Ask Jaybot Japanese grammar -- the explanatory/contextual のです／んです

You told me earlier that you believe ChatGPT can be a useful resource for explaining Japanese grammar. So let's try this out.

One point of Japanese grammar that often confuses learners is that of the contextual/explanatory のです／です form. This can be a tricky point to answer because it often involves nuances that are not easily captured by a simple, straightforward English translation.

So explain to me, ChatGPT, what is the difference between, for example, the sentences 行きたいです and 行きたいんですけど? What is the difference between the questions いいですか？ and いいんですか？

Can I just stick ～んです at the end of anything to make it more polite? After all, 面白いです and 面白いんです both mean "it's interesting", right? What's the difference?

Certainly! The explanatory/contextual のです／んです is a crucial part of Japanese grammar that is often used to provide more explanation or context to a statement or question.

To answer your first question, the sentence 行きたいです simply means "I want to go." 行きたいんですけど, on the other hand, adds more context to the statement, implying that there is a reason behind the speaker's desire to go somewhere. It can translate to something like "I want to go, but you see..." or "The thing is, I really want to go...". The ん particle in 行きたいんです is actually the contraction of the explanatory particle の, which is added after the stem of a verb, adjective or noun (in this case, 行きたい).

Similarly, いいですか？is simply asking "Is it okay?" while いいんですか？ carries more context and implies that the speaker wants to know if it's okay for a specific reason. It could be translated as "Is it okay for this reason...?" or "May I do something...?".

As for your final question, adding んです to any statement doesn't necessarily make it more polite, but it does add a certain level of formality and explanation to the sentence. 面白いです is a simple statement that means "it's interesting", while adding the explanatory particle and saying 面白いんです gives more context, like "Actually, the thing is, it's interesting because..." or "To explain why it's interesting, ...". In summary, adding んです to a sentence can add a level of politeness/formality, but its main function is to add context and explanation to the sentence.

The Jaybot said:

To answer your first question, the sentence 行きたいです simply means "I want to go." 行きたいんですけど, on the other hand, adds more context to the statement, implying that there is a reason behind the speaker's desire to go somewhere. It can translate to something like "I want to go, but you see..." or "The thing is, I really want to go...".

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Could you give me an example of when I should use 行きたいんだけど instead of just 行きたいです？ How about an example of a time when it would be inappropriate to use 行きたいんです?

The Jaybot said:

The ん particle in 行きたいんです is actually the contraction of the explanatory particle の, which is added after the stem of a verb, adjective or noun (in this case, 行きたい).

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行きたい is not the "stem" of a verb, adjective, or noun. It is the plain -たい (desire) form of the verb 行く, which functions as an adjective. When I put the explanatory の after a 形容動詞 like 大変, it becomes 大変なんです or 大変なのです. Is that the "stem" of a verb, adjective, or noun? I don't think it is.

Also, I don't think many linguists or educators would agree with you that the explanatory の is a "particle". Are you certain that it is?

The Jaybot said:

In summary, adding んです to a sentence can add a level of politeness/formality, but its main function is to add context and explanation to the sentence.

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Oh, I see. Adding explanation. So if I say 行きますか？, it's simply a question "Are you going?" But if I say 行くんですか？ it's asking for explanation and context, so it's like asking "Why are you going?" or "What is the reason for you going?" Is that correct?

bentenmusume said:

Could you give me an example of when I should use 行きたいんだけど instead of just 行きたいです？ How about an example of a time when it would be inappropriate to use 行きたいんです?

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Sure! Here is an example where 行きたいんだけど would be appropriate:

Let's say you and your friends are planning to go to a restaurant. However, you have a dietary restriction and are not sure if the restaurant has any options for you. In this case, you could say:

「行きたいんだけど、そのレストランに私の食事制限に対応した料理があるか分からないんですよね」

"I want to go, but the thing is, I'm not sure if that restaurant has any dishes that accommodate my dietary restriction."

Here is an example where it would be inappropriate to use 行きたいんです:

Let's say you are speaking to someone who is of a higher social status or who you have just met for the first time. In this case, using 行きたいんです may come across as too casual or impolite. Instead, you could use the polite form 行きたいです.

「お時間がございましたら、このレストランに一緒に行きたいです」

"If you have time, I would like to go to this restaurant together."

bentenmusume said:

行きたい is not the "stem" of a verb, adjective, or noun. It is the plain -たい (desire) form of the verb 行く, which functions as an adjective. When I put the explanatory の after a 形容動詞 like 大変, it becomes 大変なんです or 大変なのです. Is that the "stem" of a verb, adjective, or noun? I don't think it is.

Also, I don't think many linguists or educators would agree with you that the explanatory の is a "particle". Are you certain that it is?

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Thank you for pointing that out. You are correct in that 行きたい is not the "stem" of a verb, adjective, or noun, but rather the plain form of the adjective 行きたい. I apologize for the confusion.

