Collocations of Verbs with Everyday Nouns

Collocations 予約・約束

予約(よやく, reservation) is an advance booking of something, such as a seat, a hotel room, or a service schedule. The verb used is 予約する(よやくする, to book) with the object marked by the particle 「を」. Example: 「夏休みに旅館を予約するつもりです。」

• 予約をとる(よやくをとる, to get a reservation) — used for places that are hard to book. 例) 「人気の店は予約をとるのが難しいです。」
• 電話で予約する / インターネットで予約する — 「で」 marks the means of booking. 例) 「インターネットで切符を予約します。」
• The noun 予約 is not used as an adjective like 「予約な店」 or with 「の」 to express the nature of a place, so such forms are incorrect.
• Words beginning with 予- cannot replace each other. 予報(よほう, forecast) is for predictions, such as 天気予報; 予習(よしゅう, preparation before a lesson) is for studying material before class; 予算(よさん, budget) is for the amount of money set aside.

約束(やくそく, promise / appointment) is an agreement with another person to meet or do something at a certain time. Important patterns:

• 約束があります — to have an appointment. 例) 「明日は先輩と約束があります。」
• 約束をします — to make an appointment. The person invited is marked by 「と」, and the place is marked by 「で」. 例) 「公園で友達と約束をしました。」
• 約束を守る(やくそくをまもる, to keep a promise) — 例) 「約束は必ず守ります。」
• 約束 is not used to express price, food, or level of language difficulty. This word is also not used as a modifier of a place, such as 「約束の病院」.

Collocations 乗る with vehicles

乗る(のる, to get on) is used for getting on vehicles such as trains, buses, airplanes, or bicycles. The vehicle boarded is marked by the particle に, not を. Example: 「タクシーに乗ります。」

• 〜に乗って〜へ行く — pattern for getting on a vehicle and then going to a destination. The destination is marked by 「へ」. 例) 「地下鉄に乗って大学へ行きます。」
• 乗る + で / を / が is an error. 「で」 marks a tool or means, not the vehicle boarded, so 「電車で乗ります」 is wrong. 「を」 is not used for getting on a vehicle, and 「バスが乗ります」 makes the bus the subject doing the boarding, which is not appropriate.
• 降りる(おりる, to get off) is the opposite of 乗る. The vehicle left is marked by 「を」 or 「から」, not 「に」. Example: 「次の駅で電車を降ります。」
• 会う(あう, to meet) is used for people, not vehicles. 例) 「友達に駅で会います。」
• 着る(きる, to wear) is used for clothing, not vehicles.

Collocation 休みを取る・休む

休み(やすみ, holiday / leave) is the time when one is not working or not at school. To take leave, the pattern 休みを取る(やすみをとる, to take leave) is used, with the particle 「を」 marking 休み as the object of 取る. The particles 「で」 or 「の」 cannot replace 「を」 here. Example: 「来月、一週間休みを取ります。」

• 休む(やすむ, to be absent / to rest) — 会社を休む means to be absent from work. 例) 「風邪をひいて学校を休みました。」
• 欠勤する(けっきんする, to be absent from work) — used when an employee does not come to work, for example because of illness. 例) 「熱が出たので、今日は欠勤します。」
• 休憩をとる(きゅうけいをとる, to take a break) — a short rest during work, for example at lunch time. 例) 「疲れたので、少し休憩をとりましょう。」
• 残業する(ざんぎょうする, to work overtime) — working beyond working hours, not resting.
• 出勤する(しゅっきんする, to go to work) — going to the office for work, the opposite of 欠勤. 出張する(しゅっちょうする, to go on a business trip) — going out of town for work matters. Neither of these words fits a context of rest or illness.
• 休暇(きゅうか, long vacation) is read きゅうか, while 休憩(きゅうけい, break) is read きゅうけい. These two words are easily confused, so their readings need to be memorized.

Everyday activity vocabulary (趣味・洗濯)

趣味(しゅみ, hobby) is an activity that one enjoys and does in one's free time. The common pattern is 「私の趣味は〜です」. Example: 「私の趣味は写真を撮ることです。」