particles - ni, ga, o (wo)

[miki]

Hi, this is a very useful forum as i've expected..

I'm currently learning japanese... it was interesting till all the grammar bit came in...

Could anyone please tell me how to distinguish the particles:
- ni,
- ga, &
- o (wo),

Why would some verbs are associated with 'o', & at the same time could be used with other particles, such as ni & ga????

thanks....

[moyashi]

ugh, I hate particles.

I trulely recommend getting a good book and just doing examples. I skipped through them when in school while learning them. Almost a decade later I still get a headache thinking of them and use them blindly at times when I'm speaking.

ni = direction + time
ga = subject or is it topic marker ??? lolol
o = object marker

the verb like in English has an image associated with it so that means it will also give a sense of which preposition to use.

eat susshi
sushi wo taberu
go to eat sushi
sushi wo tabe ni iku

ughhhhh, I'm not the one to ask it seems

cheers

[Maciamo]

Some preposition are always used with a particular verb. For instance, aru, iru and sumu (sunde iru) use "ni".

銀行の前にいる。
Ginko no mae ni iru.
I am in front of the bank.

東京に住んでいる。
Tokyo ni sunde iru.
I live in Tokyo.

Most of action verbs use "de".

銀行の前で会いましょう。
Ginko no mae de aimashou.
Let's me in front of the bank.

wo shows the objects. However, "ga" is always used for the object with some verbs that aren't really verbs in Japanese. That is suki, kirai, hoshii... which translate as verbs in English (like, dislike, want...), but are more like adjectives in Japanese.

sushi ga suki > I like sushi.
digicam ga hoshii > I want a digital camera.

That's enough for now.

[Maciamo]

You can use "de" for the mode. That's one of its most common use. For example :

jitensha de = by bicycle

kasa de = with an umbrella

ime-ru de = by email


Directions are shown with "ni" :

Ginko ni ittekimasu > I am going to the bank

Narita kuukou ni tsuita > We have arrived at Narita airport

Once again, the verb determines the particle. Iku (to go), kuru (to come), tusku (to arrive), and so on all use "ni".

[miki]

thanks a lot...

have a better idea now...
so, i guess language is like doing math...
need more & more practice + exercise... ;p

[Ken Butler]

I offer free CyberTutorials on my www.japaneseforeveryone website, and one of the tutorials provides comprehensive explanations of the functions of 26 of the most common particles. Check it out. It should be of a lot of help.

[miki]

Thanks, Ken Butler. But i got error message "Unable to determine IP address from host name for www.japaneseforeveryone" when tried to access the recommended site. any idea why?

[Maciamo]

same for me, the link doesn't work

[miiihhOoo]

me too...would really like to check out the webby^^

[Chakan]

He forgot to add the .com. The proper address is http://www.japaneseforeveryone.com

Announcing
the revolutionary JapaneseForEveryone
CD-ROM v. 3.5
for Mac OS X and Windows 95 through XP

....

In celebration of the completion of the Mac OS X version
for a limited time JapaneseForEveryone CD-ROM v. 3.5
is offered to both Macintosh and Windows users at a special price of U.S. $99.95

Yeah...


Anyway, particles are very important. I chose to look at grammar exclusively early in my study of Japanese, without giving a care for learning more words and such at the time. I actually have a quick glance Post-It Note stuck to the side of my computer with J particles... but I'm rarely looking anymore.

Grammar is very, very important! Without it, you'll never be understood completely or be able to comprehend anything you hear/read completely.


*Says Chakan, who has to further polish his native English so he feels 'okay' being called an 'Editor' at his other website*