Breakdown of watasi ha sensei ni ikutuka situmon wo simasita.
Questions & Answers about watasi ha sensei ni ikutuka situmon wo simasita.
Why is は used after 私 instead of が?
What does に mean after 先生?
Here, に marks the target/recipient of the action.
So 先生に質問しました means asked the teacher questions or more literally did questions to the teacher.
With verbs involving communication or giving, に often marks the person receiving the action:
- 先生に聞きました = I asked the teacher
- 友だちに話しました = I spoke to my friend
Why is 質問 followed by を?
を marks the direct object of する.
質問 is a noun meaning question or questioning, and with する it becomes a verb phrase:
- 質問をする = to ask a question / to ask questions
So:
- 質問 = question(s)
- 質問をしました = asked question(s)
This is a very common pattern in Japanese: noun + をする.
Can I also say 質問しました without を?
Yes. 質問しました is also natural and very common.
Both are acceptable:
- 先生に質問しました
- 先生に質問をしました
The version with を makes the noun 質問 stand out a little more as the thing being done, but in many everyday situations the difference is very small.
What does いくつか mean?
Why is it いくつか 質問 and not necessarily いくつかの 質問?
Why is the verb at the end of the sentence?
Can 私 be omitted?
Yes, very often.
If it is already clear from context who is speaking, Japanese usually leaves out 私. So a very natural sentence would be:
- 先生にいくつか質問をしました。
Japanese often omits information that English normally says explicitly.
Why is it しました and not した?
しました is the polite past form of する.
した is the plain past form.
So:
- しました = polite
- した = casual/plain
You would usually use しました in class, with teachers, with people you do not know well, or in formal writing.
Why doesn’t 質問 have a plural ending?
Does 先生 mean the teacher, a teacher, or my teacher?
Japanese does not use articles like a and the the way English does.
So 先生 could mean:
- the teacher
- a teacher
- my teacher
The exact meaning depends on context.
Also, Japanese often omits possessives when they are obvious. So if you are talking about your own class, 先生 may naturally be understood as my teacher or the teacher.
Are the spaces normal in this sentence?
No. Standard Japanese is usually written without spaces:
私は先生にいくつか質問をしました。
The spaces here are just for learners, to make the parts of the sentence easier to see.
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