Japatan
Formation
- N1 + は + N2 + です
Explanation
This is the most basic Japanese sentence: it says politely that A is B. は marks the topic (what the sentence is about); as a particle it is pronounced wa, not ha. です comes at the end and never changes with the subject, so it covers am, is and are. When the topic is clear from the situation, it is usually left out: リンです alone means "I'm Lin."
Examples
はじめまして。私は リンです。
Nice to meet you. I am Lin.
佐藤さんは 会社員です。
Sato-san is an office worker.
明日は 休みです。
Tomorrow is a day off.
コーヒーは 三百円です。
The coffee is 300 yen.
Notes
Do not add さん to your own name (not 私は リンさんです). は is pronounced wa only when it is used as a particle.
Related grammar
Mini quiz
1私（ ） 学生です。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 2 は
The sentence means "I am a student." The topic of the sentence is marked with は, so 私は 学生です is correct. を, に and で cannot connect 私 and 学生です.
2マリアさんは 医者（ ）。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 です
The sentence means "Maria is a doctor." A noun sentence ends with です. ます attaches only to verbs, and は and を cannot end a sentence.
3A: はじめまして。アリです。
B: はじめまして。私は 田中（ ）。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 です
B says "Nice to meet you. I am Tanaka." さん shows respect for other people, so you never add it to your own name. ですは and はです are not possible word orders.
