A question regarding the same type of sentence written in two ways...

[Razahia]

I've been using Human Japanese and Here is example 1

Watashi wa hanbaaga ga suki desu

I like hamburgers. Easy right?

Example 2.

Chiken ga suki dewa arimasen

I don't like chicken..

What happened to watashi wa?

Or is it just a formal way to say it.

 

[letianchen]

I've been using Human Japanese and Here is example 1
Watashi wa hanbaaga ga suki desu
I like hamburgers. Easy right?
Example 2.
Chiken ga suki dewa arimasen
I don't like chicken..
What happened to watashi wa?
Or is it just a formal way to say it.

Its implied. If you think about it it makes sense, who else would like the hamburger? If its not a question only you can like it, so its tedious to say.

 

[Toritoribe]

I've been using Human Japanese and Here is example 1

Watashi wa hanbaaga ga suki desu

I like hamburgers. Easy right?

Example 2.

Chiken ga suki dewa arimasen

I don't like chicken..

What happened to watashi wa?

Or is it just a formal way to say it.

"Wa" indicates the topic. The topic is omitted when it's obvious from the context, for instance, the same topic continues. Although "Chikin wa suki dewa arimasen" sounds more natural there. See the following example.

Kare wa hanbāgā ga suki desu. Chikin wa suki dewa arimasen.

The second sentence is the same as the one in your example, but it means "He(= kare) doesn't like chicken" here.

Waﾂ・Ga issue is one of the hardest things to grasp in Japanese grammar even for advanced learners, so you don't need to worry too much about it now if you are a beginner learner.

 

[Razahia]

"Wa" indicates the topic. The topic is omitted when it's obvious from the context, for instance, the same topic continues. Although "Chikin wa suki dewa arimasen" sounds more natural there. See the following example.
Kare wa hanbāgā ga suki desu. Chikin wa suki dewa arimasen.
The second sentence is the same as the one in your example, but it means "He(= kare) doesn't like chicken" here.
Waﾂ・Ga issue is one of the hardest things to grasp in Japanese grammar even for advanced learners, so you don't need to worry too much about it now if you are a beginner learner.

Ah alright. I have a follow up question.. Why use Chikin wa suki dewa arimasen instead of Chikin wa kirai desu?

Same thing no?

 

[nekojita]

Do you think there's a difference in English between saying "I don't like chicken" versus "I hate chicken"? Same thing.

 

[Razahia]

Do you think there's a difference in English between saying "I don't like chicken" versus "I hate chicken"? Same thing.

I thought kirai meant don't like and daikirai meant hate

 

[Angel Valis]

I thought kirai meant don't like and daikirai meant hate

It's a case of degree. They both mean "dislike"/"hate", but daikirai has much more emphasis.

Plus, in Japanese, it's always best to soften your statements. That's why you'll often see sentences ending with a ga ("but") even though they don't really need one. This is often the case with statements made about oneself.

 

[Toritoribe]

I thought kirai meant don't like and daikirai meant hate

~ Dewa arimasen is an expression for negation, thus, it literally means "not to like".
Dai is a prefix for emphasis, as already explained, e.g., daisuki "to like very much / to love", daisansei "to agree completely" or daijiko "major accident".

 

[Razahia]

~ Dewa arimasen is an expression for negation, thus, it literally means "not to like".
Dai is a prefix for emphasis, as already explained, e.g., daisuki "to like very much / to love", daisansei "to agree completely" or daijiko "major accident".

This actually helped me a lot. I just never understood why it's suki dewa arimasen instead of just kirai