watashi wa sono kiji ni komentoshimasu.

I will comment on that article.

Breakdown of watashi wa sono kiji ni komentoshimasu.

• は: topic particle
• 私わたし: I
• その: that
• に: target particle
• 記事きじ: article
• コメントする: to comment

Questions & Answers about watashi wa sono kiji ni komentoshimasu.

Why is は used after 私 instead of が?

は marks the topic of the sentence: what we’re talking about.
Here, 私 is being presented as the topic: “As for me, …”

• 私は その記事にコメントします。
  → “As for me, I will comment on that article.”

Using が (私がその記事にコメントします) would emphasize I specifically as the one who will comment, often in contrast with other people:

• 私がその記事にコメントします。
  → “I will comment on that article (not someone else).”

So は = neutral topic; が = subject with a feeling of emphasis or contrast. In everyday neutral statements like this, 私は is very standard.

Why is 記事 followed by に and not を?

The verb コメントする (to comment) typically uses に to mark the target of the comment:

• 記事にコメントする = “to comment on an article”
• 写真にコメントする = “to comment on a photo”
• 投稿にコメントする = “to comment on a post”

You do not normally say 記事をコメントする. That sounds unnatural, because コメントする is treated as “to comment (on something)” rather than “to comment something (direct object).”

So remember this pattern:
X に コメントする = “to comment on X”

Could I say 記事についてコメントします instead of 記事にコメントします? What’s the difference?

Both are natural, but there’s a nuance:

• 記事にコメントします。
  Focuses on the act of posting a comment on that article (for example on a website or SNS).

• 記事についてコメントします。
  Literally “I will comment about the article.”
  This can sound a bit more like giving an opinion or statement regarding the content of the article, not necessarily as an online “comment box” action.

In many practical situations, they overlap and both sound fine.
If you are talking about leaving a comment on a website, 記事にコメントします is the more typical phrasing.

Is 私 necessary here, or can it be omitted?

In natural Japanese, subjects are often omitted when they’re clear from context. So:

• その記事にコメントします。

by itself is completely normal if it’s already clear you’re talking about yourself.

Including 私 can:

• Add clarity when there’s any ambiguity.
• Add slight emphasis: I will do it.
• Sound a bit more formal, explicit, or textbook-like.

In everyday conversation, you’d often omit 私 unless you really need to specify “me (not someone else).”

What tense is コメントします? Does it mean “comment,” “will comment,” or “am going to comment”?

します is the non-past polite form. Japanese non-past covers:

• Present/habitual actions:
  
  • “I (usually) comment.”
• Future/intended actions:
  
  • “I will comment / I’m going to comment.”

The exact English translation depends on context.
In this sentence, it will usually be understood as a future or intended action (“I will comment on that article”) unless the context clearly suggests a habitual action.

How polite is コメントします? What is the plain form?

コメントします uses します, the polite -ます form, so it’s polite speech (丁寧語).

The plain (casual) form is:

• コメントする

Examples:

• Polite: その記事にコメントします。
• Casual: その記事にコメントする。

Use コメントします in most situations outside very close friends/family, especially online in public posts, emails, or when speaking with someone you’re not very close to.

Why is その used before 記事? How is it different from この and あの?

その, この, and あの all mean something like “this/that,” but they differ in viewpoint:

• この記事 – “this article” (close to the speaker, or something the speaker is holding/displaying)
• その記事 – “that article” (close to the listener, or something the listener mentioned, or something both know from context)
• あの記事 – “that article over there” (far from both, or something a bit more removed in context)

In many real situations, その記事 is used for:

• An article the listener just mentioned.
• An article both people are already talking about or know about (even if it’s not physically “near” the listener).

So その記事 signals “the article you/that one we’ve been talking about.”

Is the word order fixed? Can I move 私は to another place in the sentence?

Japanese word order is flexible as long as particles stay attached to the right words.

All of these are grammatically possible:

• 私は その記事に コメントします。 (most neutral)
• その記事に 私は コメントします。 (slight emphasis on 私)
• その記事に コメントします、私は。 (very emphatic or stylistic)

However, the most natural/basic order for learners to stick with is:

[topic/subject] は [other phrases] [verb]
→ 私は その記事に コメントします。

Moving 私は later adds a nuance of emphasis or contrast, and is more advanced / stylistic.

Are the spaces between the words normal in Japanese?

No. In standard written Japanese, you normally don’t use spaces between words.

The sentence would usually be written as:

• 私はその記事にコメントします。

Spaces are often added in textbooks or teaching materials to help learners see word boundaries and particles, but native writing doesn’t use them (except in special cases like some children’s books, ads, or styled text).

Can particles like は or に be dropped in casual speech here?

Sometimes particles are omitted in very casual spoken or online Japanese, but you need to be careful.

• Dropping は:
  私、その記事にコメントします。
  Sounds casual and is possible in speech. The comma/pause replaces は.

• Dropping に:
  その記事コメントします。
  You may see or hear this in very casual speech or online, but it’s more “compressed” and can sound rough or slangy. For learners, it’s safer to keep に.

For clear and correct Japanese, especially as a learner, keep both particles:

• 私はその記事にコメントします。