Breakdown of watasi ha asita no kaigi ni syussekisimasu.
Questions & Answers about watasi ha asita no kaigi ni syussekisimasu.
What does the particle は do here? Could I use が instead after 私?
Do I need to say 私 at all?
No. Japanese often omits pronouns when they’re understood from context. 明日の会議に出席します is perfectly natural and common. Use 私は… when you want to:
- Set yourself as the topic for a new thread of conversation.
- Contrast with others (私は出席しますが、田中さんは出席しません).
- Avoid ambiguity in multi-person settings.
Why is の used between 明日 and 会議? Could I just say 明日会議?
の turns 明日 (tomorrow) into a modifier for 会議 (meeting): 明日の会議 = tomorrow’s meeting. You cannot say 明日会議 to mean the same thing. Alternatives:
- 明日の会議に出席します (modify the noun)
- 明日、会議に出席します (use 明日 as a time adverb, separated by a pause/comma)
- 明日は会議に出席します (make tomorrow the topic)
Why is the particle に used with 会議? Why not を or で?
出席する takes に to mark the event/occasion you attend; it’s like marking the target or occasion of presence.
- 会議に出席します = I will be present at the meeting.
- を is not used here (会議を出席する is unnatural).
- で marks the location where an action happens; with 出席する, we’re not describing an action happening at a place, but presence at an event. 会議で出席する is incorrect.
- へ also sounds wrong here; stick with に for 出席する.
What’s the difference between 出席する and 参加する?
- 出席する: to attend/be present. Focus on presence/headcount. Common for classes, meetings, ceremonies, RSVP contexts.
- 参加する: to participate/take part. Emphasizes involvement or active participation. Common for events, projects, workshops, competitions. For a meeting, both can appear, but 出席 is standard/formal for attendance; 参加 can imply you’re taking part in the discussion/activity.
Is 会議に出る also correct? How does it differ?
Yes. 会議に出る literally means to go out/appear at the meeting and is common in everyday speech. Nuance:
- 会議に出席する: more formal/polished.
- 会議に出る: neutral/casual. In writing (especially business), 出席する is safer; in conversation, 出る is very natural.
Does 出席します mean future tense? How is the future expressed?
Why not say 明日に? When do you use に with time words?
Relative-day words like 今日, 明日, 昨日 usually don’t take に when used as time adverbs. So:
- Natural: 明日、会議に出席します.
- Unnatural: 明日に、会議に出席します. You can use に if adding another particle or nuance, e.g., 明日にはわかります (by tomorrow, we’ll know), where には adds contrast/limit. When modifying a noun, use の: 明日の会議.
How formal/polite is this sentence? What are alternatives?
出席します is polite (です/ます style), good for most workplace situations. Variants:
- Plain: 出席する (casual or neutral writing).
- Extra formal/humble (e.g., RSVP or to clients): 出席いたします.
- Very casual: 明日の会議、出るよ / 出るね. Choose based on relationship and setting.
Can I change the word order?
Yes, Japanese allows flexible order for adverbials/topics, but keep the verb at the end and modifiers attached to their nouns. Natural variants:
- 明日は会議に出席します (tomorrow as topic)
- 会議には明日出席します (contrastive focus on the meeting)
- 私は明日、会議に出席します (pause after time) Avoid breaking noun phrases like 明日の会議 or moving the verb away from the end.
How do you pronounce the words? Is は pronounced wa?
- 私: わたし (watashi)
- は (topic particle): pronounced wa
- 明日: あした (common), あす (more formal/businesslike), みょうにち (very formal/written)
- の: の (no)
- 会議: かいぎ (kaigi)
- に: に (ni)
- 出席します: しゅっせきします (shusseki shimasu; note the doubled consonant っ)
Is 出席します one word or two? What’s happening morphologically?
It’s a する-verb built from the Sino‑Japanese noun 出席 (attendance) + する (to do). In polite form, する becomes します. So:
- Dictionary: 出席する
- Polite: 出席します You can think of it as a single verb meaning attend, even though it’s morphologically noun + do.
How do I make negative, past, questions, or other common forms?
- Negative (polite): 出席しません
- Past (polite): 出席しました
- Past negative (polite): 出席しませんでした
- Question: 出席しますか
- Volitional: 出席しましょう (let’s), or 出席しよう (plain)
- Potential (can): 出席できます
- Intention/plan: 出席するつもりです / 出席する予定です
How do I add contrast or emphasis with は elsewhere?
[ANSWERANSWER]
Attach は to other phrases for contrast:
- 会議には出席しますが、懇親会には出席しません (I’ll attend the meeting, but not the social).
- 明日には出席します (by tomorrow/I will at least attend tomorrow), adding a contrastive/limiting nuance with には.
How do I add contrast or emphasis with は elsewhere?
[ANSWERANSWER] Attach は to other phrases for contrast:
- 会議には出席しますが、懇親会には出席しません (I’ll attend the meeting, but not the social).
- 明日には出席します (by tomorrow/I will at least attend tomorrow), adding a contrastive/limiting nuance with には.
Are spaces normal in Japanese writing?
How do I say I plan/intend to attend, or I won’t attend?
- Plan/schedule: 明日の会議に出席する予定です.
- Intention: 明日の会議に出席するつもりです.
- Will not attend (polite negative): 出席しません.
- Formal RSVP no: 欠席します / 欠席いたします (I will be absent).
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