Breakdown of watasi ha zyuuzi ni tosyokan de benkyousimasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
でde
location particle
にni
time particle
図書館tosyokan
library
十時zyuuzi
ten o’clock
勉強するbenkyousuru
to study
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha zyuuzi ni tosyokan de benkyousimasu.
Why is は used after 私 instead of が?
は is the topic marker, showing what the sentence is about—in this case, “as for me.” If you used が (私は→私が), you’d be emphasizing “I” as the one who does the studying (often used when introducing new information or contrasting). Here we simply set “I” as the known topic.
What does に after 十時 indicate?
に marks a specific point in time. So 十時に means “at ten o’clock.” Without に, “ten o’clock” would be just a noun, not a time adverbial.
Why do we use で after 図書館 and not に?
で marks the location where an action takes place. Since the sentence says “study at the library,” the library is the setting of the action, so we use で. If you said 図書館にいます, you’d mean “to be at the library,” because に can also mark where someone or something exists.
Why is the time phrase 十時に placed before the place phrase 図書館で?
Standard Japanese word order for adverbial phrases is:
- Time (when)
- Place (where)
- Manner or other adverbs
- Verb (what you do)
So “at ten o’clock (十時に)” comes before “at the library (図書館で),” and finally the verb “study (勉強します).”
Is 勉強します present tense or future tense?
Japanese doesn’t distinguish between present and future in the same way English does. The -ます form can mean either “study(s)” or “will study,” depending on context. Here it likely means “I will study.” Context or time words (like 明日 “tomorrow”) usually clarify if it’s future.
How do you read 十時?
You read 十時 as じゅうじ (juu-ji). The kanji 十 is “juu” (ten) and 時 is “ji” (o’clock).
Why are some words in kanji and particles in hiragana?
Japanese writing mixes kanji (for content words like 私, 十時, 図書館, 勉強) with hiragana (for grammatical elements like は, に, で, します). This makes texts easier to parse, since kanji convey lexical meaning and hiragana show grammar.
Can I drop 私は and still be understood?
Yes. Japanese often omits the topic or subject when it’s clear from context. If you’re already talking about yourself, just 十時に図書館で勉強します is perfectly natural and implies “I will study at the library at ten.”
Why is 勉強します in its polite form?
勉強 is a noun meaning “study,” and adding する (to do) makes 勉強する “to study.” The -ます ending (勉強します) marks polite speech. You’d use it in formal settings or with people you don’t know well. In casual speech, you’d say 勉強する instead.