おとうとはコーヒーをのみません。
- My younger brother doesn’t drink coffee.
This Japanese sentence "おとうとはコーヒーをのみません。" means "My younger brother doesn’t drink coffee." in English. It is an N5 Mid-level example sentence.
Words Contained
AI Explanation
おとうとはコーヒーをのみません。 meaning: My younger brother doesn't drink coffee.
The basic sentence structure in Japanese is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV), which is different from English's Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). ⚫︎ In this sentence: ⚫︎ おとうと (otouto - younger brother) is the subject. ⚫︎ コーヒー (koohii - coffee) is the object. ⚫︎ のみません (nomimasen - don't drink) is the verb. ⚫︎ The sentence order is generally: Subject + (Topic Marker) + Object + (Object Marker) + Verb.
Particles are essential to Japanese grammar. They mark the grammatical function of words in a sentence. ⚫︎ は (wa): ⚫︎ This particle marks the topic of the sentence. The topic is what the sentence is about. ⚫︎ In おとうとはコーヒーをのみません。, おとうと is the topic, thus は follows it. ⚫︎ を (o): ⚫︎ This particle marks the direct object of the verb. ⚫︎ In this sentence, コーヒー (coffee) is the object of the verb のみます (drink), so を follows it.
Japanese verbs conjugate depending on tense, politeness, and other factors. ⚫︎ のみます (nomimasu - drink) is a polite form of the verb. ⚫︎ The negative form of verbs in the polite form uses the ending ません (masen). ⚫︎ To make a verb negative in the polite form: 1. Change the ます (masu) ending to ません (masen). 2. For example, 飲みます (nomimasu - drink) becomes 飲みません (nomimasen - don't drink).
Japanese doesn't always need an explicit subject, especially if it's clear from the context. ⚫︎ The subject can be marked with the particle は (wa) or が (ga). ⚫︎ は (wa) is often used to introduce the topic. ⚫︎ が (ga) is more often used when introducing a new subject. ⚫︎ In this sentence, おとうと is marked with the topic marker は (wa), so we know that the sentence is about the younger brother.
Understanding common sentence patterns helps you form your own sentences. ⚫︎ Subject + Topic Marker + Object + Object Marker + Verb (as seen in this sentence). ⚫︎ For example: ⚫︎ 私はりんごを食べます。 (Watashi wa ringo o tabemasu.) - I eat an apple. ⚫︎ 彼は水を飲みません。 (Kare wa mizu o nomimasen.) - He doesn't drink water. ⚫︎ The order of the sentence is quite flexible. The important thing is that the particles indicate the roles that words play in the sentence.