watasi ha niwa de inu to issyo ni asobimasu.

I play with my dog in the yard.

Breakdown of watasi ha niwa de inu to issyo ni asobimasu.

• は: topic particle
• 犬いぬ: dog
• 私わたし: I
• と: companion particle
• で: location particle
• 一緒いっしょ に: together
• 遊あそぶ: to play
• 庭にわ: yard

Questions & Answers about watasi ha niwa de inu to issyo ni asobimasu.

Why is は used after 私? Is 私 the subject of the sentence?

は is the topic marker, not the subject marker.

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

In this sentence:

私 は 庭で 犬と一緒に 遊びます。
“(As for) me, I play with the dog in the garden.”

The grammatical subject (in the English sense) isn’t explicitly marked here; Japanese often doesn’t need to mark subject the way English does.

If you used が instead of は:

私が 庭で 犬と一緒に 遊びます。

This would usually emphasize me in contrast to someone else, like:

It’s *me who plays with the dog in the garden (not someone else).*

So:

• は = sets up topic, often “as for X…”
• が = marks subject, often with some emphasis/contrast

Here, 私 is the topic, and it is also understood as the subject in meaning, but the grammar focus of は is “topic,” not “subject.”

Do I have to say 私? Can I just say 庭で犬と一緒に遊びます。?

You can (and usually would) drop 私 if the context already makes it clear that you’re talking about yourself:

庭で 犬と一緒に 遊びます。
“(I) play with the dog in the garden.”

Japanese often omits pronouns like “I,” “you,” “he/she” when they’re obvious from context. Saying 私 is fine, but in everyday speech it can sound unnecessary or slightly stiff if everyone already knows you’re talking about yourself.

Use 私 when:

• You need to clarify who is doing the action
• You introduce yourself or your habits
• The subject might otherwise be ambiguous

What does で mean in 庭で? Why not 庭に?

で here marks the place where an action takes place.

• 庭で = “in the garden / at the garden (as the place where the action happens)”

General idea:

• [location]で → where an action happens
• [location]に → where something exists or where something/someone arrives or moves to

Compare:

• 庭で 遊びます。 – “(I) play in the garden.” (action place)
• 庭に 犬が います。 – “There is a dog in the garden.” (existence)
• 庭に 行きます。 – “(I) go to the garden.” (destination)

So for “play in the garden,” 庭で is the natural choice.

Why is と used with 犬? I thought と means “and.”

と has several uses. One common one is “and,” but here it marks a companion or partner:

• 犬と (in this sentence) = “with the dog” (as your companion)

So: > 犬と 遊びます。
> “(I) play with the dog.”

Other examples of companion と:

• 友だちと 映画を 見ます。 – “I watch a movie with my friend.”
• 家族と 旅行します。 – “I travel with my family.”

So in this sentence, と = “with (someone)” rather than “and (A and B).”

What exactly is 一緒に? Why is there に after 一緒?

一緒（いっしょ） by itself is a noun meaning “together” / “the same place/time.”

When you add に, it becomes an adverb-like phrase:

• 一緒に = “together (with)”

The に here is a particle that turns 一緒 into something that modifies the verb (like an adverb in English).

Examples:

• 友だちと 一緒に 勉強します。 – “I study together with my friend.”
• 家族と 一緒に 住んでいます。 – “I live together with my family.”

So in your sentence: > 犬と 一緒に 遊びます。
> “(I) play together with the dog.”

If 犬と means “with the dog” and 一緒に means “together,” why do we need both 犬と and 一緒に?

You don’t strictly need both; each has its own nuance:

1. 犬と遊びます。

   • Grammatically complete
   • Means “I play with the dog.”
   • States that the dog is your partner in the action

2. 犬と一緒に遊びます。

   • “I play together with the dog.”
   • More explicitly emphasizes the idea of doing the activity together, side by side

3. 犬と一緒です。

   • “(I) am together with the dog.” (no verb of “play”)

In natural Japanese, [person/animal]と一緒に [verb] is a very common pattern. It can sound a bit warmer or more explicitly “together” than [person/animal]と [verb] alone.

So:

• と marks the companion
• 一緒に emphasizes togetherness

Having both is common and natural.

Why is there no を (object marker) before 犬? Shouldn’t it be “play the dog” like 犬を遊びます?

In this meaning, 遊ぶ（あそぶ） is usually intransitive – it doesn’t take a direct object with を.

