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Breakdown of susi ha yasui desu ka?
はha
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
安いyasui
cheap
寿司susi
sushi
かka
question particle
Questions & Answers about susi ha yasui desu ka?
What does the particle は mark in 寿司は安いですか?
は is the topic marker. It indicates that 寿司 (“sushi”) is what we’re talking about—“as for sushi...” rather than marking it as the grammatical subject.
What kind of word is 安い, and why doesn’t it need な before です?
安い is an i-adjective (形容詞). I-adjectives can directly attach to です when used as a predicate, so you don’t insert な.
What is です doing in this sentence?
です is the polite copula, roughly equivalent to “is.” It softens or makes the statement polite, turning “cheap” into “is cheap.”
What role does the particle か play at the end?
か is the question particle. It converts a statement into a question—think of it as an explicit “?” at the end.
Why is the order 寿司は安いですか (topic–predicate) rather than English subject–verb–object?
Japanese follows a subject–object–verb (SOV) pattern, so the predicate (here 安いですか) comes at the end.
Why isn’t there a pronoun like “it” before 安いですか?
Japanese often omits pronouns when context is clear. Since 寿司 is already introduced as the topic, you don’t need “it.”
How would you ask the same question in casual speech?
Drop です and か, and use rising intonation:
寿司は安い？
How would you answer if sushi is cheap or not?
If it’s cheap:
はい、安いです (“Yes, it’s cheap.”)
If it’s not:
いいえ、高いです (“No, it’s expensive.”)
How do you say “sushi is not cheap” in Japanese?
Casual-polite negative:
寿司は安くないです
More formal negative:
寿司は安くありません
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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