Breakdown of kono syousetu ha eiga yori omosiroi to omoimasu.
はha
topic particle
映画eiga
movie
よりyori
comparative particle
このkono
this
とto
quotative particle
思うomou
to think
面白いomosiroi
interesting
小説syousetu
novel
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Questions & Answers about kono syousetu ha eiga yori omosiroi to omoimasu.
What does この mean here and why is it used?
この is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this.” It modifies 小説 (novel) to specify which novel you’re talking about—namely, this one.
Why is the particle は used after 小説 instead of が?
は marks the topic of the sentence (“as for this novel…”). It sets 小説 as the thing you’re talking about. Using が would make 小説 the grammatical subject and emphasize it as new information rather than the established topic.
How does より work in 映画 より? Why not “映画 が”?
より is the comparison particle meaning “than.” You attach it directly to the thing you’re comparing against. You don’t need が here. 映画より literally means “than the movie.”
What’s the basic comparison pattern in this sentence?
The pattern X は Y より Z means “X is more Z than Y.” Here:
X = この小説
Y = 映画
Z = 面白い
So it reads “This novel is more interesting than the movie.”
Why is there a と before 思います?
That と is the quotative particle. It marks the preceding clause (この小説は映画より面白い) as the content of your thought. In English, it’s like saying “I think that ….”
Why is 面白い not 面白いです before と思います? Can I say 面白いですと思います?
In Japanese, the clause before the quotative と must be in the plain (dictionary) form. 面白い is an い-adjective in plain form, so you can’t mix polite です inside that clause. Politeness is expressed by the final verb 思います. Saying 面白いですと思います would sound unnatural.
Why don’t we include 私は at the beginning? Who is the subject?
Subjects (like 私は) are often dropped in Japanese when they’re clear from context. Since you’re stating a personal thought, it’s obvious the subject is “I,” so you don’t need to say 私は.
Can we say 映画よりも instead of 映画より? What’s the difference?
Yes. Adding も after より (映画よりも) adds a bit more emphasis to the comparison but doesn’t change the core meaning. Both mean “than the movie.”
Is there another way to form this comparison using のほうが?
Absolutely. You can say この小説のほうが映画より面白いと思います. Here のほうが highlights この小説 as the “more” side in the comparison, but the meaning remains “I think this novel is more interesting than the movie.”
How would you change this sentence to past tense?
You’d switch 思います to 思いました (I thought). If you also want the adjective in past tense, you can use 面白かった. For example:
この小説は映画より面白かったと思いました。
“I thought this novel was more interesting than the movie.”