Breakdown of watasi ha nihongo no syousetu wo eigo ni honyakusimasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
にni
destination particle
をwo
direct object particle
日本語nihongo
Japanese (language)
英語eigo
English (language)
のno
possessive case particle
小説syousetu
novel
翻訳するhonyakusuru
to translate
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha nihongo no syousetu wo eigo ni honyakusimasu.
What does は after 私 signify?
The particle は marks 私 as the topic of the sentence (“as for me”). It tells the listener that the statement is about 私, not that 私 is necessarily the grammatical subject. In English terms, it’s like saying “As for me, …”
Why is の used between 日本語 and 小説?
The particle の links two nouns in a possessive or descriptive way. Here 日本語の小説 literally means “a novel of the Japanese language,” i.e. a novel written in Japanese. It functions like the English “’s” or “of.”
What does を after 小説 indicate?
The particle を marks 小説 as the direct object of the verb. It shows what is being translated. In English, it’s like saying “translate the novel.”
What does に after 英語 indicate?
The particle に marks the target or destination of an action. Here 英語に means “into English.” It tells us the language you are translating into.
Is 翻訳します present tense or future tense?
Japanese verbs don’t distinguish present vs. future; the polite form 翻訳します can mean either “I translate” or “I will translate.” Context (e.g. time expressions) usually makes the exact meaning clear. Without a time word, it often implies future intention.
Why include 私 は? Can I omit it?
Yes. In Japanese, pronouns like 私 are often dropped if context makes the speaker obvious. You could simply say 日本語の小説を英語に翻訳します and it still means “I will translate a Japanese novel into English.” Adding 私 は only emphasizes that you (and not someone else) will do it.
Why isn’t there a を before 翻訳します? Is 翻訳 a noun or a verb?
翻訳する is a compound verb (a “suru-verb”). In Japanese, 翻訳 is a noun and する (“to do”) turns it into a verb. You don’t need を before 翻訳します because the object marker is already on 小説. You are doing the action of translating (the novel), not translating (the act of translation).
Why does Japanese put 小説を and 英語に before the verb, rather than after as in English?
Japanese is typically Subject–Object–Verb (SOV). The verb comes at the end, and particles (は, を, に) mark the function of each phrase. In English (SVO), we place the verb between subject and object, but in Japanese the verb follows all its objects and targets.