Breakdown of tomodati to nihongo de iken wo iiauno ha tanosii desu.
Questions & Answers about tomodati to nihongo de iken wo iiauno ha tanosii desu.
Here 友達と means “with (my) friend(s)” rather than “and”.
- A と B usually means “A and B”.
- X と V can also mean “do V together with X”.
In this sentence, 友達と is “with friends”, i.e. to exchange opinions *with friends.
You could also say *友達と一緒に日本語で意見を言い合うのは楽しいです, adding 一緒に to emphasize “together”, but it’s not necessary.
で here marks the means or medium used, so 日本語で means “in Japanese / using Japanese”.
Typical pattern:
- 日本語で話す – speak in Japanese
- 英語で書く – write in English
- 箸で食べる – eat with chopsticks
に would be wrong here; it does not mark the language or tool. So 日本語で意見を言い合う = exchange opinions in Japanese.
The verb 言い合う is 言う (to say) + 合う (to each other).
So 意見を言い合う literally means “say opinions to each other”, i.e.:
- exchange opinions
- discuss each other’s views
- sometimes, argue (depending on context)
Compared to other verbs:
- 話す – to talk, speak (more general)
- 言う – to say, tell (one-directional)
- 意見を言う – to state/give an opinion
- 意見を言い合う – to mutually share or trade opinions
In this sentence, it suggests a two-way discussion, not just one person talking.
Here の is nominalizing the verb phrase 友達と日本語で意見を言い合う.
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合う – to exchange opinions in Japanese with friends
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合うの – the act of exchanging opinions in Japanese with friends
By turning the whole action into a noun-like thing, Japanese can treat it as the topic of the sentence with は:
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのは楽しいです。
→ As for exchanging opinions in Japanese with friends, it is fun.
Could I use こと instead of の?
For example: 友達と日本語で意見を言い合うことは楽しいです?
Yes, that is grammatically correct:
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのは楽しいです。
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合うことは楽しいです。
Both mean the same thing.
Nuance:
- の – a bit more casual and spoken, often with a slightly emotional or personal feel.
- こと – a bit more formal / abstract / written.
In everyday conversation, の is very natural; in essays or more formal writing, こと is more common.
Both are possible, but は and が have different functions.
友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのは楽しいです。
→ Topic: As for exchanging opinions in Japanese with friends, it is fun.
This sounds like a general statement or your general opinion.友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのが楽しいです。
→ Subject focus: What is fun is exchanging opinions in Japanese with friends.
This often appears when contrasting with other possibilities, e.g.:
勉強も好きですが、友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのが一番楽しいです。
(I like studying too, but the most fun thing is exchanging opinions in Japanese with friends.)
In isolation, …のは楽しいです sounds the most neutral and natural here.
Yes. Both of these are natural:
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのは楽しいです。
- 日本語で友達と意見を言い合うのは楽しいです。
Japanese word order is relatively flexible for these modifier + verb parts.
Common patterns:
- [誰と] + [何語で] + [何を] + [どうする]
- [何語で] + [誰と] + [何を] + [どうする]
The nuance difference is minimal; sometimes the element placed earlier is what you want to slightly highlight, but in everyday speech these two feel almost the same.
Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context.
This sentence literally just says:
- Exchanging opinions in Japanese with friends is fun.
Who thinks it’s fun? Usually the speaker. In a conversation where you’re talking about things you like, it’s naturally understood as:
- For me, exchanging opinions in Japanese with friends is fun.
If you really wanted to state the subject explicitly, you could say:
- 私は友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのは楽しいです。
But in most contexts, 私は would sound unnecessary or slightly heavy.
Japanese nouns usually don’t mark plural, so 友達 can mean:
- a friend
- friends
- (one’s) friend(s) in general
Context decides. In this kind of general statement about something being fun, English naturally uses “friends”, so we translate it that way.
友達たち exists, but it’s usually used when you want to emphasize a group, or list them as individuals, e.g.:
- クラスの友達たち – (all) my classmates
- 子どもたちの友達たち – the children’s friends
Saying 友達たち in this sentence would sound a bit heavy or overly explicit; plain 友達 is more natural.
言い合う here is in dictionary form because it appears before の, inside a larger phrase.
The politeness of the sentence is mainly carried by です at the end:
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのは楽しいです。 → polite
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合うのは楽しい。 → casual
If 言い合う were the main verb at the end, you’d make it polite as 言い合います:
- 友達と日本語で意見を言い合います。 – I (will) exchange opinions in Japanese with friends.
So: 言い合う itself isn’t “casual”; it’s just in base form because it’s inside the clause being nominalized by の. The sentence as a whole is polite thanks to です.