tomodati to kenka wo suru to, sugu meeru de nakanaorisimasu.

Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.
Start learning Japanese

Start learning Japanese now

Questions & Answers about tomodati to kenka wo suru to, sugu meeru de nakanaorisimasu.

What does the particle after 友達 do here? Why not or ?

In 友達とけんかをする, the particle means “with” (as in “fight with a friend”).

  • 友達と = with (my) friend
  • けんかをする = to have a fight / to quarrel

So the pattern is:
A と B をする → “to do B with A”

You would not use:

  • 友達がけんかをする → “my friend fights” (focus on the friend as subject)
  • 友達をけんかする → ungrammatical; けんかする doesn’t take like that for the person.

Here, we want “fight with a friend,” so is the natural choice.

Why is it けんかをする and not just けんかする? Is there any difference?

Both けんかをする and けんかする are correct and commonly used.

  • けんかする: verb phrase “to quarrel / to fight”
  • けんかをする: literally “to do a quarrel,” but in practice it means the same thing.

Nuance:

  • けんかする feels a bit simpler and maybe slightly more casual.
  • けんかをする can sound a touch more formal or careful, but most of the time the difference is minimal.

In conversation you will hear both. In textbooks and writing, Noun + をする (like 勉強をする, 運動をする) is a very standard pattern, which is likely why it appears here.

What does ~すると mean here? How is it different from ~したら or ~とき?

In けんかをすると、すぐ…, the after する is a conditional: “when/whenever/if I fight…”.

Rough comparison:

  • けんかをすると、すぐメールで仲直りします。
    → Whenever / if I fight with my friend, I (then) quickly make up by email.
    → Often used for general, habitual results, or things that always follow.

  • けんかをしたら、すぐメールで仲直りします。
    → If/when I (have) fought with my friend, I (then) quickly make up by email.
    → More “if/when this happens (in a specific case), then I will…”.

  • けんかをしたとき、すぐメールで仲直りします。
    → When I fight / when I fought with my friend, I quickly make up by email.
    → Focuses on the time when something happens, not so much the automatic result.

In this sentence, すると nicely expresses a regular pattern: “In the situation where I argue with a friend, what usually happens next is: I make up by email.”

Why is there a comma after する (…する と、 すぐ…)? Is it required?

The comma after すると is not grammatically required; it’s mainly for readability.

  • 友達とけんかをするとすぐメールで仲直りします。
  • 友達とけんかをすると、すぐメールで仲直りします。

Both are correct. The comma just makes the sentence easier to parse, visually separating the condition clause (up to すると) from the result clause (from すぐ onward).

What does すぐ mean here, and could it be すぐに instead?

すぐ here means “immediately / right away / soon after that.”

  • すぐメールで仲直りします。
    → I make up by email right away.

You can say すぐにメールで仲直りします.

  • すぐ vs すぐに:
    • Both are common and natural.
    • すぐに can sound a bit more explicit or slightly more formal/emphatic, but in many contexts they’re interchangeable.

Word order is also flexible:

  • すぐメールで仲直りします。
  • メールですぐ仲直りします。

Both are fine; the nuance shift is subtle (slightly different emphasis: “immediately by email” vs “by email, immediately”).

Why is it メールで and not メールに or メールを?

The particle often marks the means or method by which something is done.

  • メールで仲直りします。
    → I make up by email / via email.

Compare:

  • バスで行きます。 → I go by bus.
  • 電話で話します。 → I talk on the phone.

So メールで = “by/through email”, which is exactly the nuance here.

  • メールに would mean “to email” (as a target) in some usages, but not “via email” in this sense.
  • メールを would usually mark “email” as a direct object (e.g., メールを送る = send an email), which is not what’s happening here.
What exactly is 仲直りします? Is 仲直り a verb or a noun?

仲直り is a noun meaning “reconciliation / making up (after a quarrel).”
仲直りします is noun + します, which turns it into a “do reconciliation” → “make up” verb phrase.

Pattern:

  • 仲直り(を)する → to make up / to reconcile
  • 仲直りします → polite form

This is the same pattern as:

  • 勉強をする → to study
  • 掃除をする → to clean

You may also see:

  • 友達と仲直りします。 → I make up with my friend.

In the given sentence, the “with my friend” part is understood from earlier 友達とけんかをする and from context.

Who is the subject of this sentence? There’s no . How do we know it’s “I”?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context.

The full English idea is:

  • When I fight with my friend, I quickly make up by email.”

In Japanese, is usually dropped when talking about your own habits or actions, especially in casual description. The listener assumes:

  • If you are speaking about your own experiences or habits → subject is (or “I”).

So:

  • (私は)友達とけんかをすると、すぐメールで仲直りします。
    → The (私は) is simply omitted as natural Japanese.
Is 友達 singular (“friend”) or plural (“friends”) here?

友達 by itself does not clearly mark singular or plural. It can mean:

  • “a friend”
  • “my friend”
  • “friends”

In context:

  • 友達とけんかをする can be understood as “fight with my friend” or “fight with friends”.

If you need to be explicit:

  • One friend: 一人の友達とけんかをする
  • Several friends: 友達たちとけんかをする or 何人かの友達とけんかをする

But in everyday speech, just 友達 is usually enough, and English translations choose singular or plural according to what sounds natural.

Why is it 仲直りします (polite form) instead of 仲直りする (plain form)? Is this about politeness?

Yes. 仲直りします is the polite form, and 仲直りする is the plain form.

  • 友達とけんかをすると、すぐメールで仲直りします。
    → Polite/honorific style; suitable for talking to someone not very close, in class, in writing, etc.

  • 友達とけんかすると、すぐメールで仲直りする。
    → Plain/casual style; used with close friends, in diaries, or casual writing.

In Japanese, you normally keep one style throughout a sentence or paragraph. This one is written in the polite ~ます style.

Could the whole sentence be said in plain form as 友達とけんかすると、すぐメールで仲直りする? Is that natural?

Yes, that is completely natural in a casual/plain context:

  • 友達とけんかすると、すぐメールで仲直りする。

Meaning is the same; only the politeness level changes. You’d use this with friends, in your own notes, or in informal speech.

Just be consistent: don’t mix する and します in one short sentence unless there is a very specific stylistic reason.

Why isn’t there 友達と again before 仲直りします? How do we know who you’re making up with?

Japanese often doesn’t repeat information that’s already clear from context.

The full version could be:

  • 友達とけんかをすると、すぐメールで友達と仲直りします。

This is grammatically fine, but slightly redundant. Since 友達と already appeared in the first clause, and it’s obvious that you’re making up with the same friend, it’s normally left out in the second clause.

Listeners understand:

  • Fight with a friend → make up with that friend.

So the shorter version in the original sentence sounds more natural.