Breakdown of ani ha ginkou de hatarakimasu.
はha
topic particle
でde
location particle
兄ani
older brother
銀行ginkou
bank
働くhataraku
to work
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Questions & Answers about ani ha ginkou de hatarakimasu.
What does 兄 mean, and why isn't there a word for "my" in front of it?
兄 means “older brother.” In Japanese, kinship terms often stand alone when the context makes ownership clear. If you’re talking about your own brother, you don’t need 私の. You could say 私の兄 to be explicit, but it’s usually unnecessary.
Why is the particle は used here instead of が?
は is the topic marker—“As for my older brother…”—and sets what you’re talking about. が would mark the subject neutrally or introduce new information. Using は highlights that you’re discussing your brother’s occupation specifically.
Why is は pronounced “wa” here instead of “ha”?
When は functions as the topic particle, Japanese pronunciation shifts to “wa.” Inside words it stays “ha,” but as a particle always “wa.”
What role does で play after 銀行?
で marks the location where an action takes place. Since 働きます (“work”) is an action verb, 銀行で means “at (the) bank.”
Why isn’t the object marker を used before 働きます?
働く is intransitive (“to work”), so it doesn’t take a direct object. You simply state the place of the action with で, not を.
What does the -ます ending in 働きます indicate?
The -ます form makes the verb polite and indicates non-past tense (present or future). The plain dictionary form is 働く.
How would you express “is working” (continuous action) instead of just “works”?
Use the -ている form:
兄は銀行で働いています。
This says “My older brother is working at the bank,” emphasizing the ongoing action.
How is the word order arranged in this sentence?
Japanese follows a Subject/Topic – (Indirect Object) – (Direct Object) – Verb pattern. Here it’s:
Subject/Topic: 兄は
Location: 銀行で
Verb: 働きます
All modifying elements come before the main verb.