All About Japanese Particles

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All About Japanese Particles: ものを (mono o)

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*1. Usually used at the end of a sentence, indicating resentment or complaint.

お知らせ下されば、病院へお見舞いに参りましたものを。。。
Oshirase kudasareba, byōin e omimai ni mairimashita mono o.
If only you had told me, I would have come to see you at the hospital.

私にできることでしたら、お手伝いしましたものを。。。
Watashi ni dekiru koto deshitara, otetsudai shimashita mono o …
If there had been something I could have done, I would have helped out.

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: ところ (tokoro)

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1. Indicates that one is on the verge of doing something; preceded by the root form of the verb: “just about to.”

これから出かけるところなので、ゆっくり話をする時間はありません。
Kore kara dekakeru tokoro na no de, yukkuri hanashi o suru jikan wa arimasen.
Since I’m just about to go out, I don’t have time for a leisurely talk.

山田さんに電話をするところですが、何か伝言はありませんか。
Yamada-san ni denwa o suru tokoro desu ga, nani ka dengon wa arimasen ka.
I’m just about to call Yamada. Do you have any messages for him?

2. Indicates that an action is presently taking place (preceded by V- te iru).

今手紙を書いているところです。
Ima tegami o kaite iru tokoro desu.
I am writing a letter just now. / I am in the midst of writing a letter.

役員は、今その問題を検討しているところです。
Yakuin wa, ima sono mondai o kentō shite iru tokoro desu.
The directors now have that problem under advisement. / The directors are just now taking that problem under consideration.

3. Indicates that an action has just come to an end (preceded by V-ta).

かれは今成田に着いたところです。
Kare wa ima Narita ni tsuita tokoro desu.
He just now arrived at Narita [Airport].

広田さんは、今日フランスから帰国したところですよ。
Hirota-san wa, kyō Furansu kara kikoku shita tokoro desu yo.
Hirota just today returned from France.

4. Indicates the conclusion of a certain action at the end of a clause: “when, upon.”

デパートに問い合わせてみたところ、その品物は売り切れだった。
Depāto ni toiawasete mita tokoro, sono shinamono wa uri-kire datta.
When I inquired at the department store, [I found that) the item was sold out. (Or, Upon asking at the department store,…)

大学の図書館で調べたところ、その作家は詩も書いていたところが分かった。
Daigaku no tosho-kan de shirabeta tokoro, sono sakka wa shi mo kaite ita koto ga wakatta.
When I checked at the university library, I learned that the writer had written poems as well. (Or, Upon checking at the university library,…)

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: ものなら (mononara)

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* 1. After a potential verb or –ō/-yō form of a verb, indicates a condition and result, with an added sense of censure or threat: “if … then.”

あなたにできるものなら、やってみてください。
Anata ni dekiru mono nara, yatte mite kudasai.
If it’s something you can do, go ahead and do it. / If you think you can do it, go ahead and try.

政治家がそんなばかなことをしようものなら、国民は黙っていませんよ。
Seiji-ka ga sonna baka na koto o shiyō mono nara, kokumin wa damatte imasen yo.
If the politicians do something stupid like that, the people aren’t going to keep quiet about it.

*2. Indicates a condition and bad result: “if … then.”

課長がそんなやり方をしようものなら、部下は課長を全然信頼しなくなるでしょうね。
Kachō ga sonna yarikata o shiyō mono nara, buka wa kachō o zenzen shinrai shinaku naru deshō ne.
If the section chief goes about it in that way, his subordinates will lose all faith in him.

これ以上仕事を続けようものなら、あなたは死んでしまいますよ。
Kore ijō shigoto o tsuzukeyō mono nara, anata wa shinde shimai-masu yo.
If you work anymore [any harder] than this, you’re going to die, you know. / If you continue working the way you are now, you will end up killing yourself.

*3. Indicates a condition and bad result: “if … then.”

空を飛べるものなら飛んでみたい。
Sora o toberu mono nara tonde mitai.
If it were possible to fly [in the sky], I would like to try it.

会社へ行かなくていいものなら行きたくない。
Kaisha e ikanakute ii mono nara ikitaku nai.
If it were all right not to go to work, I wouldn’t [want to] go. / I wouldn’t go to work if I didn’t have to.

