Grammar and Reading: Particles, Forms and Short Passages
Grammar you must control
N5 grammar is small but precise. Know what each particle does before you memorise forms: は marks the topic, が marks the subject or new information, を marks a direct object, に marks time, destination or existence, で marks place of action or means, へ marks direction, と marks a companion or quotation, も marks also, の marks possession or noun modification, and から and まで mark start and end.
Verb forms: ます, ません, ました, ませんでした; dictionary form; て form for requests and progress; ない form for negatives. Adjectives: い adjectives change to くない, かった, くなかった; な adjectives use な before a noun and です for the present. Existence splits between あります for things and います for people and animals. Comparison uses より, のほうが and いちばん. Requests use てください, ませんか and ましょう.
Traps
- は versus が: は announces a topic already known; が introduces new information, and it is also the particle with すき, きらい, ほしい, じょうず, わかります and あります.
- に versus で: に marks where something exists (へやに あります), で marks where an action happens (へやで べんきょうします).
- Purpose is verb stem plus に plus いきます: えいがを みに いきます, not みて.
- In reading passages, find the ending verb and the particle on each noun first; contrast words でも and しかし, and sequence words まず, それから, さいごに, usually carry the answer.
Worked example
わたしは あした ともだちと えいがを みに いきます。Break it down: わたしは topic, あした time with no particle, ともだちと companion, えいがを object, みに いきます purpose. An option saying ともだちに is wrong, and みて いきます would change the meaning.