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Lesson 135 of 240

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Emergency help in Japanese

Leo steps into Kenta's small croquette shop on Yanaka Ginza. Hot oil spatters from the fryer, and Kenta's voice goes sharp.

He does not want help. He wants Leo calm, back from the pan, and out of the shop.

You will tell people to stay calm, get out, stand still, and go somewhere safe.

You will also say that an accident happened, in polite Japanese.

By the end of this lesson

Tell people what to do in an emergency and how to stay safe.

  • 落(お)ち着(つ)いてください。Stay calm.
  • 今(いま)すぐ外(そと)に出(で)てください。Get out now.
  • そこから離(はな)れてください。Please move away from there.
  • 動(うご)かないでください。Don't move.
  • 事故(じこ)がありました。There was an accident.
  • 安全(あんぜん)なところに行(い)ってください。Please go somewhere safe.

Scene — oil in the shop

Yanaka Ginza is busy this afternoon. Leo steps into Kenta's small croquette shop and leans in to watch the fryer.

Oil jumps from the pan. Kenta's headband slips as he steps back, still holding the long chopsticks.

A passerby freezes just inside the door.

Leo leans toward the fryer while Kenta watches from behind the counter.

Learn — stay calm, stay back

These six lines are polite orders for a scare: stay calm, get out, stay still, and move to safety.

One line just names what happened.

  1. Kenta raises an open palm to reassure Leo after oil pops from the pan.

    落(お)ち着(つ)いてください。

    Stay calm.

    When to use it: Use this when someone is panicking and needs a steady voice.

    てください turns the て-form into a polite request.

  2. Kenta gestures toward the lane as Leo bows near the fryer.

    今(いま)すぐ外(そと)に出(で)てください。

    Get out now.

    When to use it: Use this when people must leave a place at once.

    に marks the place you move toward.

  3. Leo gestures toward a passerby paused just inside the shop doorway.

    そこから離(はな)れてください。

    Please move away from there.

    When to use it: Use this when someone is standing too close to danger.

    から marks the place you need to leave.

  4. Kenta signals Leo to stop as Leo reaches toward a cloth beside the pan.

    動(うご)かないでください。

    Don't move.

    When to use it: Use this when moving would make the situation worse.

    ないでください is the polite way to say don't.

  5. Leo faces a passerby in the lane and points back toward the croquette shop.

    事故(じこ)がありました。

    There was an accident.

    When to use it: Use this to tell people that an accident just happened.

    が marks the thing that happened.

  6. Kenta guides Leo away from the shop entrance toward a safer place along the lane.

    安全(あんぜん)なところに行(い)ってください。

    Please go somewhere safe.

    When to use it: Use this to send someone out of harm's way.

    に marks the safe place you want them to go.

    Say it: Give the ん in 安全 its own beat.

Story — the fryer spatters

Oil spatters inside the croquette shop. Kenta wants Leo back, not bowed.

Highlighted phrases are the new lines. Turn on Show English if you want a gloss.

  1. Oil pops from the fryer. Leo leans in to look.
  2. Kenta落(お)ち着(つ)いてください。Stay calm.
  3. Leoすみません。Sorry.
  4. Kentaそこから離(はな)れてください。Please move away from there.
  5. Leo bows, still too close to the pan.
  6. Kenta触(さわ)らないでください。Please don't touch that.
  7. Oil jumps again. Leo reaches for a cloth.
  8. Kenta動(うご)かないでください。Don't move.
  9. The popping slows. A passerby still stands inside the shop.
  10. Kenta今(いま)すぐ外(そと)に出(で)てください。Get out now.
  11. Stranger事故(じこ)がありました。There was an accident.
  12. Kenta turns to Leo, still too close to the pan.
  13. Kenta安全(あんぜん)なところに行(い)ってください。Please go somewhere safe.
  14. Leoはい、わかりました。Yes, I understand.
  15. Kenta気(き)をつけてください。Take care.

Practice — pick the right order

Eleven short tasks wait in this round. You will listen, fill a gap, swap a word, and build a line.

Each one is small, so you move on quickly.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Japanese

    落(お)ち着(つ)いてください。Drop the English here
    動(うご)かないでください。Drop the English here
    事故(じこ)がありました。Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Japanese, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    Leo is shaking and talking too fast. Calm him with words only. Do not tell him to move.

  4. Fill the gap

    Please move away from there.

    そこ____離(はな)れてください。

  5. What does it mean?

    動(うご)かないでください。

  6. Pick the reply

    Stranger says:

    外(そと)に出(で)なくてもいいですか。

    Is it all right if I don't go outside?

    And you reply with:

  7. Build the line

    Please go somewhere safe.

    。

    Tap the words in order.

  8. Swap the word

    An accident just happened. Say that it happened, not that there is none.

    事故(じこ)が____。

  9. Find the mistake

  10. What do you say?

    Leo reaches toward the pan. Tell him not to touch it.

  11. True or false?

    This line tells someone not to move.

Say it — your turn to speak

You are Leo in Kenta's croquette shop. When the cue is yours, tap the microphone and say the line.

Tap play first if you want to hear it. The recording stays on this device.

  1. Kenta油(あぶら)が跳(は)ねました。The oil spattered.
  2. Leo (you)Tell him to stay calm.

    落(お)ち着(つ)いてください。

    Stay calm.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

JapaneseEnglish
落(お)ち着(つ)いてください。Stay calm.
今(いま)すぐ外(そと)に出(で)てください。Get out now.
そこから離(はな)れてください。Please move away from there.
動(うご)かないでください。Don't move.
事故(じこ)がありました。There was an accident.
安全(あんぜん)なところに行(い)ってください。Please go somewhere safe.
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Keep these emergency lines in your pocket. Open the Yak Cards for this lesson and run them on the train.

A short Yak Cards round keeps stay-calm and get-out ready.

Open Yak Cards