I can describe what I see in town: put an adjective before a noun — おおきいたてもの, しずかなまち — and comment on what I see with “～ですね”.
What kind of building, what kind of town: the adjective before the noun
What kind of building, what kind of town: the adjective before the noun
To say what kind of house, street, or park is in front of you, put the adjective before the noun, as in English. The pattern is in the tables below.
An い-adjective doesn't change before a noun: たかいです → たかいたてもの, あかるいです → あかるいへや. Nothing is added.
A な-adjective takes な: しずかです → しずかなまち, きれいです → きれいなこうえん. The particle の doesn't work here. English adjectives go straight before the noun, so な is easy to forget; and きれい ends in い but is a な-adjective.
大きい（おおきい） and 小さい（ちいさい） have special forms, おおきな and ちいさな, used only before a noun: おおきなたてもの = おおきいたてもの. They are never the predicate: at the end of a sentence, only おおきいです.
ですね at the end says out loud what you see and invites the other person to agree, like English “…, isn't it?” said with a falling voice. It is not a real question: the reply is そうですね.
Common mistakes:
• NOT しずかまち — a な-adjective needs な.
• NOT きれいのこうえん — の instead of な.
• NOT ひろいなへや — an い-adjective never takes な.
• NOT おおきなです — おおきな is never the predicate.
The adjective before a noun
An い-adjective doesn't change; a な-adjective takes な.
| Type | As the predicate | Before a noun | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| い-adjective | ひろいです | ひろいみち | a wide road |
| い-adjective | いいです | いいカフェ | a good café |
| な-adjective | べんりです | べんりなえき | a convenient station |
| な-adjective | ゆうめいです | ゆうめいなこうえん | a famous park |
The special forms 大きな（おおきな） and 小さな（ちいさな）
Both forms go only before a noun.
| Form | Before a noun | As the predicate |
|---|---|---|
| おおきな | おおきなビル | not possible — only おおきいです |
| ちいさな | ちいさなにわ | not possible — only ちいさいです |
Lesson notes
What kind of building, what kind of town: the adjective before the noun
To say what kind of house, street, or park is in front of you, put the adjective before the noun, as in English. The pattern is in the tables below.
An い-adjective doesn't change before a noun: たかいです → たかいたてもの, あかるいです → あかるいへや. Nothing is added.
A な-adjective takes な: しずかです → しずかなまち, きれいです → きれいなこうえん. The particle の doesn't work here. English adjectives go straight before the noun, so な is easy to forget; and きれい ends in い but is a な-adjective.
大きい（おおきい） and 小さい（ちいさい） have special forms, おおきな and ちいさな, used only before a noun: おおきなたてもの = おおきいたてもの. They are never the predicate: at the end of a sentence, only おおきいです.
ですね at the end says out loud what you see and invites the other person to agree, like English “…, isn't it?” said with a falling voice. It is not a real question: the reply is そうですね.
Common mistakes:
• NOT しずかまち — a な-adjective needs な.
• NOT きれいのこうえん — の instead of な.
• NOT ひろいなへや — an い-adjective never takes な.
• NOT おおきなです — おおきな is never the predicate.