Situation
田中さんと山田さんは同じ会社で働いています。田中さんはプロジェクトリーダーで、チームメンバーの山田さんにレポートの進捗を確認しています。締め切りが近づく中、二人はレポートの内容や改善点について話し合います。上司が部下の進捗を確認するこのような場面は、日本のオフィスでは日常的によく見られます。
Dialogue
田中: 山田さん、プロジェクトのレポートはどこまで進んでいますか。
Tanaka: Yamada-san, purojekuto no repōto wa doko made susunde imasu ka.
Tanaka: Yamada, how far along is the project report?
山田: はい、データの分析が終わって、今内容をまとめているところです。
Yamada: Hai, dēta no bunseki ga owatte, ima naiyō wo matomete iru tokoro desu.
Yamada: Yes, I've finished analyzing the data and I'm currently putting together the content.
田中: そうですか。締め切りは来週の金曜日ですから、時間はありますね。
Tanaka: Sō desu ka. Shimekiri wa raishū no kin'yōbi desu kara, jikan wa arimasu ne.
Tanaka: Is that so? The deadline is next Friday, so there's still time.
山田: ええ、でも図やグラフを作るのに時間がかかっています。
Yamada: Ē, demo zu ya gurafu wo tsukuru no ni jikan ga kakatte imasu.
Yamada: Yes, but making the charts and graphs is taking a lot of time.
田中: 大変でしたら、手伝いましょうか。
Tanaka: Taihen deshitara, tetsudaimashō ka.
Tanaka: If it's too much, shall I give you a hand?
山田: ありがとうございます。実は、結論の部分がうまく書けなくて…
Yamada: Arigatō gozaimasu. Jitsu wa, ketsuron no bubun ga umaku kakenakute…
Yamada: Thank you. Actually, I'm struggling to write the conclusion section…
田中: 結論は、今回の調査で何が分かったかを中心に書くといいですよ。
Tanaka: Ketsuron wa, konkai no chōsa de nani ga wakatta ka wo chūshin ni kaku to ii desu yo.
Tanaka: For the conclusion, focus on what this investigation actually revealed.
山田: なるほど。それから、改善策も入れた方がいいでしょうか。
Yamada: Naruhodo. Sorekara, kaizensaku mo ireta hō ga ii deshō ka.
Yamada: I see. Also, would it be better to include improvement measures?
田中: ぜひ入れてください。提案が具体的であれば、より説得力が増しますから。
Tanaka: Zehi irete kudasai. Teian ga gutaiteki de areba, yori settokuryoku ga mashimasu kara.
Tanaka: Please do. Concrete proposals make a report far more persuasive.
山田: 分かりました。下書きができたら、確認していただけますか。
Yamada: Wakarimashita. Shitagaki ga dekitara, kakunin shite itadakemasu ka.
Yamada: Understood. Once the draft is ready, could you take a look at it for me?
田中: もちろんです。木曜日までに送ってもらえれば、フィードバックしますよ。
Tanaka: Mochiron desu. Mokuyōbi made ni okutte moraereba, fīdobakku shimasu yo.
Tanaka: Of course. Send it by Thursday and I'll get you feedback.
山田: 助かります。一生懸命頑張ります。
Yamada: Tasukarimasu. Isshōkenmei ganbarimasu.
Yamada: That's a real help. I'll give it everything I've got.
Key Vocabulary
進捗
shinchoku
— progress
分析
bunseki
— analysis
まとめる
matomeru
— to compile, to summarize
締め切り
shimekiri
— deadline
結論
ketsuron
— conclusion
部分
bubun
— section, part
調査
chōsa
— investigation, survey
中心
chūshin
— center, focus
改善策
kaizensaku
— improvement measures
提案
teian
— proposal, suggestion
具体的
gutaiteki
— specific, concrete
説得力
settokuryoku
— persuasiveness
下書き
shitagaki
— draft
確認
kakunin
— confirmation, checking
手伝う
tetsudau
— to help, to assist
Grammar Notes
- 〜ているところです: Expresses an action currently in progress. 山田 says まとめているところです — "I am in the middle of compiling it." This pins the action to this exact moment, more emphatic than plain 〜ています, which can describe ongoing habits or states as well.
- 〜のに時間がかかる: Means "it takes time to do 〜." The の nominalizes the preceding verb: 作るのに時間がかかる = "it takes time to make." Use this whenever you want to name a task as the reason something is slow or effortful.
- 〜でしたら: A formal conditional meaning "if it is 〜." Used here to offer help without presuming: 大変でしたら、手伝いましょうか = "If it's too much, shall I help?" Softer and more formal than 〜なら, which suits casual speech better.
- 〜た方がいい: Means "it's better to do 〜." 改善策も入れた方がいい = "It's better to include improvement measures." Common when giving advice without sounding pushy.
- 〜であれば: A formal conditional meaning "if 〜 is the case." 提案が具体的であれば = "If the proposals are specific." More formal than 〜なら or 〜たら, and frequently appears in business writing and presentations.
- 〜てもらえれば: Means "if you would do 〜 for me." 送ってもらえれば = "If you would send it." Rather than asking directly, the speaker frames the request as a condition — a polite way to express what you need without making it sound like a demand.
Cultural Notes
Frequent status updates are woven into Japanese office life — not as a courtesy, but as a baseline professional expectation. This norm has its own name: ホウレンソウ, short for 報告・連絡・相談 (hōkoku, renraku, sōdan). 報告 means reporting progress to superiors, 連絡 covers communicating updates to relevant parties, and 相談 means consulting a manager before making decisions. Going silent — even when things are going well — is seen as a lapse in professional responsibility.
山田's word choices throughout reflect the careful deference expected of junior employees. 確認していただけますか uses ていただく — a humble form that treats the reviewer's effort as a favor granted, not a task assigned. Even with a supportive superior, junior employees avoid direct requests or casual phrasing. 田中 mirrors this consideration: instead of stating a deadline as a command, he phrases it as an invitation (送ってもらえれば), keeping the exchange cooperative on both sides.
Practice
Try these drills with a partner or on your own:
- Role-play both sides: take 田中's role as the leader checking in, then switch to 山田 giving the update. Match the register each character uses — 田中 checks in without pressure; 山田 requests without imposing.
- Substitution drill 1 — replace レポート with other work deliverables: 資料 (しりょう, reference materials), 発表 (はっぴょう, presentation), or 企画書 (きかくしょ, project proposal).
- Substitution drill 2 — replace 木曜日 with other time expressions: 明日 (あした, tomorrow), 来週の月曜日 (らいしゅうのげつようび, next Monday), or 今週中 (こんしゅうじゅう, by the end of this week).
- Substitution drill 3 — replace 結論 with other report sections: はじめに (introduction), 本文 (ほんぶん, main body), or まとめ (summary).
- Variation scenario: Change the situation so that 山田 has already finished the report and is now presenting findings to 田中 and the team. Practice explaining results clearly and responding to follow-up questions using vocabulary and grammar from this dialogue.