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sono kutu ha watasi no suutu ni au.

その　靴くつ　は　私わたし　の　スーツ　に　合あう。sono kutu ha watasi no suutu ni au.
Those shoes go well with my suit.
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Questions & Answers about sono kutu ha watasi no suutu ni au.

What does the particle は do in その靴は? Could I use が instead?
  • は marks the topic: “as for those shoes.” It frames what you’re talking about and can feel contrastive.
  • が marks the grammatical subject and often emphasizes it as new/specific info.
  • Both work, with nuance:
    • その靴は私のスーツに合う = Speaking about those shoes, they go with my suit.
    • その靴が私のスーツに合う = It’s those shoes (as opposed to others) that go with my suit.
Why is に used before 合う? Could I use を or と?
  • With the “match/go well (with)” meaning, the counterpart is marked by に: X は Y に 合う.
  • を is not used here because 合う is intransitive in this sense (no direct object).
  • と is also possible: X は Y と 合う (“X and Y go well together”). に treats Y as the reference/target; と presents them as a pair. Both are natural, nuance is minor.
    • このネクタイはスーツに合う.
    • このネクタイはスーツと合う.
What’s the difference between 合う and 似合う?
  • 合う: general “to match/go well, be compatible” for items, colors, tastes, schedules, etc. Pattern: X は Y に 合う.
  • 似合う: “to suit/look good on (a person).” Pattern: 服/色 は 人 に 似合う.
  • Clothing-to-clothing: スーツに合うネクタイ (use 合う).
  • Clothing-to-person: そのスーツはあなたに似合う (use 似合う).
  • Colors/styles can use 合う with people too: この色はあなたに合う is natural.
Why isn’t there です at the end? How do I make it polite?
  • 合う is a verb; you don’t add です to verbs. Make it polite with ます.
  • Polite: その靴は私のスーツに合います.
  • Casual: その靴は私のスーツに合う.
  • You can add sentence particles like ね/よ to adjust tone.
How do I say it in the negative, past, or as a question?
  • Negative (plain/polite): 合わない / 合いません.
  • Past (plain/polite): 合った / 合いました.
  • Progressive/result state: 合っている / 合っています.
  • Questions: add か (polite) or rising intonation (casual).
    • その靴は私のスーツに合いますか。
    • その靴は私のスーツに合わない？
Can I change the word order?
  • Yes. Particles show each phrase’s role; the verb stays at the end.
  • Natural variants:
    • その靴は私のスーツに合う.
    • 私のスーツにその靴は合う.
    • 私のスーツに合うのはその靴だ (cleft for emphasis).
  • Keep chunks intact (e.g., don’t split 私の from スーツ).
Is 靴 singular or plural? Does it mean a pair?
  • Japanese usually doesn’t mark plural. 靴 commonly means “shoes” as a pair by default.
  • To count pairs, use the counter 足:
    • 一足（いっそく）= one pair, 二足（にそく）= two pairs.
  • A single shoe specifically: 片方の靴.
Do I need 私の? Can I omit it?
  • Possessives are often omitted when obvious. If context makes it clear, その靴はスーツに合う is fine.
  • If you’re pointing at a specific suit, you can say このスーツに合う.
  • Keep 私の when you need to specify or contrast whose suit it is.
What exactly does その mean here? How is it different from この and あの?
  • この = this (near the speaker).
  • その = that (near the listener or previously mentioned).
  • あの = that over there (far from both or not present).
  • In a shop, items the customer is holding are その; items the speaker is holding are この.
Does 合う ever mean “fit” in the size sense?
  • Yes, with が or 足に:
    • サイズが合う / 靴が合う = the size fits.
    • この靴は私の足に合う = these shoes fit my feet.
  • In the sentence with に before 合う, it’s about style/coordination, not size.
What’s the nuance difference between 合う and 合っている?
  • 合う (nonpast) can be a general judgment or simple statement of fact.
  • 合っている highlights the current state/result: “is a match (right now).”
  • Both work here:
    • その靴は私のスーツに合う.
    • その靴は私のスーツに合っている.
Can I use 合う to modify nouns, like “shoes that go with my suit”?
  • Yes, use a relative clause:
    • 私のスーツに合う靴 = shoes that go with my suit.
  • You can also use the attributive past for “suited/appropriate to”:
    • 季節に合った服 = clothes suited to the season.
    • スーツに合った靴 = shoes suited to a suit.
Why is スーツ in katakana? Any pronunciation tips?
  • It’s a loanword (gairaigo), so it’s written in katakana: スーツ.
  • Pronunciation: スー has a long う (sū). 合う is two vowels “a-u” pronounced smoothly (not “ow”).
Does fronting 私のスーツに change the emphasis?
  • 私のスーツにその靴は合う puts focus on “regarding my suit…”
  • You can add は to the に-phrase for contrast: 私のスーツには合う (but maybe not to other suits).
  • Fronting and は often sound contrastive/emphatic.
How do I say “also” with も here, and where do I put it?
  • Attach も to the part you mean “also”:
    • その靴も私のスーツに合う = Those shoes also go with my suit (in addition to other shoes).
    • その靴は私のスーツにも合う = Those shoes go with my suit too (in addition to other clothes).
    • その靴も私のスーツにも合う = Both “also” meanings at once.
Are spaces between the words normal in Japanese?
  • No. Spaces are added in textbooks for learners.
  • Normal writing: その靴は私のスーツに合う。
How can I strengthen or soften the statement?
  • Add adverbs:
    • よく/とても/かなり/すごく 合う = goes really well.
    • まあまあ 合う = goes okay.
    • ぴったり 合う = is a perfect match.
    • あまり 合わない = doesn’t really go well.
  • Examples:
    • その靴は私のスーツにぴったり合う.
    • その靴は私のスーツにあまり合わない.