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: なら (nara)

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Note: See also mono nara (#37).

1. Indicates a supposition and result: “if … then.”

Note: Nara is often used after nouns. It is similar to -ba (#34, no. 1), -tara (#35, no 1), and to (#6, III-3).

私は午後なら暇がありますよ。
Watashi wa gogo nara pima ga arimasu yo.
If [it’s in] the afternoon, I’m free. / I’ll be free in the afternoon.

明日雨なら、ゴルフに行かないつもりです。
Ashita ame nara, gorufu ni ikanai tsumori desu.
Tomorrow, if it’s raining, I don’t intend to go golfing. / I don’t plan to go golfing tomorrow if it rains.

あの人が行くなら、私は行きたくないですね。
Ano hito ga iku nara, watashi wa ikitaku nai desu ne.
If she’s going, I sure don’t want to.

Note: A major difference between nara and -tara is that the clause after nara emphasizes what would (definitely) take place if the supposed event were to occur, whereas the result clause after -tara emphasizes what would “happen to” take place.

乗るなら飲むな。飲んだら乗るな。
Noru nara nomu na. Nondara noru na.
If you [are going to] drive, don’t drink. If you have been drink-ing, don’t drive.

2. Indicates that a topic is being brought up: “as for.”

その問題なら、もう解決しました。
Sono mondai nara, mō kaiketsu shimashita.
As for that problem, it had already been settled.

和歌の参考書なら、佐々木先生の研究室にある。
Waka no sankosho nara, Sasaki-sensei no kenkyū-shitsu ni aru.
If it’s reference books on waka [that you’re looking for], they’re in Professor Sasaki’s office.

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: – たら (- tara)

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1. Indicates a supposition and result: “if … then.”

Note: This usage is similar to -ba (#34, no. 1), although -tara sounds somewhat more gentle. -Tara is likely to be used when the result is an intention, request (command), or question.

その料理があまり辛かったら、私は食べないわ。
Sono ryōri ga amari karakattara, watashi wa tabenai wa.
If that dish is too spicy, I won’t eat it.

彼に会ったら、よろしくと言って下さい。
Kare ni attara, yoroshiku to itte kudasai.
If you see him, give him my regards (say hello).

山田さんの都合が悪かったら、誰にワープロをたのみましょうか。
Yamada-san no tsugō ga warukattara, dare ni wāpuro o tanomi-mashō ka.
If Yamada is busy (unavailable, occupied, is otherwise engaged), who shall we ask to do the word processing?

2. Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a proposal; used often by women: “how about, why not.”

もう遅いから、その仕事明日になさったら。
Mō osoi kara, sono shigoto ashita ni nasattara.
It’s late, so why not do that work tomorrow.

それは小さいから、こちらの大きいのをお買いになったら。
Sore wa chiisai kara, kochira no ōkii no o okai ni nattara.
That one is small, so why not buy this big one [instead].

3. Used at the end of a sentence to indicate irritation or impatience, with a meaning something like “I tell you, I’m telling you.”

Note: Whereas with the above usages -tara is added to a verb stem in the same way as the past-tense ending -ta, in this usage –ttara is added to the -te and –nasai form of verbs.

早くしてったら。。。
Hayaku shite-ttara …
C’mon, get a move on!

もう寝なさいったら。。
Mō nenasai-ttara.
Get to bed, I say [I’m telling you]!

4. Indicates an action which is followed by something being learned: “when.”

Note: To (#6, III-4) is similar to -tara in this usage.

友達の家へ行ったら、彼は留守だった。
Tomodachi no ie e ittara, kare wa rusu datta.
When I went to my friend’s house, [I found that) he was out. / I went to my friend’s home, but he was out.

ホテルに電話をしたら、部屋はいっぱいだった。
Hoteru ni denwa o shitara, heya wa ippai datia.
When I called the hotel, [I found that) all the rooms were full. / I called the hotel, but all the rooms were taken.

5. Indicates that one action follows immediately upon another: “when, as soon as.”

私が声をかけたら来て下さい。
Watashi ga koe o kaketara kite kudasai.
Please come [right away] when I call you.

