Learn Hardcore Japanese: kazoku to issyo ni syokuzi wo suruno ga tanosimi desu. - I look forward to having meals together with my family.

“and” (AとB)
- リンゴとバナナ = apples and bananas
“with (someone)” – marking a companion
- 友だちと話す = to talk with a friend
- 家族と一緒に食事をする = to have a meal with (my) family

Here it’s use (2). There is no second noun after と because the meaning is “together with (someone)” rather than “A and B”.

Why do we have both と and 一緒に? Aren’t they both “together / with”?

Yes, both relate to “togetherness,” and they often appear together:

家族と一緒に literally: “together with my family”

Nuance:

家族と食事をする
→ “eat with my family” (perfectly fine)
家族と一緒に食事をする
→ emphasizes “together with my family,” a bit more explicit/warmer.

You can usually:

keep both: 家族と一緒に食事をする
drop 一緒に: 家族と食事をする
drop と (more limited, but common with 一緒に):
家族と一緒に行く → 家族と行く or 家族と一緒に行く (all natural)

In this sentence, 家族と一緒に is just the very common, natural combination meaning “together with my family.”

Why is it 食事をする instead of just 食べる? Aren’t they both “to eat”?

Both are related to eating, but they’re not identical.

食べる = “to eat” (the physical act of eating)
食事をする / 食事する = “to have a meal”

食事 literally means “meal.”
So:

食べる
- パンを食べる = eat bread
- Focus is on eating itself.
食事をする
- 家族と食事をする = have a meal with family
- Sounds a bit more neutral/polite and focuses on the occasion of a meal.

In a sentence about “looking forward to” something, 家族と一緒に食事をする sounds like “the occasion of eating meals together,” which fits very well. 家族と一緒に食べる is grammatically fine too, just slightly more “plain eating” than “having a meal together.”

Why is there a の after する (食事をするのが)? What does that の do?

Here, の is a nominalizer: it turns a verb phrase into a noun-like thing.

食事をする = (to) have a meal
食事をするの = having a meal / the act of having a meal

This allows the whole action to be treated like a noun so it can be the subject of another part of the sentence.

Compare:

りんごを食べる。
= I eat apples.
りんごを食べるのが好きです。
= I like eating apples.
(Literally: As for me, eating apples is liked.)

Same pattern:

家族と一緒に食事をするのが楽しみです。
= I look forward to having meals with my family.
(Literally: Having meals together with my family is a pleasure / something I look forward to.)

Why is it 食事をするのが and not 食事をするのは? What’s the role of が here?

Both が and は can follow ～するの, but they have different roles.

In this sentence, ～のが marks the thing that is enjoyable:

X が楽しみです。
→ “X is something I look forward to / am excited about.”

So:

家族と一緒に食事をするのが楽しみです。
→ “Having meals with my family is [what] I look forward to.”

If you used は:

家族と一緒に食事をするのは楽しみです。

This is also possible, but は would emphasize the topic/contrast:

“As for having meals with my family, (that) is enjoyable / something I look forward to.”
Often this implies a contrast with other things (even if not stated).

In many neutral statements of X is fun / X is difficult / X is important, Xが is the default choice.

Why is it 楽しみです and not 楽しいです?

楽しみ and 楽しい look similar but are different parts of speech and have different nuances.

楽しい
- An i-adjective: “fun,” “enjoyable”
- Describes what something is like when you do it.
- Example:
  - 家族と一緒に食事をすると楽しいです。
    = When I eat with my family, it is fun.
楽しみ
- A noun meaning “pleasure,” “something to look forward to,” “enjoyment.”
- Used for anticipation or “source of joy.”
- Example:
  - 家族と一緒に食事をするのが楽しみです。
    = I look forward to having meals with my family.
    (Lit: “The act of having meals with my family is a pleasure / something I look forward to.”)

So 楽しみです emphasizes looking forward / it being a cherished thing, not just “it is fun while I’m doing it.”

Where is the word for “I” in this sentence? Why isn’t 私 used?

Japanese often omits the subject if it is clear from context.

English needs a subject: I look forward to…
Japanese can drop 私 when it’s obvious we’re talking about the speaker.

So the full version could be:

（私は）家族と一緒に食事をするのが楽しみです。

But in natural conversation, 私は is usually omitted unless:

you need to clarify who (I, you, he, etc.), or
you want to contrast (e.g., “As for me, …”).

So the sentence as given is normal and means “I look forward to having meals with my family” from context.

Why is there no の after 家族? Why not 私の家族と?

In Japanese, family-related words often imply “my” without using の.

家族 in my own sentence usually means “my family” (unless the context says otherwise).
Similarly:
- 母 (mother), 父 (father), 兄 (older brother), etc., usually mean “my mother,” “my father,” “my older brother” when I am talking about my own family.

You can say 私の家族 if you really need to be explicit or contrast with someone else’s family, but:

家族と一緒に食事をするのが楽しみです。
Already naturally reads as:
→ “I look forward to having meals with my family.”

Could we say 食事するのが楽しみです without を? Is 食事をする different from 食事する?

Both forms are correct and common:

食事をする (with を)
食事する (no を, verb formed directly from the noun)

They mean essentially the same thing: “to have a meal.”

家族と一緒に食事をするのが楽しみです。
家族と一緒に食事するのが楽しみです。

Both are natural. The version with を may feel a bit more “textbook-like” or explicit; 食事する is very common in speech. There’s no big meaning difference here.

Can I change the word order, like 家族と食事を一緒にする? Is that natural?

Some word order changes are possible; some sound unnatural.

Natural/common:

家族と一緒に食事をする (original)
家族と食事を一緒にする (possible, but less common; emphasis on doing the meal together)
一緒に家族と食事をする (also possible; shifts focus slightly)

But 家族と食事を一緒にする can sound a bit awkward in many contexts.
The most natural and standard phrasing is your original:

家族と一緒に食事をする

Japanese word order is somewhat flexible, but set combinations like Aと一緒に are very common chunked phrases, so it’s best to keep them together.

Why is it 楽しみです and not 楽しみだ? What’s the difference?

です and だ are both copulas, but:

です
- Polite / neutral politeness level
- Used in most formal or semi-formal situations (talking to strangers, at school, at work, etc.)
だ
- Plain / casual
- Used with close friends, family, in diaries, internal monologue, etc.

So:

楽しみです。 → polite: “(It) is something I look forward to.”
楽しみだ。 → casual: “(It) is something I look forward to.”

Same meaning, different formality.