Here we have to translate the statement that we think that Professor Yamashita looks good. We will use the verb ‘思う（おもう）’ and the quotation/reporting particle ‘と.’

Remember to keep the tense of the original utterance/thought the same, regardless of the tense of the final verb, either ‘言う（いう）’ or ‘思う（おもう）.’ Though the tense remains the same, the form may not—it is preferred to use a short form before the particle ‘と.’ In the next chapter, you will learn how to make short forms in the past, which you can use to report utterances and thoughts that applied to the past (such as, ‘John said that he saw/had seen a ghost’).

When we are expressing thoughts about and reporting utterances of other people, it is natural that more than one conversational topic and more than one grammatical subject will arise. To translate the sentence, ‘she said her major is Japanese,’ we have several options:
• かのじょはせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This is the most literal translation of the above sentence, even though the repeated use of ‘は’ is somewhat ungainly: this translation would be appropriate as a plain statement of fact.
• かのじょのせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This emphasizes that the major is hers, but it leaves the fact that she was the one who said it implied: this translation is likely the most natural, but not necessarily the most exact/the most appropriate for the purposes of learning how to quote others.
• かのじょはせんこうがにほんごだといっていました。This translation emphasizes the fact that her major is Japanese: this translation would be appropriate if someone asked you ‘why does she speak Japanese’ or ‘why does she speak Japanese so well,’ for example.
The differences between ‘は’ and ‘が’ can be difficult to articulate and understand, even for native Japanese speakers. Any of these translations can work, but knowing which to use and when will be an important part of mastering the language. Don’t worry too much if you don’t yet understand all of their nuances—the best way to learn the differences between the two particles is through practice and exposure to the language.

To say that we think Professor Yamashita looks good, we answer as follows:
山下先生は格好いいと思います。
（山下先生がかっこいいとおもいます。）

Here we have to translate the statement that we think that this woman looks like Mary’s Japanese professor. We will use the verb ‘思う（おもう）’ and the quotation/reporting particle ‘と.’

Remember to keep the tense of the original utterance/thought the same, regardless of the tense of the final verb, either ‘言う（いう）’ or ‘思う（おもう）.’ Though the tense remains the same, the form may not—it is preferred to use a short form before the particle ‘と.’ In the next chapter, you will learn how to make short forms in the past, which you can use to report utterances and thoughts that applied to the past (such as, ‘John said that he saw/had seen a ghost’).

When we are expressing thoughts about and reporting utterances of other people, it is natural that more than one conversational topic and more than one grammatical subject will arise. To translate the sentence, ‘she said her major is Japanese,’ we have several options:
• かのじょはせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This is the most literal translation of the above sentence, even though the repeated use of ‘は’ is somewhat ungainly: this translation would be appropriate as a plain statement of fact.
• かのじょのせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This emphasizes that the major is hers, but it leaves the fact that she was the one who said it implied: this translation is likely the most natural, but not necessarily the most exact/the most appropriate for the purposes of learning how to quote others.
• かのじょはせんこうがにほんごだといっていました。This translation emphasizes the fact that her major is Japanese: this translation would be appropriate if someone asked you ‘why does she speak Japanese’ or ‘why does she speak Japanese so well,’ for example.
The differences between ‘は’ and ‘が’ can be difficult to articulate and understand, even for native Japanese speakers. Any of these translations can work, but knowing which to use and when will be an important part of mastering the language. Don’t worry too much if you don’t yet understand all of their nuances—the best way to learn the differences between the two particles is through practice and exposure to the language.

To say that we think this woman is Mary’s Japanese teacher, we answer as follows:
この女の人はメアリーさんの日本語の先生だと思います。
（この女の人はメアリーさんの日本語の先生だとおもいます）

Here we have to translate the statement that we think that Professor Yamashita reads a lot of books. We will use the verb ‘思う（おもう）’ and the quotation/reporting particle ‘と.’

Remember to keep the tense of the original utterance/thought the same, regardless of the tense of the final verb, either ‘言う（いう）’ or ‘思う（おもう）.’ Though the tense remains the same, the form may not—it is preferred to use a short form before the particle ‘と.’ In the next chapter, you will learn how to make short forms in the past, which you can use to report utterances and thoughts that applied to the past (such as, ‘John said that he saw/had seen a ghost’).

When we are expressing thoughts about and reporting utterances of other people, it is natural that more than one conversational topic and more than one grammatical subject will arise. To translate the sentence, ‘she said her major is Japanese,’ we have several options:
• かのじょはせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This is the most literal translation of the above sentence, even though the repeated use of ‘は’ is somewhat ungainly: this translation would be appropriate as a plain statement of fact.
• かのじょのせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This emphasizes that the major is hers, but it leaves the fact that she was the one who said it implied: this translation is likely the most natural, but not necessarily the most exact/the most appropriate for the purposes of learning how to quote others.
• かのじょはせんこうがにほんごだといっていました。This translation emphasizes the fact that her major is Japanese: this translation would be appropriate if someone asked you ‘why does she speak Japanese’ or ‘why does she speak Japanese so well,’ for example.
The differences between ‘は’ and ‘が’ can be difficult to articulate and understand, even for native Japanese speakers. Any of these translations can work, but knowing which to use and when will be an important part of mastering the language. Don’t worry too much if you don’t yet understand all of their nuances—the best way to learn the differences between the two particles is through practice and exposure to the language.

To say that we think that Professor Yamashita reads a lot of books, we answer as follows:
山下先生はたくさんの本を読むと思います。
（山下先生はたくさんの本をよむとおもいます。）

Here we have to translate the statement that we do not think that this town is interesting. We will use the verb ‘思う（おもう）’ and the quotation/reporting particle ‘と.’

