Talk:は
Add topicAn explanation of the particle は
[edit]Meaning/Function: A particle which marks a topic or a contrastive element.
English equivalents: talking about ~; as for ~; the
Related expressions: が(1)
Key sentences:
- 私は学生だ/です。 ― watashi wa gakusei da/desu. ― I am a student.
- 杉田さんは行きますが私は行きません。 ― sugita-san wa ikimasu ga watashi wa ikimasen. ― Mr. Sugita will go (there) but I won’t go.
Examples:
- ジョーンズさんは今日本語を勉強している。 ― jōnzu-san wa ima nihongo o benkyōshite iru. ― Mr. Jones is studying Japanese now.
- この町には大学が二つある。 ― kono machi ni wa daigaku ga futatsu aru. ― There are two universities in this town.
- 私はビールは飲みますが酒は飲みません。 ― watashi wa bīru wa nomimasu ga sake wa nomimasen. ― I drink beer but don’t drink sake.
- 春子には人形を、秋子には絵本をあげた。 ― haruko ni wa ningyō o, akiko ni wa ehon o ageta. ― I gave Haruko a doll and Akiko a picture book.
Notes:
- The origin of は can be traced to the conditional marker ば. (Compare the spellings of wa (は) and ba (ば).) (See Talk:ば) However, in contemporary Japanese, は is used, in general, to mark information which the speaker assumes to be part of the hearer’s register. In other words, when は marks X, the speaker usually assumes that the hearer knows what X refers to. Thus, noun phrases which can be marked by はin ordinary circumstances are as follows:
- Common nouns whose referents have already been introduced into the discourse linguistically or extra-linguistically. Example:
(1) 昔々、一人のおじいさんが住んでいました。 ― mukashimukashi, hitori no o-jī-san ga sunde imashita. ― Once upon a time, there lived an old man.
おじいさんはとてもやさしい人でした。 ― o-jī-san wa totemo yasashī hito deshita. ― The old man was a very gentle man.
- Proper nouns. Examples:
(2) アメリカ ― amerika ― America
スミスさん ― sumisu-san ― Mr. Smith - Nouns whose referents can be uniquely identified (that is, they are one of a kind). Examples:
(3) 太陽 ― taiyō ― sun
空 ― sora ― sky - Generic names. Examples:
(4) 人 ― hito ― man
車 ― kuruma ― car
It is noted that は never marks WH-words such as なに (what) and だれ (who). Thus, (5) is ungrammatical.
This is because WH-words do not refer to a known thing and, therefore, their referents can never be in the hearer’s register.
(5) (unacceptable) だれはパーティーに来ましたか。 ― dare wa pātī ni kimashita ka. ― Who came to the party?
- Common nouns whose referents have already been introduced into the discourse linguistically or extra-linguistically. Example:
- More specifically, は marks a topic and/or a contrastive element. When は is used as a topic marker, as in XはY, X is something the rest of the sentence (i.e. Y) is about, and the focus of the sentence falls on Y or part of Y. (Compare Talk:が) The topic Xは normally appears at the beginning of a sentence.
- は is also used to mark a contrastive element, as in Key Sentence (B), Examples (c) and (d). However, whether は is being used as a topic marker or as a contrastive marker is not always clear. This is not clear particularly when there is one element X marked by は but there is no other element Y explicitly contrasted with X. Here are some general rules for determining whether a given は is topical or contrastive.
- When more than one は appears in a sentence, as in “XはYはZは…”, the first は is usually understood to be the topic marker, the second は is more contrastive than the first one, the third one is more contrastive than the second, and so on. Examples:
(6) 太郎はテニスは出来ます。 ― tarō wa tenisu wa dekimasu. ― Taro can play tennis.
(7) 僕は今日はテニスはしない。 ― boku wa kyō wa tenisu wa shinai. ― I won’t play tennis today.