この仕事が終わったら、そちらへ行きます。
Kono shigoto ga owattara, sochira e ikimasu.
I’ll be there as soon as this work is done [as soon as I’m finished here].

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: – ば (- ba)

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1. Indicates a supposition and result: “if … then.”

Note: -Tara (#35, no. 1) is similar in usage.

明日天気がよければ、ドライブに行きましょう。
Ashita tenki ga yokereba, doraibu ni ikimashō.
If the weather is nice tomorrow, let’s go for a drive.

お金があれば、大きい家が買いたいですね。
Okane ga areba, ōkii ie ga kaitai desu ne.
If I had the money, I’d like to buy a big house.

2. Indicates that the clause after -ba is the result of the clause before it: “if … then.”

Note: To (#6, III-3) can also be used here.

六甲山に登れば、神戸の街がきれいに見えますよ。
Rokko-san ni noboreba, Kōbe no machi ga kirei ni miemasu yo.
If you climb Mt. Rokko, you can get a good view of the city of Kobe.

よく練習すれば、このピアノ曲が弾けるようになります。
Yoku renshu sureba, kono piano-kyoku ga hikeru yo ni narimasu.
If you practice hard, you’ll be able to play this piano piece.

*3. Used to introduce a clause: “if’ (but not a cause-effect relationship).

よろしければ、お菓子を召し上がってください。
Yoroshikereba, okashi o meshiagatte kudasai.
If you would like, please have some of the sweets.

考えてみれば、よくこんなに会社が大きくなったものだ。
Kangaete mireba, yoku konna ni kaisha ga ōkiku natta mono da.
You think about it, it is remarkable that the company has gotten this big.

4. Idiomatic usages of the -ba conditional.

a) … ieba: “… stated.”

簡単に言えば、それは無理だということでしょう。
Kantan ni ieba, sore wa muri da to iu koto deshō.
Simply stated, that means it is impossible. (Lit., If we state it simply …)

b) Dekireba: “if possible (lit., if it can be done).”

できれば明後日のほうが私は都合がいいんですが。。。
Dekireba myōgonichi no hō ga watashi wa tsugō ga ii-n desu ga …
If possible, the day after tomorrow would be better for me.

*5. Used to connect two similar events or states: “and.”

今日は、天気もよければ風もないで、お花見には最適です。
Kō wa, tenki mo yokereba kaze mo nai de, o hanami ni wa saiteki desu.
Today is perfect for flower-viewing: the weather is nice and there’s no wind.

戦後は米もなければ野菜もないで、大変でしたよ。
Sengo wa kome mo nakereba yasai mo nae de, taihen deshita yo.
After the war there was no rice and there were no vegetables; [things] were very difficult.

6. In the form V-ba ii “one ought to do, one need only do.”

本を借りるには、ここに名前を書けばいいんです。
Hon o kariru ni wa, koko ni namae o kakeba ii-n desu.
To borrow a book, you need only write your name here.

たしかに宿題を忘れたのは君の責任ですが、先生にあやまりさえすればいいんです。
Tashika ni shukudai o wasureta no wa kimi no sekinin desu ga, sensei ni ayamari sae sureba ii-n desu.
While it was certainly your fault that you forgot the homework, all you have to do is apologize to the teacher.

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: ところが (tokoro ga)

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Note: Tokoro ga is always used after the -ra form of a verb. The tense of this verb, however, is not necessarily past, but is determined by the tense of the verb in the main clause.

1. Used between two clauses to indicate that they are opposed in meaning; the result is often unexpected (a. bad result; b. good result): “but, although, when.”

a) Indicating a bad result.

銀行へ行ってところが、もう閉まっていた。
Ginkō e itta tokoro ga, mō shimatte ita.
I went to the bank, but it was already closed. / When I got to the bank, it was already closed.

あの人に会いに行ったところが、会議中で会えなかった。
Ano hito ni ai ni itta tokoro ga, kaigi-chū de aenakatta.
I went to see her, but I couldn’t because she was in a meeting.

b) Indicating a good result.

K大学には合格できないと思っていたところが、合格通知が来た。
K daigaku ni wa gōkaku dekinai to omotte ita tokoro ga, gōkaku tsūchi ga kita.
Although I thought I wouldn’t pass [the entrance exam to] K University, I received a notice that I had.

