hikidasi no naka ga ippai datta node, hurui denti ha tana no ue ni okimasita.

の is linking nouns together.

In this sentence, it appears in:

• 引き出しの中 = the inside of the drawer
• 棚の上 = the top of the shelf / on the shelf

A very common pattern is:

• A の B = B of A / B belonging to A / B associated with A

So here:

• 引き出し = drawer
• 中 = inside
  → 引き出しの中 = inside the drawer

And:

• 棚 = shelf
• 上 = top / above / on top
  → 棚の上 = on top of the shelf

Japanese uses の very often where English might use of, 's, or just a noun modifier.

Here, が marks the thing that is full.

• 引き出しの中がいっぱいだった = the inside of the drawer was full

Using が is natural because いっぱいだ describes the state of 中.

Why not は?

• 中はいっぱいだった is possible in some contexts, but it would sound more contrastive, like:
  • As for the inside, it was full
  • maybe implying something else was not full

So:

• が = neutral, straightforward description
• は = adds contrast or special topical emphasis

In this sentence, が is the normal choice.

いっぱい here means full.

In this usage, it behaves like a noun / na-adjective-like predicate, so when talking about the past, it becomes:

• いっぱいだ = is full
• いっぱいだった = was full

That is why the sentence has:

• 中がいっぱいだった = the inside was full

This is similar to:

• 静かだ → 静かだった
• 便利だ → 便利だった

So even though いっぱい may not look like an adjective to an English speaker, in this sentence it takes だ / だった.

Both ので and から can mean because, but the nuance is slightly different.

• ので sounds a bit more neutral, explanatory, and softer
• から can sound more direct, assertive, or personal

So:

• いっぱいだったので、置きました = Because it was full, I put them...

This sounds like a calm explanation of the reason.

If you used から instead:

• いっぱいだったから、置きました

it would still be correct, but slightly more direct.

For this kind of plain explanation of circumstances, ので is very natural.

This is a very common question.

You might expect:

• 古い電池を棚の上に置きました

because 電池 is the direct object of 置きました.

And yes, を would be perfectly grammatical.

But using は makes 古い電池 the topic:

• As for the old batteries, I put them on the shelf

This often happens when the speaker is talking about what they did with a particular thing.

So:

• 古い電池を置きました = I placed the old batteries
• 古い電池は置きました = As for the old batteries, I placed them

Using は can give a slight sense of contrast too, depending on context, such as:

• maybe other things went somewhere else
• but the old batteries, specifically, went on the shelf

Because 置く is a verb of placement, and に marks the destination/location where something ends up.

• 棚の上に置きました = put it onto/on the shelf

With verbs like these, に is the normal particle:

• 机の上に置く = put it on the desk
• 箱の中に入れる = put it into the box

By contrast, で marks the place where an action happens, especially an ongoing action:

• 部屋で勉強する = study in the room
• 店で買う = buy at the store

So for putting something somewhere, に is the correct particle.

Yes, 引き出し here means drawer.

Japanese nouns usually do not show singular vs. plural the way English does. So depending on context, it could mean:

• drawer
• drawers

But in this sentence, English would most naturally translate it as the drawer because the sentence seems to refer to one specific drawer.

The same is true for 電池:

• battery
• batteries

The actual number is understood from context. Since the English meaning has already been shown as batteries, that is simply the intended context here.

Literally, 古い電池 means old batteries.

However, in real context, old batteries often suggests:

• used batteries
• batteries that have been around for a while
• possibly dead or weak batteries

Japanese 古い does not automatically mean dead, though. If the speaker specifically wanted to say dead batteries, they might use another expression depending on context, such as wording that makes it clearer the batteries are no longer usable.

So the phrase itself is literally old batteries, but the practical implication may be used-up batteries.

Because the sentence is describing a past situation and a past action.

• いっぱいだった = was full
• 置きました = put / placed

The logic is:

1. The drawer was full.
2. Because of that, the speaker put the batteries on the shelf.

Japanese often keeps the tense consistent across the sentence when describing past events.

So this is a normal narrative sequence:

• reason in the past
• result/action in the past

Yes, absolutely.

• 古い電池を棚の上に置きました is very natural.
• It is a more straightforward statement of the action.

Compare:

• 古い電池を棚の上に置きました

  • I put the old batteries on the shelf.
  • Focuses on the action and direct object.

• 古い電池は棚の上に置きました

  • As for the old batteries, I put them on the shelf.
  • Brings old batteries forward as the topic, and may sound slightly contrastive.

So both are possible, but は changes the focus.

Yes. Japanese often describes the inside of containers, rooms, bags, drawers, and so on.

So these are all natural kinds of expressions:

• 箱の中がいっぱいだ = the box is full
• 冷蔵庫の中がいっぱいだ = the fridge is full
• 引き出しの中がいっぱいだ = the inside of the drawer is full

In English, we often just say the drawer is full, but Japanese commonly says the inside of the drawer is full.

So this is a very natural Japanese way to express the idea.