タグ: particle ga

Japanese learning (A3 S22): Application of “Verb Modified Noun” to a Subject of Sentence: [Verb Clause] + [Noun] wa [Predicate].

Yesterday we learned the sentence construction in which “verb modified noun” is used in the predicate of “Noun predicate sentence” as below;

 [Subject] wa [Predicate] desu.

=> [Subject] wa { [Verb Clause] + [Noun] } desu.

Example: Kore wa Ichnen-sei ga Tsukau Kyoukasho desu. (This is a textbook that the first-grade students use.)

When a “Verb modified noun” is used in the predicate, the sentence must be a “noun predicate sentence (it may sound like a tautology, but)”. On the other, when a “Verb modified noun” is used in the subject, the predicate is not limited to be a noun. So, we are going to learn today the sentence construction whose subject is “verb modified noun”, while the predicate is either of noun, Na-adjective, I-adjective, and verb.

[Subject] wa [Predicate].

=> { [Verb Clause] + [Noun] } wa [Noun] desu.

=> { [Verb Clause] + [Noun] } wa [Na-adjective] desu.

=> { [Verb Clause] + [Noun] } wa [I-adjective] desu.

=> { [Verb Clause] + [Noun] } wa [Verb] masu.

<1> Predicate is Noun

Example: Haha ga yoku Iku Su’upa’a wa ABC Ma’ato desu.

(The supermarket that my mother goes often is ABC Mart.)

<2> Predicate is Na-adjective

Example: Watashitachi ga Toukyou de Itsumo Tomaru Hoteru wa Kirei desu.

(The hotel that we always stay at in Tokyo is clean.)

! “Kireina” is not an I-adjective but a Na-adjective.

<3> Predicate is I-adjective

Example: Satou-san ga Tsukatte iru No’oto Pasokon wa Karui desu.

(The personal computer that Sato-san is using is light.)

<4> Predicate is Verb

Example: Watashi ga Iku Tokoya wa Eki no Chikaku ni Arimasu.

(The barber I go to is near the train station.)

<IMPORTANT> the Subject marker is “ga” for a verb clause modifying a noun

Look at whether “ga” or “wa” is used for indicating the subject inside verb clause that is modifying a noun. The followings are the same as <1> through <4> above.

– { [Haha <ga> yoku Iku] + [Su’upa’a] } wa ABC Ma’ato desu.

– { [Watashitachi <ga> Toukyou de Itsumo Tomaru] + [Hoteru] } wa Kirei desu.

– { [Satou-san <ga> Tsukatte iru] + [No’oto Pasokon] } wa Karui desu.

– { [Watashi <ga> Iku] + [Tokoya] } wa Eki no Chikaku ni Arimasu.

You can see that “ga” is used for the subject inside verb clause that is modifying a noun.

When choosing “wa” or “ga” as the subject marker, the following criteria works;

– When to say condition or action about a known subject, “wa” is used.

– When the purpose of sentence is to say what the subject is, “ga” is used.

Then, why “ga” is used for the subject inside verb clause modifying a noun? The verb clause modifying a noun strongly specifies what kind of a noun that is. Therefore, the verb clause needs to clearly indicate who performs what action on the noun. Usually, the subject inside verb clause is not known to the listener, is what the speaker needs to specify. This is the reason why “ga” is used for the subject inside the verb clause that modifies a noun.

This post was written with reference to the exercise A3 on Section22 of “Minna no Nihongo (2nd Edition)” published by “3A Corporation”

Japanese Learning (A1 S13): Expressions of Desire for Possession using the I-adjective “Hoshii”; Watashi wa [A] ga Hoshii desu.

Take a look at an example of today’s construction;

example : Watashi wa Kanojo ga Hoshii desu. (I want a girlfriend.)

Note that “Kanojo” in Japanese usually means “a girlfriend”. Only when you learn grammar of a language, or translate sentences of foreign language, “Kanojo” means “she”. Anyway, the example is a “wa-ga construction”. If a teacher does not explain properly “wa-ga construction”, it could result in huge damage on Japanese learners because “wa-ga construction” may make a learner erroneously think that the particle “-ga” is for an object. The most important basic of Japanese is that the particle “-ga” is for a subject, while the particle “-o” for an object.

In an English sentence “I want a girlfriend”, “a girlfriend” is an object of the transitive verb “want”. But in the Japanese sentence “Watashi wa Kanojo ga Hoshii desu.” DO NOT think that “Kanojo(a girlfriend)” is an object, NOR think that “-ga” is the particle for the object.

Rather, think “Kanojo ga” is the subject of the predicate “Hoshii desu”. “Hoshii” is an I-adjective, and means someone wants something. Since “Kanojo” is what you want, it can be the subject of “Hoshii”. It may seem wrong from the context, because “Watashi (I)” is the subject of the sentence. So, I recommend you thinking as shown below;

– Watashi wa = the topic of the sentence

– Kanojo ga = the subject of “Hoshii”

– Hoshii desu = the predicate

It is fact that there are “wa-ga constructions” in Japanese. And sometimes they seem to be a “double subject sentence”. Be careful about “wa-ga construction” sentences, and not be confused with normal transitive verb sentences that use the particle “-o” for the object:

example of “wa-ga construction”;

– Watashi wa Kamera ga Hoshii desu. (I want a camera.)

example of “transitive verb sentence”;

– Watashi wa Kamera o Kaimasu. (I (am going to) buy a camera.)

Perhaps it is difficult to understand the lengthy explanation above. Then simply think that the I-adjective “Hoshii” usually becomes “wa-ga construction”. Practice and remember the following conversation;

A : Satou-san wa Nani ga Hoshii desuka. (Sato-san, what do you want?)

B : Watashi wa Atarashii Sumaho ga Hoshii desu. (I want a brand-new smartphone.)

This post was written with reference to the exercise A1 on Section 13 of “Minna no Nihongo” published by “3A Corporation”