# 私が・は本を読むとき



## YangMuye

“私？本を読むとき？、眼鏡を掛けます。”
「は」「の」「が」「×」Which particle should be used here? 

As I know, “私「は」本を読むとき「×」、眼鏡を掛けます。” seams native.
Can I use “私「が」本を読むとき「は」、眼鏡を掛けます。”？
I have seen 「が」 sometimes can be replaced with 「の」, will it work here?
​ご指導お願いします。


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## Wishfull

No.1 私は本を読むときにメガネをかけます。　sounds natural to me.
No.2 私は本を読むとき、メガネをかけます。 sounds natural to me.
No.3 私が本を読むときには、メガネをかけます。 sounds natural to me.
No.4 私は本を読むときのメガネをかけます。 sounds natural to me. 

No.5 私？　本を読むとき？　メガネかけます(よ)。　sounds natural in a certain circumstances.


They are almost identical, I think.
The speaker usually don't wear glasses, but he/she wear glasses (only) when he/she reads a book.
No.3 has the strong nuance of "only" of "only when he/she reads a book" .
No.4 (*edit;No.5 is correct*) is an answer to the question, "Do you wear glasses when you read a book?" "Me? When I read books?  Oh, yes, I do."


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## Flaminius

私は本を読むとき、眼鏡を掛けます。
This is the most unmarked statement.  You use glasses for reading; plain and simple; no nuances accompany.

私は本を読むときは、眼鏡を掛けます。
This is also very plain, virtually no difference in meaning from the above.  In discourse, using _-wa_ for every break point is a common practice.  With each _-wa_, the speaker narrows down the range for which the statement —here, wearing glasses— applies.  First, it is 私, the speaker.  Second, when the speaker is reading.  Through successive instances of _-wa_, the speaker drills down categories (subject: I; while doing what?: reading; etc.) and explores where exactly the range that the statement applies.

私が本を読むときは、眼鏡を掛けます。
This makes the whole statement "when I read books" the topic.  The entailment here is that the speaker does not concern themselves with what others do while they read.  In discourse, this opens the possibility that the speaker knows someone else who does not use glasses for reading and that someone may be relevant to the conversation.  The listener may take this as the sign to prompt a question, "Perhaps you know someone who doesn't?"  Then, the speaker would start telling about this person.


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## YangMuye

Wishful, Flaminius, thank you very much for your reply.



Wishfull said:


> No.4 私は本を読むときのメガネをかけます。 sounds natural to me.
> No.5 私？　本を読むとき？　メガネかけます(よ)。　sounds natural in a certain circumstances.
> No.4 is an answer to the question, "Do you wear glasses when you read a book?" "Me? When I read books?  Oh, yes, I do."


Are you sure it's not "No.5", not a typo?
I don't really understand the use of の here. Maybe I have to start a new thread.



Flaminius said:


> 私が本を読むときは、眼鏡を掛けます。
> This makes the whole statement "when I read books" the topic.  The entailment here is that the speaker does not concern themselves with what others do while they read.  In discourse, this opens the possibility that the speaker knows someone else who does not use glasses for reading and that someone may be relevant to the conversation.  The listener may take this as the sign to prompt a question, "Perhaps you know someone who doesn't?"  Then, the speaker would start telling about this person.


Does it mean that, this は here is a “comparative は”, the sentence doesn't make sense with itself alone? Then the speaker is expected to tell something like "ですが、OOさんは眼鏡を掛けません。"?


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## Wishfull

YangMuye said:


> Are you sure it's not "No.5", not a typo?
> I don't really understand the use of の here. Maybe I have to start a new thread.


Oh, sorry. It is typo.

私は本を読むときの、メガネをかけます。doesn't make sense.
BUT
私は、本を読むときのメガネをかけます。
or
私は、「本を読むときのメガネ」をかけます。 makes sense.

Please think 本を読むときのis an adjective phrase which modifies メガネ.
「本を読むときのメガネ」＝the glasses when I read books.
≒「近くを見るときのメガネ」

「車を運転する時のメガネ」＝the glasses which I wear when I drive a car.
≒「遠くを見るときのメガネ」

Hope this helps.


