Episode 12
The Object Marker を
Learn を — the Japanese particle that marks what you eat, drink, read, and act upon.
Today: を — the particle that marks the object of an action. When you eat, drink, read, or listen to something, that something gets を.
What You'll Learn#
marks the direct object of an action
Place を after the thing being acted upon: コーヒーを飲みます (drink coffee), 新聞を読みます (read newspaper). Combines with は for who does it.
New vocabulary: 水 (water), ください (please give me), コーヒー (coffee), 飲む (to drink), 朝ごはん (breakfast), 食べる (to eat), 新聞 (newspaper), 読む (to read), 音楽 (music), 聞く (to listen)
Lesson Transcript#
をください — "Please give me..."#
The simplest を pattern — requesting things:
Object を Verb#
The core pattern — what you act on gets を:
Combining は + を#
は marks who does it, を marks what they do it to:
Preview: で + を Together#
で marks where the action happens (room), を marks what you're acting on (music).
Summary#
| Pattern | Example | Meaning | |---------|---------|---------| | thing をください | 水をください | Please give me water | | thing を verb | コーヒーを飲みます | I drink coffee | | topic は thing を verb | 父は新聞を読みます | Father reads the newspaper |
Related Grammar#
- に (location/time) — Where things are, when things happen
- は (topic marker) — Who does the action
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