Learn Hardcore Japanese: denwa no gamen ga kurakute miemasen. - The phone screen is dark and I can't see it.

の is the genitive particle. It links two nouns to show possession or association. 電話の画面 literally means “the screen of the phone,” similar to “phone’s screen” in English.

Why is 画面 marked with が instead of は?

In this sentence, が marks the grammatical subject of an intransitive or potential verb (見えません). It also emphasizes new or important information (“the screen can’t be seen”). Using は would shift 電話の画面 to the topic position and could imply contrast with something else.

Where is the subject “I”? Who can’t see the screen?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, 見えません implies “I cannot see,” so “I” is understood even though it’s not explicitly stated. You could add 私 (I) as 私は見えません, but it’s usually unnecessary.

What does 暗くて mean, and why not just 暗い?

暗くて is the て-form of the i-adjective 暗い (“dark”). The て-form is used to connect clauses, like saying “dark and…” or “because it’s dark…”. Here it links 暗い to 見えません: “It’s dark, and (so) I can’t see.”

What’s the difference between 見えません and 見ません?

見えません is the negative potential form of 見える (“to be visible”), meaning “cannot be seen” or “I can’t see.” 見ません is the plain negative of 見る (“to look” or “to see”), meaning “I do not look.” To express inability, you need 見えません.

Could I use 暗いので or 暗いから instead of 暗くて?

Yes. Both ので and から explicitly mark reasons:
• 電話の画面が暗いので見えません。
• 電話の画面が暗いから見えません。
Using 暗くて is more conversational and simply links the ideas without an overt “because.”

Is this sentence polite or casual?

It’s polite because it uses the ‑ません form (見えません). In casual speech, you would use 見えない instead: 電話の画面が暗くて見えない。