Grammatical particles
Particles are the pillars of Japanese grammar. They can act as conjunctions, adverbs or simply structure the sentence in which they are found.
It should be known that a particle defines the word or the nominal group which precedes it. It is the opposite of the French.
Example: I will go en car : watashi wa kuruma of ikimasu.
Second, you should know that the same particle can have several meanings depending on its place in a sentence.
Example: because it goes from the station to the sea, I love this train! : eki kara umi made ni ikimasu da kara , kono densha ga suki desu yo.
_cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde-3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ kara = because and since
Contents:
The wa and ga particles
These particles are among the 10 most important in the Japanese language
The wa particle and the ga particle are particles that look very similar and are therefore difficult to distinguish.
These are probably the particles that pose the most problems when learning Japanese. But don't worry!
_cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde-3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde-3194 Futakazan is here to help you!
The particle wa (は) : the theme of the sentence
The particle wa is written は (ha) but pronounced わ (wa). This is due to its old pronunciation. In the past it was pronounced "ha", but over time, in the oral language, this pronunciation has been transformed into "wa". Nevertheless, the Japanese still wanted to keep the way of writing it and at the same time, keep the authenticity of their culture.
Its uses
The particle は indicates the topic of the sentence (the general subject, what the sentence will talk about).
1) It is used to speak of general truths or permanent action. It is a fact!
Example :
-空は青いです。 ( sora wa aoi desu ): the sky is blue (Here, it's a general truth, everyone agrees that the sky is blue)
-この猫はきれいです。 ( kono neko wa kirei desu ) : This cat is pretty. (either: he is pretty all the time | or: we are talking about the species to which the cat belongs)
2) It can simply indicate the topic of the sentence:
私は食べっています。 ( watashi wa tabette imasu)
Translates as ( I am eating) but literally means: as far as I am concerned; i am eating .
The particle ga (が): the subject of the sentence
The が particle indicates the subject of the sentence, which is directly related to the verb of the sentence (not to be confused with the theme).
Its uses:
1) It is used to tell specific events in time and space.
空が青いです。 ( sora ga aoi desu ): the sky is blue general truth).
_cc781905-5cde -3194- bb3b -136bad5cf58d_ : _cc781905-5cde - 3194 -bb3b - 136bad5cf58d_ is not a general truth, because it is a description and not an observation)
2) After interrogative words at the beginning of a sentence:
When asking a question with an interrogative word (only when it is at the beginning of the sentence), we use ga to structure the question by placing it just after this first one._cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
誰がエマですか。( dare ga ema desu ka): Who is Emma? (literally: Who is Emma?)
Often cases, ga can be translated as "it is", because she emphasizes the topic .
Example: "it's me" will be translated by "watashi ga" and especially not by "kore wa watashi" (In this case it would mean "that's me" and not simply "it's me ")
3. Can be used to mark a contrast, an opposition as a conjunction “but”.
Example: "明日 はテスト がありが が、眠り たく あり ん。。。» _cc781905-5ccde-3194-Bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde-3194-Bb3b-13bad5cf58d_cc781905-
_cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ “ ashita wa tesuto ga arimasu ga , nemuritaku arimasen ”
Translates to: " Tomorrow there is a test but (I) don't want to sleep "
How to differentiate the wa particle from the ga particle?
_cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde-3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ he theme and the subject of the sentence... it's the same thing! Nope ?
Well...it depends!
Reminder:
- The theme: the general subject of the sentence: what it will talk about
- The subject: The one who is directly related to the verb
Example in Romaji:
1. watashi wa / ga neko desu : I am a cat ; the subject is the theme of the sentence. You can put wa or ga, because it doesn't really alter the meaning of the sentence.
2. neko wa mimi (耳) ga kirei desu : the cat has cute ears .
To better understand, we can translate this sentence by: About the cat , his ears are pretty. ( literally : About the cat , ( he has ) pretty ears .)
