Breakdown of pasokon ga ugokanai kara, sensei ni naoshite moraeru?
先生sensei
teacher
がga
subject particle
にni
indirect object particle
からkara
reason particle
パソコンpasokon
computer
直すnaosu
to fix
〜て〜te
connective form
動くugoku
to work
〜ない〜nai
negative form
もらえるmoraeru
to be able to receive
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Questions & Answers about pasokon ga ugokanai kara, sensei ni naoshite moraeru?
Why is が used after パソコン instead of は or を?
- 動く is an intransitive verb, so the thing “working” is marked with が (subject marker).
- を marks a direct object for transitive verbs (e.g. ケーキを食べる).
- は would mark a topic, possibly implying contrast (“As for the computer…”) rather than simply stating it won’t work.
Why is the verb in the plain negative form (動かない) instead of the polite 動きません?
- The sentence is casual/informal.
- In polite speech you’d say 動きません.
- Plain form is common when talking among friends or in relaxed settings.
What does 動かない mean? Can I use 壊れている instead?
- 動かない literally means doesn’t move or doesn’t operate/turn on. It focuses on the function not working.
- 壊れている means is broken, emphasizing something physically damaged.
- You can say 壊れている if you want to stress it’s broken; 動かない is more general for “won’t run.”
How is から functioning here? Can I use ので or move it to the front?
- から attaches to a clause to indicate reason (“because”).
- For a softer or more polite nuance, replace with ので:
• パソコンが動かないので、… - You can move the reason clause around as long as it’s clear:
• 動かないからパソコンを直してもらえる？ - In casual speech it’s normal to end the clause with から and a comma.
What is the grammar behind 直してもらえる (Vて＋もらう/もらえる)?
- Vて＋もらう means “to receive the favor of someone doing V for you.”
- Here, 直す = “to fix,” so 直してもらう = “have someone fix it (for me).”
- 直してもらえる？ adds the potential, “can receive,” so it becomes a casual request:
• “Could you fix it for me?” - This pattern emphasizes the speaker as the beneficiary.
Why is 先生 marked with に instead of が?
- In the Vて＋もらう structure, the person from whom you receive the favor is marked with に:
• 先生に直してもらう - If you used 直してくれる, you’d mark the doer with が:
• 先生が直してくれる
Why end with 〜もらえる？ instead of 〜もらえますか？; what’s the difference in politeness?
- もらえる？ is plain/casual.
- もらえますか？ is polite, suitable for teachers or less familiar people.
- Even more polite: 直していただけますか？ (humble request).
There’s no 私の before パソコン. Is that OK? Why is it so compact?
- Japanese often omits pronouns and possessives when context is clear.
- It’s obvious you mean “my computer,” so 私の is dropped.
- Casual Japanese tends to be concise, especially in speech.