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Please help. I found this question on the N5 practice exam:

ヤン 「私はこの本を買います。アンナさんはどんな本がいいですか。」
アンナ 「 私はもうすこし ( _ _ ☆ _) がいいです。」

A. 本
B. かんたんな
C. が
D. 日本語

Please explain why 日本語がかんたんな本が is the structure... why not もう少しが日本語かんたんな本? What is the rule followed? Why is there two が?

Thank you.

chocolate
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Shiniboi
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2 Answers2

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「日本語がかんたんな本」 is a noun phrase where 「日本語がかんたんな」 is a relative clause modifying 「本」. Its non-relative version would be:

(その)本は、日本語がかんたんです。
lit. As for the book, Japanese is simple.
→ The book is written in simple Japanese.

「もう少し」("a little more") is an adverb that modifies the na-adjective 「かんたんな」("simple").

You can parse your example this way:

[(もう少し)日本語がかんたんな]本がいいです。
lit. "I'd like / prefer a book [whose Japanese is (a little) simple(r)]"
→ I'd like / prefer a book with a little simpler Japanese / a book written in a little simpler Japanese

You can rephrase it as 「もう少し日本語かんたんな本」. (For more on this, you could refer to this thread.)

Some example phrases using this pattern:

「[髪]{かみ}がきれいな人」(「髪のきれいな人」) "a person with beautiful hair" 
「[鼻]{はな}が[長]{なが}い[動物]{どうぶつ}」(「鼻の長い動物」) "an animal with a long trunk"

chocolate
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  • Thank you very much 😀😀😀 and yes I have been wondering why the の is omitted. Will read the link you posted thanks. – Shiniboi Oct 07 '18 at 04:22
  • Follow up question. I just read about relative clauses (still cannot get it) ... so the function of the relative clause is as an adj of the 本? – Shiniboi Oct 07 '18 at 23:45
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    Yes, it's an adjectival clause. It modifies/describes the noun 本 adjectivally. – chocolate Oct 08 '18 at 04:12
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日本語がかんたんな本がいいです。
There are two が because there are two sentences.

First sentence:
本がいいです。
A book is good.

Second sentence:
日本語がかんたんな本
A book which has simple Japanese.

hisao m
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