Toyota and Waymo: bZ4X robotaxis in Japan from 2027

Une exploitation initiale, incluant des essais et validations, est prévue au Japon en 2027.

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.

Le nombre de véhicules, les tarifs et les villes n’ont pas pu être vérifiés.

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”.

D’après GIGAZINE, les deux groupes avaient signé en avril 2025 un accord de principe de partenariat stratégique.

The imparfait describes states, background, habits and actions in progress in the past (il était, elle avait, ils pensaient). Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, and add -ais / -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient. If the passé composé gives “the event itself”, the imparfait paints “the situation at the time”.

Les robotaxis de Waymo utiliseront le véhicule électrique bZ4X de Toyota.

The futur simple means “will do” or “is planned to”. Add -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to the infinitive (participer → il participera). Watch the irregular stems: être → ser-, avoir → aur-, aller → ir-, faire → fer-, pouvoir → pourr-, voir → verr-. In the news it is used for fixed plans and outlooks.

Le nombre de véhicules et les villes concernées ne sont pas précisés dans les sources consultées.

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).

Le nombre de véhicules et les villes concernées ne sont pas précisés dans les sources consultées.

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 Toyota, Toyota et Waymo passent à l’étape suivante de leur coopération dans la conduite autonome.

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.

Il peut ne pas y avoir de conducteur, mais le service reste limité à ces conditions (météo, routes, etc.).

Put a base-form verb after pouvoir. Peut means “can” or “may”; the conditional pourrait gives a more reserved possibility, “might”. It does not necessarily mean implementation is settled.

Une exploitation initiale, incluant des essais et validations, est prévue au Japon en 2027.

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.

Annonce du 30 octobre.

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.

トヨタ自動車の発表によると、トヨタとWaymoは自動運転分野の協業を次の段階へ進めます。

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.

その後、イギリスなどにも順次広げる予定と伝えられています。

“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.

GIGAZINEによると、両社は2025年4月に自動運転の開発・普及で戦略的な提携に基本合意しました。

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.

ベースの車両の組み立てから、Waymoの自動運転用ハードウェアの取り付けまでを、同じ工場で行うとされています。

と takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.

台数や走る都市は発表で示されておらず、ここでは確認できませんでした。

できる is the basic verb for ability. The potential form of 受ける is 受けられる. The same られる can also be passive or honorific, so decide from the meaning of the sentence.

Waymoは2025年から、ジャガーI-PACEを使って日本で試験運行をしていて、車両の管理は日本交通が担当しているとされています。

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.