Breakdown of kono hasi ha tuyoi kaze ni taeraremasu.
Questions & Answers about kono hasi ha tuyoi kaze ni taeraremasu.
What does each part of この 橋 は 強い 風 に 耐えられます do?
A natural breakdown is:
- この = this
- 橋 = bridge
- は = topic marker
- 強い = strong
- 風 = wind
- に = marks what something withstands/endures
- 耐えられます = can withstand / is able to endure in polite form
So the structure is basically:
As for this bridge, it can withstand strong winds.
Why is は used after 橋 instead of が?
は marks この橋 as the topic: as for this bridge...
That makes sense if the speaker is talking about the bridge and then saying something about it.
If you used が, the nuance would shift more toward identifying or emphasizing the subject:
- この橋は強い風に耐えられます。
= This bridge can withstand strong winds. / As for this bridge... - この橋が強い風に耐えられます。
= This bridge is the one that can withstand strong winds.
So は is the more neutral, descriptive choice here.
Why is に used after 風?
With 耐える and its potential form 耐えられる, the particle に marks the thing that is endured, resisted, or withstood.
So:
- 風に耐える = to withstand wind
- 重さに耐える = to bear weight
- 圧力に耐える = to withstand pressure
This use of に is something you mostly learn as part of the pattern used with 耐える.
What form is 耐えられます?
It is the polite potential form of 耐える.
- Dictionary form: 耐える = to endure / to withstand
- Potential form: 耐えられる = can endure / can withstand
- Polite potential form: 耐えられます
So 耐えられます means can withstand or is able to endure.
Is 耐えられます passive or potential?
Here it is understood as potential, not passive.
For many -eru verbs, the passive and potential forms look the same. With 耐える, both can look like 耐えられる. The meaning depends on context.
In this sentence:
- この橋は強い風に耐えられます。
the bridge is something that is able to withstand strong winds, so the meaning is clearly potential.
A passive reading would not make much sense here.
Why is 強い before 風?
In Japanese, adjectives come before the noun they modify.
So:
- 強い風 = strong wind
- 高い山 = high mountain
- 古い橋 = old bridge
Here 強い is an i-adjective, and it directly modifies 風.
Why is it 風 and not 風が or 風を?
Because 風 is not the main subject or direct object here. It is part of the pattern:
- 風に耐える
- 風に耐えられる
So 強い風に acts like against strong winds or to strong winds in a very rough sense, though the most natural English translation is withstand strong winds.
You should think of に here as the particle that goes with 耐える, rather than trying to force it into an English-style subject/object pattern.
Does 強い風 mean one strong wind, or strong winds in general?
It can mean strong wind in a general sense, and in English it is often translated more naturally as strong winds.
Japanese often does not mark singular vs. plural as explicitly as English does. So depending on context, 強い風 could refer to:
- strong wind in general
- a strong wind
- strong winds
In this sentence, English usually prefers strong winds.
Why is この used instead of これ?
Is this sentence formal?
It is polite, but not especially stiff or highly formal.
The politeness comes from 耐えられます.
Compare:
- この橋は強い風に耐えられます。 = polite
- この橋は強い風に耐えられる。 = plain form
So this would be appropriate in many normal situations, such as explanation, presentation, signage, or customer-facing language.
Could you also say この橋は強風に耐えられます?
What is the basic word order here?
The order is:
topic + thing endured + verb
So:
- この橋は = as for this bridge
- 強い風に = against strong winds
- 耐えられます = can withstand
Japanese often puts the verb at the end, so the sentence builds up to the main action or state.
Are the spaces normal in Japanese?
No. Normal Japanese is usually written without spaces:
この橋は強い風に耐えられます。
Spaces are often added only in beginner materials to make the sentence easier to read.
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