kikai wa kuuki no ryou o seigyoshimasu.

topic particle

Breakdown of kikai wa kuuki no ryou o seigyoshimasu.

• を: direct object particle
• の: possessive case particle
• 空気くうき: air

Questions & Answers about kikai wa kuuki no ryou o seigyoshimasu.

Why is は used after 機械?

は marks the topic of the sentence. Here, 機械は means something like as for the machine or the machine in the context of what is being discussed.

So the sentence structure is:

• 機械は = as for the machine
• 空気の量を = the amount of air
• 制御します = controls

In natural English, we usually just say The machine controls the amount of air, but in Japanese the topic marker は is doing an important grammatical job.

Also, even though it is written は, in this use it is pronounced わ.

Why is の used in 空気の量?

の often links two nouns. In this sentence, it shows that 量 (amount) belongs to or is related to 空気 (air).

So:

• 空気 = air
• 量 = amount/quantity
• 空気の量 = amount of air

You can think of の here as similar to of in English.

This pattern is very common in Japanese:

• 水の温度 = the temperature of the water
• 車のドア = the car’s door / the door of the car
• 日本の文化 = Japanese culture / the culture of Japan