Breakdown of watasi ha basutei de tomodati wo matimasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
をwo
direct object particle
友達tomodati
friend
でde
location particle
待つmatu
to wait
バス停basutei
bus stop
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha basutei de tomodati wo matimasu.
What does the particle は after 私 do, and why not が?
The particle は marks the topic of the sentence—what you’re talking about—whereas が marks the grammatical subject or a new/unknown piece of information. By using 私＋は, you’re saying “As for me,” introducing yourself as the topic. If you used 私が, you’d be emphasizing “I” as the one doing something, often in contrast or to answer “Who…?” questions.
Why is バス停 followed by で and not に?
The particle で indicates the location where an action takes place. Since 待ちます (“wait”) is an action happening at the bus stop, you use バス停で (“at the bus stop”). In contrast, に would be used for a static location of existence (“at” in the sense of being somewhere) or a destination (“to”).
Why is 友達 followed by を in 友達を待ちます?
In Japanese, the verb 待つ (“to wait”) takes a direct object, so whatever you’re waiting for must be marked with を, the object marker. Thus 友達を待ちます literally means “I wait for my friend.”
Can we omit 私は completely? When is that acceptable?
Yes. Japanese often omits the topic when it’s clear from context or previous conversation. In casual speech, you could just say バス停で友達を待ちます and the listener will understand who is waiting. You’d only include 私は if you need to contrast or clarify that it’s you doing the waiting.
Why is the verb 待ちます placed at the end of the sentence instead of right after the subject?
Japanese follows a Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) order. You first state the topic/subject (私は), then any location or object phrases (バス停で友達を), and finally the verb (待ちます). English uses Subject–Verb–Object, but Japanese verbs almost always come at the end.
What’s the difference between 待ちます and 待つ?
待ちます is the polite form (the “-masu” form) of 待つ, used in formal or everyday polite conversation. 待つ is the plain/dictionary form, used in casual speech, writing, or subordinate clauses (e.g., 友達を待つと… “when I wait for my friend…”).
How do you read and write バス停, and what does it literally mean?
It’s written バス停 and read バスてい (basu-tei). The katakana バス spells “bus,” and the kanji 停 means “stop” or “halt.” Put together, バス停 literally means “bus stop.”