- When Xは is pronounced with stress, it marks a contrastive element. Examples:
(8) 私は一年です。 ― watashi wa ichinen desu. ― (I don’t know about other people but, at least) Í am a freshman.
(9) ビールは飲みます。 ― bīru wa nomimasu. ― (I don’t drink other drinks but) I drink béer.
- When more than one は appears in a sentence, as in “XはYはZは…”, the first は is usually understood to be the topic marker, the second は is more contrastive than the first one, the third one is more contrastive than the second, and so on. Examples:
- When は is used in negative sentences, it marks the negated element. This is a special use of は as a contrastive marker. Compare the following sentences:
(10) a. 私はきのうボストンへ行かなかった。 ― watashi wa kinō bosuton e ikanakatta. ― I didn’t go to Boston yesterday.
(10a) simply states that the speaker didn’t go to Boston yesterday. (10b) negates yesterday, implying that the speaker went to Boston on other days or that he usually goes to Boston on that day but didn’t yesterday. Likewise, (10c) negates to Boston, implying that the speaking went somewhere but it was not to Boston.
b. 私はきのうはボストンへ行かなかった。 ― watashi wa kinō wa bosuton e ikanakatta. ― I didn’t go to Boston yésterday.
c. 私はきのうボストンへは行かなかった。 ― watashi wa kinō bosuton e wa ikanakatta. ― I didn’t go to Bóston yesterday.
- There are rules for particle ellipsis when は marks noun phrases with case markers (i.e. particles such as the subject marker が (ga(1)) and the direct object marker を (o)).
- When は marks Xが or Xを, が or を must drop. (Examples (a) and (c))
- When は marks Xへ or Xに(6) (location), へ or に optionally drop. (Example (b))
- When は marks Xに(1)/に(2)/に(3)/に(4) (time, indirect object, agent, contact), Xで, Xと, Xから, Xまで or Xより, the case marker usually remains and は follows it, forming a double particle. (Example (d)) More examples follow:
(11) ここではたばこを吸わないでください。 ― koko de wa tabako o suwanaide kudasai. ― Please don’t smoke here.
(12) 田中さんとはよく会います。 ― tanaka-san to wa yoku aimasu. ― I see Mr. Tanaka often.
- The topical は does not appear in subordinate clauses, as in (13).
(13) a. 花子は私が/(unacceptable)はきのう酒を飲んだことを知っている。 ― hanako wa watashi ga / (unacceptable) wa kinō sake o nonda koto o shitte iru. ― Hanako knows that I drank sake yesterday.
b. 私が/(unacceptable)は読んだ本は「雪国」です。 ― watashi ga / (unacceptable) wa yonda hon wa “yukiguni” desu. ― The book I read was Snow Country.
Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo, The Japan Times, Ltd., 1994, pp. 516-519.
Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 17:04 11 September 2024 (UTC) Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 23:05, 11 September 2024 (UTC)
An explanation of the particle は (Intermediate)
[edit]Meaning/Function: A particle which emphatically affirms or negates the proposition represented by the preceding verbal and other related elements.
English equivalents: [emphatic] (do/does/did) Verb; will Verb; (am/are/is/was/were) Adjective/Noun; (not) Verb/Adjective/Noun
Related expressions: ことは
Key sentences:
- 行きはしますが、何も手伝えませんよ。 ― iki wa shimasu ga, nanimo tetsudaemasen yo. ― I am going (there) but I cannot help you, all right?
- 疲れてはいるが、まだ休みたくない。 ― tsukarete wa iru ga, mada yasumi takunai. ― I am tired but I don’t want to take a break yet.
- あの男には説明しても分かりはしない。 ― ano otoko ni wa setsumeishite mo wakari wa shinai. ― That guy would not understand even if you explained it to him.
- あのズボンは安くはあるが、ちょっと時代遅れだ。 ― ano zubon wa yasuku wa aru ga, chotto jidaiokure da. ― Those pants are cheap but they are a little too old-fashioned.
