Quote:
Originally Posted by jpallan
Hi everyone,
I learn my Japanese vocabulary with iKnow / smart.fm and also get sample sentences to each word.
Now, there's this sentence:
彼は走るのが速い。 (He runs fast.)
I know the meaning of each word and particle. But, I don't understand the combination of の and が together.
Thanks for your help.
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First, think of them as two separate particles. When you have mastered their usages, you may remember them as a unit if you
have to. Native speakers don't think of のが as a unit if that means anything.
The の is used for verb nominalization here. Needless to say, the verb is the 走る.
The が here is an identifier. It sort of answers a silent (or asked) question. "What does Bob do fast?" ---> "It's running that he does fast."
_________
「彼は速く走る。」 is a grammatical sentence but you won't hear a native speaker say it. It sounds very "translated".
We usually would prefer saying 「彼は走るのが速い。」.