Questions tagged [は-and-が]
「は」と「が」. The difference between the は (topic) and が (subject) particles.
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は versus が in this sentence
In the Genki 1 textbook, the question prompt
本を読んでいる人は誰ですか？
appears alongside an illustration with a bunch of people doing different activities. The textbook user is then supposed to pick out a ...
0
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1answer
75 views
Can が be replaced by something else in this structure?
So reviewing basic grammar I've come across a structure where you use は and が to show contrast in the following way:
(私は)土曜日は暇ですが、日曜日は忙しいです。
This sentence sounds right to me, but it would sound ...
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1answer
101 views
Conflicting rules for when to use は vs が
So I'm new to learning Japanese, and as with most beginners I am trying to understand the difference between は and が. I came across this video on the difference that I found particularly helpful, but ...
0
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1answer
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は vs が in neutral sentences
I have a couple of situations I was hoping someone could help me understand if が or は is more appropriate in the following situations.
Scenario A: Describing what a person is doing.
You are by ...
1
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1answer
105 views
difference when using は and が with てくれる structure
So, I think that I'm not alone when it comes to being confused about when は and が are supposed to be used, but here I would like to ask about a specific example
浅野君は（私に）かわいい手袋を編んでくれた
x
浅野君が（私に）...
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2answers
163 views
Usage of が in this paragraph
Once again I have been stumped over the usage of particles in a passage from my textbook.
先生: 最近、アメリカでも魚や豆腐を食べている人が増えてきたらしいです。
学生: はい。
先生: アメリカでも、ヘルシーな食べ物[が]{L}人気[が]{L}出てきたということです。
The paragraph ...
3
votes
1answer
108 views
No が in a sentence
If there's no が in a sentence, should I assume that は marks both the topic & the action-doer? It seems like that's the case every time I encounter sentences without が.
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1answer
84 views
は vs が in the following passage
ジェームズは事務所で仕事をしています。
彼は毎日とても忙しいです。
彼はお客様と多くの会議をします。
ジェームズはこのような会議は好きではありません。
彼は「お客様がとても退屈しているのでは」と思っています。
The sentence ジェームズはこのような会議は好きではありません sounds like James does not like this kind of meeting (...
3
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1answer
124 views
How does this passive sentence work?
I'm confused with this sentence.
顔はやや仰向きがち に、天の栄光をながめやる 目が、深くやすらか にみひらかれて いた。
I would like to understand how it's constructed.
I think 目 is the passive subject of みひらかれて いた as が is its particle, ...
4
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1answer
205 views
Does the sentence 『ボブは魚は好きだ』 make sense？
This question is essentially about the particle 「が」.
I saw the example sentence 「ボブは魚が好きだ」 from the textbook.
This is how I understand it:
"As for Bob, Fish that is likable is. ---> Likebale fish ...
0
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1answer
129 views
は and が function
I just learned about が and は Rule.
I just want to say "If I died" in Japanese. So I typed it. All I see is 私が死んだら
Can I say "私は死んだら" (は is put to emphasize what comes after は. So I think in the ...
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3answers
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Using は before 欲しい instead が
I was doing some exercises and the book that I'm using translated:
I don't want shoes
to
靴は欲しくないです
I answered using が particle instead は, since, as far as I know, I should use が before 欲しい. ...
5
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1answer
176 views
「侵入したのが〇〇」なぜ「は」ではなく「が」でしょうか
最近この文章を見かけました。
中王国はエジプト初の外来民族の侵入によって衰退しました。侵入したのが混成民族集団ヒクソス。これがアジア方面から侵入した。
太字にした「が」は、なぜ「は」ではないのでしょうか。前の文では、ある侵入が起こったことがすで述べられたので、問題の文の目的は侵入したのは誰かということになるのではないでしょうか。したがって、その文の焦点が「侵入したの」ではなく、「...
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1answer
497 views
Why is this sentence ungrammatical? 「お寺が公園のとなりです。」
I wrote this sentence (meaning "The temple is next to the park") in my Japanese course and my teacher said it's wrong, because I was supposed to use a は instead of a が.
My understanding is that there ...
2
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1answer
130 views
The use of が, は and を in 私は総てを愛している
Is the を interchangeable with が in this case?
And if I say 私が総てを愛している does it mean 'I'm everything that I love'?
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2answers
206 views
Sushi wa sukidesuka vs sushi ga sukidesuka?
According to Google, I should use ga:
(Anata wa) sushi ga sukidesuka?
Why ga and not wa?
