Might tell you something as an experienced (potentially bilingual), but for someone who just started reading two weeks ago this doesn't mean anything to me. I have no idea what I'm supposed to take away from that Japanese quote, not by a long shot. I'm struggling to read very basic easy articles and from then I have a full explanatory quote in Japanese. I know it's meant to help but it goes right over my head. I think you're overestimating my ability here by quite a lot.
It's not really an "explanatory quote". It's an extension of the original sentence that Toritoribeさん provided to give (one example of) additional context that would clarify how to interpret the original sentence 客が少ない期間にたくさんのお金を使った。I do see how the additional sentences might be difficult to interpret if you're at a level where you're struggling with the original article.
My question was whether or not any subject can be an ellipse in Japanese.
As for what can be elided/omitted in Japanese, the answer is: pretty much everything. Not just any subject, or any object, but any
anything really that's clear from context. (This is why Japanese is often described as a "high context" language.) A single verb can form a complete, fully grammatical Japanese sentence.
Consider exchanges like this in English (let's say they're between two friends):
A: Are you going to the party tonight?
B: Yeah, I'm going!
A: I have some cake in the fridge. Want some?
B: Sure, I'll have some!
Idiomatic Japanese equivalents might be:
A: 今夜のパーティー、行く？
B: うん、行く！
A: 冷蔵庫にケーキがあるんだけど、食べる？
B: 食べる！
The Japanese versions are absolutely the equivalent of the English sentences, despite the lack of subject/object/anything in the second line. This is because Japanese not just
can, but almost
invariably does omit information that is clear from the context. This is a very basic point, but I thought it might be worth reinforcing.
Also, NHK News Easy is not "basic", it's fully fledged native Japanese. It's "easy" in comparison to a regular newspaper article, because it limits the vocabulary it uses. It is not, however, anywhere near as easy as your typical learning materials.
I agree with most of what you're saying, but I wouldn't go this far. It's Japanese that's designed to be easy to read by foreigners, children, etc. Not just limited vocabulary, but also simplified grammar and a focus on spelling out concepts in a very simple fashion.
And "learning materials" can encompass a variety of levels. NHK News Easy isn't as easy as a first-year textbook, no, but it's certainly "easier" by any objective measure than, say, reading comprehension materials for intermediate-to-advanced learners at the JLPT N2/N1 level, since these levels actually often test on actual native materials, not artificially simplified ones.
Zizka said:
Right. I won't be asking any more questions on the forum. Thanks for all the help and all the best.
I'm not entirely sure why this is your takeaway from four pages of people trying their best to answer your questions. You've made your opinions on the teacher-student relationship clear in the past, and I believe I understand where you're coming from, but please realize that we're all just human beings who are posting here because we (on some level) enjoy talking about the Japanese language. Chris-san, Toritoribe-san, or myself expressing a bit of surprise/frustration from time to time is not a personal attack on you.
Clearly, we respect the effort you're putting into learning the language, and find your questions intelligent and worthwhile. That's why we're engaging with you. Of course, you're not obligated to post here and you can leave whenever you like if you feel like you're not getting anything out of it (as could we). But just saying "Thanks. Bye." because of one offhand comment at the end of a four-page thread seems a bit excessive, no?