"やさいは食べません。"
Translation:I do not eat vegetables.
120 Comments
That's what they don't teach on this course. I've been learning caligraphy by myself, reading also.
A japanese will write this in kanji, so, it's good to learn.
I mean, you're going to encounter them in the wild one way or another, so it's helpful to know early that やさい is usually written 野菜.
Actually they do. By the "Food 2" lesson they start showing you the kanji for 「やさい」
Vegetables in general, instead of a specific instance of vegetables somewhere.
I read in other comments that は it's better used when saying negative sentences, thus を is for the positive ones.
That's totally wrong.
は marks the topic.
を marks the direct object.
When the topic and the direct object are the same, you only use は
Saying やさいは 食べません is like saying, "As for vegetables, I don't eat them."
やさいを 食べません is, "I will not eat vegetables."
You use the former if you want to make a general statement about your position on vegetables, you use the latter to say what you will do in a specific situation.
I see the distinction, and it really helped to see that both form valid sentences.
What you said is true... And a little bit false. The problem is this sentence doesn't make sense without context (as most things in Japanese), and Duolingo should let people decide between は or を.
To add a little bit of information, I talked to my Japanese girlfriend and we imagined context with those sentences.
First : you are eating with people and don't feel like eating vegetables today (ok this is not healthy!!!), but you would eat other things (like meat) : "すみません、野菜は食べません" / I won't eat vegetables (but somethings else).
Second : you are talking with somebody and this person is telling you : "さつまいもが好きです"/ I like sweet potato. You answer : 野菜を食べません / I don't eat vegetables (as for me, in a general statement). By The way, you would better say "野菜がきらいです" / I don't like vegetables ; than the other sentence, but that's for the example.
I know that's difficult but Japanese is really more about talking than writing.
みんな、頑張ってください!
That's just restating what he said... I won't eat vegetables is saying a specific instance (if you mean ever, then it's saying each individual time you're presented with the opportunity). It is a contraction saying that "I will not eat vegetables," most often referring to something in the immediate future.
I don't eat vegetables is saying that as a general rule, you don't eat them. You'd use は for this because it sets apart the noun, saying " As for vegetables, I don't eat them."
You just proved what he was saying...
You're both right. What irdmflre was trying to say (i think) is that "ha" is a topic marker used in this context to indicate that the person won't eat because they don't like vegetables.
The object marker "wo" on the other hand, implies that you do like veggies but just don't want to eat them at a moment.
I know this isn't wrong, because several highly-upvoted comments on other questions said the same thing. Take my word for it.
I'm sorry, but a group of people can't guess their way into fluency of a language. Don't just trust one comment because it's highly-upvoted, then let that suffice. Learning a language takes seriously dedicated time, research and study. If you find something that has a lot of votes, search for it through credible sources to see it's accuracy.
We would do better to trust professors and linguists who have devoted their time and efforts to teach this very thing through the medium of grammar books such as the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (published by The Japan Times).
As far as your comment is concerned, the は does not denote any form of preference. It neither states that you like something nor that you dislike something. It merely sets aside or draws attention to a specific thing or concept. It would be similar to saying "as for..., I +/-verb. If you meant to show a preference, you would "好きだ" or something similar.
For this case, the を does mark that you won't eat them this specific event.
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@Michael, while as an early learner I appreciate your explanation, can help me (us all) understand why it seems that negative sentences tend to always use は, whereas positive ones use を?
At least at this stage of learning in duolingo.
When using を, if you were just saying that you won't eat vegetables, it would mean the specific situation where vegetables might be eaten. If you were to substitute を for は, it would mean any situation where vegetables might be eaten.
The reason they use it more for negative sentences is because people just already assume you eat vegetables, eat bread, drink tea or whatever, so you're emphasizing the contrary. Let's say that you're gluten intolerant and someone brings you a sandwich, to you most likely would say (something along the lines of), "I don't eat gluten (or bread, naninani... in general)." It's saying it for general statements, which are more often used (it seems) in negative sentences. Hope this helps! Look up the "Basic Dictionary of Japanese Grammar" (a yellow book by the Japan Times) for more help. It's a super good help!
