しまっといて

[KaleNovice]

その前に　実験で使った容器、洗っちゃうね、道具の方をしめといてくれる。

What's the meaning of しめといてくれる ? I don't know which しめる is being used here...

 

[Flaminius]

I think the two persons are leaving the lab and the speaker is proposing to do a clean-up before that (その前に). They volunteer to wash the vessels and ask the listener to "close" the tools.

In Japanese, 道具をしめる sounds very strange. I am tempted to think that the author is a non-Japanese and closing is synonymous to turning off in their mother tongue. Or, if you transcribed your text from a sound material, it is worth a double-check if the speaker really said しまっといて (store away).

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

It depends on the contect.
What is そ (それ) of その前に？
What is the 道具 actually?


If they're closing their work for the day, it would mean 閉める (closing, turning the electric switch down, and/or covering with sheet). It would mean to make the machine or apparatus the resting, off-working state.

If they have another work after that and they're trying to refresh their instruments, it would mean 締める (to tighten the bolt).
Does the 道具 have a bolt or bolts that have been loosened.

If they're doing an animal experimentation, and if they call the mice or fish "道具” cold-bloodedly, it may mean 絞める which means to kill that animal.

Maybe there are other possibilities that I don't know now. It totally depends on the contect.

(Cross posted. I agree that it makes more sense, if it was typo or misheard.)

 

[KaleNovice]

This is actually one of the listening questions showing up in JLPT N3. So the full context is as follows (The latter part has been omitted though since not so relevant);

大学の実験室で、女の学生と男の学生が、話しています。女の学生はこの後、まず何をしますか？

A: 先輩、遅くなりました。今、授業が終わりました。あのう、実験は、どうでしたか。
B: うん、思ったよりうまくいったよ。
A: そうですか，よかったな、全部やっていただいて、すみません。次の実験の準備しましょうか。
B: いいよ、今日はここまで、今から、結果をパソコンに入力しなくちゃね。
A: はい
B: あ、その前に、実験で使った容器、洗っちゃうね、道具の方をしめといてくれる。

The above is from the answer sheet. Options given are:
１．実験で使った容器を洗う
２・実験の道具を片付ける

I picked 1 but the answer is 2. I didn't get it right because I don't know what しめといてくれる actually means.

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

B: あ、その前に実験で使った容器、洗っちゃうね。道具の方をしまっといてくれる。

＝B: あ、その前に僕は実験で使った容器、洗っちゃうね。君は道具の方をしまっといてくれる。

しまう＝片付ける

 

[Flaminius]

This is actually one of the listening questions showing up in JLPT N3.

This is actually the kind of information that would have helped us in the first post of this thread. I think we have dealt with enough JLPT listening comprehensions to determine that most of the transcriptions out there are not to be trusted with 100% surety.

I located your phrase in Skit 4 from the test administered in December 2013. The audio I listened to actually said しまっといて but the transcription is 占めといて! This is a telling example of the inadequacy of transcriptions out there.

 

[KaleNovice]

Thanks guys!! I listened to it again, supposed to be しまっといて　rather than しめっといて。

But the sentence itself still confuses me,
あ、その前に実験で使った容器、洗っちゃうね。道具の方をしまっといてくれる

Why is 洗っちゃう used instead of 洗っちゃった？ Because at first I thought the speaker B was asking speaker A to wash the vessels..How to determine that Speaker B is referring to himself having washed the vessels? Is it because it should've been 洗っちゃてくれる if B were to ask A to wash？

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

This exam was for assessing your knowledge of colloquial Japanese.

洗っちゃうね＝I'm going to wash it.
洗っちゃった＝I've washed it. or I washed it. (This is the past tense or the present perfect tense.)
洗っちゃってくれる=Could you wash it for me? Could you make it done to wash it for me? (a little awkward and wordy)
洗ってくれる＝Could you wash it for me?

道具の方をしまっといてくれる=Could you pack up the instrument for me?
道具の方をしまっといて=Please pack up the instrument.　（the imperative to you)
道具の方もしまっとくわ。or しまっとくよ。＝I'm going to pack up the instrument too.

 

[KaleNovice]

Thanks SoLaTiDoberman! I used to think that ちゃう contains some kind of an imperative tone. Now things become understandable after your explanation.