Breakdown of watashi wa sono kekka ga fukouhei da to omoimasu.
Questions & Answers about watashi wa sono kekka ga fukouhei da to omoimasu.
は is the topic marker.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.”
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.
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.
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).”
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.
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.