Quote:
Originally Posted by Sumippi
同じだけど・・・（^_^;） 何か抜けた？
You wanted to ask about 「上手なんですか」and「お上手なんですか」?
「お」 is an honorific/polite prefix, or お/ご prefix. (I think I leaned this from Kyle sensei~ww! Thanks Kyle sensei~^^.)
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Judging by hitotz's previous question, I think he probably meant to ask the difference between 上手なんですか and 上手ですか.
The answer is that the 〜んです form (also 〜のです) "gives the [sentence] an explanatory force" compared to just です. The な is there because it's required after な-adjectives and nouns before ん／のです. For verbs and い-adjectives, it's not.
The English translation doesn't really change when it's added; it's just got a slightly different, "I am explaining something I think you didn't absolutely realize" feel to it.
Consider A and B. They see C, who is wearing a blue shirt.
Cさんは青いシャツを着ています。 C is wearing a blue shirt.
No explanatory feel would be proper since both are seeing it.
Now maybe A is telling B about how C was difficult to see in the ocean.
Cさんは青いシャツを着ていたんですよ。
Even without the んです it would be a grammatically correct and understandable sentence. Just maybe it wouldn't feel as perfectly native. Depending on context. Don't really sweat it too much. Some facility with the construction will come with time, and even if you're never fully comfortable with it (sometimes I wonder if I am), it will
never be an obstacle to being understood or understanding someone.
Contrived sentences, but you hopefully understand what I'm trying to say.
Edit realized I didn't address the category of Questionんですか. Simple variation: it implies you're seeking an explanation.
Maybe a bit of a feel like the difference between
You're talented?
vs.
You're talented? [Tell me how you got that way.]