UNIT 10 Workplace and School Basic Conversations
Lesson 5: Simple Reports and Confirmation
おわりました — Keeping People Informed at Work and School
⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading
Before You Start
Reporting progress, confirming completion, and flagging problems are essential daily functions in any Japanese workplace or school. Japanese professional culture values proactive communication — you are expected to report the status of your work without being asked. This lesson gives you the seven most useful phrases for keeping your supervisor or teacher informed.
What you will learn:
- Report completion — 終わりました
- Report not yet finished — まだ終わっていません
- Report work in progress — 今やっています
- Confirm something was checked — 確認しました
- Ask if something is okay — これで大丈夫ですか
- Ask the deadline — いつまでですか
- Report a problem — 問題があります
1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ
終わりました。
Owarimashita.
I finished. / It is done.
まだ終わっていません。
Mada owatte imasen.
I have not finished yet.
今やっています。
Ima yatte imasu.
I am doing it now.
確認しました。
Kakunin shimashita.
I checked it. / I confirmed it.
これで大丈夫ですか。
Kore de daijoobu desu ka.
Is this okay? / Will this do?
いつまでですか。
Itsu made desu ka.
By when? / What is the deadline?
問題があります。
Mondai ga arimasu.
There is a problem.
2. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント
① 終わりました vs まだ終わっていません — done vs not done
終わりました = “I finished” (past tense, completed). まだ終わっていません = “I haven’t finished yet” (まだ = still/yet + negative て-iru form). Always report status proactively — don’t wait to be asked.
書類が終わりました。I finished the documents.
まだ終わっていません。今やっています。Not done yet. I’m working on it now.
もうすぐ終わります。I’ll be done soon.
② いつまでですか — asking the deadline
いつまでですか = “By when?” / “What is the deadline?” Always ask this when you receive a task so you can plan your time. いつ = when. まで = until / by.
③ 問題があります — reporting a problem early
Japanese workplace culture values early problem reporting. Never hide a problem until it becomes a crisis. Say 問題があります as soon as you identify an issue, then explain: 少し問題があります。確認してください = “There’s a small problem. Please check it.”
⚠️ Cultural Note
The Japanese concept of 報告・連絡・相談 (hokokoku / renraku / soudan = Report / Communicate / Consult) — often abbreviated ほうれんそう — is central to Japanese workplace culture. Report your progress, communicate status changes, and consult when uncertain. The phrases in this lesson cover all three.
The Japanese concept of 報告・連絡・相談 (hokokoku / renraku / soudan = Report / Communicate / Consult) — often abbreviated ほうれんそう — is central to Japanese workplace culture. Report your progress, communicate status changes, and consult when uncertain. The phrases in this lesson cover all three.
3. Progress Words ／ しんちょくのことば
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 終わりました | owarimashita | I finished |
| まだ | mada | still / yet / not yet |
| もうすぐ | moosugu | soon / almost |
| 今やっています | ima yatte imasu | doing it now |
| 問題 | mondai | problem |
| いつまで | itsu made | by when / until when |
| 大丈夫 | daijoobu | okay / fine / no problem |
4. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ
💬 Conversation 1 — Reporting Completion
💬 Conversation 2 — Checking Your Work
💬 Conversation 3 — Reporting a Problem
💬 Conversation 4 — Progress Update
5. Vocabulary ／ たんご
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 終わりました | owarimashita | I finished |
| まだ終わっていません | mada owatte imasen | not finished yet |
| 今やっています | ima yatte imasu | doing it now |
| 確認しました | kakunin shimashita | I checked / confirmed |
| これで大丈夫ですか | kore de daijoobu desu ka | is this okay? |
| いつまでですか | itsu made desu ka | by when? / deadline? |
| 問題があります | mondai ga arimasu | there is a problem |
6. Check Your Understanding ／ クイズ
Think about each question first. Answers and explanations are shown below.
Q1. What does 「終わりました。」 mean?
A. I have not finished. B. I am doing it now. C. I finished. D. There is a problem.
Answer: C
終わりました = “I finished.” Always report completion proactively — don’t wait for your boss to ask. Add what was completed: 書類が終わりました.
終わりました = “I finished.” Always report completion proactively — don’t wait for your boss to ask. Add what was completed: 書類が終わりました.
Q2. What does 「まだ終わっていません。」 mean?
A. I just finished. B. I haven’t started. C. I have not finished yet. D. I finished a moment ago.
Answer: C
まだ終わっていません = “I haven’t finished yet.” まだ = not yet. Follow up with 今やっています to show you are actively working.
