Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha tosyokan de sinbun wo yomimasu.

The particle は marks the topic of the sentence—what the sentence is “about.” Here, 私 (I) is introduced as the topic (“As for me…”). If you used が (私が), you’d be marking it as the subject in a neutral or emphatic context (“It is I who read the newspaper”), often to contrast or answer a question like “Who reads the newspaper?”

What’s the difference between the particles で and に in location phrases?

で indicates where an action takes place (“at/in”), while に marks a destination, point in time, or state of existence.

図書館で新聞を読みます: “I read a newspaper at the library.” (action location)
図書館に行きます: “I go to the library.” (destination)
家にいます: “I am at home.” (state of existence)

Why is 新聞 marked with を?

The particle を marks the direct object—the thing being acted upon. In 新聞を読みます, 新聞 is what you read. Without を, the verb wouldn’t know what object to act on.

Why does the verb 読みます come at the end of the sentence?

Japanese follows a Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) order. After introducing the topic (私は), any further elements like location (図書館で) and object (新聞を) come before the verb. The sentence ends with the verb 読みます (“read”).

What’s the difference between the verbs 読む and 読みます?

読む is the dictionary/plain form, used in casual speech or in writing.
読みます is the polite present/future form, used in formal or polite conversation. They mean the same action (“to read”).

Can 私は be omitted in this sentence?

Yes. In Japanese, when the subject/topic is clear from context, pronouns are often dropped. 図書館で新聞を読みます still means “I read a newspaper at the library.”

Why is 図書館 written in kanji while particles like で, は, を are in hiragana?

Content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) are usually written in kanji to convey meaning compactly. Particles, which serve purely grammatical functions, are always written in hiragana. Hence 図書館 (noun) uses kanji, whereas で, は, を use hiragana.