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Questions & Answers about kyou ha samukatta desu.
Why is the particle は pronounced “wa” and not “ha”?
When は functions as the topic marker in Japanese grammar, its pronunciation changes from the usual “ha” to “wa.” This is an exception you’ll see only with the topic marker; in all other contexts (like in the word はな for “flower”) it’s pronounced “ha.”
What exactly does 今日は mean here?
今日は is 今日 (きょう, “today”) plus the topic marker は. It doesn’t translate directly as “today is,” but more like “as for today…” It sets 今日 as the topic of the sentence.
Why don’t we use the subject “it” like in English, as in “It was cold today”?
Japanese often omits subjects (and objects) when they can be inferred from context. Here the listener knows you’re talking about the weather, so there’s no need to say something equivalent to “it.”
Why is 寒かった used instead of 寒い?
寒い is the present/future-tense form of the adjective “cold.” To express past tense with an い-adjective, you replace ～い with ～かった, giving 寒かった (“was cold”).
What is the role of です after 寒かった?
です is the polite copula. When attached to adjectives it doesn’t add a new meaning but makes the sentence polite. So 寒かったです is a polite way to say “(It) was cold.”
Can I drop です and still be correct?
Yes. In casual speech (among friends, family, etc.) you can simply say 今日は寒かった without です. It sounds more informal.
How would I make this sentence negative in polite speech?
Take the past affirmative 寒かったです, turn 寒い into its past negative (寒くなかった), and add です: 今日は寒くなかったです (“Today was not cold”).
How do I say “Tomorrow will be cold” in a similar structure?
Use 明日 (あした, “tomorrow”) as the topic and the present/future tense of the adjective:
明日は寒いです。
This literally means “As for tomorrow, (it) is cold,” but in context it means “Tomorrow will be cold.”