The topic of the sentence is "the cat" (car we are talking about the cat ), but the subject is "ears" ( because these are the ears (of the cat ) which are pretty , but not the cat itself. With the sentence, we do not know if the cat is beautiful as a whole, we only know that its ears are).
The theme of the sentence is most often placed before the subject of the sentence, but this order can be reversed for grammatical reasons.
The particle wa speaks of a theme in general; the ga particle is more precise.
Let's go back to the previous sentences;
Example:猫がきれいですand猫はきれいです: the cat is beautiful
_cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ ( neko ga kirei desu ) et ( neko wa kirei desu )_cc781905-5cde-3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d there are differences :
- neko ga kirei desu : speaks of a specific cat or group of cats
- neko wa kirei desu : talking about cats in general... it's a general truth. (we therefore prefer to translate it by: cats are beautiful)
b) the particle wa for the observation and the particle ga for the story:
Let's go back to the phrase "the sky is blue";
空は青いです。 ( sora wa aoi desu )
空が青いです。 ( sora ga aoi desu )
In the sentence "sora wa aoi desu"; wa introduces an observation, it is a general truth , we say tout simply that the sky is blue. It is a fact, the veracity of which is not to be demonstrated.
Nevertheless, in the sentence "sora ga aoi desu" ga introduced the story , we tell, we inform that the sky is blue, in a very specific place . For example, when describing a landscape, ga will be used to describe the sky!
Example:
山に行ったとき、空がとても青かったです。( yama ni itta toki, sora ga totemo aokatta desu)
When I was in the mountains , the sky was so blue ! : In this sentence ga is used, because the sky is not "so blue" in general but it is "so blue" in the mountains . This is not a general truth, but a story !
c) The particle ga is used after an interrogative word si at the beginning of a sentence as well as to answer a question: -136bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-4358cf58bad3-319
-誰が食べっていますか。( dare ga tabette imasu ka.): Who eats? / Who is eating?
- 私が食べっています ( watashi ga tabette imasu) to eat "
Normally, with the omission of the subject; a "私が (watashi ga) or even 私です (watashi desu) : it's me" is enough as an answer, this is only for the example.
In the examples below, the two sentences mean "Who is Emma?", but with different positions of the word " Who ":
誰がエマですか。( Dare ga Ema desu ka.): the interrogative word is at the beginning, so we use ga. (literally: Who is Emma?)
エマは誰ですか。(Ema wa dare desu ka.): the interrogative word is not at the beginning, so we use wa. (literally: Emma, who is it?)
The particle no (の): Here is a...better than Cupid.
The particle no is a particle of connection, binding, relationship, possession and transformation.
1) Belonging: possessive adjectives:
Formula: [Possessor] の [possessed]. The order of the words is exactly opposite to that of French.
私の魚です ( watashi no sakana desu) means: my fish (literal:_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb35b-cfd me ) the fish
私はあなたの犬のおもちゃを持っている。(watashi wa anata no inu no omocha o motteiru.)
means: "I have your dog 's toy "
2) Connecting two words:
Formula: [determinant] の [determined]
トヨタの車 (toyota no kuruma) means: a car ( from ) Toyota.
3) Nominalization: transforms a verb into a noun:
Formula: [verb] の
(私は)食べるのが好きです。
((watashi wa) taberu no ga suki desu) means "I like to eat " (I like eating )
4) Allows you to replace an obvious name in the context:
As an example, to the question “What is your favorite car among these?”, we could answer:
赤いのです ( akai no desu) translating to: it 's red
5) Transforms a noun into an adjective: allows for example to use a noun when the adjective does not exist
金属の皿。 ( kinzoku no sara) veut dire : une assiette_cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ metallic .
(literally: a plate of metal )
6) Allows you to form interrogative sentences:
Example:
何するの？ (nani suru no ?): What is doing - tu_cc781905-5cde-3194-Bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ ? _Cc781905-5cde-3194-Bb3b-36bad5cf58d_ _cc781905-5cde-3194-Bb Is the whale an animal ? _ _ _
The ka particle (か): Simple as...mmh...good question.
