N4 Vocabulary · Test 38

いたす (致す) is the humble form (けんごご, 謙譲語) of する (to do). It is used when the speaker humbly does an action that relates to a superior. Option 2 — 'I will make the flight reservation' — is a correct humble usage: the speaker humbly offers to do the booking for someone of higher status.

• 1日本へ いたします is ungrammatical — you cannot use する/いたす with へ to mean 'go.' The humble form of 行く (いく) is 参る (まいる).
• 3いたす is a humble form used for one's OWN actions toward a superior. You cannot use it to describe a superior's (先生's) action. For the teacher's action you would use the respectful form なさる (なさいますか).
• 4いたして ください is contradictory: いたす is humble (describing your own action), but 〜てください requests someone ELSE to do the action. You cannot use humble language for someone else's action. The plain form してください would be appropriate here.

• 致いたす — humble form of する (to do) — 謙譲語
• 参まいる — humble form of 行く/来る (to go/to come)
• なさる — respectful form of する (to do) — 尊敬語

そうだん (相談) means 'to consult someone / seek advice from someone about a problem or decision.' Option 1 — 'I consulted the teacher about how to study' — is a perfect usage: seeking advice from a person (先生) about a matter (べんきょうの しかた).

• 2You do not 相談 with a dictionary (じしょ). You look something up in a dictionary — the appropriate verb would be しらべる (調べる, to look up) or ひく (引く, as in じしょを ひく). 相談 requires a person who can give advice.
• 3Asking a station attendant (えきいん) what time the next train is, is a factual inquiry, not seeking advice. The appropriate verb would be きく (聞く, to ask) or たずねる (尋ねる, to inquire). 相談 implies discussing a problem and seeking guidance, not asking for factual information.
• 4Talking to a friend about a favorite movie is casual conversation, not 相談. 相談 involves seeking advice or discussing a problem/decision, not just talking about something you like.

• 相談そうだんする — to consult someone, to seek advice
• 調しらべる — to look up, to investigate
• 尋たずねる — to inquire, to ask

さびしい (寂しい) means 'lonely, feeling sad from being alone.' Option 3 — 'I live alone, so sometimes I become lonely' — is the correct usage: living alone (ひとりで すんでいる) naturally leads to feeling さびしい.

• 1Oversleeping (ねぼう) might make you feel regretful or troubled, but not さびしい (lonely). The appropriate word would be かなしい (悲しい, sad) or こまった (困った, in trouble).
• 2Wearing a sweater because it's さびしい makes no sense. The correct word here is さむい (寒い, cold) — you wear a sweater because it's cold, not because you're lonely.
• 4A room that hasn't been cleaned is dirty, not lonely. The appropriate word would be きたない (汚い, dirty).

• 寂さびしい — lonely, lonesome
• 寒さむい — cold (weather/temperature)
• 汚きたない — dirty
• 悲かなしい — sad

てきとう (適当) as an adjective means 'suitable, appropriate, fit for a purpose.' Option 4 — 'Is there a suitable book for researching about Japan?' — uses てきとうな correctly as a modifier for 本 (ほん, book), meaning a book that is appropriate for the stated purpose.

• 1てきとうで よく ねむれます ('suitable and I can sleep well') is incomplete — 適当 requires a context of what something is suitable FOR. Without specifying what the season is suitable for, the sentence is unnatural. The intended word might be ていど (適度, moderate) as in 適度な運動 (moderate exercise), but that still doesn't fit sleeping well.
• 2Saying war (せんそう) is 'not 適当 for people's lives' is semantically odd. 適当 describes whether something fits a purpose or requirement; war is simply bad/harmful for people's lives, not 'inappropriate' in the 適当 sense. A more natural expression would be よくない (bad) or ひつようでは ない (not necessary).
• 3てきとうする as a verb means 'to act appropriately / to handle something properly,' not 'to be suitable for.' To modify ホテル (hotel) meaning 'a hotel suitable for young people,' you must use the adjective form 適当な, not the verb 適当する. So 若い人に 適当な ホテル would be correct, but 適当する ホテル is wrong.

• 適当てきとう — suitable, appropriate, fit for a purpose
• 適当てきとうな — suitable (adjective form modifying a noun)
• 戦争せんそう — war

社長の かわりに (しゃちょうの かわりに) means 'instead of the president.' 田中さん attended the party in place of the president, which means the president himself did NOT attend. Option 2 correctly states this.

• 1If the president attended, there would be no need for someone to go かわりに (in his place).
• 3かわりに implies substitution — only one of the two attended, not both.
• 4If neither attended, the sentence would not say 田中さんが でました (Tanaka-san attended).

