Simple Sentences: Saying 'It Is...' (です)
Konnichiwa! So far, you've learned greetings, some Hiragana, how to count, and how to point to objects using kore, sore, and are. Today, we're taking a big step into forming complete sentences! We'll focus on the incredibly versatile word です (desu), which is essential for saying "it is," "I am," "you are," and so much more in a polite way. Get ready to level up your Japanese!
1. Understanding です (desu): The Polite Copula
です (desu) is a polite copula in Japanese. A copula is a word that links the subject and the predicate of a sentence. Think of it as the equivalent of "is," "am," or "are" in English, but with a polite nuance. It always comes at the end of a sentence.
Basic Structure:
[Noun 1] は [Noun 2] です。
[Noun 1] wa [Noun 2] desu.
Meaning: "[Noun 1] is [Noun 2]." or "As for [Noun 1], it is [Noun 2]."
Key Point: The Topic Particle は (wa)
The character は is usually pronounced "ha," but when it's used as a topic particle, it is pronounced "wa". It marks the topic of the sentence. The topic is what you are talking about. Think of it like saying "As for..." before your statement.
Important Nuance: Japanese often omits pronouns if they are obvious from the context. While you can say "Watashi wa Jon desu" (I am John), sometimes just saying "Jon desu" is perfectly acceptable, especially if it's clear you're introducing yourself.
Examples (Affirmative):
わたしは ジョンです。 (Watashi wa Jon desu.)
- わたし (watashi) = I
- ジョン (Jon) = John
- Meaning: I am John. / As for me, I am John.
これは ほんです。 (Kore wa hon desu.)
- これ (kore) = This
- ほん (hon) = book
- Meaning: This is a book.
それは ペンです。 (Sore wa pen desu.)
- それ (sore) = That (near listener)
- ペン (pen) = pen
- Meaning: That is a pen.
あれは くるまです。 (Are wa kuruma desu.)
- あれ (are) = That (over there)
- くるま (kuruma) = car
- Meaning: That over there is a car.
たなかさんは せんせいです。 (Tanaka-san wa sensei desu.)
- たなか (Tanaka) = Tanaka (family name)
- さん (-san) = Mr./Ms./Mrs. (honorific title)
- せんせい (sensei) = teacher
- Meaning: Mr./Ms. Tanaka is a teacher.
これは にほんごの じしょです。 (Kore wa nihongo no jisho desu.)
- にほんご (nihongo) = Japanese language
- の (no) = possessive particle (similar to 's in English)
- じしょ (jisho) = dictionary
- Meaning: This is a Japanese dictionary. (This is a dictionary of Japanese.)
Practice Time! Translate the following into Japanese:
1. That (near listener) is a dog. 2. I am a student. 3. That over there is a university.Answers:
1. それはいぬです。(Sore wa inu desu.) いぬ (inu) = dog 2. わたしはがくせいです。(Watashi wa gakusei desu.) 3. あれはだいがくです。(Are wa daigaku desu.) だいがく (daigaku) = university2. Saying "It Is Not..." (ではありません / じゃありません)
To make a sentence negative (to say "is not," "am not," "are not"), you replace です (desu) with ではありません (de wa arimasen) or the more common, slightly more casual じゃありません (ja arimasen). Both mean the same thing, but じゃありません is used more frequently in everyday conversation.
Basic Structure (Negative):
[Noun 1] は [Noun 2] ではありません。 (or じゃありません。)
[Noun 1] wa [Noun 2] de wa arimasen. (or ja arimasen.)
Meaning: "[Noun 1] is not [Noun 2]."
Breakdown:
- ではありません (de wa arimasen): This is the more formal negative form.
- じゃありません (ja arimasen): This is the more casual and commonly used negative form. It's a contraction of "de wa arimasen."
Examples (Negative):
わたしは がくせいではありません。 (Watashi wa gakusei de wa arimasen.)
- がくせい (gakusei) = student
- Meaning: I am not a student.
これは とけいじゃありません。 (Kore wa tokei ja arimasen.)
- とけい (tokei) = clock/watch
- Meaning: This is not a clock.
それは わたしの ほんではありません。 (Sore wa watashi no hon de wa arimasen.)
- わたしの (watashi no) = my
- ほん (hon) = book
- Meaning: That is not my book.
あれは レストランじゃありません。 (Are wa resutoran ja arimasen.)
- レストラン (resutoran) = restaurant
- Meaning: That over there is not a restaurant.
たなかさんは いしゃじゃありません。 (Tanaka-san wa isha ja arimasen.)
- いしゃ (isha) = doctor
- Meaning: Mr./Ms. Tanaka is not a doctor.
Practice Time! Translate the following into Japanese using both negative forms (ではありません and じゃありません):
1. This is not coffee. 2. That (near listener) is not a school.Answers:
1. これはコーヒーではありません。(Kore wa koohii de wa arimasen.) / これはコーヒーじゃありません。(Kore wa koohii ja arimasen.) コーヒー (koohii) = coffee 2. それはがっこうではありません。(Sore wa gakkou de wa arimasen.) / それはがっこうじゃありません。(Sore wa gakkou ja arimasen.) がっこう (gakkou) = school3. Asking Questions (ですか？ - desu ka?)