• 遊ぶ = “to play / to have fun / to hang out”
• You don’t “play something” as a grammatical object; you just “play,” often with someone/something, marked by と.

So:

• ✅ 犬と遊びます。 – “I play with the dog.”
• ❌ 犬を遊びます。 – sounds wrong in standard Japanese in this sense.

When 遊ぶ does take を, the meaning changes, e.g. in some set expressions or older/literary usage, but for everyday “play/have fun,” think of it as not taking a direct object.

Does 遊びます mean “I play” or “I will play”? How do I know the tense?

遊びます is the polite non-past form of 遊ぶ.

In Japanese, the “non-past” form covers both:

• present/habitual: “I play,” “I (usually) play,” “I often play…”
• future: “I will play,” “I’m going to play…”

Which one it means depends on context or added time expressions:

• 毎日 庭で 犬と遊びます。
  “I play with the dog in the garden every day.” (habit)
• あとで 庭で 犬と遊びます。
  “I will play with the dog in the garden later.” (future plan)

In your sentence without extra context, it’s just “(I) play / (I) will play” — the listener uses context to interpret the time.

What is the dictionary form of 遊びます and what is the politeness level here?

The dictionary (plain) form is:

• 遊びます → 遊ぶ (godan verb)

Politeness:

• 遊ぶ – plain form (casual). Used with friends, family, in informal writing.
• 遊びます – polite ます-form. Used with strangers, in formal situations, to sound polite/respectful.

Your sentence with plain form:

私は 庭で 犬と一緒に 遊ぶ。
(Grammatically fine, but casual; might sound blunt to someone not close to you.)

With polite form:

私は 庭で 犬と一緒に 遊びます。
Polite and appropriate in most neutral/formal contexts.

Can the word order be changed, like 私は犬と庭で一緒に遊びます? Is that still correct?

Yes, Japanese word order is relatively flexible as long as:

• The verb comes at the end
• Particles stay attached to the right words

These are all grammatically OK, with slightly different emphasis:

1. 私は 庭で 犬と一緒に 遊びます。
   (Neutral; emphasizes the place first.)

2. 私は 犬と一緒に 庭で 遊びます。
   (Emphasizes “with the dog” a bit earlier.)

3. 庭で 私は 犬と一緒に 遊びます。
   (Topicalizes the garden a bit: “In the garden, I play with the dog.”)

What you cannot do is:

• Put the verb in the middle: ❌ 遊びます 私は 庭で犬と一緒に。
• Separate words from their particles: ❌ 庭 私は で犬 一緒と に遊びます。

So yes, 私は犬と庭で一緒に遊びます。 is understandable and grammatically OK, but the most natural/basic order is usually close to:

[topic] は [place] で [companion] と一緒に [verb].

Does 犬 mean “a dog,” “the dog,” or “dogs”? There’s no “a/the” in Japanese, right?

Correct: Japanese has no articles like “a” or “the” and usually no plural -s on nouns.

So 犬 by itself could be:

• “a dog”
• “the dog”
• “dogs” (in general)
• “my dog / our dog,” if context implies that

Which English article/number you choose depends on context:

• If you’ve been talking about your pet dog:
  • 庭で 犬と遊びます。 → “I play with the dog in the garden.” (your known dog)
• If it’s just some dog, unspecified:
  • “I play with a dog in the garden.”
• If it’s a general habit with dogs:
  • “I play with dogs in the garden.”

Japanese leaves this vague; English forces you to pick one.

Is there any difference between 庭 and “garden / yard”? Does 庭 always mean a flower garden?

庭（にわ） is broader than English “garden”:

• It can be a yard, garden, or courtyard – basically the open space around a house or building.
• It doesn’t have to be a flower garden; it could be a simple yard of grass or dirt.

So:

• 庭で遊ぶ could be “play in the yard” or “play in the garden,” depending on what fits best in natural English for that place.

Can I say the same thing without 一緒に, like 私は庭で犬と遊びます? Does it sound less natural?

Yes, you can say:

私は 庭で 犬と 遊びます。

This is perfectly natural and common. It means:

• “I play with the dog in the garden.”

Nuance:

• 犬と遊びます – neutral “I play with the dog.”
• 犬と一緒に遊びます – a bit more explicitly “I play together with the dog,” often slightly warmer or more descriptive.

Both are fine; including 一緒に just adds a bit of emphasis on doing the activity together.