watashi wa atarashii benkyou no houhou o tameshimasu.

topic particle

Breakdown of watashi wa atarashii benkyou no houhou o tameshimasu.

• 私わたし: I
• を: direct object particle
• の: possessive case particle

Questions & Answers about watashi wa atarashii benkyou no houhou o tameshimasu.

Why is the word order so different from English? Why does the verb 試します come at the end?

Japanese basic word order is Subject–Object–Verb (SOV), unlike English, which is Subject–Verb–Object (SVO).

• English: I (subject) try (verb) a new way of studying (object).
• Japanese: 私 (subject/topic) は 新しい勉強の方法 (object) を 試します (verb).

In Japanese, the main verb almost always comes at the end of the sentence. All the information about who, what, when, how, etc. is placed before the verb. So it’s perfectly normal and expected that 試します is at the end.

Why is は used after 私? What does it do, and could we use が instead?

は is the topic particle. It marks what the sentence is about, not necessarily the grammatical subject in the strict sense.

• 私 = I / me
• 私
  • は → 私 は = As for me / Speaking of me / I (topic)

In this sentence, 私 is both the topic and the subject, but Japanese chooses to highlight it as the topic with は.

Could we say 私が新しい勉強の方法を試します?

• Grammatically yes, it’s correct.
• 私が puts more emphasis on “I (as opposed to someone else)”.
  • For example, if someone asked “Who will try a new study method?”, you might answer: 私が新しい勉強の方法を試します (“I will try a new study method”).

In neutral, simple statements, 私は is more natural because you’re just setting “me” as the topic and giving information about yourself.