Breakdown of watasi ha rainen no siken ni goukakusuru zo to tuyoku kessinsimasita.
Questions & Answers about watasi ha rainen no siken ni goukakusuru zo to tuyoku kessinsimasita.
In Japanese, 合格する means “to pass (an exam/test)” and it is an intransitive verb. It doesn’t directly take an object with を.
Instead, the thing you pass is marked with に, which here indicates the target or goal of the action.
- 試験に合格する – to pass an exam
- テストに合格した – I passed the test
- 大学に入る – to enter a university (university = target)
- 試合に勝つ – to win a match
So:
- 試験を合格する is unnatural / incorrect.
- 試験に合格する is the normal, correct pattern.
来年の試験 literally means “the exam of next year” → “next year’s exam.”
The particle の here marks a possessive / attributive relationship, similar to ’s in English.
- 来年の試験 – next year’s exam
- 数学の試験 – the math exam
- 大学の試験 – the university’s exam / university entrance exam
You generally cannot just put two nouns together like 来年試験 the way English says “next year exam.” Japanese normally needs either:
- Noun + の + Noun
- 来年の試験
- Or a full modifier phrase:
- 来年受ける試験 – the exam (that I will) take next year
So の is required here to connect 来年 and 試験.
は marks the topic of the sentence: what we’re talking about.
が marks the grammatical subject, often introducing new or contrastive information.
In this sentence:
- 私は来年の試験に合格するぞと強く決心しました。
→ “As for me, I firmly decided that I will pass next year’s exam.”
Using 私は is natural because the sentence is about your decision; it sets 私 as the general topic.
If you said:
- 私が来年の試験に合格するぞと強く決心しました。
it can sound like you’re emphasizing me (as opposed to someone else), e.g.:
- “I am the one who firmly made this decision (not someone else).”
So:
- 私は … 決心しました。 – neutral, natural here
- 私が … 決心しました。 – possible, but adds a contrast/emphasis nuance
Yes, very naturally.
Japanese frequently omits subjects when they’re clear from context. If you are talking about your own plans or determination, it’s usually obvious that “I” is the subject.
So you could say:
- 来年の試験に合格するぞと強く決心しました。
This still very naturally means “I strongly decided that I will pass next year’s exam,” as long as the context is about you. In everyday conversation, this version (without 私) is actually more common.
ぞ is a sentence-ending particle that adds a sense of:
- strong assertion
- determination or enthusiasm
- somewhat rough / masculine casual tone
So:
- 合格する。 – plain “(I) will pass / (I’m going to) pass.”
- 合格するよ。 – “(I) will pass, you know / I will pass (I’m telling you).” More neutral.
- 合格するぞ。 – “I will pass!” (pumped-up, determined, often masculine-sounding)
In this sentence, 合格するぞ is not being said aloud to someone; it’s the content of your inner resolution. It’s like deciding to yourself:
“I’m going to pass that exam!”
Using ぞ in direct speech to others can sound rough or very casual, often associated with male speakers. In mixed or polite company, people might prefer:
- 合格するよ。
- 合格します。
- Or, as a thought, 合格してみせる！ etc.
Here, と is the quotative particle. It marks the content of what you decided.
The structure is:
- 「来年の試験に合格するぞ」と強く決心しました。
→ I strongly decided “I will pass next year’s exam!”
So the part before と (来年の試験に合格するぞ) is being treated as a quoted thought or inner statement, and と connects it to verbs of:
- saying (言う)
- thinking (思う)
- feeling (感じる)
- deciding (決心する / 決める)
- hearing (聞く), etc.
Examples:
- 「行こう」と思いました。 – I thought, “Let’s go.”
- 「無理だ」と諦めた。 – I gave up, thinking “It’s impossible.”
Here:
- X と 強く決心しました。
means “I strongly decided that X.”
In Japanese, the past tense often marks that an action is completed, not necessarily that everything involved is in the past.
Here:
- 決心しました – “(I) decided / made up my mind.”
The act of deciding is completed at some point (even if that point is “just now”), so it naturally uses the past tense.
The content of that decision (合格する, a future action) is separate:
- 来年の試験に合格する – passing the exam will happen in the future.
- 決心しました – the decision itself is done now or in the (recent) past.
This is very similar to English “I decided that I will …” where decided is past, but the actual action is in the future.
強く is the adverbial form of the adjective 強い (“strong”).
- 強い (i-adjective) → adverb form by changing い → く
- So 強く = “strongly / firmly”
It is modifying 決心しました:
- 強く決心しました。 – “(I) decided firmly / strongly resolved”
Nuance: you didn’t just casually think “yeah, I’ll try.” You made a firm, strong determination. Other near-synonyms in meaning:
- 固く決心しました。 – also “firmly decided”
- しっかり決心しました。 – “decided securely/solidly”
You can say 決めました, but there is a nuance difference.
- 決める – “to decide” (general word for making decisions; can be minor or major)
- 決心する – “to resolve / to make up one’s mind (with strong will)”; more about inner determination, often for important or difficult things.
Compare:
明日早く起きることに決めました。
– I decided to get up early tomorrow. (could be a light/small decision)来年の試験に合格するぞと決心しました。
– I (have) resolved that I will pass next year’s exam. (serious internal resolve)
Using 決心しました emphasizes that this is a serious, strong, possibly life-affecting decision.
Using 決めました is more neutral and could sound a bit lighter, though context still matters.
The sentence is a mix of polite and casual elements:
- …決心しました。 – uses ます-form → polite style
- Inside the quoted part: 合格するぞ – ぞ is casual, masculine, somewhat rough
This is actually quite natural in Japanese because:
- The outer sentence (what you tell someone) is polite.
- The inner quote reflects your own internal voice, which can be casual/rough.
So you can say to someone politely:
- 来年の試験に合格するぞと強く決心しました。
and it will sound like:
“I strongly decided, ‘I will pass next year’s exam!’”
If you want the whole thing to feel neutral in tone, even inside your quote, you could say:
- 来年の試験に合格しようと強く決心しました。
(“I firmly decided that I will pass next year’s exam.” – no rough particle)
Both are grammatically fine; the original just lets you “hear” your own pumped-up inner voice (ぞ) inside an otherwise polite sentence.