Translated examples
だれが来ますか。
Who is coming?
だれと行きますか。
Who will you go with?
だれに聞きましたか。
Who did you ask?
これはだれの本ですか。
Whose book is this?
私のです。
It is mine.
あちらの方はどなたですか。
Who is that person over there? (polite)
だれ asks who a person is; だれの asks who owns or is associated with something. どなた is a more polite alternative to だれ in many identity questions. Choose the particle from the role the person has in the sentence.
Formation and use
だれが来ますか asks which person is coming. Keep が with the unknown subject in the basic identification question, then answer 田中さんが来ます.
だれと行きますか asks a companion; だれに聞きますか asks the person you ask. だれ does not force one particle in every sentence.
Comparisons and common errors
だれの本ですか asks whose book. If 本 is understood, だれのですか can omit it. 私のです likewise means “It is mine” when the item is clear.
Use どなた in a courteous identity question such as あちらの方はどなたですか. Avoid assuming that adding a polite word makes every way of pointing at or addressing a person suitable.
Practise with explanations
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