Learn Hardcore Japanese: tomodati to issyo ni otya wo nomimasu.

The particle と marks the companion you do something with. In 友達と一緒に, 友達と means “with a friend.” Note that と can also join nouns as “and,” but here, combined with 一緒に, it specifically indicates “together with.”

Why do we use 一緒に, and what role does に play?

一緒 by itself is a noun meaning “together.” Adding the particle に turns it into an adverb of manner: “together.” So 一緒に means “together (with),” describing how the action is done.

What is the purpose of the particle を after お茶?

を is the direct-object marker. In お茶を飲みます, お茶 (tea) is what you’re drinking, so を flags it as the object of the verb 飲みます (“drink”).

Why is 飲みます in the polite non-past form, and how do we interpret tense here?

飲みます is the polite form of the non-past (dictionary) tense. Japanese doesn’t have a separate future tense; non-past can mean habitual (“I drink tea regularly”) or future (“I will drink tea”). Context or time expressions clarify which.

There is no 私 or any subject in the sentence. Who is implied to be doing the drinking?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here the speaker (“I”) is implied. If you need to be explicit, you can add 私は at the start: 私は友達と一緒にお茶を飲みます。

Why are some words in kanji and others in hiragana in this sentence?

Particles (と, に, を) are always written in hiragana. Content words like 友達, 一緒, お茶, and the verb root 飲 are usually in kanji, with verb endings like ます in hiragana. This mix is standard in Japanese.

Can we drop 一緒に and just say 友達とお茶を飲みます? Is there a nuance difference?

Yes. 友達とお茶を飲みます still means “I drink tea with a friend.” Omitting 一緒に is perfectly natural and simply less explicit about “together,” since と already implies you’re together.

What is the nuance difference between お茶を飲みます and the more casual お茶する?

お茶を飲みます literally means “drink tea.” お茶する is a colloquial verb (“do tea”) meaning “have tea” or “meet for tea.” It emphasizes the activity/hangout rather than the literal act of drinking.