Processing keyword: だれ～ (dare～)

Japanese Grammar Point: だれ～ (dare～)

1. Introduction

Grammar Point: だれ～ (dare～) Meaning: The interrogative pronoun "だれ" means "who" in English. It is used to ask about a person or people in a sentence.

2. Core Grammar Explanation

Detailed Explanation

Usage of だれ

• Asking about a person: Use だれ to inquire about the identity of someone.
• Position in a sentence: It typically appears where the noun it replaces would be.

Structure

The basic sentence structure using だれ is:

だれ ＋ が/の/に/を ＋ Verb/Adjective/ですか？

Particle Usage with だれ

Formation Diagram

[Question Word (だれ)] ＋ [Particle] ＋ [Verb Phrase] ＋ か？

3. Comparative Analysis

だれ vs. どなた

• だれ is informal or neutral.
• どなた is the polite form of "who". Example:
• だれが先生ですか？ (Who is the teacher?) - Neutral
• どなたが先生ですか？ (Who is the teacher?) - Polite

4. Examples in Context

Formal Situations

1. だれが部長ですか？
   • Romaji: Dare ga buchō desu ka?
   • Translation: Who is the department manager?
2. これはだれの傘ですか？
   • Romaji: Kore wa dare no kasa desu ka?
   • Translation: Whose umbrella is this?

Informal Situations

1. 昨日、だれに会ったの？
   • Romaji: Kinō, dare ni atta no?
   • Translation: Who did you meet yesterday?
2. だれを呼んだの？
   • Romaji: Dare wo yonda no?
   • Translation: Who did you call?

Written Context

1. だれがこの詩を書いたのか分かりますか？
   • Romaji: Dare ga kono shi wo kaita no ka wakarimasu ka?
   • Translation: Do you know who wrote this poem?

Spoken Context

1. パーティーにはだれが来るの？
   • Romaji: Pātī ni wa dare ga kuru no?
   • Translation: Who is coming to the party?

5. Cultural Notes

Cultural Relevance

• Using どなた instead of だれ shows respect and politeness, especially when speaking to or about someone of higher status.
• In formal business settings, it's appropriate to use どなた to maintain politeness.

Idiomatic Expressions

• だれかれなしに
  • Meaning: Without distinction; to anyone and everyone.
  • Example: 彼はだれかれなしに話しかける。
    • Translation: He talks to anyone and everyone.

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Error Analysis

• Using だれ without appropriate particles:
  • Incorrect: だれ行きますか？
  • Correct: だれが行きますか？ (Who will go?)
• Mixing up polite and casual forms:
  • Using だれ in very formal settings instead of どなた.

Learning Strategies

• Mnemonic for particles:
  • が for subjects: Think "Ga" for "Gonna do something" (subject doing the action).
  • の for possession: Think of "No" as " 's " in English (possessive).
  • に for indirect objects/directions: "Ni" sounds like "knee" – someone is bending towards something.
  • を for direct objects: "Wo(o)" sounds like "Oh" – direct and straightforward.

7. Summary and Review

Key Takeaways

• だれ means "who" and is used to ask about people.
• Use appropriate particles with だれ to indicate grammatical relationships.
• どなた is the polite form of だれ.
• Remember to match the level of politeness to the context.

Quick Recap Quiz

1. Fill in the blank with the correct particle: あなたは___と話しましたか？ (Who did you talk with?)
2. Translate to Japanese using だれ: Whose bag is that?
3. Choose the more polite option:
   • a) だれが来ましたか？
   • b) どなたが来ましたか？

Answers:

1. だれと話しましたか？
2. あれはだれの鞄ですか？
3. b) どなたが来ましたか？

Congratulations! You've learned how to use だれ to ask questions about people in Japanese.