家族のアルバム

Reading Passage

「あれ？これはいつの写真しゃしんだろう？」と、私わたしは古ふるいアルバムを開ひらきました。小ちいさい頃ころの私わたしが、おばあちゃんと手てをつないでいる写真しゃしんです。懐なつかしいな。おばあちゃんはいつも優やさしくて、よくお菓子かしをくれたのを思おもい出だしました。

次つぎのページには、家族かぞくみんなで旅行りょこうに行いったときの写真しゃしんがあります。父ちちと母ははが若わかくて、兄あにと私わたしはまだ小学生しょうがくせいでした。海うみで泳およいだり、おいしいものを食たべたり、とても楽たのしかったのを覚おぼえています。今いまはみんな忙いそがしいので、なかなか家族かぞくで旅行りょこうに行いくことができません。

この写真しゃしんは、兄あにの結婚式けっこんしきのものです。兄あにも義理ぎりの姉あねも、とても嬉うれしそうに笑わらっています。親戚しんせきの人ひとたちもたくさん集あつまって、にぎやかな一日いちにちでした。時間じかんが経たつのは本当ほんとうに早はやいですね。

アルバムをめくるたびに、いろいろな思おもい出でがよみがえってきます。家族かぞくとの時間じかんは大切たいせつだと改あらためて感かんじました。これからもたくさんの思おもい出でを作つくっていきたいです。

Vocabulary List

• 写真しゃしん (shashin) — photo
• 開ひらく (hiraku) — to open
• 小ちいさい頃ころ (chiisai koro) — childhood, when one was little
• おばあちゃん (obaachan) — grandmother
• 手てをつなぐ (te o tsunagu) — to hold hands
• 懐なつかしい (natsukashii) — nostalgic, fondly remembered
• 優やさしい (yasashii) — kind, gentle
• お菓子かし (okashi) — sweets, snacks
• 思おもい出だす (omoidasu) — to recall, to remember
• 旅行りょこう (ryokou) — trip, travel
• 小学生しょうがくせい (shougakusei) — elementary school student
• 忙いそがしい (isogashii) — busy
• 結婚式けっこんしき (kekkonshiki) — wedding ceremony
• 親戚しんせき (shinseki) — relatives
• 大切たいせつな (taisetsu na) — important, precious

English Translation

"Oh? I wonder when this photo was taken?" I opened an old album. It's a photo of me when I was little, holding hands with my grandmother. How nostalgic. I remembered that my grandmother was always kind and often gave me sweets.

On the next page, there are photos from a family trip. My father and mother were young, and my older brother and I were still elementary school students. I remember having a lot of fun swimming in the ocean and eating delicious food. Now everyone is busy, so it's difficult for our family to go on a trip together.

This photo is from my older brother's wedding ceremony. Both my brother and my sister-in-law are smiling very happily. Many relatives gathered, and it was a lively day. Time really flies, doesn't it?

Each time I turn a page of the album, various memories come back to life. I realized anew that time with family is important. I want to create many more memories from now on.

Comprehension Questions

• 私わたしはアルバムを見みて、誰だれとの写真しゃしんを一番最初いちばんさいしょに見みましたか。

(Looking at the album, whose photo did I see first?)

• 私わたしのおばあちゃんはどんな人ひとでしたか。

(What kind of person was my grandmother?)

• 家族かぞくみんなで旅行りょこうに行いったとき、私わたしと兄あにはまだ何なにをしていましたか。

(When the whole family went on a trip, what were my older brother and I still doing?)

• 今いま、家族かぞくで旅行りょこうに行いくことができないのはどうしてですか。

(Why can't the family go on a trip together now?)

• 私わたしはアルバムを見みて、どんなことを感かんじましたか。

(What did I feel after looking at the album?)

Grammar Points Used

• 〜だろう / 〜でしょう (darou / deshou): Expresses conjecture or probability. It's often translated as "I wonder if..." or "probably."
• 〜な (na): An interjection used at the end of a sentence to express emotion, nostalgia, or agreement, similar to "isn't it?" or "how (something)!"
• 〜のを思おもい出だす (no o omoidasu): Used to recall or remember a specific action or event. The "no" nominalizes the preceding verb phrase.
• 〜たり〜たりする (tari tari suru): Used to list a few representative actions among many, implying that other similar actions also occurred. Translated as "do things like A and B" or "sometimes A, sometimes B."
• なかなか〜ない (nakanaka ~ nai): Indicates that something is difficult to achieve, or doesn't happen easily/frequently. Translated as "not easily," "quite difficult to," or "hardly."
• 〜てくる (te kuru): Has several meanings, but here it indicates a state or action that has continued up to the present, or something that begins and moves towards the speaker/present. For memories, it means they "come back."
• 〜たびに (tabi ni): Means "every time" or "whenever." It indicates that something happens repeatedly each time a specific condition is met.
• 〜と感かんじる (to kanjiru): Used to express what one feels or realizes. The particle "to" marks the content of the feeling or realization.