gaikokujin wa eigo o hanashimasu.

Foreigners speak English.

Breakdown of gaikokujin wa eigo o hanashimasu.

• は: topic particle
• を: direct object particle
• 英えい語ご: English (language)

Questions & Answers about gaikokujin wa eigo o hanashimasu.

Why is there no plural marker like -s in 外国人?

Japanese nouns generally don’t change form for singular vs. plural. 外国人 can mean “a foreigner” or “foreigners” depending on context. If you really want to stress plurality, you can add 〜たち or 〜ら after a noun (e.g. 外国人たち), but it’s often unnecessary.

What does the particle は do in 外国人は?

The particle は marks 外国人 as the ​topic​ of the sentence—the entity we’re talking about. It sets up “foreigners” as the theme, something assumed known or introduced, and what follows comments on that topic: “(As for) foreigners, they speak English.”

What would change if I used が instead of は?

Replacing は with が (外国人が英語を話します) shifts the nuance from “about foreigners” to simply stating who does the action. が introduces new or emphasized subjects. So 外国人が英語を話します often implies “It is foreigners (and not anyone else) who speak English,” whereas 外国人は英語を話します presents that as general or known information.

Why is 英語 followed by the particle を?

The particle を marks the direct object of the verb—the thing being acted upon. In 英語を話します, 英語 (“English”) is what is being spoken. Without , you wouldn’t know which noun is the object.