3

The particle も is usually explained as similar to also. However, examples also always leans towards too, and always in the context of the sentence's subject (and always referring to the same subject).

Me too

I like cats too

However, I've always wondered if it was valid to use it almost like an interjection, to change the topic:

A: 今日の授業を欠席しました I didn't attend today's class

A: 月曜日の宿題も忘れました I've also forgotten last monday's homework

So when the subject is different, can you still use this particle?

Community
  • 1
eclmist
  • 390
  • 2
  • 7
  • Funny cuz in my native language (portuguese), both "also" and "too" are the same word. I think you cannot use も the way you intend, this "also" you're using is like "in addition..." right? I think も needs either tha same subject or the "action" in the sentence must be in the same context – Felipe Chaves de Oliveira May 04 '17 at 14:42
  • 1
    Eg: John - 日本語は難しいね(japanese is hard, right?). Tomya - そうだね、でも、英語も難しいよ(that's right, but english is hard too). Diffferent subjects but you can still use も! One question, "english is also hard" is this ungrammatical in english? – Felipe Chaves de Oliveira May 04 '17 at 14:45

2 Answers2

2

Yes, you can use も that way.

今日は学校に遅刻しました。宿題も忘れました。

あの選手は守備がいい。その上、足も速い。

ブサイクな女は、性格も悪い。

あさっての夕方ごろからくずれるそうです。気温も下がるそうです。海や山もあれるそうです。 (quoted from here)

chocolate
  • 65,531
  • 5
  • 99
  • 204
0

That's interesting. I've sort of thought the same thing, and have used it in that way, but am not positive that it's correct. I think if you show that the other thing you're attaching も to is the verb then it would be alright. As in, I did this and also did this. "I didn't attend class. And also (an other thing I did was) forgot the homework".

So in Japanese maybe something like 

今日の授業を欠席しました。
月曜日の宿題を忘れたこともしました。

You just have to nominalize the verb then use も as normal. I think you noticed that what sounds odd about 宿題も忘れた is that it sounds like you're saying you forgot your homework and also forgot something else.

rgolden
  • 739
  • 3
  • 9