First timer: "no" grammar question

[genkigeezer]

Thanks to a gift subscription from my son - who speaks Japanese rather well - I'm getting a taste of the language. So far, I only get to listen to a lesson a couple of times a week during my ferry ride. Needless to say, it's slow going. I'm probably going to garble the vocabulary and grammar just asking this question...

I find myself wanting to add "no" when combining adjectives and nouns. I'm not quite sure why, since I don't do it in English. I think I understand how this works: "Kono kaeru wa midori desu." But what about this: "Kono midori kaeru wa <something> desu" or "Kono midori no kaeru wa <something> desu" ?

Is one of those right? Both? Neither? Does it vary with adjective? Or am I just lost in the weeds here.

Thanks,
gg

[QuackingShoe]

Depends on the word. For a straight-up pure adjective, you leave them alone. (Actually, you change them, but the forms are identical in modern Japanese, so it's irrelevant). So, ookii kaeru.

Then there's 'na-adjectives'. They're called that because they conjugate to na. kirei na kaeru.

Then there's nouns. Midori is actually a noun, so, midori no kaeru. So you were right with your example, though incorrect on theory

Anyway, pure adjectives always end in 'i,' so that's an easy way to spot them. The others you just differentiate by experience; you know them if you know them. Can't guess. Well, though it should be fairly obvious that 'kuruma' 'car' is not inherently meant to be used to modify other words, and is therefore a noun and not a na-adjective.

But about the 'i' thing. Obviously, since all three of my example words ended in 'i', not all words that end in 'i' are pure, 'i-adjectives'. But pure i-adjective, the 'i' part conjugates, and is placed outside of the kanji as okurigana. Examples: 大きい、古い、悪い、良い、etc.

This is not true of na-adjectives and nouns. 綺麗 (kirei) 緑 (midori).

Anyway. Hope that helps.

[genkigeezer]

Thank You!

That does help - at least to explain how I got the "no" thing stuck in my head. Also tells me I don't know an adjective from 2nd base

Obviously I need to do more than just listen to short conversations, but it's a start.

Thanks again,
gg