19
votes
Accepted
Can を used with だ/です? 君沢さんを犯人だと思い込む
AをBだ in isolation makes little sense (although there are minor exceptions). This ～を～だと is a common pattern which appears along with various verbs for assuming, regarding, etc.
AをBだと見なす to regard A as ...
- 331k
19
votes
Accepted
How does the particle を relate to the verb 行く in the structure「A を + B に行く」?
The verb is 行{おこな}う not 行く。
They both conjugate to 行った in the past tense so it can look confusing, but as you have just experienced, the context can make it clear which one it is.
...
- 4,212
16
votes
に vs. を in "to pass a test"
The ultimate answer to your question is "Japanese is different from English". I understand you want a reason, but there may not be a good reason. Some English transitive verbs are translated using a ...
- 331k
12
votes
Accepted
Using 何を with intransitive verbs (eg 何をにやついているの?)
あまり詳しい説明ではないのですが、明鏡国語辞典によりますと・・・
なに【何】
🈩〘代〙
❸《「ーを・・・か？」「ーを・・・のだ！」など、疑問・反語・詰問などを表す自動詞文で》不審の気持ちで、事態成立の基盤を問う。また、その不当性を非難する。どんな理由で。なぜに。なんで。 「何を泣いているのか？」「何をためらうことがあろうか」「何をぐずぐずしてるんだ！」
（語法）他動詞の場合は、～...
- 66.3k
11
votes
Difference between the two "o" kana, and how to input them from romaji keyboard?
を is actually inputted as "wo", and should technically be pronounced as such as well, but that kana is almost completely unused except for the particle for verbs. And for a complicated reason, the ...
- 5,731
11
votes
Accepted
まず、体を冷たくするスプレーを服を着た人形にかけました。
First of all, to answer the unasked question, this usage of を is acceptable.
In English, as you are no doubt aware, sometimes we need a phrase to describe our nouns. For example:
This is an air ...
- 7,109
11
votes
Accepted
Strange usage of を-Particle inside a 俳句 (haiku)
What does をり in the last line mean? I have a feeling that it is intentionally written in this way and not as おり (which comes from 居る)
There are two parts to this question, though it seems you ...
- 38.1k
10
votes
Structure: thing を numeral (or numeral and counter) ください
Think like this:
All nouns in Japanese are uncountable. You can't count apples any more than you count water or light. Thus under Japanese grammar you always have to say "two 'objects' of apple", "...
- 52.3k
10
votes
The difference between が and を with the potential form of a verb
According to Hamano and Tsujioka (2011), the difference between を and が with the potential form is that を has a slightly stronger sense of volition than が does. They give the examples
A: ...
- 11.6k
9
votes
Accepted
~色がする or ~色をする?
To answer your question, only をしている is correct and がしている is wrong in this example.
Actually, those two are confusingly similar but unrelated. What the verb する means in the two idioms are different ...
- 52.3k
9
votes
Accepted
Usage of の vs を for the direction of a place
［あの信号を］［ひだりへ］曲がってください。
あの信号を continues to 曲がってください, not to ひだりへ. (I mean, it's not 「あの信号の/をひだり」.) あの信号を and ひだりへ both modify verb 曲がる.
あの信号を曲がる make a turn at that signal
あの信号をひだりへ曲がる lit. make ...
- 66.3k
8
votes
Accepted
Structure: thing を numeral (or numeral and counter) ください
The following Wikipedia article on Japanese counter word explains well about how the counter words or counters (josūshi 助数詞) work in Japanese.
In Japanese, as in Chinese and Korean, numerals cannot ...
- 2,108
8
votes
Is it a right interpretation of the line of this Japanese song?
を is always an object marker in modern Japanese. It never replaces personal pronouns. Where did you see such a rule?
noun + を at the end of a sentence is a fairly common device found in lyrics, ...
- 331k
8
votes
Accepted
で cannot be used here right?
If you were marking location, consider what you'd really be saying in English.
I brush on my teeth, wash on my face, and have breakfast every day.
When you're using で you'd indicating where the ...
- 10.8k
7
votes
Accepted
Dropping particles in casual speech/songs
No particle has been omitted in your example sentence. You can not say masu-stem + を始める in the first place (unless the "verb" is actually a lexicalized noun derived from some verb (eg 支払い = payment, ...
- 331k
7
votes
Accepted
Why does this phrase use "de" and not "o" "te wo furu hito ni egao de kotae"?
笑顔{えがお} is not the object of 答える, instead it's showing the manner in which the answer was given, "with a smile", hence the use of the particle で. I don't believe that 答える is a transitive verb in ...
- 10.8k
7
votes
Accepted
Why is the を particle used twice here
This を particle does not necessarily represent the object marker. Let's explore why.
くつを一足 (one pair of shoes)
This を is used in connection with counters. It does not necessarily indicate a ...
- 7,109
7
votes
Accepted
あるか確認 vs あるかを確認
Both are grammatical, and it's a matter of preference to a certain degree. Generally speaking, が/を at the end of an embedded question before a verb is usually omitted unless you want to emphasize the ...
- 331k
7
votes
Can someone help me understand Japanese particles?
For questions about when you can and cannot use は, I generally find a good rule of thumb is to try translating any "(something) + は" to "as for (something)" or "regarding (something)" in English, and ...
- 2,084
7
votes
Accepted
What is the grammar behind を being used in this sentence?
The structure of this sentence is AをBと思う, meaning "to think of A as B", "regard A as B" etc, where A is 今のような学歴社会 and B is いいことだ.
Putting it together we get something like:
There ...
- 30.5k
6
votes
use of particles on direct object
Many Japanese verbs have transitive and intransitive versions. Basically, 終わる (owaru) is an intransitive verb. 終える (oeru) is the transitive equivalent. So here are the most basic usages:
...
- 331k
6
votes
Using 何を with intransitive verbs (eg 何をにやついているの?)
(Adding my own answer for those who may run into this problem in the future)
@Shoko's answer confirmed my hypothesis. You can use 何を with intransitive verbs, and it actually means "why", &...
6
votes
Accepted
Why is the particle を used in this sentence?
Verb of movement can take を to express the idea of moving about within that space. So here, 外を歩いている expresses the idea of "walk around outside". In a similar vein 空を飛ぶ means "to fly through the sky"....
- 10.8k
6
votes
Accepted
why there is an "を" in 「運転免許は持っているけれど、車を全然運転しない人たちのことをそう呼ぶんです」
This を is merely a direct object marker, indicating the object of the verb 呼ぶ.
AをBと呼ぶ means "to call A B".
車を全然運転しない人達のことをペーパードライバーと呼ぶ。
(They) call people who don't drive at all paper drivers.
...
- 331k
6
votes
まず、体を冷たくするスプレーを服を着た人形にかけました。
を is the object marker. 体を冷たくするスプレー is a noun phrase. 服を着た人形 is also a noun phrase. The basic structure of this sentence is AをBにかける. If you think A is 体を冷たくするスプレー and B is 服を着た人形 , the sentence is ...
- 24.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Will expression retain the same definition if particle is changed?
声を出す cannot take another object because 声 itself is the object of this transitive verb. What is said as a word is not important.
声に出す is an "incomplete" expression because it lacks a direct object. ...
- 331k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible