Choose は or が by following the conversation. These six questions specify a context so that you do not have to guess what the speaker considers familiar.
Follow the question being answered
In だれが来ますか, the missing information is the person who will come. 田中さんが来ます supplies that information. は sets a topic for a comment: 田中さんは先生です tells us something about Tanaka. Neither particle is a universal translation of English “is.”
A sentence may allow either particle while changing its emphasis. 私は行きます can announce what you will do or contrast you with someone else. 私が行きます can identify you as the person who will go. That is why a context-free blank is a poor way to test this distinction.
A useful check
Ask whether the sentence is introducing the person who answers “who?”, commenting on an established topic, or explicitly contrasting alternatives. Embedded subjects and fixed expressions require further study; this drill stays with simple conversations.
Examples to read before you practise
Japanese | Reading / English |
|---|---|
だれが来ますか。田中さんが来ます。 | Who is coming? Tanaka is. |
田中さんは先生です。 | As for Tanaka, he is a teacher. |
コーヒーは飲みますが、お茶は飲みません。 | I drink coffee, but not tea. |
Try six questions
Try these self-check questions from memory, then compare your answers with the explanations. For automatic checking and saved progress, open the related practice after this article.
だれ（ ）来ますか。 Ask who is coming.
だれが来ますか。田中さん（ ）来ます。 Identify the person.
Introduce yourself as the topic: 私（ ）学生です。
Explicitly contrast drinks: お茶（ ）飲みますが、コーヒーは飲みません。
Which particle is pronounced wa when marking a topic?
だれが窓を開けましたか。私（ ）開けました。 Identify who did it.
Answer key and explanations
が — が marks the person being asked about.
が — The reply supplies the unknown subject.
は — は sets 私 as the topic of the comment.
は — Both drinks are contrasted with は.
は — The topic particle is written は and pronounced wa.
が — が identifies the person who opened the window.
Keep learning
Related lessons
Try what you have just read
Recognise the pattern, write an answer from memory, then use it in a short reading. Your existing progress carries over.
Open the three-step lessonSources
Related Grammar
Related Articles
Ni vs E Practice: Destinations, Direction, and Arrival
Both に and へ can mark a destination with 行く. Learn where that overlap ends, and avoid treating one as wrong just because the other is also possible.
Arimasu vs Imasu Practice: People, Animals, and Objects
Decide whether a simple existence sentence needs あります or います, then practise the negative and past forms without changing the location particle.
Ta Form vs Te Form: Change the Ending Without Losing the Sound Pattern
The ta form and te form share sound-change patterns, but they do different jobs. Practise switching between them and choosing a form for a specific construction.
Ageru, Kureru, and Morau Practice: Track the Giver and Receiver
Follow the direction of a gift and the speaker’s viewpoint. These beginner scenes make the relationship explicit instead of treating the three verbs as interchangeable translations.
Te Kudasai vs Te Mo Ii Desu Ka: Requests and Permission Practice
Decide who will perform the action. A request asks another person to act; a permission question asks whether an action is allowed.
Toki vs Mae Ni Practice: When Something Happens and Before It Happens
Connect an action to its timing. Compare “before leaving” with “when I was a student,” and practise the noun and verb connections separately.