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Why is it が and not は for the bolded particle?:

お寺を見に行くつもりでしたが、天気がよくなかったから、行きませんでした。
We were planning to go to see a temple, but we didn't because the weather was not good.

Is it also OK to replace that section 天気がよくなかったから with よくなかった天気でしたから?

istrasci
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user36838
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1 Answers1

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In Japanese grammar, が is usually used with subjects in subordinate clauses and は is often used with subjects in main clauses.

よくなかった天気でしたから is correct in grammar, I think, but it sounds weird. よくなかった and でした are both expressions of past tense, so it should become duplicate when appearing in one sentence.

Edgar
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  • Thanks, when you say "usually" -- does that mean I'm grammatically allowed to use は instead of が? – user36838 May 29 '20 at 05:09
  • No. Although it makes no difference in conveying your idea if you use は instead of が here, it is a kind of misuse in grammar. I suggest you stick to using が in subordinate clauses ALWAYS. – Edgar May 29 '20 at 05:15
  • Thanks -- never seen that advice before and it makes me think that が is more commonly seen in sentences then. – user36838 May 29 '20 at 05:17
  • In fact, there are rare cases that は is used in subordinate clauses, but to avoid mistakes, が is always correct, I think. Especially as a non-native Japanese speaker, it is a prudent usage. By the way, it is just a personal suggestion from my practical experience. – Edgar May 29 '20 at 05:22
  • Helpful, thank you! – user36838 May 29 '20 at 05:31
  • Personally, I think it's a mistake to consider は and が as alternatives to one another. は is more like "something that can replace a が to mark the topic or contrastive, for which purpose it could also be replacing an を, or be following after a に, で, と, or other particle." – Micah Cowan May 29 '20 at 05:46
  • I've been thinking about why「よくなかった天気でしたから」sounds so unnatural, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I wonder if there's an explanation for it. – JansthcirlU Oct 26 '20 at 14:40