◉Japanese grammar 「〜んです (ndesu)」Vol.2

The Japanese convenient expression 「〜んです (~ndesu)」

「〜んです (~ndesu) has the same meaning as 「です (desu)」, but it is different as it has a more personal touch to it. It is also used to ask or to give an explanation about a certain situation.

This time around, let me introduce more differences between them in greater detail

【What’s happened?】

どうしましたか。VS どうしたんですか。

(Ask the fact objectively) VS (Ask with anxiety)

As you can see in the photo,

「どうしましたか。」is used the conversation between a doctor and a patient.

Doctors see a lot of patients everyday, so they do not ask exaggeratedly 「どうしたんですか。」.

Whereas, 「どうしたんですか。」is often used when you feel anxious upon seeing a friend injured

【He is 40 years old.】

40さいです。VS 40さいなんです。

(Answer the fact) VS (Answer with surprise)

Q: How old is he?

If you answer the fact, you do not have to use

“〜んです”.

However, 「〜んです」is often used when you are surprised to know his age and want to express your feeling of “How young he looks!”

In summary, 「〜んです」is an expression used when there is a premise, and as a result of seeing and hearing it. For example situations such as these situations in the speaker’s mind.

① A situation that makes you want to tell/ask about the person with some personal feelings

② A situation that I want to talk about myself more

Therefore, it is an indispensable expression to improve your Japanese conversation!

Miu Tomo Japanese Language School https://www.tomo-japanese.com/