Breakdown of kyonen no natu no ibento de ha, kantan na koto wo site keihin wo hutatu mo moraimasita.
Questions & Answers about kyonen no natu no ibento de ha, kantan na koto wo site keihin wo hutatu mo moraimasita.
Both の particles here are doing the same job: they link nouns together, like an apostrophe‑s or “of” in English.
去年の夏 = “the summer of last year” / “last summer”
→ 去年 (last year) is modifying 夏 (summer).夏のイベント = “the event of (that) summer” / “the summer event”
→ 夏 (summer) is modifying イベント (event).
Put together:
- 去年の夏のイベント
Literally: “the event of the summer of last year”
Naturally: “the event last summer”.
Japanese often chains several nouns with の like this; it’s very normal and not considered redundant.
で marks the place where an action happens:
- イベントで = “at the event”.
Adding は after で makes イベントで the topic and often adds a slight contrast, like “as for at the event” or “at the event (at least)…”.
So:
- イベントで = neutral “at the event”.
- イベントでは = “at the event, (speaking about that situation)…”
and can imply contrast with other times/places, e.g.
“At the event (unlike usual), I got as many as two prizes.”
This is called “particle stacking”: で (location) + は (topic/contrast).
You could use イベントに, but the nuance is different:
イベントで focuses on the place where the action happens.
→ “I did something simple at the event and got prizes.”イベントに focuses on the destination/occasion you go to or attend.
→ “I went to the event and (there) did something simple and got prizes.”
In this sentence, because the important point is where you did the simple thing and received the prizes, イベントで is more natural. イベントに would sound more like you’re emphasizing attending the event itself.
簡単なこと literally means “a simple thing” or “something simple”.
Breakdown:
- 簡単 = an adjective meaning “simple / easy”.
- When you put it directly before a noun, you use the な form:
簡単な + こと → “simple + thing”.
So:
- 簡単なこと = “something simple (to do)”.
Why not the others?
簡単 by itself can’t be the direct object of する here.
× 簡単をして is ungrammatical.簡単に is an adverb: “simply / easily”.
簡単にして would be “do (it) simply/easily”, which is about how you do something, not “do a simple thing”.
The sentence wants “do a simple thing”, so 簡単なことをして is the right structure.
して is the て‑form of する (to do), and it’s used to connect actions.
In this sentence:
- 簡単なことをして = “(I) did something simple and…”
- 景品を二つももらいました = “(I) received as many as two prizes.”
Putting them together:
- “(I) did something simple and received as many as two prizes.”
- It can also be understood as “by doing something simple, I received…”
The て‑form here:
- shows sequence (“did X and then Y”), and
- can also imply a cause or means (“by doing X, Y happened”).
Nothing is missing; this is a very standard way to join actions in Japanese.
景品 usually means a prize or giveaway item you get from:
- events,
- campaigns,
- games,
- lotteries at shops, etc.
Nuances:
- 景品 – prizes/giveaways meant to attract participants or customers. Often small items or freebies.
- 賞品 (しょうひん) – “prize” in a more formal or contest context (like a competition, award, or serious contest).
- プレゼント – “present / gift” in general, from people (birthday present, Christmas present, etc.).
In an “event” context where you do an easy activity and get a little prize, 景品 is the most natural word.
In 二つも, も does not mean “also/too”. After a number or counter, も often shows surprise, emphasis, or “so many”.
- 二つ = “two (items)”.
- 二つも = “as many as two”, “two whole ones”, “two of them (wow!)”.
The nuance here is:
- “I got two prizes, which is more than I expected / a lot for something so simple.”
Compare:
景品を二つももらいました。
“I got as many as two prizes.”景品を二つもらいました。
Just “I got two prizes.” (fairly neutral)
Also contrast も with しか:
景品を二つしかもらいませんでした。
“I got only two prizes.” (2 feels too few)景品を二つももらいました。
“I got as many as two prizes.” (2 feels a lot)
Both are grammatical, but they’re used differently.
景品を二つももらいました。
- 景品 (prizes) + を (object marker)
- 二つ (two) + も (emphasis)
→ “I got as many as two prizes.”
This is the most natural way to express “I received two prizes” with emphasis.
二つの景品をもらいました。
Literally “I received two prizes.”
This focuses on “two prizes” as a set or group; it’s fine, but sounds a bit stiffer or more descriptive, and you lose the “as many as” nuance of 二つも.
In everyday speech, when counting how many of something you got, the pattern [noun] を [number + counter] (も) V is far more common than [number + counter] の [noun] を V.
In 景品を二つももらいました, Japanese is leaving some things understood from context:
The subject is almost certainly “I” (the speaker), because:
- もらう from the speaker’s perspective usually means “I / we receive (something)”.
- There’s no other subject indicated.
The giver (the person or organization that handed out the prizes) is omitted because it’s obvious from context:
- It’s an event, so the listener can easily guess: staff, organizers, shop, etc.
Japanese frequently omits:
- the subject (who did it), and
- the agent/giver (who gave it),
when they’re clear from context. If you wanted to be explicit, you could say, for example:
- スタッフから景品を二つももらいました。
“I received as many as two prizes from the staff.”
All can translate as “received/got”, but the nuance is different:
もらいました (from もらう)
- everyday, natural, and very common
- implies receiving something for your benefit
- often used when someone gives you something kindly, or as a prize/reward
受け取りました (from 受け取る)
- more neutral and formal
- emphasizes the act of accepting/receiving something that was handed over
- used for “receiving a package”, “receiving documents”, etc.
取りました (from 取る)
- literally “took”
- can sound like you physically took it, or in some contexts, “took (won) a prize”, but
- in this kind of casual event context, 景品を取った can sound more like you just “grabbed” it rather than being given it.
In this sentence, 景品を二つももらいました sounds natural and friendly: you did something simple, and you got two prizes (lucky me!).