In 70% of cases, the particle ka is used to form interrogative sentences.
Example:
君は狸です (kimi wa tanuki desu): you are a tanuki ----> 君は狸ですか(kimi wa tanuki desu ka ): Are you a tanuki ?
But it can also be used to form adverbs from interrogative words.
Indexes:
Tanuki: The Tanuki, more commonly known as the raccoon dog, is a species of canidae living in Japan and resembling the raccoon.
In Japanese legends, it is a spirit of the forest endowed with supernatural powers
The particle wo/o を:
The particle を is pronounced either "wo" or "o" it's as you want! (even if conventionally its pronunciation is "o" for the same reasons as the wa particle).
It indicates the COD of a sentence.
Example :
I eat fish: watashi wa sakana wo tabete-imasu (私は魚を食べています).
I look at my dog: watashi no inu wo mite-imasu (私の犬を見ています)
For bad students who don't know what a COD is:
A COD is a "Direct Object Complement". And to find it, we ask the question "who" or "what" after the verb.
What do I eat? : fish / who am I looking at? : my dog. (We are not a French teacher so please!😩)
As you will have understood, in the sentences where there is no COD, we do not use wo, but wa or ga!
Example: my dog eats: watashi no inu ga tabete-imasu (私の犬が食べています)
1) It indicates a distance:
When we somehow move away from a place or object, we should use を:
I leave the room: heya wo deru (部屋を出る) | I get off the train: densha wo oriru (電車を下りる)
2) It indicates the fact of crossing a place:
The dog runs through / in the city: inu ga machi wo ashirimasu (犬が町をあしります).
He travels the world: kare wa sekai wo arukimawaru (彼は世界を歩き回る).
The particle ni に:
The particle ni is a multipurpose particle. It can be translated as: in, at, at, in or by.
Unlike wo, it expresses a rapprochement or the fact of being or going to a place without crossing it!
1) It indicates the place of the sentence:
a) anata wa nihon ni ikimasu (あなたは日本に行きます): you will in Japan .
b) watashi wa gakkou ni imasu (私は学校に居ます): I am at school.
c) neko ga têburu no ue ni imasu (猫がテーブルの上にいます): the cat is on the table ._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-186bad5cf5
d) boku wa densha ni hairu (僕は電車に入る): I am entering the train
2) It indicates a change, a transformation: for example with the verbs to become and to change
a) kimi wa isha ni narimasu (君は医者になります): you will become doctor!
b) mizu ga kõri ni kaete-imasu (水が氷に変えています): water turns into ice.
Yes, you will have understood it, it can also indicate the COD of the sentence.
3) It indicates the COI:
Boku ga marina ni denwashimashita. (僕がマリナに電話しました): I called Marina .
kimi ga atarashii kutsu ni hitsuyou da yo. (君が新しい靴に必要だよ): you need new shoes
Well there, we have to stop sleeping in class 😫 Good! A COI is an Indirect Object Complement.
To find it, we ask the question "à qui", "à quoi", "de qui" or "de quoi" after the verb.
Who did I phone? : in Marina | what do you need ? : new shoes.
4) It indicates the time values: date, hours, frequency
a) gozen kyû ji ni denwashimasu daro. 午前9時に電話しますだろ: I'll call you at 9am !
b) kayoubi ni aimashou.火曜日に会いましょう。: Let's meet on Tuesday ! | See you on Tuesday !
c) tokidoki ni kudamono wo kaimashita.時々に果物を買いました。: I sometimes bought fruit.
The particle e へ:
Just like は, the particle has a different pronunciation than how it is spelled.
The particle e is written へ (he) but pronounced え (e).
Just like ni, it indicates a place! Nevertheless, its meaning is often much stronger and more poetic and formal than that of ni.
Examples:
gakkou ni ikimasu.学校に行きます。: I go to school / I will go to school.
gakkou e ikimasu.学校へ行きます。: I'm heading towards school / I'll be heading towards school.