- この本は内容を考えれば決して高くはない。 ― kono hon wa naiyō o kangaereba kesshite takaku wa nai. ― This book is not expensive at all when you consider its content.
Formation:
- Verb masu stem は (する(が) / しない)
話しは(する(が)/しない) ― hanashi wa (suru (ga) / shinai) ― someone will tell (but) / will not tell - Verb te form は (いる(が) / いない), (みる(が) / みない)
食べては(いる(が)/いない) ― tabete wa (iru (ga) / inai) ― someone is eating (but) / is not eating - I-Adjective stem くは (ある(が) / ない)
面白くは(ある(が)/ない) ― omoshiroku wa (aru (ga) / nai) ― something is interesting (but) / is not interesting - (Na-Adjective stem / Noun) では (ある(が) / ない)
便利では (ある(が)/ない) ― benride wa (aru (ga) / nai) ― something is convenient (but) / is not convenient
学生では (ある(が)/ない) ― gakusei de wa (aru (ga) / nai) ― someone is a student (but) / is not a student
Examples:
- 酒は飲みはするが、それほど好きではない。 ― sake wa nomi wa suru ga, sore hodo sukide wa nai. ― I do drink but don’t like it very much.
- 彼は日本語を読めはするが、話せはしない。 ― kare wa nihongo o yome wa suru ga, hanase wa shinai. ― He can read Japanese but cannot speak it.
- 彼女はベッドに横になってはいるが、目は開いている。 ― kanojo wa beddo ni yoko ni natte wa iru ga, me wa aite iru. ― She is lying in bed but her eyes are open.
- 試験を受けてはみるが、通る自信は全然ない。 ― shiken o ukete wa miru ga, tōru jishin wa zenzen nai. ― I will take the exam (and see what will happen), but I have no confidence that I will pass it.
- 彼は何を言っても聞きはしない。 ― kare wa nani o itte mo kiki wa shinai. ― He does not listen, no matter what we tell him.
- この花瓶は高くはあるが、それだけの値打ちはある。 ― kono kabin wa takaku wa aru ga, sore dake no neuchi wa aru. ― This case is expensive but it is valuable to that extent.
- この問題はよく考えれば難しくはないはずだ。 ― kono mondai wa yoku kangaereba muzukashiku wa nai hazu da. ― If you think carefully, this problem should not be difficult.
- あの男は優秀ではあったが、不正なことをしたので首になった。 ― ano otoko wa yūshūde wa atta ga, fuseina koto o shita node kubi ni natta. ― He was smart but he was fired because he did something illegal.
- 彼は日本人ではあるが、あまり日本語を話せない。 ― kare wa nihonjin de wa aru ga, amari nihongo o hanasenai. ― He is Japanese but cannot speak Japanese well.
Notes:
- Affirmative forms such as Verb masu stem は する, I-Adjective stem くは ある, (Na-Adjective stem / Noun) では あるoften appear with the conjunction が in contrastive sentences. (See Talk:は)
- Na-Adjective stem では ない and Noun で は ない are, in fact, the ordinary negative forms of Na-Adjective and Noun + Copula and do not express any special emphasis.
- When auxiliaries occur with Verb te form, は follows Verb te form, as in Formation (ii). When auxiliaries occur with Verb masu stem, however, は follows the auxiliaries, as in (1).
(1) a. 遊びたい->遊びたくはある(が) ― asobitai -> asobitaku wa aru (ga) ― want to play
c. しゃべりすぎる->しゃべりすぎはする(が) ― shaberi sugiru -> shaberi sugi wa suru (ga) ― talk too much
b. 落ちそうだ->落ちそうではある(が) ― ochi sōda -> ochi sōde wa aru (ga) ― looks like it’s about to fall down
- In casual conversation, sound changes may occur in Verb masu stem は しない, as in (2).
