Conjunctions / Conjunction Particles

Question 1

でも

Answer 1

“demo”; But

Question 2

と (connect nouns)

Answer 2

“to” (noun connecting particle “and”); And; With; Together with

と is used to connect two nouns in a sentence. It cannot be used to connect phrases or clauses in the sentence.

Ex1: りんごとバナナが好きです。”ringo to banana ga suki desu.”
I like apples and bananas.

Ex2: 友達と勉強しました。”tomodachi to benkyō shimashita.”
I studied with a friend.

Question 3

と (compare/contrast)

Answer 3

The particle と can be used to indicate a comparison or a contrast. In this case, it is used twice; once after the first noun and once after the second noun.

Ex: お茶とコーヒーと、どちらの方が好きですか。
“Ocha to kōhī to, dochira no hō ga suki desu ka?”
Between tea and coffee, which do you like better?
OR
Which do you like better, tea or coffee?

Question 4

と (mark end of thought/quotation)

Answer 4

The particle と can also be used to mark the end of a thought or a quotation. It is often proceeded by the plain form of a verb, and followed by verbs like 言う (iu) – to say, 思う (omou) – to think, and 聞く (kiku) – to listen/hear.

Ex1: 彼は明日は学校に来ると言いました。
“Kare wa ashita wa gakkō ni kuru to iimashita.”
He said he will come to school tomorrow.

Ex2: 明日は学校に行くと思います。
“Ashita wa gakkō ni iku to omoimasu.”
I think I will go to school tomorrow.

Ex3: 私は彼が明日学校に来ると聞きました。
“Watashi wa kare ga ashita gakkō ni kuru to kikimashita.”
I heard he will come to school tomorrow.

Question 5

と (as a conditional)

Answer 5

The use of と (to) as conditional: You can also put it after a verb or an adjective to form a conditional. It translates into “as soon as”, “when”, or “if”.

Ex1: 家に帰ると誰もいませんでした。
“Ie ni kaeru to daremo imasen deshita.”
When I got home nobody was there.

Ex2: 学校が終わるとすぐ家に帰りました。
“Gakkō ga owaru to sugu ie ni kaerimashita.”
As soon as school ended, I went home.

Ex3: あの店に行くとおいしいラーメンが食べられます。
“Ano mise ni iku to oishii rāmen ga taberaremasu.”
If you go to that restaurant, you can eat good rāmen.

Question 6

と (onomatopoeia)

Answer 6

The use of と (to) with sound words: The particle と can be used after onomatopoetic adverbs.

Ex: 犬がワンワンと吠えている。
“inu ga wan wan to hoeteiru.”
The dog is crying, “bark bark.”