Breakdown of ani ha kinou zitensya no ziko ni aimasita.
はha
topic particle
のno
possessive case particle
にni
indirect object particle
昨日kinou
yesterday
兄ani
older brother
自転車zitensya
bicycle
事故ziko
accident
事故 に あうziko ni au
to get into an accident
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Questions & Answers about ani ha kinou zitensya no ziko ni aimasita.
Why is 兄 followed by は instead of が?
は is the topic marker, framing “兄” (my older brother) as what we’re talking about. が would mark it as the subject, often introducing new or emphasized information. Here, we treat “兄” as established context, so we use 兄は.
What does the の in 自転車の事故 do? Could we just say 自転車事故?
The の links 自転車 (bicycle) and 事故 (accident) to mean “accident involving a bicycle.” You can sometimes see 自転車事故, but 自転車の事故 is more natural and clearly shows possession/association in everyday speech.
Why does 事故 take に in 事故にあいました?
The verb あう (遭う) in this sense is intransitive and takes the particle に to mark the event one “meets with” or is “subject to.” So 事故にあう literally means “to meet with an accident.”
Which kanji should I use for あいました here, 遭う or 会う?
In the sense of “meeting with an accident,” you use 遭う. Writing 事故に会う would confuse it with “meeting” in everyday sense. So the correct form is 事故に遭いました.
Why is 昨日 placed before 自転車の事故にあいました? Is that flexible?
Time expressions like 昨日 (yesterday) often appear early, before the main verb. You could also say 兄は自転車の事故に昨日遭いました, but advancing the time word makes the sentence flow more naturally: topic → time → rest of the sentence.
Why do we say 兄 instead of お兄さん to refer to my older brother?
When talking about your own family, you use the plain term 兄 (あに). お兄さん is polite/honorific and is used when addressing someone else’s brother or talking directly to your brother.
Can I add 私の before 兄は (e.g. 私の兄は)?
Yes, 私の兄は is perfectly fine and emphasizes “my brother.” However, in context it’s often clear you mean your own brother, so you can drop 私の for brevity.
Why isn’t there an object marker を for 事故?
Because 事故に遭う is intransitive (you don’t “accident” something). The particle に marks the event you experienced, not a direct object, so を isn’t used.
Could I say 兄は昨日自転車で事故にあいました?
Not quite. 自転車で would normally indicate “by bicycle” (e.g. “he traveled by bike”), but here we mean “an accident involving a bicycle,” so you need 自転車の事故 with に遭う. Saying 自転車で事故にあう might be interpreted as “causing an accident while riding a bike,” which shifts the nuance.