In a Niseko kitchen or lift crew, shift swaps happen constantly. If you can say which day you want off and offer a trade in Japanese, your manager will remember you. 'I'm off Tuesday, could we swap?' is a Day-7-level sentence.
·月曜日 と 木曜日 を 交換 できます か。 — Can we swap Monday and Thursday?
In a Niseko winter, Monday and Tuesday are the quietest days on the mountain, so if you can be flexible there, your manager will love you.
03
Words & patterns
vocab月曜日げつようびgetsuyōbi
Monday
vocab火曜日かようびkayōbi
Tuesday
vocab水曜日すいようびsuiyōbi
Wednesday
vocab木曜日もくようびmokuyōbi
Thursday
vocab金曜日きんようびkin'yōbi
Friday
vocab土曜日どようびdoyōbi
Saturday
vocab日曜日にちようびnichiyōbi
Sunday
vocab今日きょうkyō
today
vocab明日あしたashita
tomorrow
vocab昨日きのうkinō
yesterday
vocab来週らいしゅうraishū
next week
vocab休みやすみyasumi
day off / holiday / break
grammar〜は、休みです
On [day/time], I'm off. The topic marker は takes the day; 休みです closes it.
明日は、休みです。
ashitawa,yasumidesu.
— I'm off tomorrow.
火曜日は、休みです。
kayōbiwa,yasumidesu.
— I'm off on Tuesdays.
来週の月曜日は、休みです。
raishūnogetsuyōbiwa,yasumidesu.
— I'm off next Monday.
grammar〜を交換できますか
Can we swap 〜? Used for shift swaps between coworkers.
月曜日と木曜日を、交換できますか。
getsuyōbitomokuyōbio,kōkandekimasuka.
— Can we swap Monday and Thursday?
シフトを、交換できますか。
shifutoo,kōkandekimasuka.
— Can we swap shifts?
dialogueマネージャーに、休日の希望を伝える
Telling the manager your day-off preference
Aすみません、来週の火曜日は、休みにできますか。
sumimasen,raishūnokayōbiwa,yasuminidekimasuka.
— Excuse me, could I have next Tuesday off?
B火曜日ですか。少し待ってください、シフトを見ます。
kayōbidesuka.sukoshimattekudasai,shifutowomimasu.
— Tuesday? One sec, let me check the schedule.
A木曜日のシフトと、交換できますか。
mokuyōbinoshifutoto,kōkandekimasuka.
— Could we swap it with the Thursday shift?
Bはい、大丈夫です。木曜日に、お願いします。
hai,daijōbudesu.mokuyōbini,onegaishimasu.
— OK, that works. Please come in on Thursday.
04
Drills
Q01translate_x2ja
Translate: 'I'm off next Tuesday.'
Q02pick
Which reading is correct for 日曜日?
Q03reorder
Order: できますか / を / 月曜日 / と / 木曜日 / 交換
Q04translate_ja2x
今日は何曜日ですか。
Q05output_free
Imagine next week you want Wednesday off. Write a 3-sentence message to your manager: (1) ask for Wednesday off, (2) propose a swap with another day, (3) close politely.
05
Common pitfalls
Mixing up 水曜日 (すい) and 木曜日 (もく)
CAUSE They share the ようび suffix and both start with a short syllable; English speakers 'guess' from the kanji
FIX 水 = water = すい. 木 = tree/wood = もく. Picture water on Wednesday, wood on Thursday. Say the kanji meaning out loud for a week until the sound is automatic.
Saying 『月曜日に休みです』 instead of 『月曜日は、休みです』
CAUSE English 'on Monday' pulls toward に
FIX When the day is the topic of the sentence (what the sentence is ABOUT), use は. 『月曜日は、休みです』 = 'As for Monday, I'm off'. に is for when something happens AT that day.
Asking 『明日休みですか』 to the manager
CAUSE You dropped the politeness markers
FIX To the manager, lead with すみません and close with おねがいします. 『すみません、明日は、休みにできますか。』 Direct questions without softeners feel like orders.
Guessing 来週 means 'this week'
CAUSE 来 looks like 'come', easy to confuse with 'this'
FIX 来週 = coming week = next week. 今週 (こんしゅう) = this week (今 = now). 先週 (せんしゅう) = previous week (先 = before). Memorise as a triplet: 先・今・来.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow: eating and drinking — ordering at a Hirafu izakaya.
