Hello, i speak portuguese and english!
I’m starting to learn japanese and i just cant comprehend the difference between these two
I thought desu meant the verb to be and so the word desu
but why are they used in the same phrase if they mean the same thing?
EX.: watashi wa gakusei desu.
it means ” im a student”
what does wa mean in this phrase? and desu?
6 comments
は marks the topic of the sentence. Like “speaking about me (as the important topic in within this information) – I am a Student.”
は is a subject marker particle, です is a verb.
What’s the difference between de and tenho?
they’re completely different
です is a verb
は is a particle
a beginner text will cover this so I suggest getting one
です is the verb. は is the topic marker, it doesn’t mean ‘is’. There’s nothing that corresponds to it in any European language I know.
You have a long road ahead of you. Good luck.
Look up Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese Grammar, or Cure Dolly. Both are free online resources that will cover this topic if you can’t get a textbook. Tofugu is also a good website for looking up how to use grammar.