そのまどにさわってはいけません。
- Don’t touch that window.

そのまどにさわってはいけません。 meaning: You must not touch that window.

The sentence follows a subject-object-verb order, though the subject is often implied in Japanese. ⚫︎ The basic structure can be understood as: Topic (often implied) - Object - Verb. ⚫︎ In this case, the topic is implied (it's understood that we're talking about something related to the situation). ⚫︎ The object is まど, the window. ⚫︎ The verb phrase is さわってはいけません, which means "must not touch".

The particle に marks the location or the goal of an action. ⚫︎ In this sentence, に is used after まど (window). ⚫︎ It indicates the location or the specific thing that the action, touching, relates to. ⚫︎ Therefore, it shows *where* the action should not take place. ⚫︎ Example: 公園**に**行きます。(Kouen **ni** ikimasu.) - I go **to** the park.

The verb さわる means "to touch." ⚫︎ It is a *ru*-verb (a regular verb in Japanese). ⚫︎ In this sentence, it is conjugated to express prohibition. ⚫︎ The stem of the verb (さわっ-) is used with the auxiliary verb and a negative form to express "must not" or "should not." ⚫︎ Understanding verb conjugations is crucial for forming correct sentences. ⚫︎ Verb conjugations in Japanese change according to the tense, formality, and purpose of the sentence.

This is a fixed expression used to express prohibition (something you must not do). ⚫︎ The "-te" form of the verb is required (さわって from さわる). ⚫︎ The expression はいけません translates to "must not" or "you must not." ⚫︎ This is a very common N5-level expression. ⚫︎ Example: たばこを**吸ってはいけません**。 (Tabako o **sutte wa ikemasen**.) - You must not smoke. ⚫︎ The て-form of a verb must be created, and then added to the auxiliary verb formula. ⚫︎ To convert the verb さわる to the て-form, we use さわって. ⚫︎ Then, the auxiliary verb formula is appended, and the whole expression becomes さわってはいけません。

Japanese utilizes a negative form of verbs to express actions that *are not* performed. ⚫︎ The negative form is formed by changing the final sound of the verb. ⚫︎ The final sound of a verb generally determines the type of verb, and so different verbs might be handled differently. ⚫︎ For *ru*-verbs (like さわる), this involves replacing the last る with ない. (さわらない - do not touch) ⚫︎ Then, to express prohibition, the negative form is combined with the expression はいけません. ⚫︎ The negative form is also used in other patterns, like: 食べません - I do not eat.