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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14. Can you say "This stuffed animal is mine!” in Japanese?

 14. N1 no N2 (4) when N2 is omitted



This pattern is used to replace N2 when you know what N2 refers to. It's like using possessive pronouns (mine/yours/his/hers/its/ours/theirs) and apostrophe-s in English.

このぬいぐるみは私のです。(kono nuigurumi wa watashi no desu.)  This stuffed animal is mine.

その辞書は山田さんのです。(sono jisho wa Yamada-san no desu.)  That dictionary is Yamada's.

A: この本は誰のですか。(kono hon wa dare no desuka?)  Whose is this book?
B: それはチンさんのです。(sore wa Chin-san no desu.) That is Cheug's.

A: そのお菓子はどこのですか。(sono okashi wa doko no desuka?)  What make is that sweet?
B: これは日本のです。(kore wa nihon no desu.)  This is of Japanese make.


Note that "no" cannot be used with all nouns. It's natural to use "no" for a recognized thing, like a visible object. However, it's unnatural to use "no" for a person or an abstract object. So we don't say the following examples.

[wrong] 日本語の先生は木村先生です。英語のは山田先生です。(nihongo no sensē wa Kimura sensē desu. eigo no wa Yamada sensē desu.)
[correct] 日本語の先生は木村先生です。英語の先生は山田先生です。(nihongo no sensē wa Kimura sensē desu. eigo no sensē wa Yamada sensē desu.)
My Japanese teacher is Mr. Kimura. My English's is Ms. Yamada.

[wrong] リンさんのボーイフレンドは韓国人です。私のは日本人です。Rin-san's bōifurendo wa kankoku jin desu.  watashi no wa nihon jin desu.
[correct] リンさんのボーイフレンドは韓国人です。私のボーイフレンドは日本人です。Rin-san's bōifurendo wa kankoku jin desu. watashi no bōifurendo wa nihon jin desu.
Ling's boyfriend is Korean.  Mine is Japanese.

A: あなたの学校は私立ですか。(anata no gakkō wa shiritsu desuka?)  Are your school private?
B: [wrong] いいえ、私のは公立です。(īe, watashi no wa kōritsu desu.)
    [correct] いいえ、私の学校は公立です。(īe, watashi no gakkō wa kōritsu desu.)
No, my school is public. [referring to private or public school, so it's an abstract object]

Location: Japan

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