Japanese Sentence Construction

First issues first: To sound fluent in Japanese, you’ll have to grasp Japanese sentence construction. Now, a language like Japanese might sound actually tough at first (particularly to English audio system!), however don’t fear – it’s a really logical language!

And I ought to know – I’ve been studying Japanese since I used to be an early teenager, lived in Japan for a number of years for research and work, and have handed N1 Japanese. I keep in mind what it was like to begin finding out the language, and likewise tutor freshmen frequently as properly!’

Right here’s me in entrance of the well-known Himeji citadel!

By the way in which, if you happen to haven’t already, I like to recommend you learn my newbie’s Japanese masterclass article. This will even assist with a number of the fundamentals past the grammar I’m going to introduce right here.

So, are you prepared to begin determining how Japanese works? Let’s get began!

Introduction to Japanese Sentence Construction

Japanese sentence construction, with its distinctive grammatical guidelines, would possibly really feel like a puzzle at first. The truth is, I typically inform new college students to “throw out their English mind,” as a result of it truly makes loads of sense – simply to not an English mind.

Why? As a result of Japanese sentence construction is sort of totally different from English. Right here’s how!

The Position of です (Desu) in Japanese Sentence Construction

Should you’re studying to make Japanese sentences, one of many first phrases you’ll come throughout is です (desu). And I’ve already used it in the previous couple of instance sentences to imply each “am” and “is”! However truly, it’s each and… neither?

What?

です (desu) is commonly in comparison with the English verb “to be,” although it’s used not precisely the identical. It’s usually discovered on the finish of easy well mannered sentences and serves to affirm or describe the state of the topic.

Listed below are some examples:

Noun + です (desu):
私は学生です。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu., “I’m a scholar.”)

Adjective + です (desu):
これは綺麗です。(Kore wa kirei desu., “That is fairly.”)

Right here, です (desu) makes sentences well mannered and full. It’s notably helpful as a result of it eliminates the verb conjugation we want in English to precise “is,” “am,” and “are.” Since Japanese doesn’t actually have a future tense like English, it will possibly additionally imply “will probably be.”

However in informal Japanese, it’s dropped. It technically has an informal equal だ (da), nevertheless it’s not at all times used and would possibly even give the sentence a little bit of a forceful tone.

So in informal Japanese, the above sentences might simply flip into:

私は学生。 (Watashi wa gakusei., “I’m a scholar.” – Actually, “I scholar.”)

これは綺麗。(Kore wa kirei., “That is fairly.” – Actually, “This beautiful.”)

You would possibly really feel as if you sound like a caveperson in English, however don’t fear, you sound completely regular in Japanese!

The best way to Conjugate です

Proper, so in well mannered Japanese, you possibly can consider です (desu) as much like “am/is/are/will probably be,” “am not / isn’t / should not / won’t be” (if we conjugate it into the damaging kind) “was/have been” (if we conjugate it into the previous tense), or “was not / weren’t” (if we conjugate it into the previous damaging tense).

If you wish to know extra, take a look at our articles about Japanese grammar and Japanese verbs!

This would possibly sound like rather a lot, however I’ll break it down for you.

です within the damaging:

To make a sentence damaging, you substitute です (desu) with じゃないです (ja nai desu) or ではありません (dewa arimasen) for a extra formal contact. You may even discover center floor with じゃありません (ja arimasen) – it’s only a tad extra formal than the primary possibility as a result of じゃ (ja) is definitely only a contraction of では (dewa).

Perhaps consider it like how English has a pair choices for “she isn’t a scholar.” It might flip into “she’s not a scholar” or “she isn’t a scholar.”

So to say, “I’m not a scholar,” all the beneath are attainable in well mannered Japanese (going from least to most formal):
私は学生じゃないです。(Watashi wa gakusei ja nai desu.)
私は学生じゃありません。(Watashi wa gakusei ja arimasen.)
私は学生ではありません。(Watashi wa gakusei dewa arimasen.)

Now, you don’t have to memorize and use all of those proper now. Should you’re feeling overwhelmed, choose one, and as you progress, begin utilizing extra variations!

です prior to now tense:

To kind the affirmative previous tense of です (desu), change it to でした (deshita):
私は学生でした。(Watashi wa gakusei deshita. / “I used to be a scholar.”)

Now, we’ll use our damaging kinds above as a foundation for our damaging previous tense. じゃないです (ja nai desu) turns into じゃなかったです (ja nakatta desu). However for sentences ending in ありません, add でした (deshita) to make ありませんでした (arimasen deshita). (Only a reminder: throw out your English mind!)

