N3#grammar#clauses#modifiers#n3

Relative Clauses Lesson 1

Learn how to use plain-form verbs and adjectives to modify nouns, allowing you to create descriptive, complex sentences in Japanese.

Context

Describing the world

In Japanese, you cannot simply add a relative pronoun like 'that' or 'which' after a noun. Instead, you must place the entire descriptive phrase before the noun it modifies.

Imagine you are at a party and want to point someone out to a friend. Instead of saying 'The person who is wearing a red hat', you must construct a phrase that acts like a single adjective describing that person. This is the foundation of relative clauses in Japanese.

Explanation

The Modifier Structure

To modify a noun with a clause, use the plain form of the verb or adjective followed directly by the noun.

Clause (Plain Form)+Noun

The clause must be in the plain form (dictionary form, past plain form, or negative plain form). The noun being modified is placed immediately after this clause. This structure works for verbs, i-adjectives, and na-adjectives (using 'na' for the latter).

Watch out

Never use polite forms (like 'masu' or 'desu') inside a relative clause. Always convert the verb or adjective to its plain, dictionary form first.

Examples

Seeing it in action

Here are examples of how to build these descriptive phrases.

昨日(きのう)買った(かった)本(ほん)は面白いです。

The book I bought yesterday is interesting.

昨日きのうyesterday買ったかったbought (plain past)本ほんbook

あそこで走っている(はしっている)人(ひと)は私の兄です。

The person running over there is my older brother.

走っているはしっているrunning人ひとperson

これは私が一番好きな(いちばんすきな)場所(ばしょ)です。

This is the place I like the most.

一番好きないちばんすきなfavorite場所ばしょplace

あれは私が【読んだ】本です。

Hint: Use the plain past form of 'to read'.

That is the book I read.

Usage

Nuance and Usage

Relative clauses are essential for natural Japanese, as they allow you to pack significant information into a single noun phrase.

Relative Clause vs. Simple Sentence

本を読みました。面白いです。

Two separate sentences.

I read a book. It is interesting.

読んだ本は面白いです。

Relative clause.

The book I read is interesting.

Which form is correct for a relative clause?

食べます本
✓ 食べた本
食べました本

Relative clauses must use the plain form (dictionary or past plain). '食べた' is the plain past form.

Deep dive

Deep Dive: Subject Particles

A special rule applies to the subject within a relative clause.

When the subject of the relative clause is different from the subject of the main sentence, you can use the particle 'ga' (が) instead of 'wa' (は) to mark the subject inside the clause. For example: '私が書いた手紙' (The letter I wrote).

Summary

Lesson Recap

Relative clauses allow you to turn a full sentence into a modifier for a noun. By using the plain form of verbs and adjectives, you can describe people, places, and objects with precision.

昨日

きのうnoun

yesterday

走る

はしるverb

to run

場所

ばしょnoun

place

面白い

おもしろいadjective

interesting