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kanozyo ha atarasii senpai ni tyokusetu situmonsita.

彼女かのじょ　は　新あたらしい　先輩せんぱい　に　直接ちょくせつ　質問しつもんした。kanozyo ha atarasii senpai ni tyokusetu situmonsita.
She asked the new senior directly.
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Questions & Answers about kanozyo ha atarasii senpai ni tyokusetu situmonsita.

Why is は used after 彼女 instead of が?
  • は marks the topic: “as for her…”
  • が marks the grammatical subject and often emphasizes or identifies it: “it was she (not someone else) who…”
  • So 彼女は新しい先輩に直接質問した sets “her” as the topic. 彼女が新しい先輩に直接質問した would sound contrastive or identifying.
Why is に used after 先輩?
  • With 質問する, the person you direct the question to is marked with に.
  • Pattern: AはBに質問する (A asks B).
  • を would mark the object of the verb (e.g., 質問をする), not the person addressed.
Why is there no を after 質問 here? Is 質問をした also correct?
  • Yes. Sino‑Japanese noun + する verbs can be used as:
    • 質問した (shorter)
    • 質問をした (slightly more formal/careful)
  • Meaning is the same in this sentence.
What exactly does 直接 modify here, and where should it go in the sentence?
  • It modifies the manner of asking (the verb 質問した), meaning “directly, without going through someone else.”
  • Natural placements:
    • 彼女は新しい先輩に直接質問した。
    • 彼女は直接、新しい先輩に質問した。 (comma helps readability)
    • 彼女は新しい先輩に直接質問をした。
  • Avoid clunky: 質問を直接した (less natural).
  • As a compound, 直接質問した (“directly questioned”) is also common and fine.
Should it be 直接 or 直接に?
  • Both are acceptable. 直接 (without に) is very common in speech.
  • 直接に sounds a touch more formal/careful. No change in meaning here.
Does 直接 mean “in person”?
  • Not necessarily. It means “directly (without intermediaries).”
  • It could be face‑to‑face, by phone, or by email.
  • If you specifically mean in person, say 直接会って質問した or 対面で質問した.
Is 新しい先輩 a natural phrase? “New senior” sounds odd in English.
  • It’s natural in Japanese. It means:
    • a senpai who is new to the group/department, or
    • someone who has newly become your senpai (e.g., after you advanced a grade).
  • Alternatives when you want to be clearer:
    • 新しく入ってきた先輩
    • 新任の先輩
    • 今年からの先輩 (since this year)
What does 先輩 mean exactly, and do I add さん?
  • 先輩 (せんぱい) = someone senior to you in a school/club/company by experience/tenure, not necessarily older or your boss (上司).
  • As a form of address, you can say 田中先輩. You don’t add さん to plain 先輩 (avoid 先輩さん).
Why use 質問する instead of 聞く, 尋ねる, or 問う?
  • 質問する: “to ask a question,” often formal or Q&A contexts; focuses on the act of questioning.
  • 聞く／訊く: “to ask (to hear),” takes the content with を and the person with に. Example: 先輩に理由を聞いた. Avoid 理由を質問した; prefer 理由について質問した or use 聞く.
  • 尋ねる: “to inquire/ask,” often for directions/info; somewhat formal.
  • 問う: very formal/literary “to inquire, question (something).”
How do I include what she asked about or the exact content?
  • About a topic: 先輩にその計画について質問した。
  • Yes/No or embedded question: いつ始まるのか（どうか）先輩に質問した。 or 先輩に、いつ始まるのかと質問した。
  • If you want to ask the specific information (time, reason, etc.), 聞く is usually more natural: 先輩に時間を聞いた。
How flexible is the word order?
  • Japanese allows scrambling before the final verb. Natural variants include:
    • 彼女は新しい先輩に直接質問した。
    • 彼女は直接新しい先輩に質問した。
    • 新しい先輩に彼女は直接質問した。 (fronting 先輩に for emphasis)
  • Keep the verb at the end. Avoid 質問を直接した; prefer 直接質問をした or place 直接 right before the verb.
Shouldn’t she be more polite to a 先輩? How would I say this politely or with honorifics?
  • Polite: 彼女は新しい先輩に直接質問しました。
  • Humble (talking about your own action to a superior): （私は）先輩に直接お伺いしました。 or 先輩に直接質問いたしました。
  • Note: ご質問しました is usually avoided for your own asking; ご質問 is typically used for others’ questions (e.g., ご質問ありがとうございます to an audience).
Can I drop 彼女?
  • Yes, if context makes the subject clear: 新しい先輩に直接質問した。
  • In natural conversation, names/titles are preferred over pronouns like 彼女/彼.
How do I read the sentence?
  • Kana: かのじょ は あたらしい せんぱい に ちょくせつ しつもん した。
  • Romaji: Kanojo wa atarashii senpai ni chokusetsu shitsumon shita.
Why are there spaces between the words? Japanese usually doesn’t have them.
  • Correct—standard Japanese doesn’t use spaces. They’re inserted here to help learners see the word boundaries.
How do I count the number of questions?
  • 先輩に一つ質問した。 (asked one question)
  • 先輩に質問を一つした。 (also fine)
  • More formal/literary: 一問質問した。
What’s the difference between 直接 and 直接的?
  • 直接: “direct(ly)” in the sense of no intermediary; adverb or, with の, an attributive: 直接の原因.
  • 直接的: “explicitly/bluntly direct”; often evaluative. 直接的な質問 = a blunt/pointed question.
  • Adverbs: 直接に and 直接的に. For “indirectly,” use 間接的に.