……
Usages of ya
あの 小屋 に トカゲ や 虫 が います。ano koya ni tokage ya musi ga imasu.
There are lizards and insects and such in that hut.
イタリア や 日本 の 食べ物 が 好き です。itaria ya nihon no tabemono ga suki desu.
(I) like Italian and Japanese food (among others).
「朝ご飯 は 何 を 食べた か？」 「パン や ヨーグルト など 食べた。」「asagohan ha nani wo tabeta ka?」 「pan ya yooguruto nado tabeta.」
"What did you eat for breakfast?" "I had some bread and yoghurt and such."
冬 は ロンドン や パリ など に 行きました。huyu ha rondon ya pari nado ni ikimasita.
I went to London and Paris (and other such places) in the winter.
彼女 は テニス や 泳ぐの が 上手。kanozyo ha tenisu ya oyoguno ga zyouzu.
She's good at tennis and swimming (among other things).
この 色 の ほか に、 青 や 緑 は あります か？kono iro no hoka ni, ao ya midori ha arimasu ka?
Besides this color, do you have blue or green?
鹿 は 木 の 葉 や 草 を 食べます。sika ha ki no ha ya kusa wo tabemasu.
Deer eat tree leaves and grass. (among other things)
Test yourself: What does ya mean?
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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