ホーム → 文法 → DoJG main menu → 基本 → Basic Page 525

---

㊦ は～だ ←

→ ㊦ はいけない

---

Structure

---

A construction which relates a non controllable state of something or someone to a topic

---

Key Sentences

(ks1). 私は英語が分かる・分かります。

To me, English is understandable.

(ks2). 花子は目が奇麗だ・奇麗です。

Speaking of Hanako, her eyes are pretty.

(ks3). 辞書はウェブスターがいい・いいです。

Talking about dictionaries, Webster's is good.

---

Examples

(a). 高志はテニスが上手だ。

Takashi is good at tennis.

(b). 私はボーイフレンドが欲しい。

I want a boyfriend.

(c). 僕はフットボールが好きだ。

I like football.

(d). 象は鼻が長い。

Elephants have long trunks.

(e). 私はお腹が空いた。

I am hungry.

(f). ミラーさんは背が高い。

Mr. Miller is tall.

(g). 日本はステーキが高い。

Steak is expensive in Japan.

(h). 海は日本海が奇麗だ。

Talking about the sea, the Japan Sea is clean.

(i). 日本の野球はどこが強いですか。

Talking about baseball in Japan, who is strong?

---

Notes

1. "AはBがC" is one of the basic constructions in Japanese. In this construction, C usually expresses something about B and "BがC" expresses something about A, as illustrated in (1).

2. Sentences utilizing this construction may be categorized into three classes:

(A)
• A is human, and "BがC" expresses A's physical and/or mental state, for example, ability or desire, as in Key Sentence (1), Examples (a), (b) and (c).

(B)
• B is part of A, and C expresses something about B, which, in turn, expresses something about A, as in Key Sentence (2), Examples (d), (e), (f) and (g).

(C)
• B is a member of A, and C expresses something about B, as in Key Sentence (3), Examples (h) and (i).

3. Listed below are the verbs and adjectives which usually require the "AはBがC" construction. (Sentences with these verbs and adjectives belong to Class (A) in Note 2.)

(2)    Ability:
• 分かる  be understandable; understand
• 出来る  can be done; can do
• られる2  can    見える  be visisble    聞こえる  be audible
• 上手だ  good at    下手だ  poor at
• 得意だ  proudly good at    苦手だ  ashamedly poor at

(⇨ 聞こえる; 見える; られる2)

(3)    Desire/Need:
• 欲しい  desireable; want    たい  want to
• 要る  be necessary; need    必要だ  necessary

(⇨ 欲しい1; 要る3; たい)

(4)    Fondness:
• 好きだ  be liked; like    嫌いだ  be disliked; dislike

(⇨ 嫌いだ; 好きだ)

(5)    Emotion:
• 恥ずかしい  embarrassing    懐かしい  nostalgic
• 憎らしい  hateful    恐ろしい  dreadful
• 怖い  fearful    羨ましい  enviable
• 悔しい  vexing

---

㊦ は～だ ←

→ ㊦ はいけない

---

▲