Breakdown of watasi ha mainiti basu ni norimasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
にni
destination particle
毎日mainiti
every day
乗るnoru
to ride
バスbasu
bus
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha mainiti basu ni norimasu.
Why is 私 followed by は instead of が?
は is the topic marker, showing what the sentence is about (“As for me…”). が is the subject marker, often used to introduce new information or emphasize the doer of an action. Here, you’re simply stating something about yourself in general, so は is appropriate.
Why is the particle に used after バス instead of を?
With verbs of motion or boarding like 乗る, the thing you get on is marked by に (the endpoint or target of motion). を would mark a direct object, but you don’t “object” the bus—you “board” it, so you use バスに乗る (“ride the bus”).
How do you read 毎日, and what does it mean?
毎日 is read まいにち (mainichi) and means “every day.” It’s a time adverbial that tells you how often the action happens.
Can 私は be omitted in this sentence?
Yes. Japanese often drops the topic when it’s clear from context. You can simply say 毎日バスに乗ります and it will still mean “I ride the bus every day,” assuming the listener knows you’re talking about yourself.
Why is the verb in the polite form 乗ります instead of the dictionary form 乗る?
乗ります is the non-past polite form (the -masu form), used in formal or neutral contexts. 乗る is the plain/dictionary form, which you’d use in casual speech or writing among friends.
Could we change the word order, for example saying 毎日私はバスに乗ります?
Yes. Thanks to particles, Japanese word order is flexible. Putting 毎日 at the front simply emphasizes “every day.” Both 私 は 毎日 バス に 乗ります and 毎日 私 は バス に 乗ります are grammatically correct.
Why is バス written in katakana?
バス is a loanword (外来語, gairaigo) from English bus, so it’s conventionally written in katakana to show it’s borrowed.
Does 乗ります refer only to the present tense, or can it express a habitual action?
The non-past form 乗ります covers both present and future/habitual actions. Here it expresses a habitual action (“I ride/take the bus every day”). For past tense you’d use 乗りました.