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呼び出しボタン
トムさんは、友だちが住んでいる七つ橋という町へ、初めて電車で行くことにしました。小さな駅の切符の機械の上には、駅の名前と値段が書いてある地図があります。でも、字が小さくて、「七つ橋」が見つかりません。この駅から行けるかどうかも分かりませんでした。
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Tom decided to take the train for the first time to Nanatsubashi, the town where his friend lives. Above the ticket machine at the small station there is a map showing the station names and fares. But the writing was tiny, and he couldn’t find “Nanatsubashi”. He didn’t even know whether he could get there from this station.
機械の横に、「呼び出し」と書いてある小さなボタンがありました。押してもいいかどうか少し考えてから、トムさんがボタンを押してみたら、機械のすぐ横の壁にある小さな窓が開いて、駅員さんが顔を出しました。「どうしましたか。」壁だと思っていたところは、駅員さんの部屋の窓だったのです。
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Next to the machine there was a small button marked “Call”. Tom wondered for a moment whether he was allowed to press it. Then he tried it, and a small window in the wall right beside the machine opened, and a station attendant looked out. “Can I help you?” What Tom had taken for a wall was the window of the staff room.
トムさんが「七つ橋まで行きたいんですが」と言うと、駅員さんは地図の右下を指でさして、いくらの切符を買えばいいか教えてくれました。「七つ橋」は、そこに小さく書いてありました。切符を買って横を見ると、窓はもう閉まっていて、普通の壁のように見えます。トムさんはその壁に向かって、小さく頭を下げました。
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When Tom said, “I’d like to go to Nanatsubashi”, the attendant pointed to the bottom right of the map and told him which fare to buy. “Nanatsubashi” was there, in small letters. When Tom had bought his ticket and looked to the side, the window had already shut, and it looked like an ordinary wall. Tom turned to the wall and gave a small bow.
Three expressions
明日晴れるかどうか、まだ分かりません。
I don’t know yet whether it will be sunny tomorrow.
「〜かどうか」: whether or not …. It follows the plain form of a verb or an i-adjective; nouns and na-adjectives attach directly. In the story, 「この駅から行けるかどうか」 means “whether he could get there from this station”.
窓を開けたら、雪が降っていました。
When I opened the window, it was snowing.
「〜たら、〜た」: when you did …, you found …. The second half is something you saw or came across after the first action, not something you chose. In the story, 「ボタンを押してみたら、……窓が開いて」 means “when he tried the button, … a window opened”.
となりの人が、駅までの道を教えてくれました。
The person next to me told me the way to the station.
「〜てくれる」: someone does something for me (or for someone on my side), with a feeling of thanks. In the story, 「いくらの切符を買えばいいか教えてくれました」 means “(the attendant) told him which fare to buy”.
One small thing to do
Tip
Next time you’re at a station, look for the button by the ticket machines that calls the staff. You don’t need to take a train; just have a look as you pass.