I may not be 100% but to th e best of my knowledge を goes in between a noun and a verb in this case たべます (to eat) is the verb and やさい (vegetables) is the object
は is a subject marker and goes in between a noun and the rest of the phrase identifying what that noun for the same sentence if you changed the verb 食べます to another noun like 食べ物(たべもの) food, then it would be written やさいは食べ物です (vegetables are food)
Because you haven't used わたし. If it was を, the sentences would be 私はやさいを食べません. In Japanese the natural thing to add is は if it is between the two, and if は has not already been previously used.
Not animals. Not vegetables.
My guess is he eats minerals! Pure rocky dirty deliciousness! Yummy!
It can be used but your are talking about vegetables in general When you use は, you are talking about those spicific vegetables
Imagine you are having dinner with some people and you don't feel like eating vegetables right now, in this case you use は. But now imagine that you are vegan and don't eat meat at all, in this case you use を, because you don't eat meat at all.
At least that's what I've understood from the comments here.
を sounds better with positive sentences. は Works fine with negative ones. (As I saw in older comments over other exercises)
This is not right at all. Duolingo is leading you the wrong way because of that...
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Can i say "yasai wa tabenai" as well? I think "yasai wa tabemasen" is polte negative.
I think it sound more natural to say: Yasai wo tabetakunai, (I don't want to eat the vegetables)
I was always taught it is subject wa/ga object o verb. For example, watasi wa yasai o tabemasen. When the subject is left out of the sentance, it is always assumed the speaker is saying watasi wa, unless otherwise implied. By saying yasai wa tabemasen, it reads as if the vegetables don't eat.
Nope.
は is the topic (a concept unique to Japanese) and が is the grammatical subject. When the topic and grammatical subject are the same, you only write は.
を is the object, but when the topic and object are the same, you only write は.
Without dropping any information, this sentence is actually やさいは わたしが 食べません The grammatical subject is still わたし, but by making やさい the topic, it makes it into a statement about vegetables as a whole as opposed to a specific instance of eating vegetables.
Thank you; I understand the Ga particle is for the subject, but I thought it was specifically used to put emphasis on the subject? Is this not always the case? Does やさいは わたしが 食べません put additional emphasis on the speaker?
How come we use は in sentences of negation and を in sentences of affirmation? For example, you will say 野菜を食べます。
Your example sentence is correct, but it would mean "I will eat vegetables (in a second or soon)," as opposed to "I eat vegetables (in general)." When they use は instead of を, they're saying "...in general" or "of all things (because it also emphasizes specifically the preceding noun).
im a native Japanese and dont know why "I do not eat vegetable" Is vegetable countable? We have no plural form in Japanese...
Vegetables is always plural unless you're referring to a specific type of vegetable.
I do not eat vegetables.
野菜は食べません。
Potatoes are a vegetable.
じゃがいもは野菜です。
Here, you would use "vegetables" since you're talking about the food group in general. If you were talking about a specific vegetable, you would probably just say "I don't eat that" or "I don't eat [potatoes, broccoli et cetera]".
(Feel free to correct my Japanese, by the way.)
Why are vegetables the topic? Shouldn't it be the object, since they're being eaten?
It can be either. 野菜は is like pointing out that it is vegetables that you don't eat (you can't tolerate them), while 野菜を is like mentioning you don't eat vegetables (or that YOU in specific don't eat vegetables).
That's my two cents, anyway.
アメリカ人です。やさいは食べません。
Finally, the complete phrase for telling someone you're truly an American
Does duo always use the informal "veggies " instead of the proper word "vegetables "?
