Kyushu Shinkansen: service suspended from the first trains

« Saikai mikomi » est une estimation de reprise, pas une garantie.

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.

Nous avons consulté JR Kyushu et le reportage matinal de RKB.

The passé composé is the most common past tense, used for “did” and “has done” — actions completed in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir (a / ont…) in the present + a past participle. Past participles of -er verbs end in -é (annoncer → annoncé); learn the irregular ones (faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu). In the negative, ne … pas wraps the auxiliary (n’a pas annoncé). In the news it reports facts that have already happened, such as “announced” or “voted”.

Le 13 octobre, la circulation du Kyushu Shinkansen est suspendue dès les premiers trains entre Hakata et Kagoshima-Chuo pour des contrôles d’équipements électriques.

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 de JR Kyushu avant le départ et prévoyez une marge pour les correspondances.

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).

Ces prévisions dépendent des travaux ; elles ne confirment pas une reprise effective.

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”.

Pour modifier une réservation ou demander un remboursement, vérifiez les conditions de votre billet auprès du service qui l’a vendu.

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.

Pour modifier une réservation ou demander un remboursement, vérifiez les conditions de votre billet auprès du service qui l’a vendu.

Qui continues a description of the person or thing just mentioned (“the one that does…”). Because qui is itself the subject of the next verb, do not repeat the subject. The verb agrees with the noun qui refers to.

Le 13 octobre, des contrôles d’équipements perturbent la ligne Hakata–Kagoshima-Chuo.

Le 15 octobre means “on 15 October”. Distinguish the le before a date from the le that marks a weekly habit like a weekday. Du is de + le and au is à + le, so decide the meaning from the verb and period expressions around them. Their role depends on the group: a range of dates, the date of a bulletin or another complement.

Le 13 octobre, la circulation du Kyushu Shinkansen est suspendue dès les premiers trains entre Hakata et Kagoshima-Chuo pour des contrôles d’équipements électriques.

Dès means “as early as” or “as soon as”, and à partir de means “from … onwards”. Depuis basically shows a state or period continuing from a point in time. All deal with a start, but they are not used the same way.

再開の見込みは確定時刻ではありません。

予定 is a plan, 見込み a forecast and 方針 a course of action or intention. None of them asserts that something has already been carried out. Note the difference from expressions such as “決まりました”.

実際に再開した時刻ではありません。

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.

JR九州の案内とRKBの13日午前の報道を確認しました。

In “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.

九州新幹線は13日、電力設備の点検により博多〜鹿児島中央の全区間で始発から運転を見合わせています。

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.

13日午前の案内では、博多〜熊本は午後4時ごろ、熊本〜鹿児島中央は午後6時ごろが再開見込みです。

は shows what the sentence is about; an explanation of that topic follows. は and が are not always interchangeable: contrast and the way information is placed change.

出発前にJR九州の運行情報を確認し、駅までの移動や次の乗り継ぎに余裕を持ってください。

“確認してください” is a polite way to ask someone to check. A request not to do something is “〜ないでください”. In news notices, read for who is to check what.