tomodachi wa kaabubooru o nagetagatte iru.

topic particle

Breakdown of tomodachi wa kaabubooru o nagetagatte iru.

• を: direct object particle
• 友とも達だち: friend
• いる: to be

Questions & Answers about tomodachi wa kaabubooru o nagetagatte iru.

What does は do after 友達?

は marks the topic of the sentence. It tells you that the sentence is about 友達.

In a simple sentence like this, the topic is also understood as the person who has the desire, so 友達 is the one who wants to throw the curveball.

Why is を used after カーブボール?

を marks the direct object of the verb. In other words, it marks the thing being thrown.

Here:

• カーブボール = the thing
• を = object marker
• 投げる = to throw

So カーブボールを投げる means to throw a curveball.

Is the た in 投げたがって past tense?

No. Here, た is part of the grammar pattern 〜たがる, not the past tense ending.

Compare:

• 投げた = threw
• 投げたがる = shows signs of wanting to throw

So this sentence is not in the past. If it were past, you would see something like 投げたがっていた.

How is 投げたがっている built?