N5 Topics
L6: Predicate Power
Understand Japanese sentence construction in more depth
Predicate Power
In this Topic, we're going to learn more about how adjectives are used at the end of sentences, which will help us deepen our understanding of Japanese sentence structure. We have actually already seen this many times, but haven't yet described it in detail. So let's do that now!
Grammar in this Topic
い-Adjective (Predicate)
い-Adjective (Predicate)
A predicate is a word that describes the topic/subject of a sentence. The Japanese equivalent of this is a 述語, which literally means 'statement word'. As a predicate, い-Adjectives can appear by themselves (when the word they are describing does not need to be stated), or they may be used at the end of a sentence.
When there are no other words apart from the adjective itself, it comes across similar to 'It's cute', or 'It's hot', and similar expressions in English. We just have to guess what the 'it' is from context.
In many sentences, either は or が could be used to mark the word/words that the predicate is describing. However, which one sounds more natural will depend on many factors. In general, if you are specifically pointing out something as being different from other things in the same category, が will be used.
In this example, が is distinguishing this specific bath as having a unique level of hotness compared to others (maybe the water system is broken and only boiling water comes out). は would sound unnatural in this type of sentence, as it is not the 'normal' state of the bath.
Fun Fact
All い-Adjectives are words of Japanese origin.
な-Adjective だ
な-Adjective (Predicate)
A predicate is a word that describes the topic/subject of a sentence. The Japanese equivalent of this is a 述語, which literally means 'statement word'. As a predicate, な-Adjectives can appear by themselves (when the word they are describing does not need to be stated), or they may be used at the end of a sentence.
It is important to remember that all な-Adjectives can also function as nouns, and therefore tend to sound more like a noun than an adjective, when used as a predicate.
When there are no other words apart from the adjective itself, it comes across similarly to 'It's pretty', or 'It's hated', and similar expressions in English. We just have to guess what the 'it' is from context.
Caution
Unlike い-Adjectives, な-Adjectives change form depending on where they are in the sentence. At the end of a sentence, they will always be followed by だ, or です (except in casual conversation where だ is omitted). However, when used before the word they are describing, they will always be followed by な. Hence the name な-Adjectives.
In this example, が is distinguishing a specific station as having a unique level of dirtiness compared to others. は would sound unnatural in this type of sentence.
Fun Fact
Most な-Adjectives are words of foreign (Chinese/English) origin.
Details
As we're learning about Japanese sentence structure, let's look at the three main Japanese predicates.
What Does It Mean To Be Anyway?
The first type of predicate is made using a noun or a な-Adjective (which are grammatically very similar to nouns). Notice how だ or です is needed? By now we also know that they can be dropped in casual conversation. However, the reason this is considered 'wrong' in contexts where 'proper' Japanese is required is because it drops the part that tells us that these things 'are' something!
The second type of predicate is a verb. We simply end the sentence with a verb. Nice and easy!
And the third type of predicate is an い-Adjective. Unlike nouns, they do not need だ or です to imply that something 'exists' or 'is'. This is why adding です to show politeness was historically seen as grammatically questionable, although it has come to be the standard in contemporary polite speech.
Simplify!
Importantly, although these three possible predicates can be at the end of longer sentences, technically everything except the predicate is 'extra'. We can remove it all and still have a grammatically complete sentence!
This highlights that in a normal Japanese sentence, whatever comes at the end will be the most important thing. It will be the main point that the person wants to convey, with the rest being extra clarifying information or context.
The Autumn Festival
--:--
さき：「何を食べる？焼きそばの匂いだ！」
あつこ：「いいね！焼きさばもあるよ。私、焼きさばを買う！」
さき：「私はみそしるも買いに行くね！」
あつこ：「じゃあ私あそこで待っているね！」
あつこ：「さき、早い！ありがとう！」
さき：「私たちのお皿、全部茶色い！」
あつこ：「本当だ！さばも焼きそばも冷たいけど、みそしるは温かい。」
さき：「そうだね。私たち、食べるのが遅かったね。残念。」
あつこ：「でも美味しいよ！夜は涼しいな〜。」
さき：「私、あつこに話があるんだ。」
あつこ：「何？何？」
さき：「明日彼氏と別れる。」
あつこ：「あの優しい彼氏？」
さき：「そう。彼は素敵だけど…。」
あつこ：「わかった！ここは賑やかだから、静かなカフェで話を聞く！」
さき：「ありがとう。」