otouto wa houkago ni sakkaasuruno ga suki desu.

topic particle

Breakdown of otouto wa houkago ni sakkaasuruno ga suki desu.

• です: to be
• が: subject particle
• 好すき: like

Questions & Answers about otouto wa houkago ni sakkaasuruno ga suki desu.

Why is は used after 弟? Is 弟 the subject of the sentence?

は is the topic marker, not the basic subject marker.

• 弟は means “As for my younger brother…” or “My younger brother (speaking about him)…”
• The part that is grammatically the “subject” of 好き is actually サッカーするの (the thing he likes).

So the structure is:

• 弟は – topic (what we’re talking about)
• サッカーするのが – subject of 好き (what is liked)
• 好きです – predicate (“is liked” / “likes”)

You could, in theory, say 弟が放課後にサッカーするのが好きです, but using は here makes 弟 the topic and sounds more natural when you’re introducing or talking about him in general.

What does に do after 放課後? Why 放課後に and not just 放課後?

に here is a time marker. It indicates when something happens.

• 放課後に = “after school (at that time)”

You’ll often see に with specific times:

• ３時に – at 3 o’clock
• 月曜日に – on Monday
• 誕生日に – on (my) birthday

With some time expressions, に can be dropped (especially in casual speech), so 放課後サッカーするのが好きです is not impossible, but 放課後に is the textbook‑clear version and sounds very natural.

Why is it サッカーするのが好き and not just サッカーが好き?