受験生は夏休みが勝負なのよ?
So since there is no verb here, how do the は and が function here?
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So since there is no verb here, how do the は and が function here?
Therefore this sentence basically is a feminine version of 受験生は夏休みが勝負なのだ, which is an emphatic version of 受験生は夏休みが勝負だ.
受験生は夏休みが勝負だ
→ As for test-takers, summer vacation is the critical point.
→ Summer vacation is the most important term for students preparing for entrance exams.
References:
According to "A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar", page 322:
の: a sentence-final particle used by a female speaker or a child to indicate an explanation or emotive emphasis.
Examples:
母はまだとても元気なの。
主人はエンジニアなの。
So the translation could be:
夏休みが勝負なの。
Summer vacation is when the fight is decided.
The sentence above is identical to
夏休みが勝負だ。
が is the subject marker.
は is the topic marker.
The full sentence is:
受験生は夏休みが勝負なのよ。
For the applicants, summer vacation is when the fight is decided.