Breakdown of kono miti ha anzen desu ga, yoru ha abunai to omoimasu.
はha
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
夜yoru
night
がga
but
このkono
this
とto
quotative particle
道miti
road
安全anzen
safe
危ないabunai
dangerous
思うomou
to think
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.
Questions & Answers about kono miti ha anzen desu ga, yoru ha abunai to omoimasu.
What does この mean in この道 and why is it necessary?
この is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this.” It specifies which road you’re talking about—the one near you or under discussion. Without この, just saying 道 would mean “a road” or “roads” in general, not “this particular road.”
What function does the particle は have after この道 and 夜?
The particle は marks the topic of the sentence. In この道は, it tells us “as for this road…”; in 夜は, “as for nighttime…”. It highlights what you’re talking about in each clause.
Why is 安全 followed by です, but 危ない is not?
安全 is a na-adjective, which requires the copula です (or だ in plain form) when used predicatively. 危ない is an i-adjective and can stand on its own in plain form. Moreover, because 危ない appears before と思います, it must be in its dictionary (plain) form.
What kind of adjective are 安全 and 危ない, and how are they different?
- 安全 (“safe”) is a na-adjective (nominal adjective). In attributive position, it takes な (e.g., 安全な場所 “a safe place”). Predicatively, it uses です/だ.
- 危ない (“dangerous”) is an i-adjective; it ends with い, so attributive and predicative forms are the same in plain form.
What is the purpose of が after 安全です? Can you use けど instead?
Here, が is a conjunction meaning “but,” linking two clauses politely. けど is more colloquial and casual. In formal or polite speech, 安全ですが is preferred; in casual conversation you might say 安全だけど or 安全だけれど.
What role does と play in 危ないと思います?
The particle と marks the preceding clause as the content of thought or speech. 危ない + と turns it into “that it’s dangerous.” と思います then means “I think that...”. Without と, you can’t directly connect 危ない to 思います in this way.
Why do we use と思います instead of simply saying 夜は危ないです?
夜は危ないです states “it is dangerous at night” as a fact. Adding と思います—“夜は危ないと思います”—softens the statement by making it your opinion or impression, rather than a definitive claim.
Why is 私は not explicitly used in 危ないと思います?
In Japanese, the subject (often 私 “I”) is frequently omitted when it’s clear from context. Since 思います implies “I think,” there’s no need to say 私は unless you want to emphasize or contrast the subject.