General features of Japanese sentence structures + grammars - 2

　　　
みなさん、こんにちは！

I will write about Japanese grammar basics again today.

(6) Particles

Japanese particles are similar to English prepositions, such as “in” and “at”.
As you see below, English prepositions precede the noun, clause or phrase they modify.
Japanese particles are postpositions come after the noun, clause or phrase.

Ex. Kare no heya de bangohan o tabemashita. = I had dinner in his room.

Although particles themselves do not carry any meaning, they provide an important role in sentence formation.
The particle determines how the noun or clause functions in a sentence.

Ex.
Heya o soji shimasu. = I (will) clean my room. -> room is an object
Heya ga kirei desu. = My room is clean/beautiful. -> room is a subject
Heya de yasumimasu. = I (will) take a break in my room. -> room is a place for the action


 (7) Function and conjugation of “desu”

When “desu” is placed after a noun, it expresses the speaker’s polite attitude as well as tense.

Kare wa                 John-san  　　  desu. (present)
He (as for him)       John                is

Kare wa              　kashu    　　    deshita (past)
He (as for him)      a singer      　　was

 Kyo wa                           Kaze ga     tsumetai       desu.
Today (as for today)          the wind     is cold          (add politeness)