Japanese learning (A2 S24): Which to use as the Subject Marker, “-wa” or “-ga”, learning through one of Giving/Receiving Verbs “Kureru/Kuremasu”.

The sentence construction that we learned in A1 S24 was as follows;

1. Satou-san wa Watashi ni Chokore’eto o Kuremashita. (Sato-san gave me a chocolate.)

This expression is uttered in the following situations;

<1> Both speaker and listener know who Sato-san is.

<2> The intention of this utterance is that the speaker wants the listener to know what Sato-san gave to the speaker.

Because of <1>, the particle “wa” is used as subject marker, as you see “Satou-san wa”.

Because of <2>, it is obvious that the receiver is the speaker, therefore “Watashi ni” can be omitted in this situation. The sentence 1 could be;

1’. Satou-san wa Chokore’eto o Kuremashita. (Sato-san gave a chocolate.)

Before introducing today’s sentences, here is a new word;

Nori（海苔）: Noun; Dried Seaweed, its shape is rectangular like sheet of paper. Usually used to wrap Sushi and Riceball.

Now, the following is the today’s sentences;

2. Kore wa Kankoku no Nori desu. Kim-san ga Kuremashita.

(This is Nori of Korea. Kim-san gave (this to me).)

If we make the two sentences of 2 a sentence like 1’, then we will get;

2’ Kim-san ga Nori o Kuremashita. (Kim-san gave Nori.)

Comparing 1’ and 2’, you will find that the subject markers are different between the two sentences. This is important issue. But let us examine the sentences 2, which is a kind of identical to what A2 S24 shows.

<This post is incomplete. I hope I will be able to complete this soon.>

This post was written with reference to the exercise A2 on Section24 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”