N5 · Unit 6
Lesson 23List several actions and states
List representative actions or qualities, ask whether a clause is true, and describe results that vary by condition.
What you learn
List representative actions or qualities, ask whether a clause is true, and describe results that vary by condition.
Learning points
- Listing actions
- Listing states
- Whether and variation by condition
Why this lesson comes now
This lesson connects what you can already say to a new way of expressing it. Hear the key sentences, understand the structure, then use it in a real situation.
Your next step
Listen to the key sentences, understand the pattern, finish the examples and vocabulary, then continue to the next lesson.
Open the interactive lessonCore pattern
動詞たり 動詞たり します ・ い形容詞かったり / な形容詞だったり ・ 普通形か どうか ・ N によってBeginner explanation
Use 〜たり〜たりします to list representative actions rather than every action. Adjectives and nouns can list states with 〜かったり and 〜だったり. Use plain form＋かどうか for whether, and Nによって for variation depending on a condition.
Understand these sentences first
- 休みの日は 本を 読んだり、散歩したり します。yasumi no hi wa hon o yondari, sanpo shitari shimasu
On days off, I do things like read and take walks.
- この 町は 静かだったり、にぎやかだったり します。kono machi wa shizuka dattari, nigiyaka dattari shimasu
This town is sometimes quiet and sometimes lively.
- 明日 雨が 降るか どうか 分かりません。ashita ame ga furu ka dō ka wakarimasen
I do not know whether it will rain tomorrow.
- 店に よって 値段が 違います。mise ni yotte nedan ga chigaimasu
Prices differ depending on the shop.
Core vocabulary
- 散歩しますさんぽしますtake a walk
- 雨あめrain
- 降りますふりますfall; rain
- 分かりますわかりますunderstand
- 店みせshop
- 値段ねだんprice
- 違いますちがいますdiffer
- 場合ばあいcase; situation
Grammar, one point at a time
Vたり Vたりします lists representative actions, not a complete inventory
Vた→Vたり + Vた→Vたり しますReplace final た or だ in the ta-form with たり or だり, then close with します or another predicate. It means doing things such as A and B; the actions may repeat, alternate, or merely serve as examples, and their order is not fixed by the list.
Examples
- 休みの日は 本を 読んだり、散歩したり します。On days off, I do things like read and take walks.
- 昨日は 掃除したり、洗濯したり しました。Yesterday I did things like clean and do laundry.
- 立ったり 座ったり しないでください。Please do not keep standing up and sitting down.
Adjectives and nouns + たり can show states that vary
Aかったり／Aだったり／NだったりAn i-adjective changes past plain 高かった to 高かったり. Na-adjectives and nouns change 静かだった or 電車だった to 静かだったり or 電車だったり. Contrasting states are common but not required.
Examples
- 料金は 高かったり 安かったり します。The fee is sometimes high and sometimes low.
- 公園は 静かだったり にぎやかだったり です。The park is sometimes quiet and sometimes lively.
- 通勤は 電車だったり バスだったり します。The commute may be by train or bus.
Plain form + かどうか embeds whether inside another sentence
普通形 + かどうか + 分かる／知る／確かめるThe embedded question does not retain です／ます or a final question particle. Present affirmative nouns and na-adjectives attach directly to かどうか without だ. The embedded subject normally takes が. You may also state both alternatives as affirmative + か + negative + か.
Examples
- 明日 雨が 降るかどうか 分かりません。I do not know whether it will rain tomorrow.
- この 店が 静かかどうか 知っていますか。Do you know whether this shop is quiet?
- 参加するか 参加しないか、今日 決めます。I will decide today whether to participate.
Question word + plain form + か embeds unknown time, place, person, or content
疑問詞 + 普通形 + か + 分かる／知る／忘れるいつ来るか, どこにあるか, and だれの物か each become a noun-like content unit. This か does not itself turn the outer sentence into a question; the outer sentence determines that. Nouns and na-adjectives again omit だ before か.
Examples
- 会議が 何時に 始まるか 教えてください。Please tell me what time the meeting starts.
- 鍵を どこに 置いたか 忘れました。I forgot where I put the key.
- この 荷物が だれの物か 分かりますか。Do you know whose luggage this is?
The subject inside an embedded question normally takes が, not は
Nが + 普通形 + か（どうか）The outer topic can take は, while the subject being checked inside takes が: 私は、担当者が来るかどうか知りません. A は inside the embedded clause adds contrast or topicalization, so beginners should not substitute it mechanically.
Examples
- 私は 担当者が いつ 来るか 知りません。I do not know when the person in charge will come.
- 担当者は、会議が 終わったかどうか 確かめました。The person in charge checked whether the meeting had ended.
Nによって marks variation by condition, person, place, or method
N + によって／によりますIt often means depending on or varying by, and can close a sentence as 〜によります. It also has uses for means, cause, and the agent of a passive, but this lesson focuses on variation by a condition.
