Breakdown of tomodati ha kaidan wo hayaku agareru node, watasi yori hayaku tukimasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
をwo
direct object particle
友達tomodati
friend
よりyori
comparative particle
のでnode
reason particle
早くhayaku
early
階段kaidan
staircase
速くhayaku
quickly
上がれるagareru
to be able to go up
着くtuku
to arrive
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Questions & Answers about tomodati ha kaidan wo hayaku agareru node, watasi yori hayaku tukimasu.
Why is 友達 marked with は instead of が?
は is the topic marker, introducing 友達 as the topic of the sentence (“As for my friend…”). Even though 友達 is also the logical subject (the climber/arriver), Japanese often uses は to set the context or contrast. If you used が, it would simply identify “my friend” as the subject, but by using は, you’re highlighting the friend in contrast to “me” later in the sentence.
Why is 階段 marked with を when it seems like the stairs aren’t a direct object?
This を marks the path or route of movement rather than a direct object. Many Japanese motion verbs (like 歩く, 走る, 上がる) use を to show “through/on/across” something. Here, 階段を上がる literally means “go up via the stairs.”
Why is the verb 上がる in the potential form 上がれる?
The potential form expresses ability or possibility: “to be able to climb.” For godan verbs like 上がる, you change the final -u row to the -e row and add る, giving 上がれる. So 階段を速く上がれる means “can climb the stairs quickly.”
What’s the difference between 速く and 早く, and why are both used here?
• 速い (adverb 速く) refers to speed or rate (“fast”).
• 早い (adverb 早く) refers to time or earliness (“early”).
In this sentence:
– 速く上がれる = “can climb quickly (with high speed).”
– 早く着きます = “arrive earlier (in time).”
Why is ので used for “because” instead of から?
Both ので and から can indicate reason, but ので is generally softer and more explanatory, often used in contexts where you present a cause politely or neutrally. から is more direct. Here, ので smoothly connects the ability clause to its consequence.
Who is the subject of 着きます, and why is it omitted?
The subject of 着きます is understood to be the same as the topic 友達. Japanese often omits repeated or obvious subjects. Since you’ve already introduced 友達 as the topic, you don’t need to say 友達 again.
How does the comparative より work in 私より早く着きます?
～より means “than ~.” You put the thing you’re comparing before より, and the adjective/adverb after indicates how it compares. So 私より早く literally means “earlier than me,” and 着きます completes it as “arrive earlier than me.”