掲示板 Forums - About the "は" particle
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I saw an example sentence that read: 私は今日は暇です。
Can there be two sentence topics in a sentence?
It's not really two independent, equal topics. The main topic is 私 and the sub-topic (if you will) is 今日. The second は also functions to contrast 今日. As for today (as opposed to any other day). Check out meanings 2. and 3. for は
Here's a similar question answered by a native https://hinative.com/questions...
Just in case my explanation sucks
Edit: On the topic of how "common" or "natural" this specific example is, I agree with @Shamugan. To me the biggest issue is 私は. 今日は暇です has it's uses and doesn't sound too stiff. In my opinion, of course. Obviously you can swap です, drop は or whatever you'd like.
Yeah, it's not impossible but probably uncommon.
In a conversation, you would usually keep things very short (except when you trying to be polite).
So a typical semi casual conversation (aka a conversation between friend that are not exceptionally close) would go like:
- 暇ですか?
- はい、暇です
Don't need more than that. In a more polite context, you could have something like
-お時間がありますか?
-はい、あります
And in a very casual (almost lazy) tone, you could have just:
-暇?
-うん
I'm telling you that because in that pattern, "私は今日は暇です。", you don't need all of that information most of the time. And when you don't need to say something, you usually just... don't say it in japanese.
A case where you would say 今日は for example would be if you change the topic and remember that people are not in your head and may need some additional information:
- 暇ですか?今日は
- はい、暇ですよ
It's a bit like "Are you free?... Oh yeah, I mean, uh, today". That a very common pattern (the afterthough pattern).
So, it's situational. And for "私は今日は暇です。", the first things I thought for this sentence was "taunting a friend which is not free today" x). It's a very, very specific example but because it's a unusual, it would probably be used in unusual conversation. Like "I, Today, am free (and you're not)". Like you purposely saying that you, today are free (while in the context, you're friend is working today). So yeah you can but more likely, you won't use it or hear it except in specific case.
PS: Another example could be "I'm finally free (today)" because it's finally your day off and you want to express that with more "weight" kinda
It's not really two independent, equal topics. The main topic is 私 and the sub-topic (if you will) is 今日. The second は also functions to contrast 今日. As for today (as opposed to any other day). Check out meanings 2. and 3. for は
Here's a similar question answered by a native https://hinative.com/questions...
Just in case my explanation sucks
Thanks. Sharing both explanations made me understand the meaning behind your words.
Yeah, it's not impossible but probably uncommon.
In a conversation, you would usually keep things very short (except when you trying to be polite).
So a typical semi casual conversation (aka a conversation between friend that are not exceptionally close) would go like:
- 暇ですか?
- はい、暇です
Don't need more than that. In a more polite context, you could have something like
-お時間がありますか?
-はい、あります
And in a very casual (almost lazy) tone, you could have just:
-暇?
-うん
I'm telling you that because in that pattern, "私は今日は暇です。", you don't need all of that information most of the time. And when you don't need to say something, you usually just... don't say it in japanese.
A case where you would say 今日は for example would be if you change the topic and remember that people are not in your head and may need some additional information:
- 暇ですか?今日は
- はい、暇ですよ
It's a bit like "Are you free?... Oh yeah, I mean, uh, today". That a very common pattern (the afterthough pattern).
So, it's situational. And for "私は今日は暇です。", the first things I thought for this sentence was "taunting a friend which is not free today" x). It's a very, very specific example but because it's a unusual, it would probably be used in unusual conversation. Like "I, Today, am free (and you're not)". Like you purposely saying that you, today are free (while in the context, you're friend is working today). So yeah you can but more likely, you won't use it or hear it except in specific case.
PS: Another example could be "I'm finally free (today)" because it's finally your day off and you want to express that with more "weight" kinda
Thanks for the contextual and situational descriptions! I got it.