XはYです

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Here are the key points of this lesson: Omission of the subject (Xは) Using 'は' for clarity Nouns in Japanese” Omission of the subject (Xは) In Japanese, sentences often omit subjects when the context makes them clear, unlike in English where subjects like "I" or "it" are typically included.  For example, "I am a student," "My major is Japanese language," and "It is 12:30" translate into Japanese as "がくせいです," "にほんごです," and "12じはんです," respectively, without direct subjects. Using 'は' for clarity If the context doesn't provide clarity, Japanese sentences can start with a topic marked by "wa" (は in hiragana), indicating "As for X, it is Y.” For example,  “わたしは がくせいです" (As for me, I am a student), “せんこうは にほんごです" (As for my major, it is Japanese language), and "じかんは12じはんです" (As for the current time, it is 12:30). The particle "wa" (は), used to denote ...
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4. Can you say "I am a student, too" in Japanese?

4. N1 mo N2 desu




N1 も N2 です。This sentence structure is used to refer to another topic, and it means "also" or "too."

私は学生です。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu.) - I am a student.
リンさんも学生です。 (Rin-san mo gakusei desu.) - Ling is also a student.
私は学生です。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu.) - I am a student.
リンさんも学生ですか？ (Rin-san mo gakusei desu ka?) - Ling, are you a student too?
私は会社員ではありません。 (Watashi wa kaishain dewa arimasen.) - I am not a company employee.

リンさんも会社員ではありません。 (Rin-san mo kaishain dewa arimasen.) - Ling is not a company employee either.


You can use "も" in both negative and question sentences. However, when answering a question in the negative form, you need to change "も" to "は" (wa).

A: 私は学生です。田中さんも学生ですか？ (Watashi wa gakusei desu. Tanaka-san mo gakusei desu ka?) - I am a student. Is Mr. Tanaka a student too?

B: いいえ、彼は学生ではありません。 (Īe, kare wa gakusei dewa arimasen.) - No, he is not a student.

Note that you shouldn't omit the topic "私は" (watashi wa) in the preceding sentence (Watashi wa gakusei desu) because you need to mention both topics when using this sentence structure. "は" (wa) indicates one topic, and "も" (mo) indicates the other topic.


Location: Japan

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