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Minna No Nihongo Grammar Lesson 38
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V plain formの
Attach the particle のto the plain form of a verb and you can nominalize the phrase accompanying that verb.
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V dictionary formのは adjectiveです
テニスはおもしろいです。(*)
Tennis is fun.
テニスをするのはおもしろいです。(**)
Playing tennis is fun.
テニスを見るのはおもしろいです。(***)
Watching tennis is fun.
(*) simply refers to tennis as a sport, while (**) and (***) are more specific in referring to either playing or watching tennis. Such adjectives as むずかしい, やさしい, おもしろい, たのしい, きけん[な], たいへん[な], etc., are frequently used in this sentence pattern.
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V dictionary formのが adjectiveです
わたしは花が好きです。
I like flowers.
わたしは花をそだてるのが好きです。
I like growing flowers.
東京の人は歩くのが速いです。
People in Tokyo walk fast.
The adjectives which are used in this sentence pattern are usually ones that describe likes or dislikes and skills or capabilities such as すき[な], きらい[な], じょうず[な], へた[な], はやい, おそい, etc.
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V dictionary form のを忘れました
forgot to do …
かぎを忘れました。
I forgot the key.
牛乳を買うのを忘れました。
I forgot to buy milk.
車の窓を閉めるのを忘れました。
I forgot to close the car window.
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V plain formのを知っていますか。
Do you know that …?
This is an expression asking whether the listener knows what is described in the clause preceding の.
鈴木さんが来月結婚するのを知っていますか。
Do you know that Mr. Suzuki is going to get married next month?
[Note] The difference betweenしりません and しりませんでした.木村さんに赤ちゃんが生まれたのを知っていますか。(i)
いいえ、知りませんでした。
Do you know that Ms. Kimura had a baby?
No, I didn’t.
ミラーさんの住所を知っていますか。(ii)
いいえ、知りません。
Do you know Mr. Miller’s address?
No, I don’t.
しりませんでしたis used in an example (i), because the person replying has got the information from the question. In example (ii), however, しりませんis used because the person replying has not got any information from the question.
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Plain form のはNです
な-adj / N：～だ → ～な
娘は北海道の小さな町で生まれました。
My daughter was born in a small town in Hokkaido.
娘が生まれたのは北海道の小さな町です。
My daughter’s birthplace is a small town in Hokkaido.
１２月は１年で一番忙しいです。
December is the busiest month of the year.
１年でいちばん忙しいのは１２月です。
The busiest month of the year is December.
This pattern is used when a noun representing a thing, a person, a place, etc., is replaced with のand then taken up as the topic of the sentence.
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～ときも／～ときや／～ときの／～ときに、etc.
Various particles can be attached to ～とき, which you learned in Lesson 23, because the word ときis a noun.
疲れたときや寂しいとき、田舎を思い出す。
I remember my hometown when I am tired or lonely.
生まれたときから、ずっと大阪に住んでいます。
I have been living in Osaka since I was born.
Related Post:
Minna No Nihongo Grammar Lesson 39
Minna No Nihongo Lesson 38 Vocabulary
