Last time, you learned compound verbs, e.g. “落ち着いて今後のことを考えよう (Let’s calm down and think about things in the future)” and “お茶を飲み干した (We drank down a glass of green tea).” By utilizing compound verbs, you can express actions in a more sophisticated way. Then, if you’d like to say, ”Let’s think about things in the future on the premise that I will change my job,” how should you do it? In this lesson, you will learn a way of expressing supplementary subordinate clauses by using particles.
Explanation for How the Irregular Sentence Pattern XをYに Works
| Table of Contents Four Main Functions Related Compound Particle: として |
The sentence pattern XをYに has only nouns with particles; however, it will certainly work as a supplementary subordinate clause in spite of the lack of predicates. For the sake of simplicity, you may roughly consider it as XをYにする which means “to change X to Y.”
Four Main Functions
XをYに basically expresses four things which are situations, reasons (aims), roles (functions), and possession. Although the usage is simple, multiple use of particles make sentences difficult to read. We will mark subordinate clause in color as below. With this sentence pattern, English translation doesn’t work well. Please focus on the original Japanese phrase XをYに [する].
Situations
| [私は] | このケーキを | 最後に | ダイエット（する / します） |
| Direct Object | Target of Change | ||
| [Topic / Subject] | Subordinate Clause: Situation | Verb | |
| [I] will be on a diet as [I] will make this piece of cake the last one [I eat]. | |||
The first function is to express situations which include time, space, and positions. If you reword the above example, it will be like, “このケーキを最後にして、ダイエットする (I will make this piece of cake the last one I eat and then I will be on a diet).” Here are more examples.
| 転職を前提に今後のことを考え（よう / ましょう）。 Let’s think about things in the future on that premise that [I’ll] change [my] job. |
| テレビに出たのをきっかけに歌手を目指し（た / ました）。 [I] aimed to be a singer with the appearance on TV as a trigger. |
| ビーチを会場にコンサートを（した / しました）。 [We] held a concert as [we] made the beach a venue. |
| 日本の人口は2008年をピークに減って（いる / います）。 The population in Japan is decreasing after the peak in 2008. |
Reasons and Aims
| [私は] | 病気を | 言い訳に | 欠席（した / しました） |
| Direct Object | Target of Change | ||
| [Topic / Subject] | Subordinate Clause: Reason | Verb | |
| [I] was absent as [I] used sickness as an excuse. | |||
The second function is to express reasons and aims. If we reword the above example, it will be like, “病気を言い訳にして、欠席した (I used sickness as an excuse and then I was absent).” Here are more examples.
| 体格を理由に夢を諦め（た / ました）。 [I] gave up [my] dream due to [my] build. |
| JLPT N1を目標に日本語を勉強して（いる / います）。 [I] am studying Japanese with the aim to pass JLPT N1. |
Roles and Functions
| [私は] | 田中さんを | パートナーに | 戦った / 戦いました |
| Direct Object | Target of Change | ||
| [Topic / Subject] | Subordinate Clause: Role | Verb | |
| [I] fought (something) with Tanaka-san as [my] partner. | |||
The third function is to express roles and functions. If we reword the above example, it will be like, “田中さんをパートナーにして戦った (I got Tanaka-san as my partner and I fought something).” Here are more examples.
| 井上さんを弁護士に裁判を（した / しました）。 [I] sued (someone) with Inoue-san as my lawyer. |
| 本をお土産に友達の家に（行った / 行きました）。 [I] went to [my] friend’s house with a book as a present. |
Possession
| [私は] | 花を | 片手に | 待って（いた / いました） |
| Direct Object | Location of Existence | ||
| [Topic / Subject] | Subordinate Clause: Possession | Verb | |
| [I] was waiting with flowers in [my] hand. | |||
The fourth function is to express possession. Here, the interpretation is different from other ones. You need to consider XをYに as XをYに持（も）つ. Thus, if we reword the above example, it will be like, “花を片手に持って、待っていた (I had flowers in my hand and was waiting).” Here are more examples.
| 大きな決意を胸に試合に参加（した / しました）。 [I] participated in the game with a big resolution [in my heart]. |
| 友達がお酒を両手に遊びに（きた / きました）。 [My] friend came [here] to hang out with bottles of alcohol in [his] hands. |
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Related Compound Particle: として
We’d like to introduce a related compound particle which is として here because you can replace it with the に of XをYに. First of all, let us explain the basic function.
として: Standpoint and Capacity
| [私は] | 医者として | ボブに | アドバイス（する / します） |
| [Topic / Subject] | Capacity | Target | Verb |
| [I] will give Bob advice as a doctor. | |||
The function is to indicate standpoints or capacities. This is the counterpart to “as” in English. If you combine は with として, you express your opinions while emphasizing that you are speaking as an individual position (*look at the fourth example).
| 日本代表としてオリンピックに（出る / 出ます）。 [I] will participate in the Olympics as a representative of Japan. |
| 外国人として扱わないで欲しい（です）。 [I] don’t want [you] to treat [me] as a foreigner. |
| 日本はジブリがある国として有名（だ / です）。 Japan is famous as a country which has Ghibli. |
| 医者としては、その意見に賛成でき（ない / ません）。 As an individual doctor, [I] cannot agree with that opinion. |
There is a compound particle similar to the として + は, which is にとって. When you express your subjective opinions, にとって indicate whose concern it is like “for me.” In this context, words which indicate objective opinions such as “famous” and “popular” cannot be a predicate. It should be adjectives or nouns which indicate subjective opinions, e.g. “美味しい: delicious” and “宝物: treasure.”
| 僕にとって、日本食は美味しく（ない / ありません）。 For me, Japanese cuisine is not delicious. |
| 私にとって、この辞書は宝物（だ / です）。 For me, this dictionary is a treasure. |
として Works as Supplementary Subordinate Clauses
| 海を会場 に・として コンサートを（した / しました）。 |
| JLPT N1を目標 に・として 日本語を勉強して（いる / います）。 |
| 井上さんを弁護士 に・として 裁判を（した / しました）。 |
| 友達がお酒を両手 に・として 遊びに（きた / きました）。 |
として is interchangeable with the に of XをYに only when it works as XをYにする. That is to say, you cannot use として when it works XをYに持つ.
Summary
- XをYに indicates supplementary subordinate clauses.
- When it indicates situations, reasons (aims), and roles (functions), XをYに works as XをYにする.
- When it indicates possession, XをYに works as XをYに持つ.
- として is interchangeable with the に of XをYに [する].
This may be the last lesson related to particles. When XをYに is used, there are several particles in a single sentence and learners often get confused with their functions. You have already learned all that you need to know in order to read such sentences. Please try to analyze each function one by one. You’ll definitely be able to figure them out. Next, you will learn Japanese interjection. That’s important to express your emotion.