To turn a statement into a question, simply add the question particle か (ka) at the very end of the sentence, after です (desu). The pronunciation of か usually rises in pitch, just like asking a question in English. The question mark (?) is optional in Japanese writing, but is often used to help learners.
Basic Structure (Question):
[Noun 1] は [Noun 2] ですか？
[Noun 1] wa [Noun 2] desu ka?
Meaning: "Is [Noun 1] [Noun 2]?"
Important: Unlike English, the word order in Japanese questions is usually the same as statements. The か is what signals it's a question.
Examples (Questions):
あなたは がくせいですか？ (Anata wa gakusei desu ka?)
- あなた (anata) = you
- がくせい (gakusei) = student
- Meaning: Are you a student?
これは ペンですか？ (Kore wa pen desu ka?)
- これ (kore) = this
- ペン (pen) = pen
- Meaning: Is this a pen?
それは あなたの かさですか？ (Sore wa anata no kasa desu ka?)
- あなたの (anata no) = your
- かさ (kasa) = umbrella
- Meaning: Is that your umbrella?
あれは びょういんですか？ (Are wa byouin desu ka?)
- びょういん (byouin) = hospital
- Meaning: Is that over there a hospital?
たなかさんは エンジニアですか？ (Tanaka-san wa enjinia desu ka?)
- エンジニア (enjinia) = engineer
- Meaning: Is Mr./Ms. Tanaka an engineer?
Answering Questions:
- はい (hai): Yes
- いいえ (iie): No
You can often answer with just はい or いいえ. However, for a more complete (and polite) answer, you can repeat the statement with either です (desu) or ではありません/じゃありません.
Example:
- Person A: これは ほん ですか？ (Kore wa hon desu ka?) - Is this a book?
- Person B: はい、これは ほんです。 (Hai, kore wa hon desu.) - Yes, this is a book. OR
- Person B: いいえ、これは ほんじゃありません。 (Iie, kore wa hon ja arimasen.) - No, this is not a book.
Practice Time! Turn the following sentences into questions and provide possible answers (both yes and no):
1. Sore wa nekodesu. (That (near listener) is a cat.) 2. Are wa gakkou desu. (That over there is a school.)Answers:
1. Question: それは ねこ ですか？ (Sore wa neko desu ka?) * Yes: はい、それは ねこ です。(Hai, sore wa neko desu.) * No: いいえ、それは ねこ じゃありません。(Iie, sore wa neko ja arimasen.) 2. Question: あれは がっこう ですか？ (Are wa gakkou desu ka?) * Yes: はい、あれは がっこう です。(Hai, are wa gakkou desu.) * No: いいえ、あれは がっこう じゃありません。(Iie, are wa gakkou ja arimasen.)4. Putting It All Together: A Dialogue
Let's try a more detailed dialogue using what you've learned!
Person A: こんにちは。わたしは ジョンです。はじめまして。 (Konnichiwa. Watashi wa Jon desu. Hajimemashite.) Hello. I am John. Nice to meet you.
Person B: こんにちは、ジョンさん。はじめまして。わたしは メアリーです。 (Konnichiwa, Jon-san. Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Mearii desu.) Hello, John. Nice to meet you. I am Mary.
Person A: メアリーさんは がくせいですか？ (Mearii-san wa gakusei desu ka?) Are you a student, Mary?
Person B: はい、わたしは がくせいです。ジョンさんは？ (Hai, watashi wa gakusei desu. Jon-san wa?) Yes, I am a student. And you, John? (Note: The "wa" after "Jon-san" is implied here, meaning "As for John...")
Person A: わたしも がくせいです。これは メアリーさんの けいたいですか？ (Watashi mo gakusei desu. Kore wa Mearii-san no keitai desu ka?) I am a student too. Is this your (Mary's) cell phone? (も (mo) means "too/also") * けいたい (keitai) = cell phone
Person B: いいえ、これは わたしの けいたいじゃありません。それは たなかさんの けいたい です。 (Iie, kore wa watashi no keitai ja arimasen. Sore wa Tanaka-san no keitai desu.) No, this is not my cell phone. That is Tanaka's cell phone.
Person A: そうですか。たなかさんは せんせいですか？ (Sou desu ka. Tanaka-san wa sensei desu ka?) Is that so? Is Mr./Ms. Tanaka a teacher?
Person B: いいえ、たなかさんは せんせいじゃありません。たなかさんは エンジニアです。 (Iie, Tanaka-san wa sensei ja arimasen. Tanaka-san wa enjinia desu.) No, Mr./Ms. Tanaka is not a teacher. Mr./Ms. Tanaka is an engineer.
Extra Practice: Making the Conversation Longer
Let's expand the dialogue a bit! What could Person A say next? Perhaps they could ask where Tanaka-san is from, or what Tanaka-san does in their free time (though you'll need more vocab for that!).