Breakdown of watasi ha tomodati ni syasin wo misemasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
をwo
direct object particle
友達tomodati
friend
にni
indirect object particle
写真syasin
photo
見せるmiseru
to show
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha tomodati ni syasin wo misemasu.
What does the particle は indicate in this sentence?
は marks the topic of the sentence (what we’re talking about). Here, 私 is the topic, so the sentence literally frames “As for me, …”
Why is に used after 友達?
に marks the indirect object or the recipient of an action. Since you’re “showing” the photo to someone, 友達に means “to (my) friend(s).”
Why do we use を after 写真 here?
を marks the direct object of a transitive verb. In 写真を見せます, 写真 is the thing being shown, so it takes を.
What does 見せます mean, and how is it different from 見える?
見せます is the polite non-past form of the transitive verb 見せる meaning “to show (something) to someone.”
見える, by contrast, is an intransitive verb meaning “to be visible” or “to be able to see.”
What is the typical word order in Japanese for a sentence like this?
The usual pattern is: Topic/Subject – (Indirect Object) – Direct Object – Verb.
So here it’s: 私(は) – 友達に – 写真を – 見せます.
Can you omit 私は in casual conversation?
Yes. Japanese often drops the topic when it’s clear. You could simply say 友達に写真を見せます if it’s obvious who’s doing the showing.
What level of politeness is expressed by 見せます?
見せます is the polite (or “teineigo”) non-past form of 見せる. It’s used in formal or polite contexts, like talking to strangers or superiors.
How would you say the same thing in the casual/plain form?
Use the plain non-past 見せる instead of 見せます:
私(は)友達に写真を見せる.