Breakdown of watasi ha intaanetto de utyuu no syasin wo yoku mimasu.
Questions & Answers about watasi ha intaanetto de utyuu no syasin wo yoku mimasu.
は is the topic marker, not really a pure “subject marker.”
- 私 = I / me
- は = marks what you’re talking about (the topic)
So 私は～ means “As for me, … / Talking about me, …”
The actual grammatical subject in Japanese is often left out or marked by が, but in many everyday sentences the topic (～は) and the subject happen to be the same person/thing, which is why it feels like a “subject marker” to English speakers.
In this sentence, 私は sets up “me” as the topic: “As for me, I often look at photos of space on the internet.”
で here marks the place or means by which the action is done.
- インターネットで = on the internet / via the internet
Compare:
- インターネットで調べます。 = I research it on the internet.
- バスで行きます。 = I go by bus.
So で can mean:
- “at/in/on” (place where something happens), or
- “by/with/using” (tool/means).
Here, インターネットで is essentially “using the internet / on the internet.”
を would make the internet the direct object (which it is not), and に would usually indicate destination or target, which doesn’t fit well here.
It’s a bit of both, and Japanese doesn’t always strictly separate the two here:
- You could see it as location: “I look (while being) on the internet.”
- Or as means/tool: “I look by using the internet.”
Native speakers don’t usually distinguish this; インターネットで～ is the natural way to say “(do something) on the internet / via the internet.”
の is an attributive/possessive particle that connects nouns:
- A の B ≈ “B of A” / “A’s B”
So:
- 宇宙 = space, the universe
- 写真 = photo(s)
- 宇宙の写真 = literally “photo(s) of space”
It’s very natural Japanese for “photos of space,” like pictures of galaxies, stars, nebulae, etc.
In English we might say “space photos”; の often corresponds to an English “of” or ’s.
を marks the direct object of the verb – the thing the action is done to.
- 写真を見ます。 = (I) look at photos / see photos.
In Japanese, the verb 見る (“to look / to see / to watch”) takes its object with を:
- テレビを見る = to watch TV
- 映画を見る = to watch a movie
- 写真を見る = to look at a photo
So here 写真を = “photo(s) (as the thing I’m looking at).”
In this sentence, よく means “often / frequently”, not “well.”
よく has two main usages:
Frequency:
- よく行きます。 = I often go.
- よく遊びます。 = I often play / hang out.
Degree / quality (less relevant here):
- よくできました。 = Well done.
- よく考えてください。 = Please think carefully.
In 宇宙の写真をよく見ます, it clearly means “I often look at photos of space.”
The position is somewhat flexible. All of these are natural, with very similar meanings:
- 私はインターネットで宇宙の写真をよく見ます。
- 私はインターネットでよく宇宙の写真を見ます。
- 私はよくインターネットで宇宙の写真を見ます。
Subtle differences:
- Putting よく earlier (after 私は) can emphasize how often you do this activity in general.
- Putting よく right before 見ます feels a bit more neutral and is very common.
But in everyday speech, all three are fine and understood as “I often look at photos of space on the internet.”
見る is the dictionary/plain form.
見ます is the polite ～ます form.
- 見る = (plain) to look / see / watch
- 見ます = (polite) look / see / watch
You use 見ます when speaking politely, for example:
- to people you don’t know well
- in class, in many textbooks, in formal conversation
You would use 見る with friends, in casual writing, or when the sentence is embedded inside other grammar (e.g. 見ることが好きです).
So this sentence is just in polite style.
Japanese ～ます / ～る (non-past form) is very flexible. It can mean:
- a habitual action:
- よく見ます。 = I often look (at them) / I usually watch (them).
- future:
- あとで見ます。 = I’ll look (at it) later.
In this sentence, because of よく (often), it clearly expresses a habit:
- 見ます = “(I) look (habitually / regularly)”.
As for nuance:
- 見る covers “look,” “see,” and “watch.”
The exact English verb is chosen by context; here “look at photos” is the natural translation.
Use the ～ている form:
- 今、インターネットで宇宙の写真を見ています。
= Right now, I’m looking at photos of space on the internet.
Structure:
- 見ている (plain) / 見ています (polite)
= “is/are looking,” “am looking,” “be in the state of looking.”
Without 今 (now), 見ています can also mean a current habit or ongoing state, so adding 今 makes the “right now” meaning explicit.
Yes, and in natural Japanese you often would omit it if the context already makes it clear you’re talking about yourself:
- インターネットで宇宙の写真をよく見ます。
This is very normal. Japanese often drops:
- the subject (私, 彼, それ …)
- even objects and other parts
…whenever they’re obvious from context. You only keep 私は if you want to contrast yourself with others or make the topic explicit, e.g., “As for me, I often look at space photos (as opposed to someone else).”
Japanese nouns usually do not mark plural. 写真 can mean:
- a photo
- some photos
- photos (in general)
Context tells you which is intended. With よく見ます (“often look”), it almost certainly means “photos” in general or “lots of photos over time.”
If you really want to emphasize plural, you can say:
- たくさんの写真 = many photos
- いろいろな写真 = various photos
But 宇宙の写真をよく見ます by itself very naturally reads as “I often look at photos of space.”
Japanese word order is fairly flexible, as long as the verb comes at the end and particles stay attached to the right words.
All of these are grammatical and natural:
- インターネットで宇宙の写真をよく見ます。
- 宇宙の写真をインターネットでよく見ます。
- よくインターネットで宇宙の写真を見ます。
They all mean essentially the same thing. The differences are very slight, usually in nuance/emphasis:
- Putting 宇宙の写真を earlier can slightly highlight “photos of space” as the focus.
- Putting よく earlier can emphasize the frequency for the whole action.
But in everyday conversation, they are almost interchangeable.
インターネット is a loanword from English, so it’s written in katakana, which is the script mainly used for:
- foreign loanwords (computer, coffee, internet, etc.)
- foreign names
- some onomatopoeia and brand names
There is an old-fashioned kanji form (網際網路 in some contexts), but it’s practically never used in normal Japanese. インターネット in katakana is standard and natural.