So I’m studying grammar with bunpro and 1 thing I really struggle with is when to use wa/ga/wo as an “object marker”. I understand their differences in theory but when it comes to utilizing them in a new sentence I often make a mistake. Especially between ga and wo.
Any tips on how to practice them? Do native japanese people still understand your sentence if you use them incorrectly (I’m planning on doing a semester in Japan during my master in 2 years).
2 comments
Go Google Tae Kim or Cure Dolly in YouTube and get some grammar in.
を is the default object marker. For most transitive verbs (i.e. verbs that can take a direct object), their object will be marked with an を.
が is the particle you use to mark the object of a verb (or verb-like word) that you cannot control. I go into more detail about what this means exactly [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/x58m3w/daily_thread_simple_questions_comments_that_dont/in477ck/?context=3), if you’re interested, but that doesn’t matter too much. The important thing to keep in mind is simply that some verbs mark their objects with が rather than を, and you should keep note of those as you come across them. It’s literally as simple as keeping a list of exceptions: [わかる](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%88%86%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8B)、[好き](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%A5%BD%E3%81%8D)、[欲しい](https://jisho.org/word/%E6%AC%B2%E3%81%97%E3%81%84)、potential verbs (e.g. [できる](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%87%BA%E6%9D%A5%E3%82%8B)), and so on.
**Edit:** I want to take the opportunity here to point out that the primary role of が is to mark the **subject** of a predicate (i.e. the “doer” of a verb, or the “be-er” of an adjective or noun). Its role as an object marker is a side-thing.
—–
は is… more complicated.
You probably already know that は marks the “**topic**” of conversation. It’s not inherently an object marker; it just *can* be used to mark the object of a verb, and present it as a topic. So, learning exactly *what* constitutes a “topic” (in the context of Japanese grammar), and *when* you want to present something as one using は, is where the heart of the matter lies. “Do I use は here or not?” Mastering this will take a long time.
Here’s a bunch of good resources on the usage of は:
– [The Ultimate Guide To: は vs が (The ONLY lesson you need!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FknmUij6ZIk)
– ^ bold-faced lie, but still has nice examples, and nicely compliments the more comprehensive and technical writeups below, with more layman explanations that concern more specific/concrete scenarios
– [は as a “meta-particle”](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/thnzzu/using_%E3%81%AF_after_the_object_of_the_sentence/i18zj2y/)*
– *(not a proper technical term) a particle that can go on top of other particles
– [Please Stop Thinking in Terms of は vs が](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/jt49jj/please_stop_thinking_in_terms_of_%E3%81%AF_vs_%E3%81%8C/)
– people usually focus on “は vs. が” because が is the particle with which は will most often compete (at least in the lower levels) (subjects are often presented as topics [e.g. `nameは` instead of `nameが`]), but really this is more of a “は vs. not は” matter
– [は vs. が deep dive](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/x5u1ca/want_to_make_sure_im_understanding_topicsubject/in3wi3u/) (WIP)
– [A thorough guide to は vs. が](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/n3o8nr/a_thorough_guide_to_%E3%81%AF_vs_%E3%81%8C/) ← gut (so are the rest though)
– [は vs. が tidbit: は’s reach over the following stuff](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/tx8us7/%E3%82%B7%E3%83%84%E3%83%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%BC_daily_thread_for_your_simple_questions_and/i3lwaxn/?context=3)
Keep these saved and go over them at your own pace. There’s a lot of overlap between them, but it definitely won’t hurt to go over this stuff more than once.
If you aren’t really able to follow along, leave them for later. Master basic particle use (は aside) and sentence structure first. Then come back. It’s fine if some of what they say goes over your head, as long as you get *something* out of them. Misa’s video at least should be fairly easy to follow.
On that note, keep revisiting these every once in a while as your greater knowledge of Japanese expands, too — the defining characteristics of は become increasingly clear in more advanced/complex sentences.
Finally, keep in mind that getting a good feel for this will require tons of exposure to the language. You won’t *really* get it until you’ve seen it used thousands of times in thousands of contexts. It’s basic, but it’s not easy.