7
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Accepted
Where is the topic in a Japanese sentence?
You are correct that 佐藤さん is the topic in these sentences, but your understanding that も can be used "when the topic remains the same" is incorrect.
The actual usage of も is the opposite - it ...
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7
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Sentence topic without grammatical function
Since this is in a formal article, I personally think this is a poorly-written sentence that has a subject-predicate mismatch. It should have been either of the following:
このスポーツは、(略)水の力で空中を飛ぶものです。
...
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5
votes
Sentence topic without grammatical function
The fact that you translate it in a natural English by "in this sport" doesn't mean that it's the correct way to interpret it. I think you already know it but I can't stress enough how important it is ...
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4
votes
The role of って in 「コーヒーって若いうち**は**あまり飲まないほうがいいんですか。」
って has various usages, and this って is short for no particular word. This one is a topic marker that is more emphatic than は.
Generally speaking, it's okay to have more than one は in one clause when a ...
- 337k
3
votes
Accepted
“ことはある” for topicalizing the entire sentence?
ゲームが好きなことはあるけど、毎日する時間がない
This doesn't look like a natural sentence said by a native speaker. If someone definitely said it, perhaps it was supposed to mean either of the following:
ゲームが好き(だ)...
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3
votes
Does も change the topic?
クラウスさんは学生です。 私も学生です。 日本語を勉強します。
doesn't sound very natural, partly because 日本語を勉強します usually means you are going to learn Japanese from now or in the near future, rather than that you've already ...
- 66.4k
3
votes
Nonsense sentences with だ
... which must be nonsense because AはBだ means 'A is B'.
It's not always appropriate to parse such sentences in this fashion.
The topic marker は does not always mark the subject of the sentence, the ...
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3
votes
Accepted
Use of ni or wa for " I always eat with my older brother on monday"
So, first of all, the sentence （私は）月曜日にいつも兄と一緒に食べます。 is grammatically totally fine and would be comprehended in the context you give. This would probably best structurally translate as
"I usually/...
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3
votes
Accepted
Who is doing the action in the second sentence?
くる at the end of the sentence is a subsidiary verb which describes a motion coming toward a "main person". Since this story is written from the first-person view (俺, 僕, ...), this くる probably means ...
- 337k
3
votes
More complex sentences - When to use は? When to use が?
Yes, your understanding is correct.
First, I want to correct the Japanese sentence.
前述の部品のパッケージに亀裂が生じたことは疑いようがありません。
"疑いようがありません" doesn't have to be preceded by "ことは". Appending "こと" in the end of ...
- 2,776
2
votes
Accepted
When to use は instead of other particles
When you describe a general fact, a sentence of statement needs some topic parts, in short, "I don't have friends" translates to わたしは ともだちがいない.
("My friend is not here" translates to わたしのともだちは いない as ...
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2
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When to use は instead of other particles
No, は is the topic marker (i.e., it marks what the sentence is really about), and contains no connotation of negation/contrast.
In your first case, (1) means "I have no friends" and (2) means "My ...
- 1,288
2
votes
Accepted
Sudden shift in this conversation
She confirmed she was going to do "club activities of 調理部" in this morning.
But the club members no longer do cooking these days, and they are now virtually 手芸部. (EDIT: This うち is an informal way of ...
- 337k
2
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は after words like 何か or 誰か
Yes, 誰か can safely take は if there is a reason to do so. As you said, this 誰か is not for making a question but is a lexicalized noun meaning "someone". It behaves almost like other ordinary ...
- 337k
2
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Can が be replaced by something else in this structure?
Conjunction が has nothing to do with particle が and the は・が problem. Only difference between 暇ですが and 暇ですけど is that the latter is more colloquial. Apart from that, they are the same.
I'm not talking ...
- 16.7k
2
votes
Accepted
In ジョンは台所で本を読みました。does で modify book or kitchen?
You've misunderstood that Wikipedia article.
The linguistic term for は、で and を in that sentence is particle (助詞) , not modifier, even though they do "modify" the word or phrase that they ...
- 77
2
votes
The role of って in 「コーヒーって若いうち**は**あまり飲まないほうがいいんですか。」
The って is a topic marker, but not a replacement for は. It is rather a choice between は and って, the latter of which is better due to the lack of repetition when it is possible to use って at all.
...
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1
vote
Introducing an explicit subject into a sentence with a topic already existing
You can imagine this original sentence with no topic particle:
私が自分でミコトがどんな子かを見定める。
In this context, this topic-less sentence is already perfectly natural because the exhaustive-listing sense of が (&...
- 337k
1
vote
Introducing an explicit subject into a sentence with a topic already existing
The former would force the second topic to become contrastive
That’s not necessarily true. ミコトがどんな子かは is clearly shared information and the primary topic in this context whether there’s another topic....
- 16.7k
1
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Nonsense sentences with だ
These make sense.
私は１０５号室だ -- I'm in room 105.
東京は初めてだ -- It was the first time in Tokyo.
「ノルウェーの森」は村上春樹だ -- [The author of] Norwegian Wood is Haruki Murakami.
Technically, the meaning could be ...
- 10.9k
1
vote
Accepted
は vs が when the subject is modified by a relative clause
As you suggest, ジョンが好きな is enough for your listener to know you are going to talk about a specific child as opposed to children in general. However, that's not the reason は is used instead of が. ...
- 21.8k
1
vote
Does も change the topic?
Interesting question.
I think the topic is still クラウスさんは
If they were both the topic of the second sentence you would have used
と一緒に
If the topic were you, I think you would have used 日本語も勉強します
(I ...
- 1,268
1
vote
Can the は particle be a topic and contrast marker at same time?
There are two types of topic, contrasting and non-contrasting, this idea going back to Kuno Susumu, The structure of the Japanese language, 1973. So, depending on context, ビールは飲まない could be ...
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Can the は particle be a topic and contrast marker at same time?
Personally I split it on 3 parts. Topic, contrast, implication.
Technically any topic has some degree of contrast, but not always this contrast is used for implication. Fundamentally when we ...
- 396
1
vote
Accepted
私の or 私が to introduce a possessed topic
As an introductory statement, 私は想像力が貧しい sounds the most natural in the first set. 私の想像力は貧しい is OK, but it is about 私の想像力 and this might sound a bit sudden unless you have been talking about someone’s ...
- 21.8k
1
vote
Accepted
Can と indicante the object or the topict too as well as the を and は particles do?
No, と is not a topic marker. The と in the first sentence just means "when/while ～" or "～ and (then)". (See: What is the function of と in verb-ていると form) This 既視感 refers to ...
- 337k
1
vote
Accepted
I need some clarification with でも as particles!
でも meaning even/but/however is the て form of the copula です. The て form can allow you to do many things, but the most basic use is that it allows you to join to clauses together. You can think of it as ...
- 876
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When to use は instead of other particles
In your second case, I think the xuq01's answer is perfect.
To help you understand the case perfectly, I'll show you some examples.
In Japanese sentences or conversations we often or usually omit ...
- 15.4k
1
vote
Accepted
What is the inheritance order of も and は topics?
1st sentence: ほかの鳥 thought "よだか are ugly birds!"
2nd sentence: ひばり are not very beautiful, either, but even ひばり thought "We look much better than よだか!"
Here ほかの鳥 refers to all birds which are not よだか....
- 337k
1
vote
Accepted
について as a topic marker
Is について a topic marker too?
No. On one hand は has some grammatical function as a topic marker, and on the other hand, について doesn't.
But I think, the meaning of について is indeed somewhat close to the ...
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