watasi ha gohan wo tabemasu.

I eat rice.

Breakdown of watasi ha gohan wo tabemasu.

• は: topic particle
• 私わたし: I
• を: direct object particle
• ご飯はん: rice
• 食たべる: to eat

Questions & Answers about watasi ha gohan wo tabemasu.

What’s the role of は in this sentence?

The particle は marks the topic of the sentence. It tells you what you are talking about. Here, 私 is the topic: “As for me, ….”

Why is を used after ご飯?

The particle を marks the direct object of the verb—what the action is being done to. In this case, ご飯 is what you are eating.

Why is the verb at the end of the sentence?

Japanese follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order. Verbs typically come at the end.

Why do we use 食べます instead of the dictionary form 食べる?

食べます is the polite present affirmative form, suitable for formal or neutral situations. 食べる is the plain (dictionary) form, used in casual speech.

Why is there no subject marker が, and why could 私 be omitted altogether?

In Japanese you often omit the subject when it’s clear from context. Since 私 is introduced as the topic with は, there’s no need for が. You can even drop 私 entirely and just say ご飯を食べます if it’s clear you’re the eater.

What does ご飯 mean, and why does it have ご in front?

ご飯 literally means “cooked rice” but commonly “meal.” The ご is an honorific/beautiful-sounding prefix that’s part of the standard word ご飯, not something you add productively yourself here.

What nuance changes if I say ご飯は食べます instead?

Putting は on ご飯 makes “rice (or meals)” the topic: “As for rice, I eat it.” It can imply a contrast, e.g. you eat rice but maybe not something else.

How would I say “I will eat rice” in a casual tone?

In casual speech you’d use the plain future/intent form 食べる (context often supplies future meaning). So you’d say 私ご飯を食べる or just ご飯を食べる.