(2) Grade 1 verbs:
~ (Consonant)Vowel は しない –> ~ (Consonant) や しない
Examples 行きはしない->行きゃしない ― iki wa shinai -> ikya shinai ― Someone does not go -> Someone doesn’t go
買いはしない->買やしない ― kai wa shinai -> kaya shinai ― Someone does not buy -> Someone doesn’t buy
Grade 2 verbs and irregular verbs:
~ (Consonant)Vowel は しない –> ~ (Consonant)Vowelや しない
Examples 見はしない->見やしない ― mi wa shinai -> miya shinai ― Someone does not see -> Someone doesn’t see
食べはしない->食べやしない ― tabe wa shinai -> tabeya shinai ― Someone does not eat -> Someone doesn’t eat
しはしない->しやしない ― shi wa shinai -> shiya shinai ― Someone does not do -> Someone doesn’t do
来はしない->来やしない ― ki wa shinai -> kiya shinai ― Someone does not come -> Someone doesn’t come
Related expression:
Sentences with the emphatic particle は can be rephrased using the structure X ことは X, as in [1]; however, X ことはX is more emphatic than は.
[1] a. 行くことは行きますが、何も手伝えませんよ。 ― iku koto wa ikimasu ga, nanimo tetsudaemasen yo. ― I am indeed going (there) but I cannot help you, all right? (Same as Key Sentence (A))
b. 疲れていることは(疲れて)いるが、まだ休みたくない。 ― tsukarete iru koto wa (tsukarete) iruga, mada yasumi takunai. ― I am indeed tired but I don’t want to take a break yet. (Same as Key Sentence (B))
c. あのズボンは安いことは安いが、ちょっと時代遅れだ。 ― ano zubon wa yasui koto wa yasuiga, chotto jidaiokure da. ― Those pants are indeed cheap but they are a little too old-fashioned. (Same as Key Sentence (D))
This structure is usually not used for negative sentences. (See Talk:こと)
Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar. Tokyo, The Japan Times, Ltd., 1995, pp. 564-567.
Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 21:09 13 September 2024 (UTC) Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 01:09, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
An explanation of the structure 〜は〜だ
[edit]Meaning/Function: Someone or something is/was someone or something or is/was in some state, or will do/does/did something.
Key sentences:
- これは本だ/です。 ― kore wa hon da / desu. ― This is a book.
- コンサートは八時からだ/です。 ― konsāto wa hachiji kara da / desu. ― The concert starts ateight o’clock. (literally, “The concert is from eight o’clock.”)
Examples:
- あの人は先生だ。 ― ano hito wa sensei da. ― That person is a teacher.
- 私はジョーンズです。 ― watashi wa jōnzu desu. ― I am Jones.
- 授業は四時までです。 ― jugyō wa yoji made desu. ― I have classes till four o’clock. (literally, “My classes are till four o’clock.”)
- 今度の試合はワシントン大学とだ。 ― kondo no shiai wa washinton daigaku to da. ― The next game is against the University of Washington.
Notes:
- “AはBだ” is probably the most basic sentence structure in Japanese. The very basic meaning of this construction is “A is B”. However, this pattern can convey more than that meaning. For example, the second sentence in (1) literally means ‘My wife is tea’, but actually means ‘My wife drinks tea.’ Here the copula だ is used in place of 飲む (drink).
(1) 私は毎朝コーヒーを飲む。家内は紅茶だ。 ― watashi wa maiasa kōhī o nomu. kanai wa kōcha da. ― I drink coffee every morning. My wife drinks (black) tea. (literally, “I drink coffee every morning. My wife is (black) tea.”)
(6) [In an order situation at a restaurant] 僕はうなぎだ。 ― boku wa unagi da. ― I’ll have eel/I’d like eel. (literally, “I am an eel.”)
In fact, this structure is used frequently in conversation, as in (2), where the copula です in B’s sentence means 行きます (am going).
