word order

[Hikari_Satomi]

hi im new here and also have been teaching myself japanese for a year and a half. I have been trying to understand the word order for a while now but then something new shows up.
could anyone explain to me in grave detail, the word order?
i know it goes Subject Object Verb but what if you have a long sentence that has more than one verb? and what is with the particles?

im desperate!!!! can someone please help me????

-hikari

[sampaguita]

Word order is something that you get from experience, so I doubt if anyone can tell you the details of the word order in Japanese in just one post. As for sentences with many verbs, I think you are referring to the -te form of the verb. It has many uses, like connecting clauses, or telling the order in which several actions occurred, and many others.

However, I think that a Japanese book will help you solve your problem. I'm using "Japanese for Everyone", published by Gakken. It's a nice book, although it's not women-friendly, so if you're a feminist, I don't advise using it. But, if you can tolerate that, then you can buy a copy from a bookstore there or from the internet.

[Hikari_Satomi]

thanks so much ^^
i will have to try that.
i also have 4 japanese penpals and am friends with the japanese foreign exchange student at my school. they help me as best they can. i just thought maybe i could get some more help here
^^ thanks again

[Mukade]

A BASIC rule of thumb:

Japanese word order is called left-branching, whereas English is right-branching. What does that mean? Well, a Japanese sentence is (often) in the complete opposite order of an English sentence.

For example -

I go to school by bus at eight oclock a.m. everyday.

In Japanese order, this sentence would be:

I everyday a.m. oclock eight at bus by school to go.

In Japanese -

私は毎日午前８時にバスで学校へ行きます。
Watashi wa gozen hachiji ni basu de gakkou e ikimasu.


*This is a rule of thumb, but you will find that it holds in many instances. Just leave the subject where it is, and reverse everything else.

Your homework assignment:

Put this sentence into Japanese order - "I ate sushi with my friend at the cafeteria yesterday."

Afterwards, if you can translate it into Japanese, do so! :p

[Vengeance]

I don't understand but I have no problems with the structure. I just "get it", is that normal?

[KRed]

To understand particles the book I have found most helpful is "All About Particles" by Naoko Chino. I tried the grammar books but some of them skip so quickly over particles without giving a thorough decription of their vairied uses and meanings.