watasi ha hurui sumaho wo kaikaemasu.

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Questions & Answers about watasi ha hurui sumaho wo kaikaemasu.

What does 買い替えます mean exactly, and how is it different from just 買います?

買い替えます is the polite non-past form of the verb 買い替える, which literally means “to buy and replace (something old with something new).” Key points:

  • 買います simply means “to buy.”
  • 買い替えます implies you already have an old item and you’re replacing it by purchasing a new one.
Why is 古い placed directly before スマホ, and why isn’t there a particle like between them?

In Japanese, い-adjectives like 古い (“old”) directly modify nouns without any additional particle. Structure:

  • 古い スマホ = “old smartphone”
    No is needed because 古い is already an adjective, not a noun.
Why do we use the particle after スマホ, instead of or ?
The particle marks the direct object—the thing being acted upon. Here, スマホ is what you’re “buying and replacing.” If you used , it would mark the subject, which doesn’t fit this verb. could mark a topic but wouldn’t show that you’re directly replacing the smartphone.
What role does play after ? Could we use instead?

is the topic marker. It tells the listener “I’m going to talk about myself.”

  • 私 は: “As for me…”
    Using (私 が) would mark “I” as the grammatical subject, but is more natural here since you’re making a statement about your own action.
Can you omit 私 は and just say 古い スマホ を 買い替えます?
Yes. Japanese often drops the topic/pronoun when context is clear. If it’s obvious you’re talking about yourself, 古い スマホ を 買い替えます is perfectly natural.
Is there any nuance between 買い替える and 買い直す?

They’re similar but have slight differences:

  • 買い替える focuses on replacing an old item with a new one (planned upgrade).
  • 買い直す literally means “buy again,” often after returning or because the first purchase was wrong/unsatisfactory.
Why is 買い替えます written with kanji and kana mixed? Could you write it all in kana?

Japanese verbs often use kanji for the root and kana for the inflection/compounding part:

  • (kanji for “buy”)
  • い替え (kana + kanji for “replace”)
  • ます (polite ending in kana)
    You can write it all in kana (かいかえます), but mixing kanji and kana is standard for readability.