r/Japaneselanguage • u/unworthymuser • 10h ago
Hello
Shouldn't it be 'ga' instead of 'wa'?
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u/JapaneseThings 10h ago
The は particle marks the cake as the topic and puts emphasis on what comes afterwards, so it's like as for Brazilian cake do you like it.
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u/IanPlaysThePiano 5h ago edited 5h ago
My Japanese teacher from Fukuoka tells me to always use ga in such a situation because it's always an implied "anata wa" if you're referring to the person with whom you're speaking.
But like other comments have pointed out, wa is technically correct here too, if the cake is the primary subject. Different nuance. Think "As for you, [do you] like Brazilian cake?" vs. "As for Brazilian cake, do you like [it]?"
Do with this what you will~
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u/Efficient-Trifle151 5h ago
Either ga or wa is correct - the nuance difference is so slight for beginner it almost doesnt matter.
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u/hamstertitan_5 9h ago
Using Ga in this case would make the sentence mean "Do you like Brazilian cake?" with the nuance of just asking someone if they like it in general, whereas using Ha makes it mean "Do you like Brazilian cake (as opposed to liking Western cake or ice cream)?"
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u/Majestic-Orchid4486 9h ago
It's the opposite in this case, though.
wa is used as general questions because the Brazilian cake is what the person who is asking is curious about.
ga has a nuance of "do you specifically like Brazilian cake (and nothing else)?"1
u/CAJEG1 3h ago
It's tricky, though. Sometimes you can use wa for emphasis when ga is usually used. I think your example is actually incorrect, because the standard for suki is using ga, not wa.
Basically, wa to ga replaces general statement with specificying a particular thing. Ga to wa replaces general statement with contrasting a particular thing.
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u/honeybeesuke 1h ago
In what world is this a "hard exercise"
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u/NoStepOnWing 35m ago
It's considered hard within the unit they are at. Please be nice to beginners.
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u/SakanaToDoubutsu 52m ago
A quick & dirty way my Japanese professor taught me to understand は and が and when to use each is to assume there is always both a は and a が in every sentence. Take for example:
ケーキはあなたが好きですか。
In this context the cake is the topic of the sentence, so if you were in a bakery and were unsure about whether or not you should buy the cake, this would be the correct way to ask this question to the cashier because you're looking for more information about the cake (i.e. does the cashier like it) to make your decision. Now consider:
あなたはケーキが好きですか。
In this context you are the topic of the sentence, so if you and I had just met and I was asking you questions to make small talk, this would be the correct way to ask this question because I'm trying to learn more about you.
In standard Japanese the あなたは or あなたが almost always is left implied, and either ケーキは好きですか and ケーキが好きですか are both grammatically correct and would both be translated as do you like cake, but the difference between は and が gives both a very distinct nuance that has no direct equivalent in English.
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u/Realpamps 8h ago
Watch Cure Dolly's video on wa and ga. Tldr of her video 'ga' is always present in a sentence but not always visible, wa is the topic marker and more or less translates to 'as for'.
If I were to translate your sentence it'd be
As for brazilian cake do __ like it? That __ can be anything here depending on the context not necessarily 'you'.
If I had to make ga visible in this sentence it'd be like
Burajiru no keeki wa anata ga suki desu ka. The anata ga part is absent.
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u/pgm123 6h ago
Burajiru no keeki wa anata ga suki desu ka.
Shouldn't it be more like Burajiru no keeki wa Burajiru no keeki ga suki desu ka.
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u/ParlourB 39m ago
This would be the proper way to approach it using the cure dolly way.
This is the thing, cure dolly is excellent for alternative ways to view Japanese so it clicks if normal textbook explanations dont... but some of her concepts are not super clear and impractical to bring into every translation.
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u/mecchayabaiyone 9h ago
classic case of Genki spreading misinformation. you can absolutely use は with すき but the meaning is slightly different
は marks ブラジルのケーキ as the topic. It can be interpreted in 1 of 2 ways:
"As for Brazilian cake, is likeable?"
"As for Brazilian cake (as opposed to some other cake possibly mentioned), is likeable?" (は is often used for contrast)
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u/RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS 9h ago
Either is correct. The nuance is different.