Learn Hardcore Japanese: sono taiken ha totemo omosiroi desu.

この体験 = this experience (near the speaker / the speaker’s “side”)
その体験 = that experience (near the listener, or something just mentioned)
あの体験 = that experience over there / that one (distant from both, or known to both)

So その体験 usually refers to:

an experience the listener just mentioned, or
an experience that is conceptually “on the listener’s side”, not the speaker’s.

What is the role of は in その体験は?

は (written with the hiragana は, but pronounced wa) is the topic marker. It roughly means “as for …” or “speaking of …”.

In その体験はとても面白いです, you can think of it as:

その体験は = “As for that experience,”
とても面白いです = “(it) is very interesting.”

So その体験は is not exactly “subject” in the strict grammatical sense; it is what the rest of the sentence is about (the topic).

Why is there no word for “it” in this sentence?

Japanese often omits pronouns like “I,” “you,” “he,” or “it” when they are obvious from context.

In English you say:

“That experience was very interesting. It changed me.”

In Japanese you could say:

その体験はとても面白いです。
(As for that experience, (it) is very interesting.)

“It” is understood from その体験, so Japanese doesn’t need an extra word. The listener infers the subject from what has been said.

Why do we say 面白いです instead of just 面白い?

面白い is an i-adjective (adjective ending in 〜い). On its own it already means “is interesting” / “is funny” in a neutral, dictionary-like way.

面白い。 = “(It) is interesting.” (casual)

Adding です makes the sentence polite:

面白いです。 = “(It) is interesting.” (polite, standard speech to people not very close to you, at work, etc.)

So:

面白い。 → casual
面白いです。 → polite

The meaning is the same; it’s a difference in politeness level, not in basic content.

Is the sentence talking about the present or the past? How would I say “That experience was very interesting”?

とても面白いです is present tense / general statement:
“As for that experience, (it) is very interesting (to me / in general).”

To clearly say “was very interesting”, you usually make です past:

その体験はとても面白かったです。
= “That experience was very interesting.”

The change is in the adjective:

面白いです (present) → 面白かったです (past)

You do not say 面白いでした. You must change the い to かった for past tense with i-adjectives.

What does とても mean exactly? Are there other common ways to say “very”?

とても is an adverb meaning “very” or “really”.

とても面白いです。 = “It’s very interesting.”

Other common intensifiers include:

すごく面白い = “super interesting,” “really interesting” (casual)
とっても面白い = “really/so interesting” (very casual / cute)
かなり面白い = “quite / fairly interesting”

とても is neutral and works well in both polite and written Japanese.

Does 面白い mean “interesting” or “funny”? Which is correct?

面白い can mean both:

Interesting / fascinating
- この本は面白いです。
  “This book is interesting.”
Funny / amusing
- その映画は面白いね。
  “That movie is funny, huh.”

Which meaning is intended depends on context:

Serious topics: usually “interesting.”
Comedies, jokes, people’s behavior: often “funny” or “amusing.”

So for その体験はとても面白いです, either:

“That experience is very interesting,” or
“That experience is very amusing,”
depending on what kind of experience it was.

What’s the difference between 体験 and 経験? Aren’t they both “experience”?

Both can translate as “experience,” but there’s a nuance:

体験（たいけん）
- Literally: “body + experience”
- Emphasis on personally going through something, first-hand experience, often vivid or memorable.
- Ex: 留学はいい体験でした。
  “Studying abroad was a good experience (for me personally).”
経験（けいけん）
- More general “experience” as in background or career.
- Often used for skills, work history, life experience.
- Ex: 仕事の経験があります。
  “I have work experience.”

In その体験はとても面白いです, the speaker is talking about a specific, personal experience they went through.

Can I say この体験 or あの体験 instead of その体験? How does the meaning change?

Yes, you can; the basic structure stays the same, but the reference point changes:

この体験はとても面白いです。
“This experience is very interesting.”
→ The experience is on the speaker’s side (something I had, I just did, or I’m showing you).
その体験はとても面白いです。
“That experience is very interesting.”
→ The experience is on the listener’s side, or just mentioned by the listener.
あの体験はとても面白いです。
“That experience over there / that experience (we both know) is very interesting.”
→ The experience is distant from both, or is something both people know about but not just mentioned (e.g., a famous event long ago).

How would I say this more casually to a friend?

To make it more casual, you can:

Drop です:
- その体験はとても面白い。
Or even drop とても and use a casual adverb:
- その体験はめっちゃ面白い。 (very casual / slangy)
- その体験はすごく面白い。 (casual but very common)

All of these are natural among friends. The core polite sentence is:

その体験はとても面白いです。 (polite)

Casual versions simply remove or change です and adjust the adverb.

Why are there spaces between the words? Do Japanese people normally write like this?

No, normal Japanese writing does not use spaces between words. A native text would usually look like:

その体験はとても面白いです。

The version with spaces:

その　体験　は　とても　面白い　です。

is typically for learners, to help you see where words and particles begin and end. In real books, newspapers, and most native material, you will not see spaces between Japanese words.

How would I say “That experience was not very interesting”?

You need the negative form of 面白い and a suitable adverb:

Simple negative, polite, past:
- その体験はあまり面白くなかったです。
  = “That experience was not very interesting.”

Breakdown:

あまり
- negative = “not very”
面白い → 面白くない (not interesting)
→ 面白くなかった (was not interesting; plain past negative)
→ 面白くなかったです (polite past negative)

You could also say:

その体験は全然面白くなかったです。
“That experience was not interesting at all.” (stronger)