(2) A: 私はハワイへ行きます。 ― watashi wa hawai e ikimasu. ― I’m going to Hawaii.
B: 私はフロリダです。 ― watashi wa furorida desu. ― I’m going to Florida. (literally, “I am Florida.”)
In general, the copula can be used in place of a predicate if the meaning can be understood from the context. Note the following examples:
(3) このレストランはすしがおいしい。あのレストランはてんぷらだ。 ― kono resutoran wa sushi ga oishī. ano resutoran wa tenpura da. ― Sushi is good at this restaurant. At that restaurant tempura is good. (literally, “Sushi is good at this restaurant. That restaurant is tempura.”)
(4) ディックはスケートが上手だ。ポールはスキーだ。 ― dikku wa sukēto ga jōzuda. pōru wa sukī da. ― Dick is good at (ice) skating. Paul is good at skiing. (literally, “Dick is good at (ice) skating. Paul is skiing.”)
(5) みつ子はお母さんが病気だ。つとむはお父さんだ。 ― mitsuko wa o-kā-san ga byōki da. tsutomu wa o-tō-san da. ― In Mitsuko’s family, her mother is ill. In Tsutomu’s family, his father is ill. (literally, “In Mitsuko’s family, her mother is ill. Tsutomu is his father.”)
What the copula だ means may be understood from the linguistic context, as in (1) – (5), or from the extra-linguistic context, as in (6).
- In “AはBだ”, B may be a noun phrase, as in Key Sentence (A) or a noun phrase with a particle, as in Key Sentence (B). General rules about particle ellipsis and retention in this construction follow:
- が, を, へ and に (time (に(1)), location (に(6))) must drop. (See (1) – (6).)
- に (indirect object (に(2)), agent (に(3)), direct contact (に(4))) and で (location (で(1)), means (で(2))) may drop. Examples:
(7) A: 僕はケンにたのんだ。 ― bokuhakennitanonda. ― I asked Ken.
B: 僕は図書館(で)だ。 ― boku wa toshokan (de) da. ― I study at the library.
B: 僕はアンディ(に)だ。 ― boku wa andi (ni) da. ― I asked Andy.
A: 僕はアパートで勉強する。 ― boku wa apāto de benkyōsuru. ― I study in my apartment.
- で (reason), と, から and まで usually do not drop. Examples:
(9) A: 僕は病気で休んだ。 ― boku wa byōki de yasunda. ― I was absent because of illness.
B: 僕はけがで/(unacceptable)∅だ。 ― boku wa kega de / (unacceptable)∅ da. ― I was absent because I got injured. (literally, “I was absent because of an injury.”)
(10) A: 私は一郎と踊りました。 ― watashi wa ichirō to odorimashita. ― I danced with Ichiro.
B: 私は信男と/(unacceptable)∅です。 ― watashi wa nobuo to / (unacceptable)∅ desu. ― I danced with Nobuo.
- When the copula is used for a predicate, it usually appears in the non-past tense regardless of the tense of the predicate, as in (7) and (9).
- In “AはBだ”, Aは may drop if it can be understood from context, as seen in (11).
(11) A: それは何ですか。 ― sore wa nan desu ka. ― What is that?
B: (これは)辞書です。 ― (kore wa) jisho desu. ― This is a dictionary.
Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo, The Japan Times, Ltd., 1994, pp. 521-524.
Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 17:49 14 September 2024 (UTC) Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 21:49, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
An explanation of the structure 〜は〜が
[edit]Meaning/Function: A construction which relates a non-controllable state of something or someone to a topic.
Key sentences:
- 私は英語が分かる/分かります。 ― watashi wa eigo ga wakaru/wakarimasu. ― I understand English. (literally, “To me, English is understandable.”)
- 花子は目がきれいだ/きれいです。 ― hanako wa me ga kireida/kireidesu. ― Hanako has pretty eyes. (literally, “Speaking of Hanako, her eyes are pretty.”)
