7.2 Explanation

～んです — explaining or adding context

～んです is used when the speaker wants to:

• Explain a situation
• Provide background information
• Sound less abrupt
• Invite a response or understanding

It does not change the factual meaning of the sentence, but it changes the tone.

Structure (plain):

• Verb / い-adjective + んです/のです
• Noun / な-adjective + な + んです/のです

Note that の is the nominalizer particle. And ん is just its shortened form.

Casual speech

In casual speech, です can be replaced with だ: ～んだ.

Asking for explanations with ～んですか

～んですか is often used when asking why or what’s going on.

This sounds more natural and considerate than a plain question.

どうして — “why”

どうして is a neutral way to ask “why”. It is often followed by ～んですか when asking for an explanation.

Answers to どうして questions very often use ～んです as well.

Common set phrases

Points to keep in mind

• ～んです explains or adds background
• どうして asks “why”