Breakdown of dentyuu no ue ni neko ga iruno wo mite odorokimasita.
猫neko
cat
をwo
direct object particle
がga
subject particle
のno
possessive case particle
〜の〜no
verb nominalizer
にni
location particle
見るmiru
to see
いるiru
to exist
〜て〜te
connective form
電柱dentyuu
utility pole
上ue
top
驚くodoroku
to be surprised
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Questions & Answers about dentyuu no ue ni neko ga iruno wo mite odorokimasita.
In the phrase 電柱の上に, what is the role of の here?
That の is the genitive (possessive) particle, like English ’s. It links 電柱 (“utility pole”) to 上 (“top”), giving “the top of the utility pole.”
Why is に used after 上 (上に)?
When you describe where something exists with verbs like いる (to be/exist for animate things), you mark the location with に. So 上に means “at/on the top.”
Why do we use が after 猫 instead of は?
Inside the subordinate clause 猫が電柱の上にいる, が marks the subject of いる. Using は here would turn “the cat” into the overall topic, changing the nuance. With が, we simply state “a cat is there.”
Why is the verb いる used here, not ある?
In Japanese, いる is used for existence of animate beings (people, animals). ある is for inanimate objects. Since a cat is alive, you must use いる.
What does the の in いるのを do?
That の is a nominalizer: it turns the preceding clause (猫が電柱の上にいる) into a noun-like phrase. You need this to make it the object of 見る.
Why is を placed after いるの?
Once the clause is nominalized by の, it becomes the direct object of the verb 見る. So you mark it with を: “to see the fact that …”
Why are 見て and 驚きました connected using the て-form (見て)?
The て-form of 見る (見て) links actions causally or sequentially. Here it means “upon seeing (…); when I saw (…)," which leads to “I was surprised.”
Could you use こと instead of の for nominalization? What changes?
Yes. You could say
猫が電柱の上にいることを見て驚きました。
Using こと is more formal or literary; の is more casual and common in everyday speech.
How would the sentence change if you wanted to say “when I saw…” instead of using the て-form?
You can replace 見て with 見たとき:
電柱の上に猫がいるのを見たとき、驚きました。
Here 見たとき (“when I saw”) emphasizes the timing of your surprise.