Breakdown of asagohan wo sikkari tabemasu.
をwo
direct object particle
食べるtaberu
to eat
朝ご飯asagohan
breakfast
しっかりsikkari
properly
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Questions & Answers about asagohan wo sikkari tabemasu.
Who is the subject here? Why isn’t there an explicit “I”?
Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. In everyday conversation, this sentence usually means I (or we) eat a solid/proper breakfast. If you need to state it, you can say: 私は朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。
Does this mean “I will eat” or “I eat (habitually)”?
The non‑past form 食べます can express either a general habit or a future action. Context or time words clarify it:
- Habit: 毎朝、朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。 (I eat a good breakfast every morning.)
- Future: 明日、朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。 (I will eat a good breakfast tomorrow.)
What does the particle を do here? How do I pronounce it?
を marks the direct object of the verb—here, 朝ご飯 (breakfast) is what is being eaten. It’s pronounced like “o” in modern Japanese (not “wo”).
Could I use は instead of を after 朝ご飯? What changes?
- 朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。 Neutral focus on the action (eat breakfast properly).
- 朝ご飯はしっかり食べます。 Topicalizes breakfast and often implies contrast: As for breakfast, I eat properly (maybe unlike lunch or dinner).
Can I drop the particle を in casual speech?
Yes, in conversation you’ll often hear: 朝ご飯しっかり食べます。 Don’t omit を in careful writing or formal contexts.
What exactly does しっかり mean here?
しっかり means “properly; solidly; sufficiently; thoroughly.” With eating, it suggests a substantial, well‑balanced or at least adequate meal—not necessarily “healthy,” but “not skipping or skimping.” A natural translation is “I eat a solid/proper breakfast.”
How is しっかり different from similar words like ちゃんと, よく, and たくさん?
- しっかり食べる: eat properly/fully (adequate amount and manner).
- ちゃんと食べる: eat properly/appropriately (don’t skip; keep promises/schedule).
- よく食べる: can mean eats a lot or eats often (context decides).
- たくさん食べる: eats a lot (quantity-focused). They can overlap, but しっかり emphasizes doing it right and sufficiently, not just quantity.
Should I add と after しっかり? Is しっかりと食べます different?
しっかり and しっかりと are both correct. しっかりと can sound a touch more formal or emphatic in writing; in speech, plain しっかり is very common.
What part of speech is しっかり? Can it modify nouns?
It functions as an adverb (and also appears in set forms with する):
- Adverb: しっかり食べます (eat properly).
- Prenominal via する: しっかりした朝ご飯 (a substantial breakfast).
- Verb phrase: しっかりする (to be steady/reliable); command: しっかりして! (Get a grip!)
Where should しっかり go in the sentence? Can it go at the end?
Place it before the verb (often after the object):
- 朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。 (most common)
- しっかり朝ご飯を食べます。 (also fine; fronted for emphasis) Don’t put it after 食べます. Sentence-final …食べます、しっかり。 is only for special rhetorical/emphatic effects.
Why is it 食べます and not 食べです?
です attaches to nouns and adjectives. Verbs use the polite ます ending. So the verb 食べる becomes 食べます in the polite form.
How do I say this in casual, negative, or past forms?
- Casual: 朝ご飯をしっかり食べる。
- Negative (polite): 朝ご飯をしっかり食べません。
- Past (polite): 朝ご飯をしっかり食べました。
- Past negative (polite): 朝ご飯をしっかり食べませんでした。
Is 朝ご飯 the only way to say “breakfast”? What about 朝食 or 朝飯?
- 朝ご飯/朝ごはん (あさごはん): most common, neutral.
- 朝食 (ちょうしょく): formal/written or business contexts.
- 朝飯 (あさめし): casual/rough, often masculine; avoid in polite settings. All mean “breakfast,” but differ in register.
Why does Japanese here show spaces between words? Do native texts have spaces?
Spaces are added for learners. Native Japanese writing normally does not separate words with spaces: 朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。
Should I write ごはん in kanji (ご飯) or hiragana (ごはん)?
Both are common. ごはん feels a bit softer; ご飯 is also everyday-standard. Use whichever your course/material prefers, but be able to read both.
What’s the “ご” in ご飯?
It’s an honorific/politeness prefix. With food words, お/ご is common (お茶, お菓子, ご飯). The choice between お and ご is conventional here; ご飯 is the set form.
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- しっかり (shikkari) has a doubled k sound because of the small っ. Hold a brief stop before the k.
- In 食べます (tabemasu), the final “u” is often devoiced in natural speech, sounding like “tabemas.”
- を is pronounced “o.”
How can I add time/frequency to clarify the meaning?
- Frequency: 毎朝、朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。 (every morning)
- Specific day: 今日の朝、朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。 or more naturally 今朝(けさ)、しっかり食べました。
- You can use に with clock times or dates, but not usually with parts of the day when they’re topics: 朝は朝ご飯をしっかり食べます。
How do I say “I skip breakfast” instead?
Common expressions:
- 朝ご飯を抜きます。 (I skip breakfast.)
- 朝食を抜きます。 (more formal)
- Informal: 朝ご飯は食べません。 (I don’t eat breakfast.)
Does ご飯 mean “rice” or “meal”?
Both, depending on context. ご飯 can mean cooked rice or a meal in general. With 朝 (morning), 朝ご飯 specifically means breakfast (the morning meal).