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## YangMuye

Wishfull said:


> 私は、「本を読むときのメガネ」をかけます。 makes sense.
> Please think 本を読むときのis an adjective phrase which modifies メガネ.
> 「本を読むときのメガネ」＝the glasses when I read books.
> ≒「近くを見るときのメガネ」
> 「車を運転する時のメガネ」＝the glasses which I wear when I drive a car.
> ≒「遠くを見るときのメガネ」


Wow , fantastic! 
Is 「本を読むときのメガネ」 「車を運転する時のメガネ」 a special type of glasses sold in Japan? Or just a another expression of 「本を読むときには、メガネ」？


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## Wishfull

YangMuye said:


> Wow , fantastic!
> Is 「本を読むときのメガネ」 「車を運転する時のメガネ」 a special type of glasses sold in Japan? Or just a another expression of 「本を読むときには、メガネ」？



Hi.
When a man grow older, over 45 years old like me, the ability of adjusting focus becomes weak. Old-sighted eye!
For example, I myself have had near sighted-eye since my childhood. I could read books, but I couldn't see the distant. So I need 車を運転する時のメガネ.
And now, I can't read books, either, with my old eyes.
So I need the second glasses; 本を読むときのメガネ.



Do you understand?
You will see, when you get old enough.

They are usually tailor-made. Because even left eye and right eye of each individual has a different intensity of lenses.

edit; If I were rich enough to pay extra-money, I could buy a 遠近両用メガネ.
Maybe you can guess what it is.   It is expensive!


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## YangMuye

Wishfull said:


> Hi.
> When a man grow older, over 45 years old like me, the ability of adjusting focus becomes weak. Old-sighted eye!
> For example, I myself have had near sighted-eye since my childhood. I could read books, but I couldn't see the distant. So I need 車を運転する時のメガネ.
> And now, I can't read books, either, with my old eyes.
> So I need the second glasses; 本を読むときのメガネ.
> 
> Do you understand?
> You will see, when you get old enough.
> 
> They are usually tailor-made. Because even left eye and right eye of each individual has a different intensity of lenses.
> 
> edit; If I were rich enough to pay extra-money, I could buy a 遠近両用メガネ.
> Maybe you can guess what it is.   It is expensive!


中国には、「本を読むときのメガネ」とか「車を運転する時のメガネ」とか「遠近両用メガネ」など、どれもありません。
勉强しました。


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## Dheara

本を読むときのメガネ
The glasses  "of when" （which I use/wear when) I read books.　

This is some kind of attempt of literal translation:
本を読むときのメガネをかけます。　I wear the glasses "of when" (which I use when) I read books. (the reading glasses...)

本を読むとき の modifies　メガネ  
- X の Y　=  Y, which/who is X
Here, 本を読むときの works as some kind of attribute for メガネ


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## Flaminius

YangMuye said:


> Flaminius said:
> 
> 
> 
> 私が本を読むときは、眼鏡を掛けます。
> This makes the whole statement "when I read books" the topic. The entailment here is that the speaker does not concern themselves with what others do while they read. In discourse, this opens the possibility that the speaker knows someone else who does not use glasses for reading and that someone may be relevant to the conversation. The listener may take this as the sign to prompt a question, "Perhaps you know someone who doesn't?" Then, the speaker would start telling about this person.
> 
> 
> 
> Does it mean that, this は here is a “comparative は”, the sentence doesn't make sense with itself alone? Then the speaker is expected to tell something like "ですが、OOさんは眼鏡を掛けません。"?
Click to expand...

This use of _-wa_ is better-known as 対照の「は」 (the contrastive _wa_) by those who are in the trade.  Just in case you might want to do an independent research.  You can continue the speech by "ですが、OOさんは眼鏡を掛けません" but it is often the case that such a statement is self-evident in the discourse, thus omitted.


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## YangMuye

I didn't realize immediately that the "本を読むときの" is used to modify the "メガネ", simply because in China we are used to using 近視眼镜、遠視眼镜 instead.

分かりました。皆さん、どうも有難うございます。


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## YangMuye

Flaminius said:


> This use of _-wa_ is better-known as 対照の「は」 (the contrastive _wa_) by those who are in the trade.  Just in case you might want to do an independent research.  You can continue the speech by "ですが、OOさんは眼鏡を掛けません" but it is often the case that such a statement is self-evident in the discourse, thus omitted.


わかりました。
Flaminiusさん、どうも有り難うございました。


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