Word order : Order 1 (1,5,4,3,2)
When an English setnence starts "sentence topic + verb" such as "I go", "She ate", "They completed" and so on, follow the two steps below.
- Translate a sentence topic first. That is usually a word at the start
of a sentence, such as I, You, He, She, They and so on.
- Go to the end of the sentence, then translate backwards.
Here is an example. The number below indicates the word order when you change English into Japanese.
Don't forget the two things below once you finish the two steps above.
- Put は (wa) after a sentence topic.
- Put a full stop "。" at the end of a sentence.
You should have a sentence like below, if you change the English sentence
above correctly:
ATTENTION!
The sentence above is correct, but you can use it only when you talk with your friends or write a diary.
You need to change the word at the end of the sentence 行く (verb) into a different form if you speak to somebody such as teachers or your boss politely.
Go to the page here to know how to make it.
Exercise
Task : What is the word order of the sentences below? You can see the answers at the bottom.
| 1. | I | swim | in | the river | every day. | | |
| 2. | She | wrote | a letter | to | friends | in | Japanese. |
| 4. | My father | can | speak | Japanese | fluently. | | |
Answer
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | | |
| 1. | I | swim | in | the river | every day. | | |
| 1 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 2. | She | wrote | a letter | to | friends | in | Japanese. |
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | | |
| 3. | Summer | is | humid | in | Japan. | | | |
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | | |
| 4. | My father | can | speak | Japanese | fluently. | | |
