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JLPT N4 · Sentence patterns

は〜が〜は (wa~ga... wa)

～は～が、～は～ — contrasting two things

In short · Sets two things side by side to show a contrast: “A is ～, but B is ～.” Each topic gets は, and the clauses are joined by が meaning “but”. It is used to compare likes, habits and amounts.
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Pattern

  • A は ～（です／ます）が、B は ～ A は ～が、B は ～ (contrast; the が means “but”)

Two roles of は

は marks contrast as well as the topic. 夏は好きです says “summer, at least, I like”, and by itself it already hints that something else may not be liked. When two は-phrases are placed together, the contrast becomes clear.

The が in the middle

The が between the clauses is the conjunction “but”, not the subject marker. The two clauses are often positive and negative, or the same verb with different amounts: よく話しますが、あまり話しません.

Examples

  • 夏（なつ）は好（す）きですが、冬（ふゆ）は好（す）きじゃありません。

    Natsu wa suki desu ga, fuyu wa suki ja arimasen.

    I like summer, but I don't like winter.

  • 肉（にく）は食（た）べますが、魚（さかな）は食（た）べません。

    Niku wa tabemasu ga, sakana wa tabemasen.

    I eat meat, but I don't eat fish.

  • 姉（あね）はよく話（はな）しますが、弟（おとうと）はあまり話（はな）しません。

    Ane wa yoku hanashimasu ga, otōto wa amari hanashimasen.

    My older sister talks a lot, but my younger brother doesn't talk much.

Common mistakes

  • Do not use が after the object in place of は: 肉が食べますが is wrong; keep を or は as a contrast (肉は).
  • The middle が means “but”. Do not read it as a subject marker.

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