Japan: traffic jams expected at the end of the long weekend

Une file de 30 km est prévue sur l’autoroute Kan-etsu.

Être in the present is est for a singular subject and sont for a plural one. It describes nature, state or place (“is”, “is located”). If what follows (the attribute) is a noun, adjective or prepositional phrase, it is not a passive. If a past participle follows, it is a passive (est annoncé). Headlines and summaries often use the present to describe the current situation.

Selon TV Asahi à 12 h 15, heure japonaise, des embouteillages sont attendus l’après-midi sur les autoroutes vers les grandes villes.

The passive means “is done” or “is being done”. It is formed with être + past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number (la mesure est adoptée / les mesures sont adoptées). The agent is introduced by par (or de). In the news it is common when the event, rather than the actor, is the focus (est prévu / est annoncé / est connu).

Consultez les informations actualisées avant votre départ et prévoyez une marge pour rejoindre une gare ou un aéroport.

The imperative expresses commands, requests and advice. It has no subject: the sentence starts with the verb (Consultez les informations.). The vous form ends in -ez, nous in -ons (Restons prudents.), and tu in -e for -er verbs (Consulte). It is very common in notices and warnings (Vérifiez, Consultez, Restez informé).

Il ne s’agit pas d’une pente.

A pronominal verb is used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) before the verb. It can mean “do to oneself”, “be done” or “do to each other”. In the news, se traduire (to result in), se tenir (to take place), s’agir de (to be a matter of) and se diffuser (to spread) are frequent. The pronoun changes with the subject (il se tient / ils se tiennent / je me souviens).

Il ne s’agit pas d’une pente.

Normally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.

Selon TV Asahi à 12 h 15, heure japonaise, des embouteillages sont attendus l’après-midi sur les autoroutes vers les grandes villes.

Selon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.

Une file de 30 km est prévue sur l’autoroute Kan-etsu.

Prévoir means “to plan, to expect”. Être prévu means “to be scheduled” and être envisagé means “to be under consideration”. In the news, read them separately from expressions that describe events that have already happened. They do not say that the event has already taken place.

Consultez les informations actualisées avant votre départ et prévoyez une marge pour rejoindre une gare ou un aéroport.

This is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.

Il ne s’agit pas d’une pente.

It explains what something is about: “it is a matter of…”. The il is not a particular man but a formal subject of this construction. The negative il ne s’agit pas de means “this is not about…”.

テレ朝NEWSの12日12時15分（日本時間）の報道によると、午後は都市部へ戻る高速道路で混雑が予測されています。

As in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.

坂を上がるという意味ではありません。

These forms limit and deny an interpretation: “it does not necessarily follow” or “that is not what is meant”. They do not necessarily deny every fact in the sentence. Read what is being denied together with the earlier part.

掲載された長さは渋滞の予測で、実際の長さではありません。

They negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.

関越道の坂戸西スマートIC付近では最大30km、中央道の小仏トンネル付近などでは最大25kmの予測です。

“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.

テレ朝NEWSの12日12時15分（日本時間）の報道によると、午後は都市部へ戻る高速道路で混雑が予測されています。

The て-form links actions in a series, in order or as a reason. In “確認して、出発する” the relation is judged from the content. In “〜ている” it can show an action in progress or a continuing state.

関越道では最大30kmの渋滞が予測され、一時帰国中の移動にも注意が必要です。

A explains noun B that follows. It is not only possession: the relation can be belonging, target, content and more. In “政府の案” and “年金の税控除”, read the relation from the context.