So now now we have sentences like:

“I used to be not a scholar.”
私は学生じゃなかったです。(Watashi wa gakusei ja nakatta desu.)
私は学生じゃありませんでした。(Watashi wa gakusei ja arimasen deshita.)
私は学生ではありませんでした。(Watashi wa gakusei dewa arimasen deshita.)

It’s okay if you happen to’re feeling a bit overwhelmed for the time being. This little phrase packs loads of that means and conveys politeness, making it a staple in every day conversations. You’ll be utilizing it continually, and shortly it’ll develop into second nature!

Understanding Japanese Particles

I discussed earlier than that particles are important for Japanese sentence construction. Japanese particles might sound daunting at first, however when you get the cling of them, you’ll discover they really make setting up sentences a lot simpler.

Consider particles because the glue that holds Japanese sentences collectively. They present the grammatical relationships between phrases and provides that means to the sentence. For instance, totally different particles mark the topic, object, location, or means by which an motion is finished.

Let’s have a look at a number of the most typical Japanese particles you’ll encounter:

は (wa): Marks the subject of the sentence.
私は学生です。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu., “I’m a scholar.”)
“I” is the subject.

が (ga): Signifies the topic, particularly when introducing new data.
猫がいます。 (Neko ga imasu., “There’s a cat.”)
“Cat” is the topic.

を (o): Marks the direct object of a verb.
本を読みます。 (Hon o yomimasu., “I learn a e book.”)
“E book” is the direct object.

に (ni): Signifies route, time, or the oblique object.
１２時に図書館に行きます。 (Juuniji ni toshokan ni ikimasu., “I’m going to the library at 12:00.”)
“Library” is the route headed.
友達にあげます。(Tomodachi ni agemasu., “I’ll give it to my pal.”)
“Pal” is the oblique object.

で (de): Signifies location or means by which one thing occurs.
車で行きます。 (Kuruma de ikimasu., “I am going by automotive.”)
“Automotive” is the means.
家で食べます。 (Ie de tabemasu., “I eat at house.”)
“House” is the situation.

の (no): Exhibits possession or affiliation.
私のペンです。 (Watashi no pen desu., “That is my pen.”)
The pen is what’s possessed.

へ (e): Just like に however much less versatile, it will possibly solely point out route or a vacation spot.
日本へ行きます。 (Nihon e ikimasu., “I’m going to Japan.”)
“Japan” is the vacation spot.

と (to): Conjunction particle that means “and” or “with”.
友達と遊びます。 (Tomodachi to asobimasu., “I play with associates.”)

から (kara): Signifies the start line or cause.
ここから始めます。 (Koko kara hajimemasu., “We’ll begin from right here.”)
天気がいいから散歩しましょう。(Tenki ga īkara sanpo shimashou., “The climate is sweet so let’s take a stroll.”)

まで (made): Signifies the top level, typically translated as “till.”
駅まで歩きます。 (Eki made arukimasu., “I stroll to the station.”)

If you wish to know extra about Japanese particles, take a look at our devoted article on the topic!

Now just a few pointers:

You is perhaps a bit confused by the distinction between the subject and the topic of the sentence. That is one thing English doesn’t normally differentiate, and actually, oftentimes they’re the identical. Nevertheless, Japanese does distinguish these. Don’t fear an excessive amount of about this proper now as a newbie. For now, simply deal with Japanese like algebra – plug one thing into A and B.

Keep in mind how I mentioned above that Japanese typically omits pronouns and sentence topics in the event that they’re apparent? You noticed that rather a lot within the above! So truly, loads of the sentences might have been translated in another way in numerous contexts – for instance, only a few overtly mentioned “I,” so they could have been “you,” and many others.!

Examples and Variations in Sentence Construction with Particles

Due to particles, Japanese sentences can have a versatile phrase order. So long as the verb stays on the finish, the opposite parts might be rearranged to emphasise totally different elements of the sentence. Let’s take a easy sentence and see the way it can change:

Primary Sentence:
私は明日図書館で本を読みます。
Watashi wa ashita toshokan de hon o yomimasu.
(“I’ll learn a e book on the library tomorrow.”)

Listed below are some variations of the identical sentence:

明日私は図書館で本を読みます。
Ashita watashi wa toshokan de hon o yomimasu.
(“Tomorrow, I’ll learn a e book on the library.”)

本を私は明日図書館で読みます。
Hon o watashi wa ashita toshokan de yomimasu.
(“The e book, I’ll learn it tomorrow on the library.”)

図書館で私は明日本を読みます。
Toshokan de watashi wa ashita hon o yomimasu.
(“On the library, I’ll learn a e book tomorrow.”)

