Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha sono kekka ga hukouhei da to omoimasu.

私は literally means “as for me” or “speaking about me”. It tells you what the sentence is going to be about, but it is not necessarily the grammatical subject of the verb that follows.

In this sentence:

私は = as for me (topic)
The thing being described as unfair is その結果 (“that result”), not I.

So the structure is closer to:
As for me, that result is unfair, (I) think.

Why does その結果 use が and not は? Could I say その結果は instead?

が is marking その結果 as the subject of the inner clause 不公平だ (“is unfair”).

その結果が不公平だ = that result is unfair (subject = その結果)

In the full sentence:
私は（topic）その結果が（subject）不公平だと思います。

You can say その結果は不公平だと思います, and it is grammatically correct. The nuance shifts slightly:

その結果が不公平だと思います。
Neutral, stating that that particular result is unfair. が tends to focus on what is unfair.
その結果は不公平だと思います。
Makes “as for that result” the topic. This can sound a bit more contrastive, like you’re contrasting this result with others:
“As for that result, (I) think it’s unfair (as opposed to something else).”

So both are possible; が is more neutral and common here.

Why are both は and が in the same sentence? Isn’t that redundant?

They do different jobs, so it is not redundant:

私は → marks the overall topic (“as for me”).
その結果が → marks the subject of the inner statement 不公平だ.

Think of it as:

Topic layer: As for me, …
Inner clause: that result is unfair (subject = that result)

Japanese often stacks topic (は) on top of subject (が), especially when you quote a thought or statement with …と思う or …と言う.

What is the function of と after だ in 不公平だと思います?

Here, と is the quotative particle. It marks the end of what is being “quoted” as the content of the thought.

Structure:

その結果が不公平だ = “that result is unfair.”
…と = marks that clause as a quoted idea or sentence.
思います = “(I) think.”

So 不公平だと思います literally means:
“I think: ‘that result is unfair’.”

The part before と is what you think; と links that content to 思います.

Why is it 不公平だ and not 不公平です before と思います? Is 不公平ですと思います wrong?

Before と思います, you must use the plain form of the predicate, not the polite です form.

不公平だと思います ✅ natural
不公平ですと思います ❌ unnatural / wrong

Reason:

Inside a quoted clause (…と), Japanese normally uses plain form:
- 高いと思います (I think it’s expensive)
- 静かだと思います (I think it’s quiet)
- 学生だと思います (I think (they) are a student)

Politeness is expressed by the main verb 思います, not by making the inside clause polite.

So the pattern is:

[plain sentence] + と + 思います

Is だと one word? What exactly are だ and と doing there?

It looks like one chunk (だと) because there’s no space, but it’s actually:

だ: the plain copula (like “is” after a noun or na-adjective)
と: the quotative particle, marking the end of the clause being thought/said

So 不公平だと思います breaks down as:

不公平 – “unfair” (na‑adjective)
だ – “is” (plain)
と – marks the quoted idea
思います – “(I) think”

Together: “I think (that it) is unfair.”

Why is 思います at the end? In English we say “I think that…”, not “…I think.”

Japanese normally has verb-final word order. Subordinate clauses and objects come before the verb they belong to.

Structure here:

私は – topic
その結果が不公平だ – full clause “that result is unfair”
と思います – main verb “(I) think”

So it’s literally ordered as:

As for me, [that result is unfair] (I) think.

This is completely natural in Japanese and very common with verbs like 思う, 言う, 考える, etc.

Can I omit 私は and just say その結果が不公平だと思います。? Does it still mean “I think…”?

Yes, you can (and usually would) omit 私は.

その結果が不公平だと思います。
is completely natural and normally understood as
“I think that result is unfair.”

In Japanese, the subject “I” is often left out when it’s obvious from context, especially with verbs of inner thought like 思う. So unless you need to explicitly contrast your opinion with someone else’s (“I, for my part, think…”), you can drop 私は.

What nuance does その have in その結果? Why not この結果 or あの結果?

Japanese demonstratives roughly map to:

この – “this … (near me / very present to the speaker)”
その – “that … (near you / already known in the conversation)”
あの – “that … over there / something more distant to both”

その結果 usually means:

“that result (we’ve just been talking about / that you know about)”

So:

If you’re pointing at your own paper with the result:
この結果 (“this result (right here)”)
If you’re talking about the result the other person has, or a result both of you already have in mind:
その結果
If you’re talking about some result not physically present and a bit more removed:
あの結果

In many abstract discussions, その結果 is the default for “that result (we’ve just mentioned).”

What is the difference between 思います and 思う here?

The difference is politeness level:

思います – polite (ます‑form)
思う – plain (dictionary form)

So:

その結果が不公平だと思います。
Polite, suitable for most everyday conversations, talking to people not very close, in class, at work, etc.
その結果が不公平だと思う。
Plain, used with friends, family, or in casual writing.

The grammatical structure (clause + と + 思う/思います) is the same; only the politeness changes.

When would I use と思っています instead of と思います?

Both are often translated as “I think…”, but there is a nuance:

と思います – stating your opinion now, or in general.
と思っています – suggests you have been thinking that way for some time, or that this is a settled, ongoing view you hold.

For this sentence:

その結果が不公平だと思います。
“I think that result is unfair.” (neutral statement of opinion)
その結果が不公平だと思っています。
“I’ve been thinking / I (still) think that result is unfair.”
Slightly stronger sense of a continuing belief.

In many everyday cases, と思います is the default and safest form to use.