kono tokei wa furui desu ga, mada ugokimasu.

This clock is old, but it still moves.

Breakdown of kono tokei wa furui desu ga, mada ugokimasu.

• は: topic particle
• です: to be
• この: this
• が: conjunction particle

Questions & Answers about kono tokei wa furui desu ga, mada ugokimasu.

What does この mean and how is it used here?

この is a demonstrative adjective meaning this. It must come directly before a noun to indicate something near the speaker. In our sentence, この時計 means this clock (the one we’re talking about).

Why is the particle は placed after この時計 instead of が?

は marks the topic of the sentence—the thing we’re talking about. By saying この時計は, you set this clock as the subject of your comment. If you used が, it would mark the clock as an unidentified subject rather than the topic.

Why do we say 古いです instead of just 古い?

古い is an い-adjective meaning old. In polite speech, predicates (whether adjective or noun) take です to soften the statement. So 古いです = is old in a polite register. In casual speech you could drop です and just say 古い.

What role does が play in 古いですが?

Here, が is a conjunction meaning but or however. It connects the first clause (it is old) with the second clause (it still works). In polite speech が is common; more formal alternatives include けれども, and more casual you’d use けど.