Discover that none of those variations change the basic that means, however they do shift the main focus or emphasis. The flexibility to mess around with phrase order provides Japanese a subtlety that may convey nuanced that means.

In Japanese, the ingredient positioned initially of the sentence typically will get extra emphasis.

By beginning with 明日 (ashita, “tomorrow”), you emphasize the time. Beginning with 本を (hon o, “the e book”) emphasizes what motion goes to be taken with the e book.

This versatile construction lets you tailor your sentences to what you discover most necessary, whether or not it’s who’s doing the motion, when it’s occurring, or the place it’s going down.

Simply do not forget that the verb location is the one factor that’s not versatile!

Modifiers in Japanese Sentence Construction

In Japanese sentence construction, modifiers like adjectives, possessive pronouns, adverbs, and numerals play key roles in including element and readability to our statements. Let’s break down every of those modifiers and see how they work in Japanese sentence construction.

Japanese Adjectives

Adjectives in Japanese come earlier than the nouns they modify, very very similar to in English. There are two principal varieties of adjectives in Japanese: i-adjectives and na-adjectives. (I are likely to name them ijectives and najectives once I train these to college students.)

Examples:

i-adjectives: These finish in hiragana い (i), like 赤い (akai, “crimson”). So you might say one thing like 赤い花 (akai hana, “crimson flower”).

na-adjectives: These require the particle な (na) when used earlier than a noun, like 親切 (shinsetsu, “form”). So you’ll say 親切な人 (shinsetsu na hito, “form individual”).

Right here’s my insider tip. Word that not all adjectives that finish in i are i-adjectives. Some widespread exceptions are 綺麗 (kirei, “fairly”) and 有名 (yuumei, “well-known”). A giant trace telling you they’re na-adjectives as a substitute is that they are often fully written in kanji, as I wrote them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Japanese use the particle の (no) to point possession or affiliation between nouns. That is pretty simple and sometimes features equally to the possessive “’s” or a phrase like “X of Y” in English.

Listed below are some examples:

私の車 (watashi no kuruma, “my automotive”)
田中さんの本 (Tanaka-san no hon, “Mx.’s Tanaka’s e book”)

This goes past simply possessives like in English, although. To point out nationality, for instance, you employ の (no) between two nouns. Listed below are some examples of what I imply:

アメリカ人 (Amerikajin) means “American” or “American individual.” In English, these imply the identical issues in sure contexts, however one is an adjective, and one is an adjective and a noun. In Japanese, that is all one phrase which is a noun.

Now to say, “the American trainer,” it is advisable to say アメリカ人の先生 (Amerikajin no sensei). Word this doesn’t (normally) imply that an American possesses a trainer – it exhibits that the noun “American [person]” modifies the phrase for “trainer” (先生, sensei).

You’ll discover this noun modifying one other noun within the phrase 日本語のクラス (nihongo no kurasu, “Japanese class”) which makes use of particle の (no) between “the Japanese language” and “class.”

It would sound a bit complicated at first, nevertheless it’s actually a really streamlined course of to make use of one phrase sort the place English has many choices. My remaining instance is インディアナの家 (Indiana no ie, “[my] house in Indiana”), which is simply “Indiana” + “house”!

Numerals

Numerals in Japanese generally come straight earlier than the nouns they modify (normally with our connector の [no], or alone after the noun and particle they modify.

Japanese additionally has a system of counters which might be used with numbers to rely various kinds of objects (e.g., flat objects, cylindrical objects, and many others.). Try our article about Japanese numbers if you wish to be taught extra!

For now, I’ll use examples with 人 (nin), the counter for individuals.

To say, “there are three college students,” you might say both:
３人の学生がいます。 (San-nin no gakusei ga imasu.)
学生が３人います。 (Gakusei ga san-nin imasu.)

Each are typically interchangeable, however there are slight nuance variations.

The previous sentence sentence emphasizes the quantity “three” first after which describes that these three are college students. It feels a bit extra particular or detailed because you’re notably emphasizing the quantity earlier than mentioning that they’re college students.

So if somebody asks you “What number of college students are there?” it will be a tad extra pure to reply with ３人の学生がいます (san-nin no gakusei ga imasu), indicating precisely three college students are current.

In slight distinction, the latter sentence focuses on the existence of scholars. The topic “college students” is highlighted, after which the quantity follows. It’s a bit extra normal, appropriate for when the presence of scholars is the primary level.

So if you happen to’re in a classroom and somebody asks if there are any college students right here, you’d be extra more likely to reply, はい、学生が３人います (hai, gakusei ga san-nin imasu) to say, “sure, there are three college students [here].”

However don’t fear – each sentences are completely high-quality to make use of in both context.