Q&A

Question: I’m working part-time at a supermarket. We usually have many customers crowding around the cooked food section during lunch and dinner time. Now with the COVID-19 situation, crowding is strongly discouraged. My supervisor wants me to make an announcement in Japanese to advise customers to keep at least 2m apart from one another. How do I say this in Japanese?

Question: My city is under lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic and there is no sign of reopening soon. Travel is restricted and I miss my Japanese friends. I’m arranging a Zoom meeting online to catch up with them. I want to ask how things are going recently for them in Japanese. Please help!

Question: My wife developed flu-like symptoms a few days ago and was tested positive for COVID-19. Naturally, this put our whole family on panic mode as all of us need to report to the authorities that we are in close contact with an infected person and we need to see if we develop symptoms as well. How do I say “I’m a close contact” in Japanese?

Question: I have been working from home ever since my city announced a lockdown to restrict movements to curb the spread of the coronavirus. So I was pleasantly surprised when I received a message from my Japanese friend asking how I was coping with things. I want to reply in Japanese “Thank you for your concern”. How should I say it?

Question: I was dispatched last year from U.K. to the Japanese branch of my company as its President. I suddenly have many Japanese subordinates. We speak English in the company and we normally use English for work as well. However, I want to speak some Japanese to my staff, especially words of thanks. I want to say “Thank you for your hard work” to them when they come to my office for regular reports. How should I say it?

Question: I’m a Singaporean working at a Japanese company. 30 minutes before we knock off, my boss suddenly asked me to create a PowerPoint presentation for tomorrow. I had to work overtime in the office until 8pm to finish the work. My colleague Yamada-san came back from sales. He saw me working alone and he helped to correct my Japanese on the slides. Thanks to him, I was able to create a quality presentation. I wanted to say “Thank you for your help” in Japanese. How shall I say it?

Question: I developed flu-like symptoms a few days ago and was tested positive for COVID-19. Naturally, this put our whole family on panic mode as they need to stay home and self-isolate for 14 days to see if they develop symptoms as well. I feel fine otherwise and try to keep positive, but I feel apologetic to my family as well. As I can’t go to the office now, how do I tell my Japanese boss that “I’m infected with the coronavirus” in Japanese?

Question: I feel lonely as I must stay home all the time during this period of self-restraint caused by COVID-19. I have been sending messages to many people. I want to send a message “How is it going?” to a Japanese girl whom I used to go out with. How shall I say it in Japanese?