kanojo wa hanasu yuuki ga atta.

topic particle

Breakdown of kanojo wa hanasu yuuki ga atta.

• 話はなす: to talk
• が: subject particle
• ある: to exist/have

Questions & Answers about kanojo wa hanasu yuuki ga atta.

Why is は used after 彼女?

は marks 彼女 as the topic of the sentence.

So 彼女は means something like as for her or speaking of her.
It does not simply mean the same thing as the English subject every time, but here it lines up well with she.

So the structure is:

• 彼女は = as for her
• 話す勇気があった = had the courage to speak

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Why is が used after 勇気 instead of を?

In Japanese, ある often takes が for the thing that exists or is possessed.

So:

• 勇気がある = to have courage / courage exists
• 勇気があった = had courage

Even though English uses have, Japanese is literally closer to courage existed.

That is why 勇気 is marked by が, not を.

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Why is 話す in dictionary form before 勇気?