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The sentence

質問が２つあります。

translates to

I have a couple of questions.

But I assume the more literal translation is something like:

Questions, there exist two.

Question: If my literal translation is correct, isn't "two" acting something like the direct object of the verb "to exist"? And if that's the case, why isn't "two" marked with a direct object particle, as in:

質問が２つをあります。

More generally, I'm starting to notice (the very basic, in retrospect) fact that not all nouns are marked with particles in Japanese sentences. When & why they aren't is becoming mysterious to me.

Chocolate
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George
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  • Does this answer your question: https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/36918/9831 / https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/17816/9831 – Chocolate Jul 29 '22 at 04:02

1 Answers1

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Numerals act adverbially a small majority of the time in Japanese.

You might have learned 「２個のリンゴを食べた」, but I'd say 「リンゴを２個食べた」 is more common. ある is an intransitive verb, and you cannot put an を after the number in your sentence, nor in the one I've provided. While you could probably put a は, that would imply 'I have two questions (and a different number of something else)'.

Angelos
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  • So a more accurate (and super literal) translation of "質問が２つあります" would be "Questions are twoly" (with "twoly = two + ly" being an adverbalized "two")? – George Jul 28 '22 at 22:41
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    @George I guess, but like I said in the edited version of my other answer to you, these hyperliteral translations you're trying to use aren't actually very helpful in grasping the internal logic of the language. – Angelos Jul 28 '22 at 22:42