This lesson includes three key parts: sentence practice with breakdowns, a brief grammar spotlight, and a vocabulary review to build your word list.
Five Starter Sentences
1)
わたしは がくせいです。
私は学生です。
Romaji: watashi wa gakusei desu.
Meaning: I am a student.
Breakdown
- わたし — I / me
- は — topic marker (“as for…”)
- がくせい — student
- です — polite “to be”
2)
これは りんごです。
これはりんごです。
Romaji: kore wa ringo desu.
Meaning: This is an apple.
Breakdown
- これ — this
- は — topic marker
- りんご — apple
- です — is
3)
ねこが います。
猫がいます。
Romaji: neko ga imasu.
Meaning: There is a cat.
Breakdown
- ねこ — cat
- が — subject marker
- います — to exist (living things)
4)
みずを のみます。
水を飲みます。
Romaji: mizu o nomimasu.
Meaning: I drink water. / I will drink water.
Breakdown
- みず — water
- を — object marker
- のみます — drink
5)
きょうは いいてんきです。
今日はいい天気です。
Romaji: kyō wa ii tenki desu.
Meaning: The weather is good today.
Breakdown
- きょう — today
- は — topic marker
- いい — good
- てんき — weather
- です — is
Grammar Spotlight (Lesson 1)
1. は — The Topic Marker
は (wa) marks the topic, the thing the sentence is “about.”
Examples:
わたしは — watashi wa — “As for me…”
きょうは — kyō wa — “As for today…”
It does not mark the subject — only the topic.
2. が — The Subject Marker
が (ga) marks the true subject — the thing performing the action or existing.
Example:
ねこが います — neko ga imasu — “There is a cat.”
The cat is the thing that exists, so it takes が.
3. を — The Object Marker
を (o) marks the direct object of an action — the thing receiving the action.
Example:
みずを のみます — mizu o nomimasu — “I drink water.”
Water is what’s being drunk → direct object → を.
4. です — Polite ‘To Be’
です (desu) is the polite copula. It gives sentences a neutral, polite tone.
It works like “is / am / are,” but never changes based on gender or number.
5. います — Existence for Living Things
います (imasu) is used for the existence of animals and people.
For non-living things, Japanese uses あります (arimasu) instead.
Vocabulary Review
- ねこ — neko — cat
- みず — mizu — water
- りんご — ringo — apple
- きょう — kyō — today
- います — imasu — to exist (living things)
- のみます — nomimasu — to drink
- がくせい — gakusei — student
- いい — ii — good
- これ — kore — this
- です — desu — polite “to be”
- わたし — watashi — I / me
- てんき — tenki — weather
- は — wa — topic marker
- が — ga — subject marker
- を — o — object marker