホが充電できる can sound less natural here, or more like the phone is able to be charged
For a learner, the important point is: スマホを充電できる is a natural, standard way to say this.
Who is doing the charging? Why is there no subject like 私は?
Japanese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.
So スマホを充電できる usually implies something like:
- I can charge my phone
- You can charge your phone
- One can charge a phone
The exact subject depends on the situation.
In English, you usually need to state the subject. In Japanese, it is very often omitted if the listener can understand it.
If you wanted to be explicit, you could say:
- 私はスマホを充電できる。 = I can charge my phone.
But in many real conversations, leaving out 私は sounds more natural.
Does スマホ specifically mean my smartphone here?
Not by itself. スマホ just means smartphone.
However, in context, Japanese often leaves out words like my, your, or the when they are understood.
So in this sentence, the natural English translation is often:
- I can charge my phone
Even though Japanese only says スマホ.
This is very common:
- 手を洗う = wash your/my/the hands
- 傘を忘れた = forgot my umbrella
Context supplies the missing information.
Is コンセント really the word for an electrical outlet? It looks like the English word consent.
Yes. In Japanese, コンセント means electrical outlet / power socket.
This is one of those Japanese loanwords that came from English in form, but the meaning is different from modern English consent.
So be careful:
- English consent = permission, agreement
- Japanese コンセント = outlet / socket
This is a very common everyday Japanese word.
Why is there a comma before スマホを充電できる?
The comma helps separate the reason part from the result part:
- ベッドの近くにコンセントがあるから、 = because there is an outlet near the bed,
- スマホを充電できる。 = I can charge my phone.
Japanese commas are somewhat flexible, so the sentence could also be written without one in casual writing:
- ベッドの近くにコンセントがあるからスマホを充電できる。
But the comma makes it easier to read.
Is the word order flexible in this sentence?
Some parts are flexible, but not completely free.
The basic structure is:
- [place] に [thing] がある
- [reason] から [result]
So this sentence is naturally:
- ベッドの近くにコンセントがあるから、スマホを充電できる。
You could rearrange some information for emphasis, but the particles must still show the roles clearly.
For example:
- コンセントがベッドの近くにあるから、スマホを充電できる。
This is also understandable and natural.
But you cannot randomly remove or change particles without changing the meaning.
Could this sentence be translated literally as Because there is an outlet near the bed, a smartphone can be charged?
Yes, that is close to the literal meaning.
But in natural English, it is more common to say something like:
- Because there’s an outlet near the bed, I can charge my phone.
- There’s an outlet near the bed, so I can charge my phone.
Japanese often sounds more general or less explicit than English, so a perfectly literal translation may sound a bit stiff. The natural English version usually adds the implied subject and possessive.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning JapaneseMaster Japanese — from beddo no tikaku ni konsento ga aru kara, sumaho wo zyuuden dekiru to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions