Questions tagged [subjects]

主語. Identifying the subject of a sentence, which often is omitted.

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1 answer
71 views

Is the sentence, "あなたはこれを望んでいた。" grammatically correct?

I am a beginner in learning japanese and I've seen many different takes on grammar and where to place verbs, subjects, etc. I know it's a subject-object-verb language and I want to be sure I have the ...
1 vote
1 answer
138 views

How to interpret 〜がデザインしてある

In this NHK News Web Easy article, I'm having trouble understanding the sentence 新しい1万円のお札には、「近代日本の経済の父」と呼ばれている渋沢栄一がデザインしてあります。 Specifically, my (incorrect) attempt would be "The new 10,000¥ ...
1 vote
3 answers
189 views

Confusion with interpreting NHK title and subject scope when using て form

I read this article on NHK about Christmas cakes and it has this title: クリスマスのケーキ 卵の値段が上がって高くなりそう But I'm somewhat confused on how to properly interpret the title. I'm not sure what 高くなりそう (seems to ...
-6 votes
2 answers
296 views

Nonsense sentences with だ

I recently encountered these sentences which must be nonsense because AはBだ means 'A is B'. 私は105号室だ 「ノルウェーの森」は村上春樹だ 東京は初めてだ
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1 answer
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Trouble understanding context switching / setting in a Famitsu article

I started reading this Famitsu article about a new headset that is releasing soon. But I'm having trouble understanding how context or subject swapping / setting works in general. I probably have a ...
1 vote
1 answer
85 views

What is this nuance of こればかり and how it's different from just これは or これだけ?

そんなのおかしいよっ! おかしい? そうかもしれない こればかりはふたりとも驚くかも The character realized he likes both the girls he has been hanging around recently and so he's monologuing in his mind that it's weird. My understanding is ...
1 vote
1 answer
86 views

What is the subject of "韓国料理が食べたいと言ったので、"?

Context: 今日は前の職場の同僚とランチに行きました。韓国料理が食べたいと言ったので、大阪の鶴橋でご飯を食べました。 I guess the subject is the author's colleague, but may I ask, I think the sentence doesn't explicitly state who the subject of "言った&...
2 votes
1 answer
215 views

Who's Who (Giving/Receiving Structures)

I have the following translation for class. 旅館には、外国人がたくさんいて、 アメリカから来たテッドさんという人が、 息子に英語の話し方を教えてくれたので、 そのおれいに、車で、神社に連れて行ってあげることにしました。 I am having trouble figuring out who goes along with what parts of ...
1 vote
2 answers
110 views

Who's the subject in this short sentence?

There are to opponents with swords about to start a battle and one of them asks the other: 始めてみるか Does it sound more like "are we going to (try to) start" or "are you going to (try to) ...
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110 views

Why is が not used in the following situation? [closed]

So the sentence is - Naze sore o shimashita ka? But isn't Naze the subject here and hence should have a が in front of it? I had read this in a text book that a subject is followed by が.
2 votes
2 answers
577 views

Are the articles of the website “言葉の違いが分かる読み物” written by one person or multiple people?

There is a website called “言葉の違いが分かる読み物” (English translation: “Reading Material Where You Can See The Difference Between Words”). As the website title suggests, it has articles that explain the ...
1 vote
1 answer
203 views

The grammatical subject associated with 困る

I have seen that the verb 困る, an intransitive verb, is translated in English as "to have trouble", "to be troubled" or even "to have a hard time". These are grammatically ...
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2 answers
167 views

Why use 用いる and not 用いられる? Who’s the subject?

Source: 類語例解辞典 「または」は、二つのもののうちの一方を捨てて一方だけをとる場合や、どちらでもよいという許容を表わす場合に用いる。 So the subject of 用いる is the generic “one/you/people” or is it “we, the Japanese people”? I may have overthought this but I ...
1 vote
1 answer
142 views

What does パラパラ雨揺れる mean?

パラパラ雨揺れてるのに今僕たちには無関係 It is a part of a song called オオカミハート. Does パラパラ describe a sound or a movement? I don't understand what is shaking. Is it the rain that is shaking (雨は/が) or is it something, I ...
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1 answer
108 views

は vs が when the subject is modified by a relative clause

Please note that the question is not whether the subject in a relative clause should be followed by は or が. (In that case I am aware that the thematic は cannot be used.) I was reading section II.2, Wa ...
1 vote
1 answer
62 views

友人と as a subject

A sentence from a blog whose host is temporarily absent from school: 実際に行動を起こすなら友人とがいい。 This sentence is not difficult to understand. I was able to rule out the possibility of がいい here acting as a ...
0 votes
1 answer
88 views

Understanding subject change in「馬鹿みたい子供なのね」

I'm looking to start learning casual speech through different songs I like and using translated lyrics to decipher the meaning. The first phrase of the song 馬鹿みたい is giving me some confusion. In ...
2 votes
1 answer
125 views

笑顔で、いや、寝付けなくてという僕の袖を、彼女が引いた。

笑顔で、いや、寝付けなくてという僕の袖を、彼女が引いた。 Who is smiling? Who can't sleep and what's the connection between smiling and problem with sleeping? The only clear part for me is that 'She pulled my sleeve'. Source: ...
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Identifying subjects of these sentences I found in Firefox

ウェブサイトの外観 一部のウエブサイトはあなたの設定をもとにカラースキームを適用します。 これらのサイトでどのカラースキームを使用するか選択してください。 I am not sure about the subject for 使用する. I think it is "websites". Were it written as "使用している" I ...
4 votes
1 answer
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Question about who the subject is: 君が僕と結婚してくれたら、残りの人生ずっといい気分ですごせると思うよ

In the sentence: 君が僕と結婚してくれたら、残りの人生ずっといい気分ですごせると思うよ。 Who is the person who will be able to live their whole life feeling good? Is it 君 or 僕?
2 votes
1 answer
138 views

Trouble finding out who does what: 君がいいと言えないまま見つめてる後ろ姿

The beginning of the opening for the anime 彼女、お借りします goes as follows: 運命なんて言えない あと何センチ近づけばいいんだろう 君がいいと言えないまま見つめてる後ろ姿 My problem is with the third line. I can't really figure out what belongs to the ...
2 votes
2 answers
236 views

Understanding the subject when it's referred to by name

I know in Japanese it's possible to refer to people by name when speaking with them, using the name instead of a pronoun. I'm trying to understand what in the sentence, if anything, makes it clear ...
2 votes
0 answers
196 views

...はいい=not needed ≠...がいい? Does ...はいい have no subject?

I am trying to ask a question with several linked open ends at once. いい has the meaning that something is not needed. It seems to be related to the distinction of は vs が. For example here is a ...
1 vote
1 answer
83 views

Understanding the subject and object when using 満足/満足できない

I'm a little confused as to who the sentence is referring to as the satisfied/dissatisfied person. for example: 彼はもう彼女満足できない。 I understand this sentence to mean: He cant be satisfied by/with her ...
5 votes
1 answer
188 views

起こす implied subject

彼氏の猫に対してアレルギー反応を起こした。 I had an allergic reaction to my boyfriend's cat. What is the implied subject of 起こす in this sentence? By default I would expect "I", but "I caused an allergic ...
2 votes
1 answer
119 views

Dative subject constructions with 「もらえませんか」

Back to basics. I have heard sentences similar to these ones online that attest the same structure 私も弾いてみたい、と思った私はすぐさま「私にも教えてもらえませんか。」と願い出ました。(source) あとで時間があったら、その秘訣を私にも教えてもらえませんか。(source) アーモンドさん(...
1 vote
2 answers
124 views

Subject and Object in a 太ってる sentence

I've never really had to think about object vs subject in native English since it's always come naturally for me, and I barely remember grammar studies when I was a child. It seems to be important to ...
3 votes
2 answers
284 views

「褒めても何も出ないよ」「褒めても何も出さないよ」

I think this is what people commonly say: 褒めても何も出ないよ But I feel iffy about the switch of subject here. 褒めても of course talks about the listener. Why does the subject switch to an inanimate thing in ...
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47 views

What is the exact difference between the particles が and は? [duplicate]

I understand that が is meant to mark the subject and that は is the particle placed after the topic, but still after a heck ton of research, I haven't been able to truly comprehend the meaning of both ...
1 vote
3 answers
359 views

Subject confusion in ~たい sentences

I know たい means "want to." But the examples below confused me. Especially the second sentence translates to "I want to eat." I don't know why this is the translation. I'm not sure ...
12 votes
2 answers
585 views

Linguistic/syntactic analysis of のほうがよく聞く

In Japanese the following such sentences are seen quite often: 「〜のほうが(よく)(聞く/使う/感じる/知っている)」 However when you consider the grammar, these are all transitive verbs (in the sense they normally take ...
1 vote
1 answer
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What exactly can が specify? I've provided 魚が食べる for sake of example

Could 魚が食べる change in context? Marking 魚 with を would grammatically make 魚 the object of the action such that it would mean "Fish are eaten"; if 魚 is marked with が, 魚が食べる would mean "...
0 votes
1 answer
68 views

"トゥーリが森に行く時のメンバー"

三人はトゥーリが森に行く時のメンバーで、どうやらマインも森に連れて行ってもらったことがあるようだ。(source: 本好きの下剋上) I am curious how to think about the subject here トゥーリが. Because the verb "with" is not used here. Any one have any advice ...
4 votes
2 answers
278 views

Why can't I use は with ある?

I wanted to say: there is a pen. Hence, I said ペンはある But my girlfriend said to me that one has to say: ペンがある。 But she can't explain to me why, and I don't understand. Do you have an explanation? ...
2 votes
1 answer
154 views

Who's the implicit subject in お世話になりました?

Which (if any at all) of the following two understandings of お世話になりました is correct? The implicit subject is あなた. The お〜になります pattern is a 敬語 construction. The full sentence in plain form is あなたが(私の)...
1 vote
1 answer
179 views

What is the subject of this sentence? It is omitted

それらは必ず母屋から離れて、青葉の臭いや苔の臭いのしてくるような植え込みの影に設けてあり、 廊下を伝わっていくのであるが、 その薄暗い光線の中にうずくまって、ほんのりや明るい障子の反射を受けながら瞑想にふけり、またはそう外の庭の景色を眺める気持ちは何とも言えない。 What is the meaning of the sentence written in bold here? Is the ...
2 votes
1 answer
118 views

Who is the subject of the sentence?

In the below I am unsure how to identify the subject (the one performing the verbs) in the third sentence below. Originally I thought it was referring to himself doing this, but in the line below he ...
0 votes
1 answer
100 views

How to translate this 点だった知識が線につながることを経験していただけたら幸いです

How should I interpret this? 点だった知識が線につながることを経験していただけたら幸いです In my mind, mostly it seems like, based on -tara: If 《 condition 》, then you are fortunate. Or: when 《 condition 》, I am fortunate. On ...
2 votes
1 answer
100 views

Confusion about まっとうに, 青春をする and the subject and object of this sentence

I'm re-reading a light novel and I don't think I'm going to figure this sentence out anytime soon... Quick context: one day a man meets a teenage girl, makes it clear that although he finds her cute, ...
2 votes
1 answer
89 views

Translating どこでかまれたのかわかると、どんな虫が原因かわかることがあるので伝えてください。

I was almost towards the end of my bedtime news article when I got stumped by this sentence: 虫の専門家は「虫にかまれて、腫れたり痛かったりするときは、病院に相談してください。どこでかまれたのかわかると、どんな虫が原因かわかることがあるので伝えてください」と話しています。 To Japanese ...
2 votes
1 answer
104 views

Understanding 北野武 「全思考」

I was reading an excerpt from this book and it read something like this: 物体は激しく動けば、それだけ摩擦が大きくなる。人間だって、激しく動くと熱を持つのだ。端から見れば、輝いている人間のことが、きっと羨ましく見えるのだろう。 だけど、輝いている本人は熱くてたまらないのだ。(中略) これは真面目に、けっこう辛いことなのだ。 ...
3 votes
1 answer
238 views

負かした俺: who beat whom in this relative clause?

Context: Riku is a boxer of Baba gym. Tokorozawa is a retired boxer of Baba gym. Ishigami is a retired boxer of an unmentioned gym. Tokorozawa beat Ishigami in the past. Recently, Tokorozawa asked a ...
1 vote
1 answer
322 views

Help parsing a sentence with two を

Context: in the Dead Tube manga, a villain is talking about how she turned people into zombies by giving them a hallucinogenic drug and explains that they are "contagious". ...
2 votes
1 answer
83 views

Metaphorical meaning of ゴミの分別

Context: Riku is a young boxer in Baba's gym. Yanagi, an older boxer, used to be in Baba's gym too in the past, but he moved to another gym because he was not satisfied with Baba's methods. The two, ...
1 vote
1 answer
158 views

Translation dialogue

A: でも好きな子ぐらいはいるんじゃないですか B: そういうのも含めて分かんなくなりました 誰も僕の話を聞いてくれなかったから How would you translate this dialogue between 2 people without any context? My class is doing translation pratice out-of-context ...
2 votes
1 answer
146 views

Translation feedback request

I'm redoing an older translation of mine and, within a part that I already find very difficult (ie, I don't know if my sense of context is correct), there's a line I can't get through. え〜 めんどくさいな〜 ...
5 votes
1 answer
243 views

How do I figure out what the implied subject is?

I was doing some JLPT N2 practice and I came across this: あのう、山本先生でいらっしゃいますか。私、先日、先生の講演会で( )鈴木と申します。 1 ご覧になった 2 お会いになった 3 お目にかかった 4 お伺いした My thinking: Some form of 会った should be filled in the blank. ...
0 votes
1 answer
109 views

What is the subject actually doing in this sentence

保護者として何の役にも立てなかった自責の念が、自らを貶める事に救いを見出してほのかの心身を堕としていく Her remorse of being completely unable fulfill her role as a guardian... she decides to torment herself, she finds salvation, honoka loses her mind....
1 vote
1 answer
111 views

unclear designation of それ in this passage

Like to get some opinions about this passage, speaker is in a situation where only he has a gun (kept in secret so far), but might be forced to reveal his hand soon. Has to deal with the 不良 sooner or ...
1 vote
2 answers
656 views

Who is the subject of すきです?

I am a beginner in Japanese language and I started studying particles は and が and I wanted a confirmation to make sure I understand things properly. When it comes to saying "I like you", it should be ...