Breakdown of muzukashii bunshou o honyakusurutoki, jisho o shirabemasu.
をo
direct object particle
難しいmuzukashii
difficult
ときtoki
when
文章bunshou
sentence
Questions & Answers about muzukashii bunshou o honyakusurutoki, jisho o shirabemasu.
What part of speech is 難しい, and how does it modify 文章?
難しい is an i-adjective. I-adjectives can directly attach to nouns without any extra particle. Here, 難しい describes 文章, giving us 難しい文章 = “difficult text(s).”
What is the function of を in 難しい文章を翻訳するとき?
The particle を marks 難しい文章 as the direct object of the verb 翻訳する (“to translate”). It tells us what is being translated.
How does the phrase 翻訳するとき work grammatically, and what does it mean?
翻訳するとき is formed by the dictionary form of the verb 翻訳する + とき (“when”). Together they create a time clause meaning “when (I) translate.” In Japanese, this subordinate clause indicates an action that takes place before or at the same time as the main clause.
Why is 翻訳する in the dictionary form instead of the て-form or past form before とき?