まだ終わっていません = “I haven’t finished yet.” まだ = not yet. Follow up with 今やっています to show you are actively working.
Q3. What does 「これで大丈夫ですか。」 mean?
A. Is this the deadline? B. Is this okay? C. Is this a problem? D. Is this finished?
Answer: B
これで大丈夫ですか = “Is this okay?” Ask this after submitting work to confirm your supervisor or teacher is satisfied with the output.
これで大丈夫ですか = “Is this okay?” Ask this after submitting work to confirm your supervisor or teacher is satisfied with the output.
Q4. What does 「いつまでですか。」 mean?
A. When did you start? B. How long will it take? C. By when? / What is the deadline? D. When will you finish?
Answer: C
いつまでですか = “By when? / What is the deadline?” Always ask this when you receive a new task to manage your time properly.
いつまでですか = “By when? / What is the deadline?” Always ask this when you receive a new task to manage your time properly.
Q5. What does 「問題があります。」 mean?
A. I have a question. B. There is no problem. C. There is a problem. D. I have a request.
Answer: C
問題があります = “There is a problem.” Report problems early — Japanese workplace culture strongly values this. Add 少し to soften: 少し問題があります = “There’s a small problem.”
問題があります = “There is a problem.” Report problems early — Japanese workplace culture strongly values this. Add 少し to soften: 少し問題があります = “There’s a small problem.”
Q6. Your boss asks 「レポートはどうですか。」 It’s not done but you’re working on it. What do you say?
A. 終わりました。 B. 問題があります。 C. まだ終わっていません。今やっています。 D. 確認しました。
Answer: C
まだ終わっていません。今やっています。 = “Not done yet. I’m working on it now.” This two-phrase combo is the standard professional progress report in Japan.
まだ終わっていません。今やっています。 = “Not done yet. I’m working on it now.” This two-phrase combo is the standard professional progress report in Japan.
7. Match the Meaning ／ れんしゅう
終わりました。 → ______
まだ終わっていません。 → ______
今やっています。 → ______
確認しました。 → ______
これで大丈夫ですか。 → ______
いつまでですか。 → ______
問題があります。 → ______
Choices: A. I am doing it now. B. There is a problem. C. I have not finished yet. D. I finished. E. Is this okay? F. By when? G. I checked it.
Answers: 終わりました = D ／ まだ終わっていません = C ／ 今やっています = A ／ 確認しました = G ／ これで大丈夫ですか = E ／ いつまでですか = F ／ 問題があります = B
🚀 Mini Mission
Today’s mission: Practice a full progress report conversation in Japanese.
Role-play with your teacher — your boss asks for a status update on a task:
まだ終わっていません。今やっています。／ 少し問題があります。／ もうすぐ終わります。／ 終わりました。確認してください。／ これで大丈夫ですか。
📘 Review ／ まとめ
In this lesson you learned how to report progress, confirm completion, and flag problems in Japanese.
終わりました。(Done!)
まだ終わっていません。今やっています。(In progress)
問題があります。(Problem!)
これで大丈夫ですか。(Is this okay?)
まだ終わっていません。今やっています。(In progress)
問題があります。(Problem!)
これで大丈夫ですか。(Is this okay?)
💡 Remember ほうれんそう — 報告・連絡・相談 (report, communicate, consult). These phrases cover all three. Proactive communication is one of the most valued professional skills in Japan.
FAQ
Q. How often should I report progress to my supervisor in Japan?
More frequently than you might think. Japanese workplace culture values regular short updates over waiting for a final result. For a same-day task, a midday check-in is appropriate. For multi-day tasks, a daily update is standard. When in doubt, report early and often.
Q. How do I say the task will be delayed?
Say: 申し訳ありません。少し遅れます = “I’m very sorry, it will be a little late.” Then give a revised expected time: 明日の午前中には終わります = “I’ll finish by tomorrow morning.” Always give a concrete timeline.
Q. What is ほうれんそう and why does it matter?
ほうれんそう (spinach, written 菠薐草) is a Japanese mnemonic for 報告 (report) + 連絡 (communicate) + 相談 (consult). Japanese companies teach this concept to all new employees. Practising it — even in simple Japanese — will earn you enormous respect in any Japanese workplace.
💼 Practice with a real teacher
Want to Practice with a Teacher?
Reporting progress naturally in Japanese builds trust and professionalism. Try a free trial lesson and practise the full status-report conversation.
Online or in-person — both available on request.