In Japanese, there are root words to which you add suffixes to complete. For example, shimasu is to do. Shimasen is will not/ won't do (present or future). Shimasen deshita is did not do. Shimashita is did. These are all formal/polite suffixes. Shinai is the informal/direct version of won't do. Think of how you speak to a boss vs a close friend. Shinai is for those you are close with.
As you can see, this translates over to eat as well with tabe being eat. Tabemasu, tabemashita, tabemasen, tabemasen desita. Again, you can also use direct suffixes for those you are close to. Since we are talking about eating vs the act of doing, tabenai would be the appropriate informal response.
You will find some root words use different suffixes as you get further into Japanese.
Please forgive any spelling errors, and my succinct response, as I am on my cell.
Don't use Google like that, you can't translate specific words, your best bet would be to translate a whole sentence because words will change when fit into a full sentence, but even then Google can mess things up. There are also multiple ways of saying the same thing in Japanese, some ways are better than other in specific situations.
Can someone pls explain which part of this sentence express negativity (do not)?
Is it 食べ?
食べます (affirmative) => 食べません (negative) You should read a little bit about grammar, it's really not difficult in japanese, and you will understand a lot of thinks. :)
So how is を used in 魚を食べます, but は is used in 野菜は食べません. I understand what the particles mean but couldn't it also be said as 野菜を食べません?
The fancy symbol in the middle is shoku but when ahe says the full sentence I don't hear it pronounced
No, 野菜が食べません would not be correct, because vegetables would be the subject of the sentence, giving it a different meaning.
野菜は食べません。
I don't eat vegetables.
野菜を食べません。
I don't eat vegetables.
野菜が食べません。
Vegetables don't eat.
More on は versus を above. I might be wrong about this, since I'm still learning.
Why is it that when I accidentally put in 'I not do eat vegetables' rather than, 'I do not eat vegetables' I get it wrong? I mean its close enough, isn't it?
Responses are graded by a machine. If there's a typo, it's usually accepted as long as it's not a different word. If the words are in the wrong order, though, the machine can't tell whether you understand the concept or not and marks you wrong.
Can someone please explain why unlike in affirmative やさいを食べます。 negative やさいは食べません。is using は particle instead of を? Why is it incorrect to use を in this case?
Everyone! Take Duolingo's grammar with a grain of salt!
If you're actually wanting to learn, look it up on a trusted website or something. If you really want help, look up a grammar book called "A Dictionary Of Basic Japanese Grammar" by Japan Times. That is an extremely good rescource for anyone who wants to learn Japanese. It has all the basic and actually used grammar principles, explanations of all the particles, tons of practice examples and more...
Why is ません used? What does it mean or, in other words, how does contribute to the sentence?
Is やさいは食べません。means i do not eat vegetables and やさいを食べません。means i eat vegetables?
The をis just a particle and that particle, from all the info I can find, is an object particle. So its used for objects and the は is a topic particle. It tends to be difficult when to use these particles in a sentence but then do not change the outcome quite often. The ません is a negative conjugate which would mean, "not or don't." And a normal ます would just be assumed for,"do or I do."
Heres and example if place for placement of those particles if it helps:
わたしはやさいをたべます。 I do eat vegetables.
わたしはやさいをたべません I don't eat vegetables
And the やさいをたべません Would mean, "vegetables do not eat," this form of sentence in most cases will be assumed that you/yourself is the one who doesn't eat vegetables.
I hope i could help.
Why it is を when i DO eat something and は when i DON'T eat something?
Does the meaning change in any way if i say [やさいを食べません] instead of [やさいは食べません]?
I wrote "I dont eat vegatable" I made a mistake in "Vegetable". But it said that sentenece is incorrect
its great that i got a strike because i wrote "I don't eat vegetable" instead of "vegetable-s".....................
Yes it is, here you use the passive way that exists in japanese but is different, so it's a wrong translation.
It drives me mental that this is the only time they offer "veggies" as a selection.
