Schedule, time & leave permission

Schedule & deadlines

In conversations about schedules, 「何時から(なんじから, from what time)」 is used to ask about the start time, while 「何時まで(なんじまで, until what time)」 is used to ask about the end time. The answer is usually a time with the particle 「〜から」 for the start or 「〜まで」 for the end, for example 「九時から(くじから, from nine o'clock)」 or 「五時まで(ごじまで, until five o'clock)」. An answer that only names a place, a day, or another activity does not answer a question about time.

• 開く(あく, to open / to be open) — an intransitive verb used for a business or facility that is open. Example: 「この図書館は朝九時に開きます。」 Compare with 開ける(あける, to open [something]), which is transitive and requires an object.
• 始まる(はじまる, to begin) — an intransitive verb for an activity that starts to take place. Example: 「会議は三時に始まります。」 Compare with 始める(はじめる, to begin [something]), which is transitive. Example: 「私は来週から日本語を始めます。」
• 遅くなる(おそくなる, to become late) — used when the end time or the arrival becomes later than planned. Example: 「明日は仕事が長引いて、帰りが遅くなるかもしれません。」
• 〜の帰りに(〜のかえりに, on the way back from ~) — indicates a time or place to stop on the way home. Example: 「会社の帰りに、スーパーで野菜を買います。」
• 寄る(よる, to stop by) and 〜てくる(to go and do something and come back) — the pattern 「〜て＋くる」 shows that someone goes to do something and then returns to the speaker's location. Example: 「コンビニに寄って、飲み物を買ってきます。」

Requesting leave

To ask a supervisor, such as 店長(てんちょう, store manager), for time off, polite language is used that does not sound forceful. The word 「休み(やすみ, day off / leave)」 is usually paired with 「取る(とる, to take [leave / a day off])」 or with the verb 「いただく(to receive, humbly)」 in a request.

• 〜をいただけませんか(could I please receive ~?) — a polite request pattern for a supervisor or another higher-ranking person. Example: 「来月の金曜日に、お休みをいただけませんか。」 This pattern is more polite than 「休みをください」.
• 〜たいんですが(I would like to ~, but ...) — used to express a wish before asking for approval. Example: 「来週、少し早く帰りたいんですが。」
• 頼む(たのむ, to ask / to request) — used to ask someone else to do something. Example: 「先輩に資料の確認を頼みました。」
• 〜になっていますか(has it been set to ~?) — asks about a situation or schedule that has already been decided, not about permission. Example: 「明日の会議は、もう時間が決まっていますか。」
• 〜ていいですよ(it is fine to ~) — used by the person giving permission, not by the person asking for it. Example: 「今日は早く帰っていいですよ。」
• 〜てしまいましたか(have you already ~ [unintentionally]?) — asks whether an action has already been completed, and does not express a request. Example: 「宿題を忘れてしまいましたか。」

Schedule & deadlines

This material covers how to ask about and state times, schedules, and deadlines in everyday conversation. Question words that often appear are 「何時(なんじ, pukul berapa)」 for hour, 「いつ(kapan)」 for time in general, and 「何曜日(なんようび, hari apa)」 for day of the week. Hours are written with 「〜時(じ)」 and minutes with 「〜分(ふん/ぷん)」, while half an hour is expressed as 「〜時半(じはん)」. Pay attention to the readings: 九時(くじ, pukul sembilan), 四時(よじ, pukul empat), 七時(しちじ, pukul tujuh).

Parts of the day that are often used: 朝(あさ, pagi), 午前(ごぜん, sebelum tengah hari), 昼(ひる, siang), 午後(ごご, setelah tengah hari), 夕方(ゆうがた, sore menjelang malam), and 夜(よる, malam).

Patterns for ranges and deadlines:

• 〜から〜まで — a time range, that is, from ... until ... Example: 「九時から十二時まで授業があります」(there is class from nine o'clock until twelve o'clock).
• 〜までに — the latest deadline for an action such as finishing, arriving, or sending. Distinguish it from 〜まで, which is used for closing time or the end of a service, for example 「受付は六時までです」(reception is until six o'clock). The question 「いつまでに」 asks for the latest deadline.
• 〜より後 / 〜より前 — after or before a certain time, and the time that is mentioned is not included in it.
• 〜ごろ — around a certain hour. The question 「何時ごろ」 asks for an approximate hour.
• The answer to 「何時から」 is the starting hour, while the answer to 「何時に終わる」 is the ending hour.

Changes to schedules:

• 変わる(かわる, berubah) is an intransitive verb: 「予定が変わる」(the plan changes). 変える(かえる, mengubah) is a transitive verb: 「時間を変える」(to change the time). 〜に変わる means to change into something. 急に(きゅうに, mendadak) is used for sudden changes.
• 〜みたいだから / 〜かもしれないから are used to state a reason based on a guess: 「仕事が遅く終わるみたいだから」(because it seems the work will end late).
• 〜ておく means to do something in advance as preparation, for example 「確かめておく」(to confirm beforehand). 〜てみる means to try doing something.

Availability and permission:

• 大丈夫(だいじょうぶ, tidak apa-apa / bisa) and 無理(むり, tidak mungkin) are common answers for stating whether one can do something. Example: 「夕方は無理です」(the evening is not possible).
• 〜ならいいです or 〜なら大丈夫 is used to state a condition, for example 「午後なら大丈夫です」(if it is the afternoon, it is fine).
• 〜てもいいですか is used to ask for permission. Answers include 「かまいません」(it does not matter).
• 空いている(あいている, senggang) and 忙しい(いそがしい, sibuk) are used to describe free or busy time.
• 定休日 or a shop's regular closing day is expressed with 「休みは〜だけです」(the closing day is only on ...).

Weeks and dates:

• 今週(こんしゅう, minggu ini), 来週(らいしゅう, minggu depan), 来月(らいげつ, bulan depan), 週末(しゅうまつ, akhir pekan).
• 第一週(だいいっしゅう, minggu pertama) and 第二週(だいにしゅう, minggu kedua) are used to refer to a specific week within a month.
• 「来週の月曜日」 means Monday of next week.

Trains, appointments, and punctuality:

• 各駅停車(かくえきていしゃ, kereta lokal) and 急行(きゅうこう, kereta ekspres) are two types of trains with different schedules and travel times. 出発(しゅっぱつ, keberangkatan) and 到着(とうちゃく, kedatangan) are the departure and arrival times.
• 間に合う(まにあう, tepat waktu) and 遅刻(ちこく, terlambat) are used when talking about punctuality.
• 予約(よやく, reservasi) can have its time changed, using the expression 「時間を変えてもらえますか」. Staff usually ask 「何時がよろしいですか」(what time would you like?).
• いっしょに means that everything is done or carried together at once.
• A change of place is expressed with 「教室が変わる」(the classroom changes), and a location can be shown with 「〜の横」(beside ...).

Part-time work at a store

This material covers conversations about part-time work (アルバイト, part-time job) at a store, mainly concerning シフト (shift schedule), requesting time off, and the tasks that must be done after the schedule has been agreed upon.

Core vocabulary:

• シフト (shift) is the work schedule of a part-time worker. シフト表 (ひょう, table) is a schedule table that is usually made and shown to the manager.
• 店長 (てんちょう, store manager) is the person who usually approves changes to shifts and receives reports.
• 人が足りない (ひとがたりない, not enough people) is a common reason for a store to ask workers to come in on certain days.