Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Hi, everyone.
Welcome to the Ultimate Japanese Particle Guide.
In this lesson, you'll learn the particle...
が (ga)
This particle is often referred to as the subject particle. It can also mark the object for certain verbs and adjectives.
As a subject particle, it indicates existence.
Right. So が (ga) is often used with あります (arimasu) and います (imasu), meaning “to have“ or “to exist.”
Let's see how it functions in a sentence.
あそこに、コンビニがあります。 (Asoko ni konbini ga arimasu.)
This means "There's a convenience store over there."
Let's break it down.
あそこに (Asoko ni)
"over there"
コンビニ (konbini)
"convenience store"
が (ga)
This is the particle marking the subject.
あります (arimasu)
This is the verb to talk about the existence of something, just like we'd say "there is" or "there are" in English.
Remember that to talk about the existence of animate things, such as people and animals, you should use..。
います (imasu)
When some people pronounce this particle, it can sound nasally.
Right, it sounds like nga (the sound between "ga" and "n," not "n+ga").
Both “GA” and “NGA” are acceptable, so don’t worry too much.
Now let's take a look at a few more examples.
ペットがいます。 (Petto ga imasu.)
Literally, it means "There is a pet," but it actually means "I have a pet."
宿題があります。 (Shukudai ga arimasu.)
Literally, it means "There is homework" or “I have homework.”
兄弟がいません。(Kyōdai ga imasen.)
This sentence is negative, and it literally means "There aren't (any) siblings,” which is like saying "I don't have any siblings."
We can also use this particle to mark an object of desire, with certain verbs or adjectives.
Right. For example, we can mark the object of an adjective of desire, such as 欲しいです (hoshii desu / "[I] want") or [the stem of a verb]+たいです (~ tai desu), which means ("[I] want to [verb]").
Let's see how it functions in a sentence.
私は時間が欲しいです。(Watashi wa jikan ga hoshii desu.)
This means, "I want time." Let's break it down
私は (Watashi wa)
...which means "I" is the topic or subject of this sentence, so it’s marked by the particle...
は (wa)
Please note that the "watashi wa (私は)" part is often omitted since "hoshii" is only used in the first person.
Then, we have the object, what the speaker wants...
時間が (jikan ga)
Notice that the particle marking the object is...
が (ga)
Finally, we have...
欲しいです (hoshii desu)
This is an adjective and means "(I) want."
Let's give an example with a verb
By using [the stem of a verb]+たい, you can say 私はお茶が飲みたいです。(Watashi wa o-cha ga nomitai desu.)
"I want to drink tea."
As you can see, the object お茶 (o-cha) is marked by が (ga).
〜が欲しいです (~ ga hoshii desu) and 〜がしたいです (~ ga shitai desu) are the key patterns to remember.
Let's take a look at a few more examples.
私はピンクの車が欲しいです。 (Watashi wa pinku no kuruma ga hoshii desu.)
"I want a pink car."
私はそばが食べたいです。(Watashi wa soba ga tabetai desu.)
“I want to eat buckwheat noodles."
私は水が飲みたいです。(Watashi wa mizu ga nomitai desu.)
"I want to drink water."
Now, let's use what you learned in this lesson.
How do you say "There is a park over there."? Here's the word meaning "park."
We learned how to say "There is a convenience store over there."
あそこに、コンビニがあります。 (Asoko ni konbini ga arimasu.)
Here the particle が (ga) marks the subject of the sentence. The structure of the sentence is...
[subject]
が (ga)
[exsistence verb]
Now let's try with "There's a park over there.” Here's the word for "park."
公園 (kōen)
Try to say "There's a park over there" in Japanese. [pause]
あそこに、公園があります。 (Asoko ni kōen ga arimasu.)
Did you get it right? In this sentence, the particle が (ga) indicates existence.
Let's try one more. We also learned how to say "I want time."
私は時間が欲しいです。(Watashi wa jikan ga hoshii desu.)
Here the particle が (ga) marks the object of desire. The structure is...
[object]
が (ga)
[desire verb or adjective]
Now let's try with "I want water." Here's the word for "water."
水 (mizu)
Try to say "I want water" in Japanese. [pause]
私は水が欲しいです。(Watashi wa mizu ga hoshii desu.)
Right, in this case "water" is the object of a desire.
In this lesson, you learned about the particle...
In the next lesson, you'll learn about the particle...
See you in the next lesson. Bye!
Bye~

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