ga?

[Sephira]

i have begun the lessons, and enjoying them very much. however, in #11 there is a new word - ga - and no accompanying term or explanation. can it be clarified?

example: Nihon ryouri ga suki desu ka?
what is the purpose or meaning of 'ga' in this sentence? i thought it meant something similar to "do", or was important with the verb 'suki', but i'm unsure, and don't want to get it wrong so early in the lessons. any help is to be greatly appreciated!

[esp]

the 'ga' shows what the subject of the sentence is in the same way 'wa' is used.
In your example 'Nihon ryouri' would be the subject of the sentence.

[Charles]

"Ga" singles out what comes before it as the subject of the following predicate.

"Wa" helps define the subject, but it doesn't directly point to it like "ga" does.

It's useful in long sentences, but it's important because "ga" is mandatory when an interrogative noun is the subject, like when you're asking "nani" (what) or "dare" (who) questions.

"Dare ga imasu ka?" asks "who is there?" You cannot use "wa" here because the "who" must be singled out. That's why you're asking the question. WHO is there?

Similarly, when you answer the question, "wa" cannot be used, because you need to single out the subject as the answer to the question. "Nihon ryouri ga suki desu" is the implied answer to "Nani ga suki desu ka?"

WHAT do you like?
I like JAPANESE CUISINE.

Sure, Peter may think "wa" is magical, but "ga" is a fine surgical instrument. :)

[The Frankensteiner]

Wow, thanks for that Charles!

[Charles]

どう　いたしまして。 :)

There are many other instances where only 「が」 is appropriate. My Routlege grammar book says that making the distinction between 「は」and 「が」is said by others to be one of the most difficult problems facing a foreigner of the language. It then proceeds to list about 14 or 15 situations where 「が」is used.

For example, you must also use 「が」when describing spontaneous events, like acts of nature. 「空　が　暗く　なった。」"The sky darkened." 「は」is for describing events that require consideration, like saying that our culture has grown more affluent. The weather does not require consideration.

I don't want to complicate things, but you'll be learning to talk about the weather soon, and you need to use 「が」in order to say "it rained" or "it's snowing." My Japanese professor would be pretty funny trying to explain what you sound like if you use 「は」to say it's raining. "Oh... it's sort of raining? Maybe it is raining .. or maybe it isn't?" she said with a heavy accent, wandering aimlessly and doing her best to look like a complete airhead. ;)

Oh yeah, 「が」is used for uncontrollable human actions as well, like crying or being overcome by emotion. So, I suppose that saying Japanese Cuisine appeals to you with the use of 「が」makes it sound more like you have no control over it and 「は」would make it sound like you had to ponder it for a bit.

I had many problems with 「は」and 「が」in college, so I hope this advice will be of help:

It's tempting to look at it and think, oh, it's so small, and seems interchangeable with 「は」so I don't need to remember it. No! The sooner you recognize the long-term importance of 「が」the better.

I think that, if you see「が」as directly meaningful, then it should help you both understand its use AND remind you to study it! :)

[macaroniitfc]

The above are great explanations. If I were you I would not worry about the differnce between wa and ga. That is a fine distinction which will come later. Just listen to the podcasts for a year and then worry about it...

がんばって

[red001]

i think i ended up learning it through osmosis... you hear enough and you get a feel for it.

i think if you use 雨は　instead of が　it sounds like rain, in general falls. instead of "the rain is falling"

i always tended to think of は　as "as for" as in 私は　as for me... and が　as more direct...

oh yea... 90% of the time, you put it in front of 好き btw.

[doriangrey64]

i didnt really understand the use of 'ga' in a sentece but i sort of understand now from what everyone else has written but im still a little confused also the hiragana and the katakana is confusing me because i only know the characters "A.E.I.O.U" in hiragana, i guess I should start practicing lol.