Breakdown of gakusei ha kenkyuu wo suru tame ni tosyokan ni ikimasu.
はha
topic particle
学生gakusei
student
にni
destination particle
行くiku
to go
をwo
direct object particle
図書館tosyokan
library
するsuru
to do
ため にtame ni
for (the sake of)
研究kenkyuu
research
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.
Questions & Answers about gakusei ha kenkyuu wo suru tame ni tosyokan ni ikimasu.
Why is the particle は used after 学生 instead of が in this sentence?
は marks the topic of the sentence rather than focusing on the fact that a student is doing the action. It sets 学生 as what we are talking about (“As for the student…”). If you used が, it would more strongly emphasize “the student” as the subject or introduce it as new information (“It is the student who…”).
Why do we say 研究をする instead of just 研究する?
研究 is a verbal noun (サ変名詞) and normally pairs with する to make a verb phrase. You can omit を and say 研究する, but adding を is more common with many verbal nouns to clearly mark the object of する. Both are grammatically correct, though usage frequency can vary by noun.
What does ために mean and how does するために work here?
ために means “in order to” when attached to the dictionary form of a verb (or to a noun+の). Here, 研究をするために literally means “for the sake of doing research” or “in order to do research,” expressing the purpose of going to the library.
Can we replace 図書館に with 図書館へ, and does it change the meaning?
You can use 図書館へ instead of 図書館に. Both particles mark direction toward a place. へ emphasizes the direction or route (“toward the library”), while に focuses on the destination itself (“to the library”). The overall meaning remains essentially the same here.
Why is 研究 followed by を and 図書館 followed by に?
Particles mark grammatical roles:
- を indicates the direct object of する (what you are doing: researching).
- に indicates the destination of 行きます (where you are going: the library).
Why is the verb 行きます in the polite form? Can we use the plain form 行く?
行きます is the polite (ます) form, typical in formal or polite contexts. In casual speech or when writing informally, you can use 行く without changing the sentence’s structure:
学生は研究をするために図書館に行く。
Can we shorten 研究をするために to 研究のために? Is there a nuance difference?
You can say 研究のために (“for research”), but it’s slightly different. 研究をするために focuses on the action “to do research,” while 研究のために is more like “for the benefit of research” or “for research purposes” (more abstract). Use 研究をするために when emphasizing the action you intend to perform.
Is it possible to drop に after ため and just say ため?
No. To express purpose (“in order to”), you need ために. Dropping に turns ため into a noun meaning “reason” or “cause,” not a purpose connector.