Learn Hardcore Japanese: gakusei ha eiga wo mimasu.

Japanese follows a subject-object-verb (SOV) order, unlike English’s SVO. Here, 学生は (student-TOPIC) comes first, 映画を (movie-OBJECT) next, and the verb 見ます (watch) concludes the sentence.

What does the particle は after 学生 do, and why is it pronounced “wa” instead of “ha”?

は is the topic marker. It tells the listener “we’re talking about the student.” Though spelled with the hiragana は, when used as a particle it’s always pronounced wa, not ha.

What role does the particle を play after 映画?

を marks the direct object of the verb—in this case, 映画 is what is being watched. It’s pronounced o.

How do you pronounce 学生, 映画, and 見ます, and what’s their romanization?

学生 is pronounced がくせい (gakusei), meaning “student.”
映画 is えいが (eiga), meaning “movie.”
見ます is みます (mimasu), the polite present tense of “to see/watch.”

Why doesn’t the sentence include a word for “I” or “the”?

Japanese often omits pronouns and articles when context makes them clear. Here, 学生は serves as “As for the student…,” so you don’t need a separate “I,” “he,” or “the.”

Is 見ます present tense or future tense? How do I say “watched” or “will watch”?

見ます is the polite non-past form, covering both present and future (e.g. “watches” or “will watch”).
To make it past tense, say 見ました (mimashita).
To make it negative, say 見ません (mimasen).

What’s the difference between 学生は映画を見ます and 学生が映画を見ます?

は marks the topic or contrasts information, so 学生は… sets “student” as the theme.
が marks the grammatical subject or highlights new/important information. Using 学生が映画を見ます might emphasize “it is the student (not someone else) who watches the movie.”

What’s the difference between the polite form 見ます and the dictionary form 見る?

見ます is the masu-form (polite) you’d use in formal or respectful contexts.
見る is the plain or dictionary form, used in casual speech, writing, or when listing verbs in a dictionary.