Sunday 8 May 2016

grammar - Why is も used instead of が in the sentence 「日本ではクモを 見ると良いことがあると言う人もいますよ」


What is the exact sentiment expressed by も in this sentence as opposed to が?


日本ではクモを見ると良いことがあると言う人もいますよ


It's a sentence in response to someone saying "I saw a spider in my room, I was scared".



Answer



も is used instead of が to add the meaning of "even" or "also." See for comparison the following examples:



日本ではクモを見ると良いことがあると言う人がいますよ



In Japan, there are people who say that seeing a spider is a good thing.


日本ではクモを見ると良いことがあると言う人もいますよ


In Japan, there are also people who say that seeing a spider is a good thing.



Depending on context, one can also translate も as "even," as Istraci does:



In Japan, there are even people who say that seeing a spider is a good thing.



So も introduces an element of comparison, implying that there are people who think that seeing a spider may be a good thing, as well as those who think that it is a bad thing. In natural colloquial English, perhaps one could drop the "even" or "also," as these seem somewhat stilted in the context of a conversation, and introduce a word like "well" instead:




部屋でクモを見て、怖かった!


日本ではクモを見ると良いことがあると言う人もいますよ。


I got scared because I saw a spider in my room!


Well, in Japan there are people who say that seeing a spider is a good thing.



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