Breakdown of seiseki ga warui to, sensei ni tyuuisarerukoto ga arimasu.
先生sensei
teacher
がga
subject particle
とto
conditional particle
あるaru
to exist
悪いwarui
bad
〜こと〜koto
verb nominalizer
成績seiseki
grade
にni
agent particle
注意するtyuuisuru
to warn
されるsareru
passive form
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Questions & Answers about seiseki ga warui to, sensei ni tyuuisarerukoto ga arimasu.
What does the bold と after 悪い mean?
In this sentence, と is the conditional “if/when.” 成績が悪いと literally means “when grades are bad” or “if your grades are bad.” The と-conditional often expresses a natural or repeated consequence: whenever the condition is met, the result regularly follows.
Why is 注意される used instead of 注意する?
注意される is the passive form of 注意する (“to reprimand, to warn”). The passive here shifts the focus onto the one receiving the action (the student). So “先生に注意される” means “to be scolded/reprimanded by the teacher.”
What role does 先生に play in this passive sentence?
In passive constructions, に marks the agent (the doer of the action). Here 先生に indicates “by the teacher.”
Why are there two instances of the particle が?
They serve different purposes:
- The first が attaches to 成績, marking it as the subject of 悪い (“grades are bad”).
- The second が marks the nominalized phrase 注意されること as the subject of あります (“there are times when one is reprimanded”).
What does 注意されることがある mean as a whole?
The combination ～ことがある means “there are times when…” or “sometimes….” Since 注意されること is “being reprimanded,” the whole phrase means “there are times when (you) get reprimanded.”
Why is こと used after the verb in 注意されること?
こと turns the verb phrase 注意される into a noun phrase (“the act of being reprimanded”). This nominalization is necessary because あります needs a noun or nominalized clause as its subject.
Why isn’t a pronoun like “I” or “you” stated?
Japanese frequently omits subjects (zero pronouns) when they’re clear from context. Here, it’s understood that the speaker or student is the one whose grades are bad, so no explicit pronoun is needed.
Could you use a different conditional instead of と?
Yes. You could say:
• 成績が悪いと先生に注意されることがある。 (plain)
Or use たら:
• 成績が悪かったら先生に注意されることがある。
But note: と expresses a general habitual result, while たら can emphasize a specific conditional or one-time event.
How would you make this sentence more casual?
You could drop the polite ending and use a colloquial passive or even an active colloquial verb:
• 成績が悪いと先生に注意されることがある。
• 成績が悪いと先生に怒られるよ。