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watasi ha tokidoki tosyokan de syousetu wo yomimasu.

私わたし　は　時々ときどき　図書館としょかん　で　小説しょうせつ　を　読よみます。watasi ha tokidoki tosyokan de syousetu wo yomimasu.
I sometimes read novels at the library.
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha tokidoki tosyokan de syousetu wo yomimasu.

Why do we use は after 私? What does it do?

は is the topic marker.

  • 私 = “I / me”
  • 私
    • は = “As for me / speaking about me”

So 私は sets “I” as the topic of the sentence.
In English we usually don’t mark “topic” explicitly, but Japanese does.

In this sentence, 私は is basically “I”, but with a nuance of “as for me, (I) sometimes read novels at the library.”

Can I leave out 私 and just say: 時々図書館で小説を読みます？

Yes, and that’s actually more natural in many situations.

In Japanese, the subject (like 私) is often omitted when it’s clear from context.
So:

  • 時々図書館で小説を読みます。
    = “(I) sometimes read novels at the library.”

People will assume “I” from the situation, unless the context clearly points to someone else.

What’s the difference between は and が here? Could I say 私が時々図書館で小説を読みます?

You can say 私が時々図書館で小説を読みます, but the nuance changes.

  • 私は…: sets me as the topic. It’s like “As for me, I sometimes read novels...”. Very neutral here.
  • 私が…: marks me as the specific subject, often in contrast to others or when answering “who?”

Example nuance:

  • A: 誰が図書館で小説を読みますか。
    (“Who reads novels at the library?”)
  • B: 私が時々図書館で小説を読みます。
    (“I am the one who sometimes reads novels at the library.”)

In your original sentence, 私は is the most natural and common choice.

What does で mean after 図書館? Why isn’t it に?

で marks the place where an action happens.

  • 図書館で = “at the library / in the library” (place where you do the reading)

に is used more for:

  • destination (へ/に行く = “go to …”)
  • location of existence (にいる, にある = “be at …”)

Here, reading is an action done at the library, so we use で:

  • 図書館で読む = “to read at the library”
What does を do after 小説?

を marks the direct object of the verb — the thing that the action is done to.

  • 小説 = “novel / novels”
  • 小説を = “(the) novel(s) [as the thing being read]”
  • 小説を読みます = “(I) read novel(s).”

So を tells us that 小説 is what is being read.

Does 小説 mean “novel” or “novels”? There’s no plural ending.

Japanese nouns generally don’t mark singular vs plural.
小説 can mean:

  • “a novel”
  • “the novel”
  • “novels”
  • “the novels”

Which one it means depends on context.

In this sentence, 小説を読みます most naturally means “(I) read novels” in general, but if context is specific, it could be “(I) read the novel.”

If you really need to stress plural, you might say, for example:

  • たくさんの小説を読みます。 – “I read many novels.”
What’s the difference between 小説 and 本?
  • 本 (ほん) = “book” (very general: textbooks, picture books, novels, etc.)
  • 小説 (しょうせつ) = specifically “novel / fiction book”

So:

  • 本を読みます。 – “I read books.” (any kind)
  • 小説を読みます。 – “I read novels / works of fiction.”

Your sentence is specifically about novels, not just any books.

Where can I put 時々 in the sentence? Are there other correct positions?

時々 (ときどき) is an adverb meaning “sometimes”. It’s quite flexible in position. Common options:

  1. 時々、図書館で小説を読みます。
  2. 私は時々図書館で小説を読みます。
  3. 図書館で時々小説を読みます。

All are grammatically correct, with small nuance shifts:

  1. 時々、図書館で…
    – Emphasis on “Sometimes, (I) read novels at the library.”
  2. 私は時々…
    – Very standard: “I sometimes read novels at the library.”
  3. 図書館で時々小説を…
    – Emphasis falls a bit more on the library part: “At the library, I sometimes read novels.”

The version you gave (私は時々図書館で小説を読みます) is very natural.

How do I pronounce each word and particle in this sentence?

Romanization (Hepburn):

  • 私 – わたし (watashi)
  • は – wa (written は but pronounced “wa” when it’s the topic particle)
  • 時々 – ときどき (tokidoki)
  • 図書館 – としょかん (toshokan)
  • で – de
  • 小説 – しょうせつ (shōsetsu / shousetsu)
  • を – o (written を but usually pronounced “o”)
  • 読みます – よみます (yomimasu)

Whole sentence:
わたし は ときどき としょかん で しょうせつ を よみます。

What exactly does 読みます mean? Is it “read”, “will read”, or “am reading”?

読みます is the polite non-past form of the verb 読む (to read).

In Japanese, this non-past form can cover:

  • simple present: “I read novels.” (habit)
  • present/future: “I will read novels.”

It does not specifically mean “I am reading (right now).”
For “am reading (right now)”, you’d say:

  • 小説を読んでいます。 – “I am reading a novel / novels.”

In your sentence, 小説を読みます means “(I) read novels” (habitually) or “(I) will read novels”, depending on context.

Is this sentence polite or casual? How would it look in plain (casual) form?

This sentence is in polite form because of 読みます.

Polite:

  • 私は時々図書館で小説を読みます。

Casual/plain:

  • 俺は時々図書館で小説を読む。 (male, rougher)
  • 私は時々図書館で小説を読む。 (neutral)
  • Or often just: 時々図書館で小説を読む。

Changing 読みます → 読む switches to plain form. Everything else can stay the same.

How would I say “I sometimes read novels at the library” in the past tense?

Change the verb 読みます (non-past polite) to 読みました (past polite):

  • 私は時々図書館で小説を読みました。
    = “I sometimes read novels at the library.” (in the past; e.g., when I was a student)

Casual past would be:

  • 時々図書館で小説を読んだ。
How would I say “I don’t read novels at the library” or “I don’t usually read novels at the library”?

Use the negative form 読みません (polite) or 読まない (plain):

Polite:

  • 私は図書館で小説を読みません。
    = “I do not read novels at the library.”

If you want to keep the “sometimes” idea but indicate rarity, you could say instead:

  • 私はあまり図書館で小説を読みません。
    = “I don’t really read novels at the library (not very often).”

Plain:

  • 図書館で小説を読まない。 – “I don’t read novels at the library.”