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N3 Japanese Reading Practice: Text Message from a Friend

This free JLPT N3 reading practice is a short train-ride scene about an unanswered text. Read with furigana if needed, study the hesitation language, answer the comprehension checks, then keep training with short passages calibrated toward your level over time in Yomigi.

返事を迷う

友人ゆうじんから「今日きょう、時間じかんある？」とだけメッセージが来きた。何なんの話はなしか分わからなかったが、すぐ返かえす気きになれなかった。いい返事へんじを考かんがえているうちに、電車でんしゃはもう家いえの近ちかくまで来きていた。

友人から「今日、時間ある？」とだけメッセージが来た。何の話か分からなかったが、すぐ返す気になれなかった。いい返事を考えているうちに、電車はもう家の近くまで来ていた。
Summary

A friend texts only “Do you have time today?” The narrator does not know what it is about and cannot bring themselves to reply right away. While thinking of a good answer, the train is already near home.

Key Vocabulary

  • 友人ゆうじんfriend (slightly more formal than 友達)
  • メッセージメッセージmessage (often a text / chat message)
  • 返事へんじreply / response
  • 気になれなかったきになれなかったcould not bring oneself to; did not feel like doing it
  • 考えているうちにかんがえているうちにwhile (still) thinking; before one realizes
  • 近くちかくnearby / vicinity

Grammar Notes

とだけ for “only …” quotation
「今日、時間ある？」とだけメッセージが来た means the message contained only that short line—nothing else explained.
気になれない
すぐ返す気になれなかった softens refusal: not “I decided not to reply,” but “I could not get myself to reply.”
〜うちに for elapsed time
考えているうちに shows that time passed during the thinking, and the train situation changed.

Comprehension

01What did the friend’s message say?

Only “Do you have time today?”

02Why didn’t the narrator reply immediately?

They did not know what the message was about and could not bring themselves to answer right away.

03What happened while they were thinking?

The train had already come close to home.

Why This Level

Interpersonal hesitation and omitted context—more N3 than a plain event list.

Quoted chat style plus connective soft refusals (気になれなかった, うちに).

Still a single short paragraph; no essay-length argumentation.

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