Learn Hardcore Japanese: hurui kamera wo baikyakusimasu.

Breakdown of furui kamera o baikyakushimasu.

Why is を used here?

を marks the direct object of the verb. In this sentence, 古いカメラ is the thing being sold, so it takes を.

So を tells you that the camera is what the action is being done to.

Why does 古い come before カメラ?

In Japanese, adjectives normally come before the noun they describe.

So:

This works much like English in this case. A Japanese -i adjective like 古い directly modifies the noun that follows it.

What kind of adjective is 古い?

古い is an -i adjective. That means it ends in -い in its basic form and can directly modify a noun.

Examples:

This is different from na-adjectives, which need な before a noun.

Why is the verb at the end?