Examples
- 値段は 季節に よって 違います。Prices differ by season.
- 国に よって 郵便の ルールが 違います。Mailing rules differ by country.
- 何時に 届きますか。— 地域に よります。When will it arrive? — It depends on the area.
Expressions and situations
〜たり〜たり can be followed by more than します or です
The list may be followed by いろいろあります, 毎回違います, 忙しいです, or another predicate that completes the meaning. Action lists often use します and state lists often use です, but neither is a mandatory fixed ending.
- 味が 濃かったり 薄かったり、毎回 違います。The flavour varies between strong and light each time.
かどうか handles yes-no uncertainty; a question word + か retains the unknown item
Use 来るかどうか for whether someone will come, but だれが来るか for who will come, not だれが来るかどうか. First ask whether the original question can be answered yes or no.
- 営業していますか。→ 営業しているかどうかwhether it is open
- 何時に 開きますか。→ 何時に開くかwhat time it opens
あっ、そうだ marks suddenly remembering, not hearsay そうだ
It is a self-directed interjection meaning Oh, right. Do not turn it into the polite あっ、そうです, which normally means Yes or I see.
- あっ、そうだ。切手も 買います。Oh, right. I will buy stamps too.
Yukata is a lighter kimono type now common at summer festivals and hot-spring inns
Yukata often uses light cotton or cotton-hemp fabric and is worn by people of any gender. Designs, dressing conventions, and rental services vary, so textbook colour tendencies are not fixed rules. Follow local guidance when buying, renting, or attending an event.
- 夏祭りに 浴衣を 着るかどうか、まだ 決めていません。I have not decided whether to wear yukata to the summer festival.
EMS prioritizes fast international delivery; registered mail prioritizes delivery records and compensation conditions
EMS is for expedited international documents or goods. Registered mail records acceptance and delivery and provides compensation within stated limits. First identify the destination and contents, then compare available services, weight limits, labels, and tracking.
- EMSで 送れるかどうか 確かめます。I will check whether it can be sent by EMS.
- 書留の 料金は 国に よって 違います。Registered-mail fees differ by country.
The textbook's 2004 mobile and email figures are historical context, not current statistics
The learning value lies in expressions such as 電子メール, 携帯, 連絡, and 知らせる and in the historical shift from fixed-location to mobile communication. Any adoption rate, subscriber count, or current feature requires a current official source.
- メールで 日程を 知らせます。I will notify you of the schedule by email.
たぶん marks a probable guess and often pairs with でしょう or と思います
Casual speech may use たぶん行きます directly, but it is not a guarantee. Distinguish no knowledge in かどうか分かりません from a directional guess.
- たぶん 友達に 会います。I will probably meet friends.
- 行くかどうか、まだ 分かりません。I still do not know whether I will go.
知らせます informs another person; 知ります means coming to know
In 家族に予定を知らせます, に marks the recipient. 予定を知っています means that the speaker already knows the schedule. Do not collapse both verbs into know.
- 結果を メールで 知らせてください。Please notify me of the result by email.
- 結果を 知っています。I know the result.
決まります means something is settled; 決めます means someone decides it
日程が決まります means the schedule becomes settled, while 日程を決めます means someone decides it. In an embedded question, use 何を買うか決めましたか.
- 会場が 決まりました。The venue has been decided.
- 今日 会場を 決めます。We will decide the venue today.
What you should be able to do
- Convert 12 common verbs from ta-form to tari-form and build full sentences with two representative actions.
- Use tari-forms of i-adjectives, na-adjectives, and nouns to describe changes in price, setting, transport, and schedule.
- Decide whether a question is yes-no or asks who, when, where, or what, then embed it with かどうか or question word + か.
- Use subject が correctly inside embedded questions and distinguish it from outer-topic は.
- Use 〜によって to explain how prices, postal rules, commuting, and opening hours vary by condition.
- Complete an original mailing task: check eligibility, choose EMS or registered mail, address it, and notify the recipient by email.
Culture and real use
Yukata, post, and email: traditional life and communication keep changing
Yukata is a lighter kimono type often made from cotton or cotton-hemp fabric. It is now common at summer festivals, fireworks events, and hot-spring inns, and people of any gender wear it; colours and designs should not become fixed gender rules. EMS is an expedited international postal service, while 書留 records acceptance and delivery and offers compensation under stated conditions. Their purposes differ, and available services vary by destination and contents. The textbook's 2004 mobile-phone and email figures belong to communication history and cannot answer today's usage. Learners should compare physical mail and email, identify service conditions, and ask real questions with かどうか and によって.
- この 荷物を EMSで 送れるかどうか 確かめます。I will check whether this parcel can be sent by EMS.
- 浴衣の 柄は 店に よって 違います。Yukata designs differ by shop.
- 到着日を メールで 知らせます。I will notify you of the arrival date by email.