2
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1answer
179 views
Are there some cases where は and が are interchangable?
I understand that は and が can be very different in meaning & emotion, and some structures require one of them. However, are there some cases where I can use either of them but the sentence remains ...
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1answer
136 views
Do we really have to change particles (usually が into は) in negative and interrogative sentences?
Which alternatives sounds more natural?
1.1 - その本は読めない。
1.2 - その本が読めない。
2.1 - ゴルフは上手じゃない。
2.2 - ゴルフが上手じゃない
3.1 - この映画は見たくない。
3.2 - この映画が見たくない。
3.3 - この映画を見たくない。
4.1 - 日本語は分からない。
4.2 - 日本語が分からない。
...
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2answers
128 views
For phrases modifying nouns, is the subject considered part of the modifier or separate?
Oftentimes I see phrases such as this in songs and such:
僕は迷い込んだ夢の中
I always interpreted these as the first part all modifying the noun, i.e. "Inside the dream I was lost in," here. However, when I ...
0
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1answer
88 views
たform+こと が/は(particle) ありますか?
Continuation from my other question:
if we were asking as a question, 'みたことがありますか。' Can we use the question はparticle interchangeably? Or which to use under which circumstances? Thanks!
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4answers
255 views
は or が in the example “朝起きるとき、鳥 ( ) いつも歌います”?
Following up on my earlier question, I want to check if I've got a feel for this subordinate clause particle use correct. This is probably a duplicate, but it really helps me understand things better ...
3
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1answer
1k views
「は」vs 「が」 in subordinate clauses
I'm confused about「は」vs「が」 in subordinate clauses. I do appreciate there are inumerable questions on this subject, but to go through all of them hoping to find the exact answer I want would take ...
7
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3answers
223 views
は significance in ゲームは上手いですね
I'm confused by the reaction to は in this exchange
A:「ゲームは上手いですね!」
B:「ゲーム「は」.....」
source context:
http://neetsha.jp/inside/up/1/2/12840/24.jpg
2
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1answer
590 views
What does それが mean here?
I am reading the visual novel known as Kanon.
I'll include some context, but the final sentence is where my question is:
片隅には、白い羽の生えたリュックがあった。
(In a corner, the rucksack with white wings sprouting ...
2
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1answer
185 views
Should I use は or が here?
先日、同級生は飼い犬を学校に連れてきました。
彼の飼い犬はゴールデン・レトリバーで、すごく可愛かったです。
学生達に撫でられたり、甘えられたりすることがとても好きだったので、授業中に教室を走り回っていて、皆を迎えに行きました。
甘えん坊ですね～！
I posted that entry on Lang-8 and someone corrected my use ...
2
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1answer
203 views
A question about the particle used with potential form
As I know, when the potential form of a verb is being used, direct object particle "を" should not be used. Instead, が or は should be used. So when should we use which? For example,
富士山が 登れた
...
3
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2answers
232 views
は vs. が when topic is implied
I was surprised by a conversation listed in my textbook. The conversation goes like this:
A: ハンバーガーを[食]{た}べますか。
B: いいえ、ハンバーガーは[嫌]{きら}いです
As for the meaning, I believe I understand it. ("Do you eat ...
2
votes
1answer
502 views
Why が is said to be a subject marker?
In many beginner material, が is said to be a subject marker. (For example this one) However, my teacher who learnt Japanese in Japan said he has never heard such a saying.
And in his teaching, it is ...
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3answers
136 views
Yet another question on 「は」 and 「が」
Below are two excerpts from the short novel 「タクシーに乗った吸血鬼」 by Murakami Haruki:
その一
「でもね、本当に吸血鬼がいたらどうします？」
「参っちゃうだろうね」
「それだけですか？」
「いけないかな？」
「いけないですよ。信念というのはもっと崇高なもんです。山があると思えば山がある、山がないと思えば山はない」
その二
「...
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votes
2answers
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Why wa in Karaoke wa suki desu ka?
I recently came across an example in a text book
カラオケは好きですか。
and was not sure why wa was used here instead of ga?
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vote
1answer
223 views
A complex structure: Xが～するYについて、～する者は
So I'm reading the One Punch Man manga to learn some vocabulary. I have the Portuguese translation and I compare it with my translation.
But I read something that I think is wrong in the Portuguese ...
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2answers
170 views
こども “が” ねて いますから
こどもが ねて いますから、しずかに して ください。
こどもは ねて いますから、しずかに して ください。
I know that the 2nd one is incorrect. But why? To my understanding, が is used to emphasize the subject we can hear or see, while は is rather ...
