…
Breakdown of haha ha isogasii desu ga, keeki ga daisuki desu.
はha
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
がga
subject particle
がga
but
母haha
mother
ケーキkeeki
cake
忙しいisogasii
busy
大好きdaisuki
to love
Questions & Answers about haha ha isogasii desu ga, keeki ga daisuki desu.
Why is は used after 母 instead of が?
は is the topic marker. It sets 母 (“mother”) as the topic of the sentence (“As for mother…”). If you used が here, you’d be marking 母 as the grammatical subject in a neutral way (“Mother is the one who is busy”), but using は gives a broad “As for…” sense and often implies contrast or emphasis.
Why is です added after 忙しい?
忙しい is an い-adjective that can stand alone (“busy”), but when you want a polite statement you append the copula です. So 忙しいです means “(she) is busy” in polite speech.
What does ですが mean? Why attach が to です?
In ですが, が is the conjunction meaning “but.” When you attach it to です, it becomes “is…, but…” (Busy, but …). It links the first clause to the next one.
Why are there two が particles in this sentence?
They serve two different functions:
1) In ですが, が is the conjunction “but.”
2) In ケーキが大好きです, が is the subject/”object of liking” marker. With 好き/大好き, the thing you like is marked by が.
Why is ケーキ written in katakana instead of hiragana?
ケーキ is a loanword from English (“cake”), and most foreign words in Japanese are written in katakana.
Why is 大好き followed by です rather than だ?
大好き functions like a な-adjective (or noun) with the meaning “to love” or “to really like.” In polite speech you use です. In plain speech you would say 大好きだ.
Can you use を instead of が with 大好き? For example, ケーキを大好きです?
No. With 好き/大好き, the thing liked is marked by が, not を. So ケーキが大好きです is correct.
Is it possible to omit です for a more casual style?
Yes. In casual speech you can say:
- 母は忙しいが、ケーキが大好きだ。 (plain form with だ)
- Or even more colloquially: 母は忙しいけどケーキ大好き！ (drop copulas entirely)
Why is 母 used here and not お母さん?
In writing or when referring to your own mother, you often use 母 (はは). お母さん (おかあさん) is more polite/respectful and commonly used when addressing someone else’s mother or talking directly to your mother.
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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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