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watasi ha saihu wo wasuremasita.

私わたし　は　財布さいふ　を　忘わすれました。watasi ha saihu wo wasuremasita.
I forgot my wallet.
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha saihu wo wasuremasita.

Why is the particle は used after 私 instead of が?
  • は marks the topic of the sentence (what you’re talking about), not necessarily the grammatical subject.
  • In 私は財布を忘れました, you’re saying “As for me, I forgot my wallet.”
  • が would mark the subject or emphasize who performed the action. If you said 私が財布を忘れました, it feels like you’re stressing “I (and not someone else) forgot the wallet.”
What role does the particle を play after 財布?
  • を indicates the direct object of a transitive verb.
  • Since 忘れる (to forget) is transitive, it needs を to show what is being forgotten: 財布を忘れました (“(I) forgot the wallet.”)
Why is the verb 忘れました instead of 忘れた?
  • 忘れました is the polite past form (ます-stem + ました).
  • 忘れた is the plain/casual past form (dictionary form + た).
  • Use 忘れました in formal settings or with people you don’t know well; 忘れた with friends or family.
What verb group does 忘れる belong to, and how do I conjugate it to polite past?
  • 忘れる is an ichidan (る-verb).
  • Polite present: drop る
    • ます → 忘れます
  • Polite past: 忘れます → drop ます
    • ました → 忘れました
Can I omit 私は and just say 財布を忘れました?

Yes. Japanese often drops pronouns when context is clear.

  • 財布を忘れました is perfectly natural if it’s obvious who you’re talking about.
  • Adding 私は can add emphasis or clarity, especially in ambiguous situations.
What’s the nuance difference between 私は財布を忘れました and 私が財布を忘れました?
  • 私は… sets “I” as the topic and states a fact about myself.
  • 私が… highlights “I” as the doer of the action, often implying contrast (“I, not someone else, forgot it”).
How is 私 read, and are there alternative pronouns?
  • Common reading: わたし (gender-neutral, polite).
  • Formal/literary: わたくし.
  • Casual (often male): ぼく or おれ.
    Choose based on formality and your own speaking style.
How is the particle を pronounced?
  • Pronounced お (like the “o” in “orange”).
  • The spelling を reflects historical pronunciation (wo), but modern standard Japanese says o.
How can I say “I forgot my wallet” more casually?
  • Drop particles and use the plain past: 財布忘れた.
  • Use a contraction of てしまう for nuance: 財布を忘れちゃった (I accidentally/just forgot my wallet).
  • You can even shorten further: 財布、忘れちゃった。
Why does 忘れました come at the end of the sentence?

Japanese is a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) language:
1) Topic/subject (私は)
2) Object (財布を)
3) Verb (忘れました)
Verbs almost always appear at the end.