Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha tomodati to eiga wo mimasu.

は is the topic marker. It tells the listener what the sentence is about—“as for me.” It doesn’t mark the grammatical subject (that would be が), but highlights 私 as the topic or frame of reference.

Why is は pronounced “wa” here instead of “ha”?

In modern Japanese, when は is used as the topic particle, its pronunciation shifts from “ha” (as in the syllable table) to “wa.” When it’s part of a word (not a particle), it remains “ha.”

What does the particle と do in 友達と?

と here means “with” and marks the person you’re doing something together with—in this case, “with a friend.” It always connects two nouns to indicate a partnership or accompaniment.

What role does the particle を play in 映画を見ます?

を is the direct-object marker. It tells us that 映画 (movie) is the thing being “seen.” Any transitive verb in Japanese generally takes を before its object.

Why is the verb 見る conjugated as 見ます here?

見ます is the polite (masu-form) present/future tense of the verb 見る (to see/watch). In casual speech you’d say 見る, but in polite speech (e.g., talking to strangers or superiors), you use 見ます.

How would I change this sentence to past tense?

Change 見ます to its polite past form 見ました. The sentence becomes:
私　は　友達　と　映画　を　見ました。
(“I watched a movie with a friend.”)

Why are some words in kanji (e.g., 私, 友達, 映画) while others are in hiragana?

Japanese writing mixes kanji and hiragana:

Content words (nouns, verb stems) often use kanji for clarity and brevity.
Particles (は, と, を) and verb endings (ます) are always in hiragana.
This balance makes text easier to read and parse.

Could I switch the order to 友達と映画を見ます、私は?

Grammatically you could, but it’s unnatural. Japanese prefers Topic–Comment order, so the topic (私は) typically comes first. Putting 私は at the end sounds awkward or overly emphatic.

Why is 私 used for “I” here instead of 僕 or 俺?

私 (watashi) is the most neutral and polite first-person pronoun, suitable for both men and women in formal or unfamiliar contexts. 僕 (boku) is more casual and typically male, while 俺 (ore) is very casual and masculine. Beginners often start with 私 to avoid sounding rude.