The particles to, ya and mo
These particles are among the 10 most important in the Japanese language
The particle to と:
1) The particle to can mean either "and" or "with" depending on its position in the sentence.
Example :
Watashi to anata ga eiga wo mimashita.私とあなたが映画を見ました: You and I watched a movie.
Watashi wa anata to eiga wo mimashita.私はあなたと映画を見ました: I watched a movie with you .
When it means "and", to is only used to make exhaustive lists !
For non-exhaustive (incomplete) lists we use ya や.
2) Allows you to connect two verbs or a verb to a nominal group (translates as: que, comme, etc.)
Example:
Boku wa anata ga tadashī to omoimasu : 僕はあなたが正しいと思います: I think you are right:
Toukyou ga hiroi to mimasu yo. 東京が広いと見ますよ。: You'll see how big Tokyo is!
3) Allows you to express the idea of "naming yourself": to iu (と言う)
昔々、木の葉に向日葵というとてもきれい女の子が住んでいました。
mukashi mukashi, konoha ni, himawari to iu totemo kirei onnanoko ga sundeimashita.
Literally means: Once upon a time, in konoha, was named Himawari, a very beautiful young girl who lived there.
The particle mo も:
The particle mo has two uses:
1 ) It means "also" When it is placed after a pronoun or a noun.
私も! (watashi mo !): means: me too !
犬も新設だね (inu mo shinsetu da ne)！Dogs are nice too !
As you may have understood, mo replaces the wa and ga particles.
SO ESPECIALLY NO 私はも (watashi wa mo)! Please !
WARNING : to say "as x as y", On uses "y のように x (y no youni x)
You are as beautiful as a sunset : 君は夕日のように美しい(kimi wa yühi no youni utsukushii ).
2) It gives a negative value to the interrogative words:
Example :
nani: what --->nanimo: nothing | dare: who ---> daremo: person | doko: where ---> doko ni mo: nowhere
The particles of, kara and made
These particles are among the 10 most important in the Japanese language
The で particle:
1) The particle de indicates the CCM (Circumstantial Complement of Manner) of the sentence.
自転車で仕事にいきます( jitensha de shigoto ni ikimasu): I go to work by bicycle
To find the CCM, ask the question "how" after the verb: How do I go to work? By bike; by car.
2) Indicates the place where an action takes place: at, at, among, in, etc.
* 世界で一番の愛した人 ( Sekai de ichiban no aishita hito) : The most beloved person in the world.
* ディズニーはアメリカで建てられました。(dizunī wa amerika de tateraremashita.) : Disney a été construit aux États -Unis .
* 全ての人々で、君を選び出した。( subete no hitobito de' , kimi wo ): among all the world , kimi wo ) : which I chose.
3) indicates the circumstantial complement of cause:
雪で手が冷たった。( Yuki de te ga tsumetatta ): The snow was freezing my hands. | My hands were frozen by / because of the snow
The から and まで particles:
1) kara means "from / from / from" and made means until.
"This road went from my house to the lake " translates to:
あの道は家から湖までに進んだ (ano michi wa ie kara mizuumi made ni susunda.)
2) kara can mean "because, because, as" if it is put between two sentences with da /desu.
Sentence 1: you are nice: 君が優しいです/だ。(kimi ga yasashii desu / da )
Sentence 2: you will have ice cream: アイスクリームをもらえます。(aisukurîmu wo moraemasu)
君が優しいです/だから、アイスクリームをもらえますか。 : As you are nice, you will have ice cream.
Ps: da is the contracted form of the copula desu. But da is not at all formal.
Les particules yo, ne et na sont des particules émotionnelles. C'est-à-dire, qu'elles permettent d'exprimer une émotion et sont donc dépourvues de sens propre.
La particule yo
Elle sert de point d'exclamation au sein des phrases, à exprimer une émotion forte.
Exemples : 彼 は つまらない よ (kare wa tsumaranai yo) : Qu'est-ce qu'il est ennuyeux !
素晴らしかったよ (atarashikatta yo) : C'était fantastique !
La particule ne
La particule ne