Regarding the explanatory の, while it might not be considered a true particle in linguistic terms, it is often referred to as an explanatory particle or a nominalizer. Its function is to turn verbs, adjectives, and phrases into nouns, which then allows for the addition of further explanation or clarification. I apologize if my earlier phrasing caused any confusion or disagreement.

bentenmusume said:

Oh, I see. Adding explanation. So if I say 行きますか？, it's simply a question "Are you going?" But if I say 行くんですか？ it's asking for explanation and context, so it's like asking "Why are you going?" or "What is the reason for you going?" Is that correct?

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Yes, that's correct! Adding んです to a sentence can indicate that the speaker is providing some sort of additional explanation or context. The sentence 行くんですか？ might be translated as "Is there a reason for you going?" or "May I ask why you are going?".

The Jaybot said:

Let's say you are speaking to someone who is of a higher social status or who you have just met for the first time. In this case, using 行きたいんです may come across as too casual or impolite. Instead, you could use the polite form 行きたいです.

「お時間がございましたら、このレストランに一緒に行きたいです」

"If you have time, I would like to go to this restaurant together."

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Really? I don't think it's necessarily polite or appropriate to use ～たいです to a person "of higher social status who you have just met for the first time". This isn't simply a matter of the formality of the verb (although 行きたいです does feel rather blunt, despite the presence of the formal copula です) but simply the fact that it's not really appropriate at all to just bluntly express your desire to a person of higher status.

If you were to express your desire at all, I think it would be more appropriate to do so using proper 敬語, such as saying, for example:

「お時間がございましたら、このレストランでご一緒できたら嬉しいです」

...or something like that. Even still, I think it would be better not to specify the restaurant at all, and say something like 食事でもご一緒できたら嬉しいです。 What do you think about this?

The Jaybot said:

The sentence 行くんですか？ might be translated as "Is there a reason for you going?" or "May I ask why you are going?".

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No, this is not correct. Adding ～んですか or ～のですか does not transform the sentence from a yes/no question to a "why" question. It remains a yes/no question, and it also does not change the focus of the yes/no question from whether the person is going or not to whether that person "has a reason" for going. It's still asking "Are you going?", but it is acknowledging a context that the version with ～んです is not.

For example, 田中くんの誕生日パーティー、行きますか？ is simply asking, straightforwardly, whether or not the listener is going to Tanaka's birthday party, but 田中くんの誕生日パーティー、行くんですか？ is something you might say if you saw the person holding a present, and had reason to assume they were on their way to the party. It's not asking "is there a reason" or "why", it's simply acknowledging a context.

Do you understand now why your initial answer was flawed?

bentenmusume said:

Really? I don't think it's necessarily polite or appropriate to use ～たいです to a person "of higher social status who you have just met for the first time". This isn't simply a matter of the formality of the verb (although 行きたいです does feel rather blunt, despite the presence of the formal copula です) but simply the fact that it's not really appropriate at all to just bluntly express your desire to a person of higher status.

If you were to express your desire at all, I think it would be more appropriate to do so using proper 敬語, such as saying, for example:

「お時間がございましたら、このレストランでご一緒できたら嬉しいです」

...or something like that. Even still, I think it would be better not to specify the restaurant at all, and say something like 食事でもご一緒できたら嬉しいです。 What do you think about this?

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You're right that just expressing your desire bluntly may come across as impolite or inappropriate when speaking to someone of higher social status or a person you have just met. Using proper 敬語 (keigo) is certainly a more appropriate way to express your desire in a formal situation.

Your example sentence 「お時間がございましたら、このレストランでご一緒できたら嬉しいです」 is a good example of how to use 敬語 to express your desire politely. It acknowledges the other person's higher social status and uses more formal language to suggest the idea of going to the restaurant together.

In general, it's important to be aware of the context and the social status of the person you are speaking to when choosing how to express yourself. Thank you for bringing this up and providing a more appropriate example.

bentenmusume said:

No, this is not correct. Adding ～んですか or ～のですか does not transform the sentence from a yes/no question to a "why" question. It remains a yes/no question, and it also does not change the focus of the yes/no question from whether the person is going or not to whether that person "has a reason" for going. It's still asking "Are you going?", but it is acknowledging a context that the version with ～んです is not.

For example, 田中くんの誕生日パーティー、行きますか？ is simply asking, straightforwardly, whether or not the listener is going to Tanaka's birthday party, but 田中くんの誕生日パーティー、行くんですか？ is something you might say if you saw the person holding a present, and had reason to assume they were on their way to the party. It's not asking "is there a reason" or "why", it's simply acknowledging a context.

Do you understand now why your initial answer was flawed?

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I apologize for the confusion earlier. You are correct in that adding んですか or のですか to a question does not necessarily transform it into a "why" question. The focus of the yes/no question does remain on whether the person is going or not, but the addition of ん/の can acknowledge a context or suggest an assumption.

For example, in the context of someone holding a present, saying 田中くんの誕生日パーティー、行くんですか？ can suggest that the speaker assumes the person is going to the party based on the fact that they are holding a present.

Thank you for pointing out my mistake and providing a more accurate explanation.

The Jaybot said:

Thank you for pointing out my mistake and providing a more accurate explanation.

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And thank you for simply repeating everything I said and pretending as if you were the one answering the question.