Lights and buttons
Collocations, Stage 2chunk 14 of 24Home & daily routine
Switching things on and off and pressing a button: the on/off pair, the light's own state, then the press.
- denki o tsukeruturn on the light
- denki o kesuturn off the light
- denki ga tsukuthe light comes on (tsuiteru = is on)
- botan o osupress the button
Mix-ups Don't carry akeru and shimeru over from doors: lights go on with tsukeru and off with kesu (not shimeru or tomeru). Drill the pair in one frame: denki ___te.
denki o tsukeru
polite denki o tsukemasuturn on the light
電気をつける でんきをつける 電気をつけます
verbtsukeru つけるattach; light or switch on (a light, fire, TV)typical 15% of denki
trap Not denki o ireru: ireru (turn on) goes with suitchi (switch) and dengen (power). The room light is called denki (literally 'electricity') and takes tsukeru, like terebi and eakon: denki tsukete.
Said whenever a room gets dark: denki tsukete (put the light on), denki tsukeyou ka. Here denki means the light itself, and the same tsukeru works for the TV and air conditioner.
kurai ne, denki tsukeyou ka.
It's dark, shall I put the light on?
暗いね、電気つけようか。
kurai desu ne, denki o tsukemashou ka.
It's dark, shall I turn the light on?
暗いですね、電気をつけましょうか。
suitchi o ireru / dengen o ireru is how you switch a machine on; eakon o ireru is also heard, but tsukeru is the everyday choice. Intransitive pair: denki ga tsuku, mostly heard as denki tsuiteru (the light's on) and denki tsukanai (it won't come on). denki tsukete ends like ki o tsukete (take care), the same verb in another sense.
Same verb: terebi (TV), eakon (air conditioner), danbou (heating), hi (fire)Learn alongside: denki o kesu, denki ga tsuku, dengen o kiru (Stage 4), dengen o ireru (Stage 4)Main list: ireru (Stage 4), ki o tsukeru (Stage 2)
denki o kesu
polite denki o keshimasuturn off the light
電気を消す でんきをけす 電気を消します
verbkesu 消すput out, make disappear (light, fire, writing)typical 16% of denki
trap Not denki o tomeru, which means cutting off the power supply (denki tomerareta = they cut off my electricity). Lights and TVs are put out with kesu; for the air conditioner or a fan, kesu, kiru (eakon kitte) and tomeru are all used.
The other half of denki o tsukeru, used for the TV, heater and air conditioner too. You hear it as denki keshite (turn the light off) and denki keshita? (did you turn it off?).
heya no denki keshita?
Did you turn off the light in your room?
部屋の電気消した？
heya no denki o keshimashita ka?
Did you turn off the light in your room?
部屋の電気を消しましたか？
Intransitive pair: denki ga kieru (the light goes out; denki kieta! = the lights went out). A phone or computer is powered off with dengen o kiru.
Same verb: terebi (TV), eakon (air conditioner), gasu (gas stove), hi (fire)Learn alongside: denki o tsukeru, denki ga tsuku, dengen o kiru (Stage 4), dengen o ireru (Stage 4)
denki ga tsuku
polite denki ga tsukimasuthe light comes on (tsuiteru = is on)
電気がつく でんきがつく 電気がつきます
verbtsuku つくcome on, catch light; also stick, be attachedtypical 1% of denki
trap Not denki ga tsuketeru: with ga the verb is tsuku (denki tsuiteru). denki o tsuketeru means someone is keeping it on.
Describes the light itself, almost always as denki tsuiteru (the light's on) or denki tsukanai (it won't come on). Use tsukeru only when someone switches it on.
heya no denki tsuiteru yo.
The light's on in your room.
部屋の電気ついてるよ。
heya no denki ga tsuite imasu yo.
The light is on in your room.
部屋の電気がついていますよ。
Sounds like tsuku 'arrive' (eki ni tsuku); the particle and context tell them apart.
Same verb: terebi (TV), eakon (air conditioner), hi (fire)Learn alongside: denki o tsukeru, denki o kesu, dengen o kiru (Stage 4), dengen o ireru (Stage 4)Main list: tsuku (Stage 3)
botan o osu
polite botan o oshimasupress the button
ボタンを押す ボタンをおす ボタンを押します
verbosu 押すpush, presstypical 59% of botan
For lifts, buses, ticket machines and intercoms: botan oshite (press the button), kono botan osu dake (you just press this button). Casual speech drops o; on a bus, pressing it asks for the next stop.
tsugi de oriru kara, botan oshite.
We get off at the next stop, press the button.
次で降りるから、ボタン押して。
sumimasen, tsugi de orimasu node, botan o oshite moraemasu ka?
Excuse me, I'm getting off at the next stop. Could you press the button?
すみません、次で降りますので、ボタンを押してもらえますか？
Shirt buttons take other verbs: botan o tomeru (do up), hazusu (undo).
Same verb: suitchi (switch), intaahon (doorbell), hanko (name stamp), iine (a like)