あまり期待していなかったところが、そのコンサートはすばらしかった。
Amari kitai shite inakatta tokoro ga, sono konsāto wa subarashikatta.
Although I hadn’t really been expecting much, the concert was fabulous.

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: ものの (monono)

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*1. “But, although.”

Note: Mono no means essentially the same thing as ga (#2, 11) and keredomo (#28), but is a more formal usage and is used more often in writing than speaking.

その国は独立したものの、まだ経済的な問題がたくさんある。
Sono kuni wa dokuritsu shita mono no, mada keizai-teki na mondai ga takusan aru.
Although the country has become independent, it still has many economic problems.

アメリカへ留学することに決めたものの、奨学金を取るのが難しい。
Amerika e ryūgaku suru koto ni kimeta mono no, shōgaku-kin o toru no ga muzukashii.
Although I’ve decided to study in the United States, it’s difficult to get a scholarship.

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: くせに (kuse ni)

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1. Despite the fact that, though.”

Note: This usage is similar to that of no ni (#30, no. 1), but there is an added feeling of censure or contempt.

子供のくせに、大人の話に口を出してはいけません。
Kodomo no kuse ni, otona no hanashi ni kuchi o dashite wa ikemasen.
Children shouldn’t interrupt when grown-ups are talking. (Lit., Despite the fact [or considering the fact] you are a [mere] child, you are not to butt in on grown-up’s talk [the way you are doing].)

あの人は能力もないくせに、地位だけは欲しがっている。
Ano hito wa nōryoku mo nai kuse ni, chii dake wa hoshigatte iru.
Despite the fact that he has no ability, all he wants is status.

2. Used at the end of a sentence to express censure or contempt.

あなただってできないくせに。。。
Anata datte dekinai kuse ni …
As if you could do it yourself. (Lit., Despite the fact that even you couldn’t do it [you are trying to tell me how to].)

自分でもわからないくせに。。。
Jibun de mo wakaranai kuse ni …
As if you understood. (Lit., Despite the fact that even you don’t understand [you presume to give advice to others].)

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction

All About Japanese Particles: のに (noni)

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1. Used between two clauses to indicate that they are opposed in meaning: “although, even though, despite the fact that.”

Note: No ni indicates a stronger opposition in meaning than ga (#2, II-1) or keredomo (#28, no. 1).

池田さんは風邪で咳が出るのに、タバコばかり吸っています。
Ikeda-san wa kaze de seki ga deru no ni, tabako bakari sutte imasu.
Even though Ikeda is coughing from a cold, all he does is smoke cigarettes [he is (still) smoking all the time].

山本さんのパーティーには行かないと言ったのに、どうして行くんですか。
Yamamoto-san no pātī ni wa ikanai to itta no ni, dō shite iku-n desu ka.
You said you wouldn’t go to Yamamoto’s party, so why are you going? / Why are you going to Yamamoto’s party when you said you wouldn’t?

*2. Used at the end of a sentence, indicates a feeling of dissatisfaction: “despite the fact that, even though.”

Note: This usage is essentially the same as no. 1, above, except that the second clause isn’t stated outright. (Words in brackets below show only one of various imaginable contexts.)

勉強をしなさいと言ったのに。。。
Benkyō o shinasai to itta no ni …
Despite the fact that I told you to study [you didn’t, and are now in hot water]. / I told you to study!

交通事故を起こさないように気をつけていたのに。。。
Kōtsū-jiko o okosanai yō ni ki o tsukete ita no ni . . .
Even though I tried to be careful so as not to have an accident … [I smashed up the car anyway]. / I was trying my best not to get involved in automobile accident.

3. “To, in order to.”

ここから湖へ行くのに何時間ぐらいかかりますか。
Koko kara mizuumi e iku no ni nanjikan gurai kakarimasu ka.
How long does it take to get from here to the lake? (Lit., In order to get from here to the lake, about how many hours will it take?)

漢字を覚えるのにいい方法を教えてください。
Kanji o oboeru no ni ii hōhō o oshiete kudasai.
Please tell me a good way to learn kanji.

– Source: All about particles – A handbook of Japanese function words –

Introduction