kazoku to issyo ni bangohan wo taberu to, totemo siawase desu.

I feel very happy when I eat dinner together with my family.

Breakdown of kazoku to issyo ni bangohan wo taberu to, totemo siawase desu.

• です: to be
• を: direct object particle
• 食たべる: to eat
• と: companion particle
• 一緒いっしょ に: together
• 晩ばんご飯はん: dinner
• とても: very
• と: conditional particle
• 家族かぞく: family
• 幸しあわせ: happy

Questions & Answers about kazoku to issyo ni bangohan wo taberu to, totemo siawase desu.

What does the と after 家族 mean here? Is it “and” or “with”?

In 家族と一緒に晩ご飯を食べると、とても幸せです。, the と after 家族 is the “with” particle, not “and”.

• 家族と = “with (my) family”
• It marks a companion:
  
  • 友だちと映画を見ます。 = “I watch a movie with my friend.”

So 家族と一緒に literally means “together with (my) family.”

Why is 一緒 followed by に? What does 一緒に do?

一緒 (いっしょ) by itself is a noun meaning “together / same.”
When you add に, it becomes an adverb:

• 一緒に = “together (with someone)”

In the sentence:

• 家族と一緒に晩ご飯を食べる
  = “(I) eat dinner together with (my) family.”

So the structure is:

• [person] と 一緒に [action]
  = “do [action] together with [person].”

There are two と in the sentence. Do they mean the same thing?

No, they have different roles:

1. 家族と一緒に

   • This と = “with” (companion marker).

2. 晩ご飯を食べると、

   • This と is a conditional particle, meaning “when / whenever / if”.

So:

• 家族と一緒に晩ご飯を食べると、
  = “When I eat dinner together with my family,”
• とても幸せです。
  = “I am very happy.”

How does this conditional と (after 食べる) work? Why is it translated as “when”?

Conditional ～と often means “when(ever)” or “whenever” for regular, natural results:

• Pattern: [Clause A] と、[Clause B].
  = “When(ever) A happens, B happens (as a natural result).”

Here:

• 家族と一緒に晩ご飯を食べると、
  = “When I eat dinner with my family,”
• とても幸せです。
  = “I feel very happy / I am very happy (as a result).”

It’s used for:

• habitual situations: “Whenever X happens, Y happens.”
• natural consequences: “If you press this button, it turns off.”

Compared to other conditionals:

• 食べたら → “if/when I eat (in a specific instance, more event-like)”
• 食べると → “whenever I eat (in general), then…” (more rule-like, regular)

Why is 食べる in plain form, but です is polite? Isn’t that mixing levels of politeness?

This mix is very common and natural in modern Japanese.

• Verbs in subordinate/conditional clauses (before と, から, けど, etc.) are often in plain form, even in otherwise polite sentences.
• The sentence’s overall politeness is decided mainly by the final form, here です.

So:

• 家族と一緒に晩ご飯を食べると、 (plain form in the “when” clause)
• とても幸せです。 (polite ending)

This is standard, natural Japanese, not considered rude or incorrect.
You could say 食べますと, but in this kind of sentence it sounds stiff or unnatural in everyday conversation.

Who is the subject here? Why is there no 私?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s obvious from context.

The implied subject here is most naturally 私 (I) or a general “you/one” meaning “people in general.” In English we must supply something, so we translate it as:

• “When I eat dinner with my family, I am very happy.”

Japanese allows:

• (私は) 家族と一緒に晩ご飯を食べると、とても幸せです。

The 私は is simply dropped because it’s clear and would sound redundant unless you need to contrast it with someone else.

Why is 晩ご飯 marked with を?

を marks the direct object of a transitive verb.

• Verb: 食べる = “to eat”
• Object of “eat”: 晩ご飯 = “dinner”

So:

• 晩ご飯を食べる = “to eat dinner”

It’s the same pattern as:

• パンを食べる = “eat bread”
• りんごを食べる = “eat an apple”

What’s the difference between 幸せです and うれしいです? Could I say とてもうれしいです instead?

Both relate to positive feelings, but the nuance is different:

• 幸せ (しあわせ)

  • “happy / blessed / fortunate” in a deeper, more lasting way.
  • Often about life satisfaction, family, relationships, overall happiness.
  • とても幸せです。 = “I feel very happy / I am very happy (in a deep sense).”

• うれしい

  • “glad / delighted / pleased” about something specific that happened.
  • More momentary or reaction-based.
  • とてもうれしいです。 = “I’m really glad / I’m very happy (about this).”

In this context, eating dinner with family as a source of warm, general happiness, 幸せです sounds very natural.
とてもうれしいです is not wrong, but it shifts the nuance to “I’m really pleased” rather than “This makes my life feel happy.”

Can I move 一緒に or change the word order, like 家族と晩ご飯を一緒に食べる?

Yes, Japanese word order is relatively flexible, especially for adverbs like 一緒に.

These are all natural:

• 家族と一緒に晩ご飯を食べる
• 家族と晩ご飯を一緒に食べる
• 晩ご飯を家族と一緒に食べる

They all mean essentially “eat dinner together with my family.”
The original order just emphasizes “together with my family” as a unit (家族と一緒に) before mentioning “dinner.”

Why is とても before 幸せ and not near です? Where do I put adverbs like this?

とても is an adverb meaning “very” that modifies adjectives or adverbial expressions.

• Pattern: とても + adjective
  
  • とても大きい = “very big”
  • とても忙しい = “very busy”
  • とても幸せ = “very happy”

The です at the end is just the polite copula (“is/am/are”).
So the structure is:

• とても (very) + 幸せ (happy) + です (polite ending)

You wouldn’t say 幸せとてもです; the modifier needs to go directly before the adjective.

What’s the nuance of 晩ご飯? How is it different from 夕ご飯, 夕飯, or 夜ご飯?

All of these can refer to “dinner,” but usage and feel differ slightly:

• 晩ご飯 (ばんごはん)

  • Very common, neutral/casual “dinner, evening meal.”

• 夕ご飯 (ゆうごはん) / 夕飯 (ゆうはん)

  • Also “dinner”; 夕飯 is a bit more common in writing / slightly more formal-feeling than 晩ご飯, but both are everyday words.

• 夜ご飯 (よるごはん)

  • Used, but less standard; can sound more colloquial or childlike, like “night-time meal.”

In everyday spoken Japanese, 晩ご飯 and 夕飯 are both very natural for “dinner.” In this sentence, 晩ご飯 is perfectly normal and friendly.