• 〜の代わりに（〜の かわりに） — instead of ~, on behalf of ~
• 社長しゃちょう — company president

いたす (致す) is the humble form (けんごご, 謙譲語) of する (to do). It is used when the speaker humbly does an action that relates to a superior. Option 2 — 'I will make the flight reservation' — is a correct humble usage: the speaker humbly offers to do the booking for someone of higher status.

• 1日本へ いたします is ungrammatical — you cannot use する/いたす with へ to mean 'go.' The humble form of 行く (いく) is 参る (まいる).
• 3いたす is a humble form used for one's OWN actions toward a superior. You cannot use it to describe a superior's (先生's) action. For the teacher's action you would use the respectful form なさる (なさいますか).
• 4いたして ください is contradictory: いたす is humble (describing your own action), but 〜てください requests someone ELSE to do the action. You cannot use humble language for someone else's action. The plain form してください would be appropriate here.

• 致いたす — humble form of する (to do) — 謙譲語
• 参まいる — humble form of 行く/来る (to go/to come)
• なさる — respectful form of する (to do) — 尊敬語

そうだん (相談) means 'to consult someone / seek advice from someone about a problem or decision.' Option 1 — 'I consulted the teacher about how to study' — is a perfect usage: seeking advice from a person (先生) about a matter (べんきょうの しかた).

• 2You do not 相談 with a dictionary (じしょ). You look something up in a dictionary — the appropriate verb would be しらべる (調べる, to look up) or ひく (引く, as in じしょを ひく). 相談 requires a person who can give advice.
• 3Asking a station attendant (えきいん) what time the next train is, is a factual inquiry, not seeking advice. The appropriate verb would be きく (聞く, to ask) or たずねる (尋ねる, to inquire). 相談 implies discussing a problem and seeking guidance, not asking for factual information.
• 4Talking to a friend about a favorite movie is casual conversation, not 相談. 相談 involves seeking advice or discussing a problem/decision, not just talking about something you like.

• 相談そうだんする — to consult someone, to seek advice
• 調しらべる — to look up, to investigate
• 尋たずねる — to inquire, to ask

さびしい (寂しい) means 'lonely, feeling sad from being alone.' Option 3 — 'I live alone, so sometimes I become lonely' — is the correct usage: living alone (ひとりで すんでいる) naturally leads to feeling さびしい.

• 1Oversleeping (ねぼう) might make you feel regretful or troubled, but not さびしい (lonely). The appropriate word would be かなしい (悲しい, sad) or こまった (困った, in trouble).
• 2Wearing a sweater because it's さびしい makes no sense. The correct word here is さむい (寒い, cold) — you wear a sweater because it's cold, not because you're lonely.
• 4A room that hasn't been cleaned is dirty, not lonely. The appropriate word would be きたない (汚い, dirty).

• 寂さびしい — lonely, lonesome
• 寒さむい — cold (weather/temperature)
• 汚きたない — dirty
• 悲かなしい — sad

てきとう (適当) as an adjective means 'suitable, appropriate, fit for a purpose.' Option 4 — 'Is there a suitable book for researching about Japan?' — uses てきとうな correctly as a modifier for 本 (ほん, book), meaning a book that is appropriate for the stated purpose.

• 1てきとうで よく ねむれます ('suitable and I can sleep well') is incomplete — 適当 requires a context of what something is suitable FOR. Without specifying what the season is suitable for, the sentence is unnatural. The intended word might be ていど (適度, moderate) as in 適度な運動 (moderate exercise), but that still doesn't fit sleeping well.
• 2Saying war (せんそう) is 'not 適当 for people's lives' is semantically odd. 適当 describes whether something fits a purpose or requirement; war is simply bad/harmful for people's lives, not 'inappropriate' in the 適当 sense. A more natural expression would be よくない (bad) or ひつようでは ない (not necessary).
• 3てきとうする as a verb means 'to act appropriately / to handle something properly,' not 'to be suitable for.' To modify ホテル (hotel) meaning 'a hotel suitable for young people,' you must use the adjective form 適当な, not the verb 適当する. So 若い人に 適当な ホテル would be correct, but 適当する ホテル is wrong.

• 適当てきとう — suitable, appropriate, fit for a purpose
• 適当てきとうな — suitable (adjective form modifying a noun)
• 戦争せんそう — war

社長の かわりに (しゃちょうの かわりに) means 'instead of the president.' 田中さん attended the party in place of the president, which means the president himself did NOT attend. Option 2 correctly states this.

• 1If the president attended, there would be no need for someone to go かわりに (in his place).
• 3かわりに implies substitution — only one of the two attended, not both.
• 4If neither attended, the sentence would not say 田中さんが でました (Tanaka-san attended).

• 〜の代わりに（〜の かわりに） — instead of ~, on behalf of ~
• 社長しゃちょう — company president