1.2 です and the Particle は (wa)

The X は Y です pattern

Basic sentences follow A は B です (A wa B desu) = 'A is B.' は (wa) marks the topic; です (desu) is a polite 'to be': 私は学生です (watashi wa gakusei desu) = I am a student.

Word order: verb last

Japanese word order is Subject–Object–Verb — the verb (or です) comes at the end. This is very different from English.

Negation

The polite negative of です is じゃありません / ではありません (ja arimasen): 学生じゃありません = am not a student. Past: でした (deshita) = was; negative past じゃありませんでした.

Key terms

A は B です

'A is B' (topic は + noun + desu)

は (wa)

topic-marking particle (spelled は, said 'wa')

です (desu)

polite 'to be' (copula)

Word order

Subject–Object–Verb (verb last)

じゃありません

polite negative of です (is not)

Try an AP-style question

"わたしはがくせいです" means…

1. I am a student
2. I am not a student
3. I was a student
4. Am I a student?