# mono da/mon da



## Ariander

Hello!
I have a question about the grammar form "mono."
I read somewhere that, put on the end of the sentence, it can indicate surprise.  As in:

I am surprised/amazed at your tennis skills!
tenisu no ga umai mono da!

(I hope this example is okay, and makes sense.)

I also read that a colloquial version is "mon da."  Does that mean "mono desu" would be formal?  Or is it not usually used in non-casual situations?

And in the case of a sentence ending with a "na" adjective, like "jouzu" would it be correct to put:
"tenisu no ga jouzu mono da" or "tenisu no ga jouzu da mono da"?

Or is it simply not usable with adjectives and must only be used with verbs?

Thank you for reading through all of this!


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## Aoyama

Rather than 





> tenisu no ga


, _tenisu ga _without NO would be more correct.
"Tenisu no ga jouzu da mono da" is redundant, you would not use _da_ twice in the same sentence.
Some uses of "mon da" :
- sonna mon da = that's the way it is
-taihenna mon da = it's quite something
_mono_ can be substituted to _mon_ , but _mon_ being a colloquial form of _mono_ it would not fit very well the colloquial tone of what is conveyed.


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## lammn

Ariander said:


> I am surprised/amazed at your tennis skills!
> tenisu no ga umai mono da!


 
Hi Ariander-san, I can't answer all of your questions, but I will try to explain the things I understand...

First of all, {no} is redundant here. You should say "(noun) *ga* umai..."
However, even if you drop out the {no} here, {tenisu ga umai mono da} sounds wierd to me.
Even though {umai} can mean "skillful", it can also mean "sweet". In particular, {umai mono} means "delicacy". Thus, the sentence sounds like "tennis is a sweet thing/delicacy!" 



Ariander said:


> I also read that a colloquial version is "mon da." Does that mean "mono desu" would be formal? Or is it not usually used in non-casual situations


 
What do you mean by "formal"? Both {mono da} and {mono desu} can be used to expressed surprise(詠嘆). You use {mono desu} to someone unfamiliar or superior to you, and you use {mono da} to someone close to you or inferior to you.



Arianer said:


> And in the case of a sentence ending with a "na" adjective, like "jouzu" would it be correct to put:
> "tenisu no ga jouzu mono da" or "tenisu no ga jouzu da mono da"?


 
You should always put a {na} between na-adjective and noun. (That's why it's called *na*-adjective)
Thus, you should say {tenisu ga jouzu na mono da}.



Arianer said:


> Or is it simply not usable with adjectives and must only be used with verbs?


 
The way I learn to use {mono desu/da} to express surprise is to use it with *verbs* in potential form. I'm not sure if it can be used with *adjectives* to express surprise. Hope that someone else can answer your question.


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## Aoyama

> Even though {umai} can mean "skillful", it can also mean "sweet". In particular, {umai mono} means "delicacy". Thus, the sentence sounds like "tennis is a sweet thing/delicacy!"


Not really. Umai here is very possible. "Tenisu [ga] umai na/mon da" = you're good at tennis, "nihongo [ga] umai na/mon da" = your Japanese is something/good. Ga can be omited "colloquially" ...


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## Ariander

Aoyama said:


> Rather than , _tenisu ga _without NO would be more correct.



Oh, oops... I must have been thinking テニスをするのが.  Thank you for the correction.



lammn said:


> You should always put a {na} between na-adjective and noun. (That's why it's called *na*-adjective)
> Thus, you should say {tenisu ga jouzu na mono da}.


 
Now that you say it, it seems so obvious.  Thanks 



lammn said:


> What do you mean by "formal"? Both {mono da} and {mono desu} can be used to expressed surprise(詠嘆). You use {mono desu} to someone unfamiliar or superior to you, and you use {mono da} to someone close to you or inferior to you.



Yes, by formal I meant using it with someone superior/unfamiliar.



lammn said:


> The way I learn to use {mono desu/da} to express surprise is to use it with *verbs* in potential form. I'm not sure if it can be used with *adjectives* to express surprise. Hope that someone else can answer your question.



This makes me wonder what exactly "adjective + もの" means, if not surprise...


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## lammn

Ariander said:


> This makes me wonder what exactly "adjective + もの" means, if not surprise...


 
I have checked my textbook last night. The construction {(adjective) + mono desu/da} *can* be used to express surprise（詠嘆） or things deeply impressed（感心）you.　Sorry for the confusion caused by my previous post. Actually, I have been using those constructions in another Japanese forum before. Nowadays I seldom write in Japanese and my Japanese skill has become rusted... 



Aoyama said:


> Not really. Umai here is very possible. "Tenisu [ga] umai na/mon da" = you're good at tennis, "nihongo [ga] umai na/mon da" = your Japanese is something/good. Ga can be omited "colloquially" ...


 
Thanks for the clarification, Aoyama-san.


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## Aoyama

One can also imagine : "tenisu/nihongo umai mon na(a)" for "colloquial emphasis" ...


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## Ariander

lammn said:


> I have checked my textbook last night. The construction {(adjective) + mono desu/da} *can* be used to express surprise（詠嘆） or things deeply impressed（感心）you.



Thank you so much for checking that ^^ My curiosity has been sated.



Aoyama said:


> One can also imagine : "tenisu/nihongo umai mon na(a)" for "colloquial emphasis" ...



I remember seeing something like 日本語うまいものだなあ as the example online, so it is good to know that the sentence is correct/natively used.  Thank you!


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## natascia77

Hi,

the sentence: 蚊取り 線香 という のは 日本の文化 を 象徴 する もの です、what does it mean?

Mosquito coils     are a symbol of Japanese culture? Is it correct? But I don't understand the use of のは　and もの yet。。。


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## Aoyama

Irasshai to the Forum natascia.
In fact, it is rather という のは which is at stake here. It means "what is called", "what it is". What is called "katorisenko" is ... The thing that is "katorisenko" is ...
もの = thing, it is a thing that is a symbol of ...
Both structures are "oral" or "colloquial".


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## natascia77

thank you !!!! ^^ ありがとうございました！


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