Asking a coworker to re-explain: Explain in simpler terms

💬 か is the part that makes it a question, and です keeps it polite. You'll see this ending on all kinds of simple questions: 大丈夫ですか。

💬 どこ usually means "where," but in work explanations it can also mean "which part?" or "what point?" The exact meaning depends on what you're talking about.

💬 むずかしい changes to むずかしかった for "was difficult." For this kind of word, い changes to かった when you talk about the past.

💬 むずかしかった means "was difficult," and です adds politeness. This is a common way to soften feedback: say the problem plainly, then keep the tone polite.

🇯🇵 At work, ちょっと often helps make criticism sound less harsh. Saying something was ちょっと fast is gentler than saying it was just plain fast.

💬 早い becomes 早かった for "was fast/early." The meaning can be either "fast" or "early," so context tells you which one is meant.

🇯🇵 This is a useful way to ask for re-explanation without blaming the other person. Saying ちょっと早かったです。 sounds milder and more workable than 分かりませんでした。 alone.

💬 よく can mean "well," but with understanding it often means "clearly" or "fully." So よく分かる is more like "understand clearly," not just "understand well."

💬 分かる means "understand," but Japanese often says understanding "becomes clear" rather than "I understand" something directly. That's why phrases with 分かる feel a bit different from English.

💬 分かる becomes 分からなかった for "didn't understand." The negative part comes before the past part, so it's literally like "was not understandable."

🇯🇵 This is honest but still polite, so it works well with coworkers. If you want to sound even softer, people often add a reason like ちょっと早かったです。 after it.

🇯🇵 じゃあ is very common in spoken Japanese when moving to the next step in a conversation. It feels natural and conversational, not stiff.

💬 Adding に to a word like かんたん turns it into "in a simple way." You can reuse that pattern with words like ていねいに for "carefully/politely."

💬 Sentence-final ね adds a feeling like "okay?" or "you know," making the tone warmer and more shared. In 言うね, it sounds like "I'll explain it, okay."

🇯🇵 言うね is casual and friendly. A senior coworker might say this to you, but you usually wouldn't say it upward in the workplace.

🇯🇵 This is something a coworker might say when they switch to a simpler explanation. The plain 言うね makes it sound supportive and informal rather than formal customer-service speech.

💬 を marks the thing you act on, so これをコピーする is literally "copy this." In speech, を is often said more like (o).

💬 したら means "after doing" or "when you've done," attached here to コピーした. It's a handy step-by-step pattern: 終わったら、教えてください。

💬 は here is said (wa), not (ha). In 次は, it marks 次 as the topic: "as for next…"

💬 しますか is the polite question form of する, "do." You'll hear it in many workplace questions: どうしますか。 何をしますか。

🇯🇵 This is a very natural question when someone is walking you through a task. It shows you're following along and want the next step, which comes across positively at work.

💬 With を, the thing before it is what gets changed: ファイル名を変える = change the file name. You can reuse this with other objects too, like 予定を変える (change the plan).

💬 で here means the method or means: メールで送る = send it by email. The same pattern works in チャットで送る (send it by chat).

🇯🇵 なるほど。 is common when you're following someone's explanation, but to a boss or client it can sometimes sound a bit too direct, like you're judging what they said. At work, 分かりました。 is often the safer choice.

💬 だれに means "to whom?" because に marks the target or recipient. You can swap in other question words the same way, like どこに (to where?).

💬 送ります is the polite non-past form, and in Japanese that can mean either "will send" or "send," depending on context. That's why it works in both statements and questions about what to do next.

💬 Adding か turns a polite statement into a question: 送ります → 送りますか. You'll see this pattern constantly, like 大丈夫です → 大丈夫ですか.

💬 Japanese often puts the recipient before the verb: だれに送りますか = "to whom will you send it?" This word order is very common with に for the person receiving something.

💬 Put の between two nouns and the first describes the second: チームのみんな = everyone of the team, or more naturally, everyone on the team. You can reuse this in 会社のみんな (everyone at the company).

💬 に often marks the person something goes to, like the recipient of an email. You'll see the same に in 田中さんに送る (send it to Tanaka).

🇯🇵 At work, さん after a family name is the normal safe default for coworkers and many people outside your company too. Using just 田中 can sound blunt unless your workplace culture is very casual.

💬 入れて is the て form of 入れる, and here it's used to make a request. You'll see the same pattern in 見て (look) or 教えて (tell me).

💬 も means "also/too" and replaces は or を instead of stacking after them. So you say 田中さんも, not 田中さんをも, in everyday Japanese.

💬 Sentence-ending ね softens what you say and adds a feeling like "okay?" or "right?" So 入れてね sounds gentler and less sharp than just 入れて.

🇯🇵 This is casual coworker speech. Use it with teammates you're on easy terms with, but with a superior or someone you need to be more polite with, a fuller request would be safer.

🇯🇵 This sounds like a casual instruction between coworkers who already have some rapport. For a boss, senior coworker, or less familiar colleague, it would usually be softened or made more polite.

🇯🇵 At work, 分かりました。 is a standard, polite way to show you understood instructions. It fits well with coworkers and bosses, and is often safer than more casual responses like なるほど。 or いいよ。

💬 〜てくれて adds the sense that someone did something for you or in a way that helped you. So 言ってくれて is not just "saying it," but "saying it for me / helpfully telling me."

💬 In ゆっくり言ってくれて、ありがとう, the てくれて part explains what you're thankful for: "thanks for saying it slowly." This pattern is very useful: 手伝ってくれて、ありがとう (thanks for helping me).

🇯🇵 いいよ。 is warm and casual, good with friendly coworkers. To someone above you at work, it can sound too casual, so it's not usually what you'd say upward.

💬 〜合う adds the idea of doing something with each other, so 助け合う is "help each other." You can see the same pattern in 話し合う (talk things over together).

💬 〜おう is a "let's do it" form: 助け合う becomes 助け合おう. The same change happens in 行こう (let's go) from 行く.

💬 Sentence-ending ね makes this sound warmer and more shared, like "okay?" or "let's, yeah?" It often turns a plain statement into something more cooperative.

🇯🇵 This has a friendly, team-bonding feel and works best among close coworkers or as warm encouragement. It would sound a bit personal or casual in a stiff, formal workplace exchange.