Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasitati ha otagai no yume wo taisetu ni simasu.

大切だ / 大切です
- Predicate: “(Something) is important/precious.”
- Example: この夢は大切です。 – This dream is important.
大切にする / 大切にします
- Verb phrase: to treat (something) as important; to cherish; to value.
- Structure: 大切 (na-adjective) + に (adverbial) + する (to do).
- Literally: “to do in an important way” → “to treat as precious.”

In your sentence, we want an action (“we cherish / we value”), not just a description, so we use 大切にします.

Why is there a に after 大切, as in 大切にします?

The に turns the na-adjective 大切 into an adverbial form modifying する.

大切だ – is important
大切にする – to do (something) in a way that treats it as important → to cherish / to value / to treasure

This Adj + に + する pattern is very common:

きれいにする – to make (something) clean / to tidy
静かにする – to make (something) quiet / to be quiet
大切にする – to treat (something) as precious

So 夢を大切にする literally is “to do dreams in an important way” → to treat dreams as precious.

What is the role of は after 私たち, and why isn’t が used instead?

は marks the topic of the sentence: what we’re talking about.

私たちは – As for us / We (speaking about us), …

The sentence is structured as:

Topic: 私たちは
Comment: お互いの夢を大切にします。

Using が would mark 私たち more as the focused subject, often used to introduce new info or contrast specifically who does the action. In many natural contexts, we is already known and the main point is what “we” do, so は is more natural:

私たちはお互いの夢を大切にします。
→ As for us, we cherish each other’s dreams.

So は here is about setting “we” as the frame of reference.

Does します here mean “we do” or “we will do”? Why not use a future tense?

Japanese non-past forms like します cover both:

habitual/general facts (“we do”)
future (“we will do”)

The exact English translation depends on context:

As a general statement of principle:
→ “We cherish each other’s dreams.”
As a promise / future resolve:
→ “We will cherish each other’s dreams.”

Japanese does not have a separate grammatical future tense, so します naturally covers both nuances.

Can 私たち be omitted from this sentence?

Yes. Japanese frequently omits subjects when they’re clear from context.

私たちはお互いの夢を大切にします。
お互いの夢を大切にします。

If it’s already understood that the speaker is talking about “we/us,” the shorter version is very natural. You only need 私たち when you want to make “we” explicit, for example:

Introducing a group principle: “As for us, we …”
Contrasting with others: “We (as opposed to them) cherish each other’s dreams.”

Is お互いの夢 singular or plural? Does it mean “each other’s dream” or “each other’s dreams”?

Japanese generally does not mark singular/plural explicitly unless it needs to.

お互いの夢 on its own can be:

each other’s dream (singular)
each other’s dreams (plural)

Context decides. In most natural English translations, we say “each other’s dreams” because people typically have multiple dreams/goals, and that sounds more natural in English. Grammatically, though, Japanese leaves it neutral.

What’s the difference between お互いの夢 and 自分の夢?

自分の夢 – one’s own dream(s)
- Focuses on the dream belonging to the subject (or topic) individually.
- Example: 私は自分の夢を大切にします。
  → I cherish my own dreams.
お互いの夢 – each other’s dreams
- Implies a mutual relationship: A respects B’s dreams, and B respects A’s dreams.
- Example: 私たちはお互いの夢を大切にします。
  → We cherish each other’s dreams. (I value yours, you value mine.)

So 自分 is about “my/one’s own,” while お互い stresses mutuality between people.

What’s the difference between 大切にする and 大事にする? Could I say 大事にします instead?

Yes, you could say:

私たちはお互いの夢を大事にします。

and it would still mean something like “We cherish/value each other’s dreams.”

Nuance:

大切にする
- Slightly more formal / serious tone.
- Often used for abstract things: relationships, time, feelings, promises, ideals, etc.
- E.g., 命を大切にする – value life.
大事にする
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Often used both for physical and non-physical things.
- E.g., 体を大事にしてね – Take care of your body.

In this sentence, 大切にします feels a bit more earnest / weighty, fitting talk about dreams as something emotionally important.

Can I change the word order, for example: お互いの夢を私たちは大切にします? Is that correct?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct:

お互いの夢を私たちは大切にします。

Japanese word order is relatively flexible as long as particles stay attached to the right words. The default, most natural order is still the original:

私たちはお互いの夢を大切にします。

But variations like:

お互いの夢を、私たちは大切にします。 (object fronted for emphasis)

are fine, and can add a bit of emphasis to お互いの夢 (“It’s each other’s dreams that we cherish”).

How is お互い used in other contexts? Is it always followed by の?

お互い can be used in a few different ways:

As a noun with の (like in your sentence)
- お互いの夢 – each other’s dreams
- お互いの気持ち – each other’s feelings
As an adverb with に (お互いに)
- お互いに助け合いましょう。
  → Let’s help each other.
- お互いに頑張りましょう。
  → Let’s both/all do our best.
Standalone, often as “we both / all of us”
- お互い忙しいですね。
  → We’re both busy, aren’t we.
- お互い様です。
  → Same here / We’re in the same boat.

So it’s not always followed by の; it depends on whether it’s modifying a noun (お互いのX) or modifying a verb (お互いに V), or standing on its own.