Remember to keep the tense of the original utterance/thought the same, regardless of the tense of the final verb, either ‘言う（いう）’ or ‘思う（おもう）.’ Though the tense remains the same, the form may not—it is preferred to use a short form before the particle ‘と.’ In the next chapter, you will learn how to make short forms in the past, which you can use to report utterances and thoughts that applied to the past (such as, ‘John said that he saw/had seen a ghost’).

When we are expressing thoughts about and reporting utterances of other people, it is natural that more than one conversational topic and more than one grammatical subject will arise. To translate the sentence, ‘she said her major is Japanese,’ we have several options:
• かのじょはせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This is the most literal translation of the above sentence, even though the repeated use of ‘は’ is somewhat ungainly: this translation would be appropriate as a plain statement of fact.
• かのじょのせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This emphasizes that the major is hers, but it leaves the fact that she was the one who said it implied: this translation is likely the most natural, but not necessarily the most exact/the most appropriate for the purposes of learning how to quote others.
• かのじょはせんこうがにほんごだといっていました。This translation emphasizes the fact that her major is Japanese: this translation would be appropriate if someone asked you ‘why does she speak Japanese’ or ‘why does she speak Japanese so well,’ for example.
The differences between ‘は’ and ‘が’ can be difficult to articulate and understand, even for native Japanese speakers. Any of these translations can work, but knowing which to use and when will be an important part of mastering the language. Don’t worry too much if you don’t yet understand all of their nuances—the best way to learn the differences between the two particles is through practice and exposure to the language.

Unlike in English, we never negate the reporting or opinion verb to say that we do not think something is so—we always negate the thing that is being reported.

To say that we do not think that this town is interesting, we answer as follows:
この町はおもしろくないと思います。
（このまちはおもしろくないとおもいます。）

Here we have to translate the statement that we do not think that Mai likes Mayumi. We will use the verb ‘思う（おもう）’ and the quotation/reporting particle ‘と.’

Remember to keep the tense of the original utterance/thought the same, regardless of the tense of the final verb, either ‘言う（いう）’ or ‘思う（おもう）.’ Though the tense remains the same, the form may not—it is preferred to use a short form before the particle ‘と.’ In the next chapter, you will learn how to make short forms in the past, which you can use to report utterances and thoughts that applied to the past (such as, ‘John said that he saw/had seen a ghost’).

When we are expressing thoughts about and reporting utterances of other people, it is natural that more than one conversational topic and more than one grammatical subject will arise. To translate the sentence, ‘she said her major is Japanese,’ we have several options:
• かのじょはせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This is the most literal translation of the above sentence, even though the repeated use of ‘は’ is somewhat ungainly: this translation would be appropriate as a plain statement of fact.
• かのじょのせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This emphasizes that the major is hers, but it leaves the fact that she was the one who said it implied: this translation is likely the most natural, but not necessarily the most exact/the most appropriate for the purposes of learning how to quote others.
• かのじょはせんこうがにほんごだといっていました。This translation emphasizes the fact that her major is Japanese: this translation would be appropriate if someone asked you ‘why does she speak Japanese’ or ‘why does she speak Japanese so well,’ for example.
The differences between ‘は’ and ‘が’ can be difficult to articulate and understand, even for native Japanese speakers. Any of these translations can work, but knowing which to use and when will be an important part of mastering the language. Don’t worry too much if you don’t yet understand all of their nuances—the best way to learn the differences between the two particles is through practice and exposure to the language.

Unlike in English, we never negate the reporting or opinion verb to say that we do not think something is so—we always negate the thing that is being reported.

To say that we do not think that Mai likes Mayumi, we answer as follows:
まいさんはまゆみさんが好きじゃないと思います。
（まいさんはまゆみさんがすきじゃないとおもいます。）

Here we have to translate the statement that we do not think that Aya is coming to school today. We will use the verb ‘思う（おもう）’ and the quotation/reporting particle ‘と.’

Remember to keep the tense of the original utterance/thought the same, regardless of the tense of the final verb, either ‘言う（いう）’ or ‘思う（おもう）.’ Though the tense remains the same, the form may not—it is preferred to use a short form before the particle ‘と.’ In the next chapter, you will learn how to make short forms in the past, which you can use to report utterances and thoughts that applied to the past (such as, ‘John said that he saw/had seen a ghost’).

When we are expressing thoughts about and reporting utterances of other people, it is natural that more than one conversational topic and more than one grammatical subject will arise. To translate the sentence, ‘she said her major is Japanese,’ we have several options:
• かのじょはせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This is the most literal translation of the above sentence, even though the repeated use of ‘は’ is somewhat ungainly: this translation would be appropriate as a plain statement of fact.
• かのじょのせんこうはにほんごだといっていました。This emphasizes that the major is hers, but it leaves the fact that she was the one who said it implied: this translation is likely the most natural, but not necessarily the most exact/the most appropriate for the purposes of learning how to quote others.
• かのじょはせんこうがにほんごだといっていました。This translation emphasizes the fact that her major is Japanese: this translation would be appropriate if someone asked you ‘why does she speak Japanese’ or ‘why does she speak Japanese so well,’ for example.
The differences between ‘は’ and ‘が’ can be difficult to articulate and understand, even for native Japanese speakers. Any of these translations can work, but knowing which to use and when will be an important part of mastering the language. Don’t worry too much if you don’t yet understand all of their nuances—the best way to learn the differences between the two particles is through practice and exposure to the language.

Unlike in English, we never negate the reporting or opinion verb to say that we do not think something is so—we always negate the thing that is being reported.

To say that we do not think that Aya is coming to school today, we answer as follows:
あやさんは今日学校に行かないと思います。
（あやさんは今日学校に行かないとおもいます。）