Picking someone up
Collocations, Stage 3chunk 15 of 23Getting around
Collecting someone and driving them: going to get them, taking their bags, giving them a lift, parking, and stopping at the konbini on the way.
- mukae ni ikugo to pick someone up
- nimotsu o motsucarry the bags
- kuruma ni noserugive someone a lift
- kuruma o tomerupark the car
- konbini ni yorustop by the convenience store
Mix-ups For mukae ni iku Japanese says iku where English says 'I'll come'. noseru (give a lift) is the transitive of noru. tomeru (park) gets mixed up with yoru (drop in) and with tomaru (a car pulling up, or staying the night).
mukae ni iku
polite mukae ni ikimasugo to pick someone up
迎えに行く むかえにいく 迎えに行きます
verbiku 行くgo (mukae is the noun of mukaeru, meet and welcome)typical 9% of mukae
trap Not mukae ni kuru for 'I'll come get you': you are the one going, so it is mukae ni iku (only 'come get me' is mukae ni kite). 'Pick up' is not toru here either. Among friends with a car, hirou also works for grabbing someone on the way (tochuu de hirotteku yo), but not for meeting a guest or collecting a child.
Paired with kuru for the other direction: mukae ni iku ne (I'll come get you) and mukae ni kite (come get me). Japanese says iku where English says 'I'll come'.
eki made mukae ni iku ne.
I'll come pick you up at the station.
駅まで迎えに行くね。
eki made mukae ni ikimasu ne.
I'll come and pick you up at the station.
駅まで迎えに行きますね。
Collecting a child from nursery is omukae: hoikuen ni omukae ni iku.
Same verb: eki (station), kuukou (airport), hoikuen (nursery)Main list: -ni iku / -ni kuru (Stage 4), iku (Stage 1), kuru (Stage 1)
nimotsu o motsu
polite nimotsu o mochimasucarry the bags
荷物を持つ にもつをもつ 荷物を持ちます
verbmotsu 持つhold, carry (in your hands); have with youtypical 12% of nimotsu
trap English 'carry' points to hakobu, which is moving things to a place (a porter, a removal van). Taking a bag off someone's hands, or carrying your own, is motsu.
Mostly an offer: nimotsu motsu yo, or motou ka? (shall I take that?). Casual speech drops o, and nimotsu motteru means you have bags with you.
omoi desho, nimotsu motsu yo.
That must be heavy, let me take your bag.
重いでしょ、荷物持つよ。
omoi desu yo ne, nimotsu mochimasu yo.
That looks heavy, let me carry your bag.
重いですよね、荷物持ちますよ。
nimotsu is also a parcel: nimotsu todoita (my package came).
Same verb: kaban (bag), kasa (umbrella), fukuro (carrier bag)Main list: motsu (Stage 1)
kuruma ni noseru
polite kuruma ni nosemasugive someone a lift
車に乗せる くるまにのせる 車に乗せます
verbnoseru 乗せるput on board; give someone a ride (the transitive of noru)typical 2% of kuruma
trap Not raido o ageru or kuruma o ageru (that gives the car away): giving a lift is noseru (put on board), the transitive of noru, with kureru or iku only as helpers after it (nosete kureru?, nosete ku yo). norasete means 'let me ride it', as with a friend's new bike, not 'give me a lift'.
Mostly a request or an offer: nosete kureru? (can you give me a lift?), eki made nosete tte (give me a lift to the station), nosete ku yo (I'll give you a lift), nosete moratta (I got a lift). Once the car is clear the noun often drops.
kaeri, kuruma nosete kureru?
Can you give me a lift back?
帰り、車乗せてくれる？
kaeri, kuruma ni nosete moraemasu ka?
Could you give me a lift back?
帰り、車に乗せてもらえますか？
Driving someone all the way somewhere is often okuru: ie made okuru yo (I'll take you home).
Same verb: jitensha (bike), baiku (motorbike)Learn alongside: densha ni noru, basu ni noru, kuruma ni noru, densha o oriru, jitensha ni noru, eki o norisugosu, hikouki ni noruMain list: -te kureru (Stage 2), -te iku (Stage 4), -te morau (Stage 2)
kuruma o tomeru
polite kuruma o tomemasupark the car
車を止める くるまをとめる 車を止めます
verbtomeru 止めるstop (something moving); park (a car, a bike)typical 6% of kuruma
trap Not paaku suru (paakingu is a car park, as in koin paakingu) and not yameru (quit): parking is tomeru, 'stop' the car. chuusha suru is correct but formal, the word on signs (chuusha kinshi) and in polite asks; in everyday talk people still say chuushajou (car park) and chuusha ga nigate (I'm bad at parking).
The everyday word for parking, with ni for the spot: doko ni tomeru? (where shall we park?), koko tomete ii? (can I park here?). The same verb stops any car, so in a taxi you say koko de tomete kudasai.
kuruma, doko ni tomereba ii?
Where should I park the car?
車、どこに止めればいい？
kuruma wa doko ni tomereba ii desu ka?
Where should I park the car?
車はどこに止めればいいですか？
A car sitting there is the intransitive tomatteru: mise no mae ni kuruma tomatteru.
Same verb: jitensha (bike), baiku (motorbike)Learn alongside: hoteru ni tomaru, konbini ni yoruMain list: yameru (Stage 4)
konbini ni yoru
polite konbini ni yorimasustop by the convenience store
コンビニに寄る コンビニによる コンビニに寄ります
verbyoru 寄るdrop in on the way; come close to
trap Not konbini ni tomaru: that tomaru is a car pulling up there (konbini de tomatte = pull over at the konbini; parking is kuruma o tomeru), and the overnight tomaru never fits a shop. Dropping in on the way is yoru: konbini yotteku.
Almost always followed by a direction verb: konbini yotteku (I'll stop at the konbini on the way) or yotte kaeru (stop off on the way home). Casual speech drops ni.
chotto konbini yotteku ne.
I'm just going to stop by the konbini.
ちょっとコンビニ寄ってくね。
chotto konbini ni yotte ikimasu ne.
I'm just going to stop by the convenience store.
ちょっとコンビニに寄っていきますね。
Sounds the same as yoru (night) and -ni yoru (it depends on); yotteku? also invites someone to drop in.
Same verb: suupaa (supermarket), ginkou (bank), tomodachi no ie (a friend's place)Learn alongside: hoteru ni tomaru, kuruma o tomeruMain list: -ni yoru (Stage 4), yoru (Stage 2), -te iku (Stage 4)