Learn Hardcore Japanese: kanozyo ha syakai no mondai ni tuite tyousa wo simasu. - She conducts research about social issues.

は marks the topic: 彼女は = “As for her…”. It frames what follows as information about her, often contrasting with others or continuing known context.
が marks the grammatical subject and tends to focus or emphasize who actually does the action. 彼女が調査をします answers “Who is it that does the investigation?” or emphasizes that it’s her (not someone else).
In neutral statements, は is more common to set the topic. Use が when identifying or emphasizing the doer.

What does の do in 社会の問題?

の links nouns, making the first modify the second. 社会の問題 = “problems of society,” which in natural English is “social problems.” It’s a general noun–noun modifier.

Is there a difference between 社会の問題 and the compound 社会問題?

社会の問題 is a neutral “problems of society,” flexible and common in everyday contexts.
社会問題 is a set compound meaning “social issues/problems,” often slightly more formal or technical (news, academic, official contexts). Both are correct; choose based on register and style.

What exactly does について mean, and how is it used?

について means “about/regarding/concerning.” It attaches to nouns: N + について.
It derives from the verb 付く (to attach), with に marking the target/theme.
You can also make it prenominal: N + についての + noun (e.g., 社会問題についての調査 = “a study about social issues”).
Close alternatives:
- に関して/に関する: more formal, “regarding.”
- を (direct object): more direct action on the noun (see next Q).

Could I say 社会の問題を調査します instead of using について?

Yes.

社会の問題を調査します: treats “social problems” as the direct object; sounds more direct/active (“investigate social problems”).
社会の問題について調査します: frames “social problems” as the theme (“do an investigation about social problems”). Slightly broader in scope and a bit more distant. Both are natural; choose based on nuance.

Why is there を before します? Can I just say 調査します?

調査 is a verbal noun (a “suru-verb”). You can:
- Treat it as a noun: 調査をする/します (“do an investigation”).
- Treat it as a verb: 調査する/します (“investigate”).
Both are correct and common. Many speakers prefer dropping を for brevity: 社会問題について調査します.

What’s the difference between 調査, 研究, 勉強/学習, and 調べる?

調査: investigation/survey/inquiry (fieldwork, data collection, inspections). Often business/governmental.
研究: research in the academic/scientific sense; theory-building, experiments, long-term projects.
勉強/学習: study/learning for acquiring knowledge or skills (students, self-study).
調べる: to look up/check/investigate (general verb; from looking something up to checking facts). Examples:
社会問題を調査する = conduct an investigation into social issues.
社会問題を研究する = research social issues (academic tone).
社会問題について勉強する = study/learn about social issues.
社会問題を調べる = check/look into social issues (broad, everyday).

What politeness level is します, and how do I say it in other forms?

します: polite non-past.
Common variants:
- Plain: する
- Past polite: しました
- Past plain: した
- Negative polite: しません
- Negative plain: しない
- Progressive/ongoing: しています
- Volitional (let’s/shall): しましょう
- Potential (can do): use できる with the verbal noun: 調査できる

Does します mean “does” or “will do”?

Both are possible. Japanese non-past covers present and future. Context (time words like 今, 明日, 来週, or a schedule) tells you whether it’s habitual/present or future.

Can the subject 彼女 be dropped?

Yes. Japanese frequently omits subjects when clear from context. After the topic is established, you’d naturally say 社会問題について調査します without repeating 彼女.

Does 彼女 mean “she” or “girlfriend”? Is there ambiguity?

Both meanings exist; context decides. As a third-person pronoun, 彼女 = “she/her.” As a noun, 彼女 = “girlfriend.” In many real conversations, people avoid third-person pronouns and use names or drop the subject to avoid ambiguity.

Are spaces between words normal in Japanese?

No. Native Japanese writing typically has no spaces. Spaces are often added in teaching materials to show word boundaries. A natural written version would be: 彼女は社会の問題について調査をします。

Where should について go in the sentence? Can I move it around?

Most natural: place the N + について phrase before the verb or before the object phrase tied to the action, e.g., 彼女は社会の問題について調査をします or simply …調査します.
彼女は調査を社会の問題についてします is possible but sounds less natural/stylistically awkward. Keep について close to the verb phrase and before it.

Can I use に関して/に関する instead of について?

Yes, but they’re more formal/literary.

社会問題に関して調査します (regarding social issues, investigate) is a bit stiffer than について.
Prenominal: 社会問題に関する調査をします (“conduct an investigation regarding social issues”). This sounds very formal/official.

How do I make this a question or a negative?

Question (polite): 彼女は社会問題について調査しますか。
Negative (polite): 彼女は社会問題について調査しません。
Past (polite): 彼女は社会問題について調査しました。
Progressive (polite): 彼女は社会問題について調査しています。

How do I pronounce the key parts?

彼女: かのじょ (kanojo)
は (topic particle): pronounced “wa”
社会: しゃかい (shakai)
問題: もんだい (mondai)
について: について (ni tsuite)
調査: ちょうさ (chōsa)
を (object particle): pronounced “o”
します: します (shimasu)

Could I say 社会について調査をします (without 問題)?

Yes. That means “do an investigation about society” in general. Including 問題 narrows the theme to “issues/problems” within society. Choose based on how specific you want to be.