Trash and tidying
Collocations, Stage 3chunk 9 of 23Home & daily routine
Keeping the place in order: binning things, trash day, the messy room and putting things back.
- gomi o suteruthrow away rubbish
- gomi o dasutake out the trash
- heya o katazukerutidy up one's room
- heya ga chirakaru(a room) gets messy, is a mess
- moto ni modosuput back (as it was)
Mix-ups gomi o suteru is throwing something away; gomi o dasu is putting the bags out for collection. A messy room is chirakatteru, not kitanai (dirty), and the fix is katazukeru (put away), not souji (scrub).
gomi o suteru
polite gomi o sutemasuthrow away rubbish
ゴミを捨てる ゴミをすてる ゴミを捨てます
verbsuteru 捨てるthrow away, discard; also abandontypical 10% of gomi
trap 'Throw' points to nageru, which is throwing through the air (a ball). Throwing away is suteru; only in Hokkaido and Tohoku dialect does gomi o nageru mean this.
For getting rid of anything, at home or out: kono gomi doko ni suteru? (where does this go?). Casual speech drops o, and the thing itself often replaces gomi: kore sutete ii? (can I throw this out?).
kono gomi, doko ni sutetara ii?
Where should I throw this away?
このゴミ、どこに捨てたらいい？
kono gomi wa doko ni sutetara ii desu ka?
Where should I throw this rubbish away?
このゴミはどこに捨てたらいいですか？
Putting the bags out on collection day is gomi o dasu; the bin is gomibako.
Same verb: akikan (empty cans), zasshi (magazines), reshiito (receipt)Learn alongside: gomi o dasuMain list: dasu (Stage 4), -tara ii (Stage 4)
gomi o dasu
polite gomi o dashimasutake out the trash
ゴミを出す ゴミをだす ゴミを出します
verbdasu 出すput out, take out, send outtypical 9% of gomi
trap English 'take out' points to toru, but gomi o toru means picking off fluff or dirt. Putting trash out for collection is dasu.
Used for the household chore and for collection days: gomi dashite kite (go put the trash out). gomi sutete kuru is also said for the same trip; gomi o suteru alone is throwing something away.
chotto gomi dashite kuru.
I'm just going to take the trash out.
ちょっとゴミ出してくる。
chotto gomi o dashite kimasu.
I'll just take the trash out.
ちょっとゴミを出してきます。
gomidashi is the chore's name.
Same verb: sodaigomi (bulky trash), kan (cans)Learn alongside: gomi o suteruMain list: dasu (Stage 4), toru (Stage 4)
heya o katazukeru
polite heya o katazukemasutidy up one's room
部屋を片付ける へやをかたづける 部屋を片付けます
verbkatazukeru 片付けるput away, tidy; also clear (the table) or get (a job) donetypical <1% of heya
trap 'Clean your room' points to souji suru, which is vacuuming, wiping and dusting; putting things away is katazukeru. Both are right, for different jobs.
Putting things back where they belong (moto ni modosu), as in the parent's nag heya katazukenasai. Casual speech drops o; cleaning is souji suru (vacuuming is soujiki o kakeru), and heya o kirei ni suru covers both.
kyou wa heya katazukenakya.
I have to tidy my room today.
今日は部屋片付けなきゃ。
kyou wa heya o katazukenakya ikenai n desu.
I have to tidy my room today.
今日は部屋を片付けなきゃいけないんです。
The mess it fixes is heya ga chirakaru (chirakatteru); a tidied room is katazuiteru.
Same verb: tsukue (desk), omocha (toys), osara (dishes: clear the table)Learn alongside: heya ga chirakaru, moto ni modosuMain list: -nakya (Stage 3), kirei (Stage 3)
heya ga chirakaru
polite heya ga chirakarimasu(a room) gets messy, is a mess
部屋が散らかる へやがちらかる 部屋が散らかります
verbchirakaru 散らかるget scattered, become cluttered
Nearly always the state chirakatteru: heya chirakatteru (my room's a mess), or the host's apology chirakatteru kedo gomen ne as a guest comes in. Casual speech drops ga; making the mess is chirakasu.
gomen, heya chirakatteru kedo.
Sorry, the place is a mess.
ごめん、部屋散らかってるけど。
heya ga chirakatte ite, sumimasen.
Sorry the room is such a mess.
部屋が散らかっていて、すみません。
heya kitanai is also said of a messy room (kitanai covers dirty and messy, and is blunter); chirakatteru is stuff lying everywhere. The fix is heya o katazukeru; a tidy room is katazuiteru or kirei.
Same verb: tsukue (desk), ribingu (living room), genkan (entryway)Learn alongside: heya o katazukeru, moto ni modosuMain list: -teru (Stage 1), -kedo (Stage 1), kirei (Stage 3)
moto ni modosu
polite moto ni modoshimasuput back (as it was)
元に戻す もとにもどす 元に戻します
verbmodosu 戻すreturn something to where or how it wastypical 32% of moto
trap Not moto ni modoru when you do the putting: modoru is the thing (or you) going back. Putting something back yourself is modosu: moto ni modoshite.
For putting something back where it was or how it was: tsukattara moto ni modoshite ne. It also covers undoing a change (a setting, an edit); things going back to normal by themselves is moto ni modoru.
tsukattara moto ni modoshite ne.
Put it back when you're done with it.
使ったら元に戻してね。
tsukattara moto ni modoshite kudasai ne.
Please put it back after you use it.
使ったら元に戻してくださいね。
Giving a borrowed thing back to its owner is kaesu (hon o kaesu), not modosu.
Same verb: tana (shelf), reizouko (fridge), hikidashi (drawer)Learn alongside: heya o katazukeru, heya ga chirakaruMain list: modoru (Stage 1), -tara (Stage 2), -te ne (Stage 3)