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watasi ha sensei ni kikimasu.

私わたし　は　先生せんせい　に　聞ききます。watasi ha sensei ni kikimasu.
I ask the teacher.
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha sensei ni kikimasu.

Why is the particle は used after 私 instead of が?

The particle は marks the topic of the sentence—the thing you’re talking about—whereas が marks the grammatical subject or a newly introduced item. By saying 私 は, you set “me” as the topic (“As for me”), which is natural when you want to say “I [do something].”
If you used が ( 私が先生に聞きます ), it would sound like you’re emphasizing “I (and not someone else) ask the teacher.”

What role does the particle に play in 先生に?
The particle に here marks the indirect object or target of an action. In 先生に聞きます, it tells us that the action of “asking” is directed toward 先生 (“the teacher”).
Why isn’t the teacher marked with を after 先生?

を marks the direct object—the thing being acted upon. When you “ask someone” in Japanese, the person you ask is not a direct object but the target of your question, so you use に, not を.
By contrast, if you say 質問を先生にします, 質問 (“question”) is the direct object (marked with を) and 先生に remains the target.

Where is the direct object in this sentence? Shouldn’t we mark what you’re asking?

In 私 は 先生 に 聞きます, the content of the question is simply implied. If you want to specify it, you can insert it before に with を (or use an …のことを phrase). For example:

  • 先生に日本語の文法を聞きます。
    (“I ask the teacher about Japanese grammar.”)
Why does 聞きます sometimes mean “ask” and sometimes “listen”?

The verb 聞く can mean both “to listen” and “to ask,” depending on the particles:

  • 音楽を聞く → “to listen to music” (direct object is 音楽 with を)
  • 先生に聞く → “to ask the teacher” (target is 先生 with に)
How is 聞く different from 尋ねる, which also means “to ask”?
  • 聞く (kiku) is more common and neutral in everyday speech when you “ask someone” something.
  • 尋ねる (tazuneru) is slightly more formal or literary and often used in writing or formal speech (“inquire,” “visit”).
    In casual conversation, learners usually use 聞く.
Can we drop 私は and just say 先生に聞きます? Would it mean the same?
Yes. Japanese often omits the topic when context makes it clear. 先生に聞きます still means “I ask the teacher,” as long as the speaker (you) is understood. Explicitly stating 私 is only needed for emphasis or clarity.
Can the word order change? For example, 先生に私は聞きます?

Technically you can reorder elements for emphasis, but the most natural order is 私 は 先生 に 聞きます.
Putting 私は after 先生に ( 先生に私は聞きます ) sounds unusual and might confuse listeners.

Why is 聞きます in the ます form? Are there other politeness levels?

The ～ます form is standard polite speech (丁寧語). Other options:

  • Casual: 聞く → 私(は)先生に聞く。
  • More formal/honorific:
    • 先生にお聞きします (humble style)
    • 先生にお尋ねします (humble, more formal)