- 辞書はウェブスターがいい/いいです。 ― jisho wa webusutā ga ī/īdesu. ― Talking about dictionaries, Webster’s is good.
Examples:
- たかしはテニスが上手だ。 ― takashi wa tenisu ga jōzuda. ― Takashi is good at tennis. (literally, “Speaking of Takashi, his [skill at] tennis is proficient.”)
- 私はボーイフレンドがほしい。 ― watashi wa bōifurendo ga hoshī. ― I want a boyfriend. (literally, “Talking about me, a boyfriend is wanted.”)
- 僕はフットボールが好きだ。 ― boku wa futtobōru ga sukida. ― I like football. (literally, “To me, football is my favourite.”)
- 象は鼻が長い。 ― zō wa hana ga nagai. ― Elephants have long trunks. (literally, “Speaking of elephants, their noses are long.”)
- 私はおなかがすいた。 ― watashi wa onaka ga suita. ― I am hungry. (literally, “Talking about me, my stomach got empty.”)
- ミラーさんは背が高い。 ― mirā-san wa se ga takai. ― Mr. Miller is tall.
- 日本はステーキが高い。 ― nihon wa sutēki ga takai. ― Steak is expensive in Japan. (literally, “Talking about Japan, steak is expensive [there].”)
- 海は日本海がきれいだ。 ― umi wa nihonkai ga kireida. ― Talking about the sea, the Japan Sea is clean.
- 日本の野球はどこが強いですか。 ― nihon no yakyū wa doko ga tsuyoidesu ka. ― Talking about baseball in Japan, which [baseball team] is strong?
Notes:
- “AはBがC” is one of the basic constructions in Japanese. In this construction, C usually expresses something about B and “BがC” expresses something about A, as illustrated in (1).
(1) A<-は->(B<-が->C) - Sentences utilizing this construction may be categorized into three classes:
- A is human, and “BがC” expresses A’s physical and/or mental state, for example, ability or desire, as in Key Sentence (1), Examples (a), (b) and (c).
- B is part of A, and C expresses something about B, which, in turn, expresses something about A, as in Key Sentence (2), Examples (d), (e), (f) and (g).
- B is a member of A, and C expresses something about B, as in Key Sentence (3), Examples (h) and (i).
- Listed below are the verbs and adjectives which usually require the “AはBがC” construction. (Sentences with these verbs and adjectives belong to Class (A) in Note 2.)
(2) Ability:
分かる ― wakaru ― be understandable; understand
出来る ― dekiru ― can be done; can do
られる(2) ― rareru (2) ― can
見える ― mieru ― be visible
聞こえる ― kikoeru ― be audible
上手だ ― jōzuda ― good at
下手だ ― hetada ― poor at
得意だ ― tokuida ― proudly good at
苦手だ ― nigateda ― ashamedly poor at
(See Talk:聞こえる; Talk:見える; Talk:られる)(3) Desire/Need:
ほしい(1) ― hoshī (1) ― desirable; want
たい ― tai ― want to
いる(3) ― iru (3) ― be necessary; need
必要だ ― hitsuyōda ― necessary
(See Talk:ほしい; Talk:いる; Talk:たい)(4) Fondness:
好きだ ― sukida ― be liked; like
きらいだ ― kiraida ― be disliked; dislike
(See Talk:嫌い; Talk:好き)(5) Emotion:
うらやましい ― urayamashī ― enviable
はずかしい ― hazukashī ― embarrassing
にくらしい ― nikurashī ― hateful
こわい ― kowai ― fearful
くやしい ― kuyashī ― vexing
なつかしい ― natsukashī ― nostalgic
おそろしい ― osoroshī ― dreadful
Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo, The Japan Times, Ltd., 1994, pp. 525-527.
Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 8:44 15 September 2024 (UTC) Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 12:44, 15 September 2024 (UTC)