Edit: My elaborate plot to say the wrong answer to get people flocking in with the correct one worked 🙂
Adds politeness.
De su implies the end of the sentence. This is sushi.
If you omitted it, it sounds like your sentence is unfinished. This sushi …
Remember, there’s a daily thread for small basic questions like this.
The desu is essentially a copula (equivalent to the english word “is”). In Japanese the copula/verb goes at the end of the sentence, so you’d basically say “this sushi is” instead of “this is sushi”. You can also replace the copula for its less polite counterpart [da], such that the sentence becomes:
これはすしだ
Kore wa sushi da
But be careful actually saying this, as using this impolite form to strangers can give off a bad impression. Generally just stick to desu when youre starting out.
Ok, so 3 commenters have given similar misinformation, so let me just add something here.
>Without it, the sentence is unfinished
Though in a standard sentence you typically need the copula, it’s not an absolute necessity, and is regularly dropped in colloquial speech.
>It would be the equivalent of ‘this sushi is’
No, that would be このすしは.
>It would be the equivalent of ‘this sushi’
See above, just このすし.
The simple reason why is that it is not *grammatically* incorrect, but *pragmatically* wrong (in linguistic terms. In other words, it’s a context thing)
It isn’t necessary, and it’s not wrong or ungrammatical to leave it off. です adds politeness and distance, so is used to end “to be” sentences when you are creating that level of politeness and distance with the person you are speaking to. Leaving off a copula entirely is also correct, as would be using the more assertive and less polite copula だ.
In simple terms, です marks the sentence as a declarative in a polite tone. Without the です, the sentence can be seen as more casual (which could be improper, depending on the situation) and also the tone of the sentence would determine what kind of statement it is.
For example, if you say “これは寿司? (kore wa sushi?)” in a questioning tone, that could mean you’re asking whether or not this is sushi, or perhaps expressing incredulity at the sushi-like thing you were served (if the tone is more incredulous), or saying that this is sushi if used in a declarative tone. In any of those cases, it’s a more casual/informal statement due to the lack of です. The です makes it clearly a declarative statement, and marks the formality of it as generally polite.
It isn’t wrong… it just won’t sound right formally. Desu kinda means “to be” or like “is”.. Desu makes the sentence more proper and formal. Otherwise, it is seen tonbe a more casual conversation that’s used in everyday life
it’s not wrong. you can drop it once you understand how to use colloquial form. ですis the verb “is” often use on keigo speech.
10 comments
*wrong answer was here, now deleted*
Edit: My elaborate plot to say the wrong answer to get people flocking in with the correct one worked 🙂
Adds politeness.
De su implies the end of the sentence. This is sushi.
If you omitted it, it sounds like your sentence is unfinished. This sushi …
Remember, there’s a daily thread for small basic questions like this.
The desu is essentially a copula (equivalent to the english word “is”). In Japanese the copula/verb goes at the end of the sentence, so you’d basically say “this sushi is” instead of “this is sushi”. You can also replace the copula for its less polite counterpart [da], such that the sentence becomes:
これはすしだ
Kore wa sushi da
But be careful actually saying this, as using this impolite form to strangers can give off a bad impression. Generally just stick to desu when youre starting out.
Ok, so 3 commenters have given similar misinformation, so let me just add something here.
>Without it, the sentence is unfinished
Though in a standard sentence you typically need the copula, it’s not an absolute necessity, and is regularly dropped in colloquial speech.
>It would be the equivalent of ‘this sushi is’
No, that would be このすしは.
>It would be the equivalent of ‘this sushi’
See above, just このすし.
The simple reason why is that it is not *grammatically* incorrect, but *pragmatically* wrong (in linguistic terms. In other words, it’s a context thing)
It isn’t necessary, and it’s not wrong or ungrammatical to leave it off. です adds politeness and distance, so is used to end “to be” sentences when you are creating that level of politeness and distance with the person you are speaking to. Leaving off a copula entirely is also correct, as would be using the more assertive and less polite copula だ.
In simple terms, です marks the sentence as a declarative in a polite tone. Without the です, the sentence can be seen as more casual (which could be improper, depending on the situation) and also the tone of the sentence would determine what kind of statement it is.
For example, if you say “これは寿司? (kore wa sushi?)” in a questioning tone, that could mean you’re asking whether or not this is sushi, or perhaps expressing incredulity at the sushi-like thing you were served (if the tone is more incredulous), or saying that this is sushi if used in a declarative tone. In any of those cases, it’s a more casual/informal statement due to the lack of です. The です makes it clearly a declarative statement, and marks the formality of it as generally polite.
It isn’t wrong… it just won’t sound right formally. Desu kinda means “to be” or like “is”.. Desu makes the sentence more proper and formal. Otherwise, it is seen tonbe a more casual conversation that’s used in everyday life
it’s not wrong. you can drop it once you understand how to use colloquial form. ですis the verb “is” often use on keigo speech.