✏️ Simple Sentences: Putting it all Together!

Use what you've learned to read, understand, and build basic Japanese sentences. These beginner-friendly examples help you get comfortable using particles, nouns, and pointing words in short and clear statements or questions.

This dialog is a great example of the basic sentence structure AはBです, which is used to describe or identify something. For example, the sentence 「それはきゅうじゅうえんです」 means "That is 90 yen," where それ (that) is the topic (A), and きゅうじゅうえん (90 yen) is what it is identified as (B). The は particle marks the topic of the sentence, and です makes it polite. You'll also see this pattern in 「あれはごじゅうえんです」 - "Those are 50 yen."

The dialog also shows how Japanese uses pointing words to indicate the location of things. Alice says 「このかばん」 (this bag) because she is holding it, using この + noun. The shopkeeper replies with 「それ」 (that), since the item is near Alice but not the shopkeeper. Later, Alice sees shoes far away and says 「あのくつ」 (those shoes over there), using あの + noun. The shopkeeper then uses あれ (those) to refer to the same shoes. These demonstratives—これ/それ/あれ and この/その/あの—help clarify what objects people are talking about, depending on who is near them. Understanding these forms makes everyday interactions like shopping much easier and more natural.

This dialog is another example of the basic sentence structure AはBです, used to describe or identify something. For instance, 「あそこがとしょかんです」 means "Over there is the library," where あそこ (over there) is the topic (A), and としょかん (library) is what it is identified as (B). The は particle marks the topic, and です makes it polite. You'll also see this pattern in 「あれですか」 - "Is that it?"

The dialog also shows how Japanese uses pointing words to indicate the location of things. Alice says 「としょかん」 (library) and asks 「あのう、としょかんはどこですか」 (Um, excuse me, where is the library?). The student replies with 「あそこがとしょかんです」 (Over there is the library), using あそこ (over there) to point to the library's location. Later, Alice asks 「あれですか」 (Is that it?) to confirm if the library she sees is the one she is looking for. The student confirms with 「はい、そうです」 (Yes, that's right). These demonstratives—これ/それ/あれ and この/その/あの—help clarify what objects people are talking about, depending on who is near them. Understanding these forms makes everyday interactions like asking for directions much easier and more natural.

Finally, this dialog shows the particle が, which is used to mark the subject of a sentence. In 「あそこがとしょかんです」, が is used instead of は because the speaker is identifying or highlighting あそこ as the specific location of the library. While は introduces general topics, が is often used when presenting new information or answering questions that involve choosing or identifying something—like pointing something out or answering "which one?" Understanding the difference between は and が helps clarify what the focus of a sentence is, especially in situations like asking for directions.