1
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1answer
423 views
が usage in this sentence
When translating 'I was busy yesterday'
Why is
昨日が忙しかったです
Incorrect?
Isn't the same as
私は昨日が忙しかったです
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1answer
62 views
can が be used like this？
this is a small conversation
-どこで食べる
-イタリアレストランではどう
my grammer book says that using どう usually opens up a new topic for example about the location
but if i didn't use どう and instead was stating the ...
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votes
2answers
665 views
Why がない but はありません?
I was under the impression that は should be always used in negative sentences. Is がない an exception to this rule? Does が add something special to the negation?
仕事はありません。
仕事がない。
Do the above sentences ...
6
votes
1answer
442 views
「それがなにか」 v.s. 「それはなにか」
According to Weblio, 「それがなにか（問題）」 is similar to "So what", e.g.
I'm wondering why the topic marker 「は」, as in 「それはなに」, is not used here.
After all, "As to that, is there any thing wrong" sounds ...
5
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1answer
387 views
More complex sentences - When to use は? When to use が?
I know the basics about the difference in the usage between は and が.
Nevertheless, when it comes to more complex sentences, I encounter difficulties that I want to explain on base of some examples. ...
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1answer
356 views
は vs が in 私は言うように書いてください。
I have the following sentence in my anki app:
Please write it down as I tell you.
私は言うように書いてください。
However my instincts tell me this should not be は but が. Am I correct?
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2answers
655 views
は、が、を、に and information structure of Japanese Question
I read 日本語の助詞(情報構造） and from what I understand it says:
What comes before は is old information and after it it's new information. (This makes sense to me).
What comes before が is new information (...
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2answers
163 views
Difference between two sentences
魚が好きな人。
人は魚が好きだ。
What is the difference between these two sentences?
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1answer
144 views
Why does は change the entire sentence?
魚は好きな人。
Fishes like people
魚が好きな人。
Person that likes fish
Although I know the definition of both sentences it is very confusing to me, why が works and は doesn't.
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2answers
166 views
How do the は and が function here?
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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2answers
403 views
The song 「雪が降る」 by アダモ goes --> ♪♪ 雪は降る あなたは来ない … ♪♪
ADAMO, [Tombe la neige]
The song 「雪が降る」 by アダモ goes --> ♪♪ 雪は降る あなたは来ない ... ♪♪
Is there a good explanation for the difference between the title and how the song begins? -- 雪が vs. 雪は ...
...
6
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3answers
961 views
Use は or が with ある when the phrase doesn't explicit the place
I'm studying japanese from not that long and a doubt came to my mind studying ある and いる verbs, so sorry in advance if the question isn't clear.
If we take those two phrases as example:
A. ...
7
votes
2answers
523 views
は and が usage in a weird case
I know that there are tons upon tons of resources on this question because I did a thorough search in google before this post but they don't seem to address my case. I saw this used in a tutorial that ...
5
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1answer
208 views
〇〇さん「は・が」いらっしゃいますか？
I found this sentence on https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%81%84%E3%82%89%E3%81%A3%E3%81%97%E3%82%83%E3%82%8B and it struck me as odd.
山田【やまだ】さんがいらっしゃいますでしょうか。
Listening to my co-workers (...
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3answers
290 views
Can someone verify the reasons I give for using a “wa” and “ga” in this sentence?
私の生みの母は、若い未婚の日本人だったため、私を養子に出そうと決心したのです。彼女がこだわったのは、私の養子先は日本に住んでいる家族でなければ、ということでした。
The highlighted "は" looks to be there for thematic reasons?
The highlighted "ga" looks to be there for neutral ...
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vote
2answers
144 views
In a sentence that ends with a verb, when could “が” modify a 3rd person pronoun?
3rd person pronouns (both English and Japanese) and the particle "は" have a commonality. For pronouns (jp & eng) antecedent must exist in the conversation. An "antecedent" is what the pronoun ...
6
votes
2answers
352 views
は and が with 何 & こそあど
One of my textbooks said that you cannot use the particle は with 何 and undefined words of the こそあど.
Yet I'm sure I've heard これは何ですか。 many times before, and これが何ですか。 sounds unnatural to me.
What is ...
8
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1answer
143 views
On the usage of 「は」 and 「が」 in a poem by 谷川俊太郎
In a poem named 「生きる」 by 谷川俊太郎, the poet described "to live" with many instances.
In the instances put forward in the penultimate stanza, the poet put 「が」 after the subjects, such as in 「犬が吠える」, 「...
