……
Breakdown of heya wo kirei ni tamotuno ha taihen desu.
はha
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
をwo
direct object particle
〜の〜no
verb nominalizer
部屋heya
room
大変taihen
hard
きれい にkirei ni
cleanly
保つtamotu
to keep
Questions & Answers about heya wo kirei ni tamotuno ha taihen desu.
Why is に used after きれい?
きれい is a na-adjective, so when you want it to modify a verb (here 保つ), you need its adverbial form きれいに, meaning “cleanly” or “neatly.”
What role does を play with 保つ?
The particle を marks the direct object of 保つ (“to keep” or “to maintain”). Here 部屋 (“room”) is what you are keeping clean.
What does the の after 保つ do?
That の nominalizes the verb phrase 保つ, turning “to keep (the room) clean” into the noun-like concept “keeping (the room) clean.” This allows you to attach は and make a statement about it.
Why is は placed after 保つの?
Once the clause is nominalized by の, は marks it as the topic: “As for keeping the room clean….” The following 大変です comments on that topic.
How does 大変です function here—an adjective or something else?
大変 is a na-adjective meaning “tough,” “hard,” or “a lot of work.” With です it politely asserts that the topic (keeping the room clean) is hard.
Can you use が instead of は here? What changes if we say 部屋をきれいに保つのが大変です?
Yes. Using が (保つのが大変です) marks the nominalized action as the grammatical subject of 大変です, which often feels slightly more objective or neutral. のは sets up a topic-comment structure, while のが highlights the action itself as the thing that’s difficult.
Is 部屋をきれいに保つのは大変です casual or polite?
With です, it’s polite-neutral. In casual speech you could drop です and say 部屋をきれいに保つのは大変だ.
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