Breakdown of hurui denti wo atarasii denti ni kaemasu.
にni
destination particle
をwo
direct object particle
新しいatarasii
new
古いhurui
old
電池denti
battery
替えるkaeeru
to replace
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Questions & Answers about hurui denti wo atarasii denti ni kaemasu.
Why is there no subject in this sentence?
In Japanese, the subject (like I or you) is often omitted when it’s clear from context. Here, since we understand who’s doing the replacing, the sentence simply starts with 古い電池を新しい電池に替えます without stating a subject.
Why are 古い電池 and 新しい電池 marked by を and に, respectively?
The particle を marks 古い電池 as the direct object (the thing being replaced). The particle に marks 新しい電池 as the target or result of the action—i.e. what the old battery becomes after replacement.
What’s the role of に here and can I use と instead?
に indicates the new state or target in A を B に 替える. If you use と (as in 古い電池を新しい電池と替える), it would mean “replace together with,” which doesn’t convey “into.” To express “replace A with B,” always use A を B に 替える.
What does the verb 替えます mean here, and why is this kanji used?
替えます is the polite form of 替える (かえる), meaning “to replace” or “swap out.” The kanji 替 highlights substitution. In casual speech you’d say 電池を替える, while 替えます is the polite version you might use with customers or in formal situations.
What’s the difference between 替える, 交換する, and 取り替える?
- 替える (かえる): a general word for “replacing” or “swapping” one thing for another.
- 交換する (こうかんする): more formal “to exchange” or “trade,” often used in service contexts (tickets, data, etc.).
- 取り替える (とりかえる): emphasizes physically taking out the old item and putting a new one in (e.g. changing a lightbulb, swapping batteries).
Why do 古い and 新しい directly modify 電池 without any particle?
In Japanese, adjectives directly attach to nouns. So 古い電池 means “old battery” and 新しい電池 means “new battery,” with no extra particles between adjective and noun.
Can I omit the second 電池 to avoid repetition, like 古い電池を新しいに替えます?
You can omit the noun by using の as a placeholder:
古い電池を新しいのに替えます。
Here, の stands in for 電池. Saying 新しいに替えます without の is ungrammatical.
Is there a difference between 電池 and バッテリー?
電池 (でんち) refers to small batteries (AA, AAA, etc.) or dry cells. バッテリー is a loanword often used for car batteries or in casual speech; for everyday household batteries, 電池 is the standard term.
Why is the verb placed at the end of the sentence?
Japanese follows an SOV (subject-object-verb) structure, so the verb naturally appears at the end. In 古い電池を新しい電池に替えます, 替えます is the final element.