Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 10: 3/21

前者(ぜんしゃ)は～後者(こうしゃ)はThe former ~ the latter, The first ~ the second

Structure

前者(ぜんしゃ)は + (Comment)
後者(こうしゃ)は + (Comment)　

Details

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About 前者は・後者は

Used in almost exactly the same way as 'the former' and 'the latter' in English, 前者(ぜんしゃ) and 後者(こうしゃ) are two nouns that appear frequently in Japanese. The adverbial particle は will appear after these words, to express contrast between the two.

前者(ぜんしゃ) will be used for 'the former', while 後者(こうしゃ) will represent 'the latter'. Both 前者(ぜんしゃ) and 後者(こうしゃ) appear at the beginning of their own statements, with a specific comment about each being made after は.

Caution

Statements made that use 前者(ぜんしゃ) and 後者(こうしゃ) require some sort of relationship in what is being compared. Usually, this will be obvious within the context of the sentence, but is something that you will need to be careful of when making your own sentences.

  • こっちの車(くるま)とこっちの車(くるま)どっちを買(か)おう。前者(ぜんしゃ)は安(やす)くて古(ふる)くて、後者(こうしゃ)は高(たか)くて新(あたら)しい。 (Natural)
    This car and this car, which should I buy? The former is cheap and old, and the latter is expensive and new.
  • 明日(あした)動物園(どうぶつえん)に行(い)くか今夜(こんや)本(ほん)を読(よ)むかで、迷(まよ)っています。前者(ぜんしゃ)は動物(どうぶつ)がいて空(す)いている、後者(こうしゃ)は寝(ね)る前(まえ)にゆっくりできる。 (Unnatural)
    I am undecided on whether to go to the zoo tomorrow, or to read a book tonight. The former has animals and isn't crowded, but the latter is relaxing before bed.

Examples

--:--

    ダンゴムシとワラジムシ、前者(ぜんしゃ)は触(さわ)ると丸(まる)まり、
    後者(こうしゃ)は触(さわ)っても丸(まる)まらないという違(ちが)いがあります。

    If you want to know the difference between pillbugs and sowbugs,
    the former rolls into a ball if touched and the latter doesn't.

    そうめんと冷麦(ひやむぎ)、前者(ぜんしゃ)は細(ほそ)く、後者(こうしゃ)は少(すこ)し太(ふと)い。

    The difference between soumen and hiyamugi noodles is that
    the former is thin and the latter is thick.

    宿泊(しゅくはく)場所(ばしょ)の候補(こうほ)が二(ふた)つあります。
    前者(ぜんしゃ)は温泉(おんせん)があり、後者(こうしゃ)はご飯(はん)がおいしいです。

    There are two choices for places to stay.
    The first has hot springs, the second has delicious food.

    交通(こうつう)の札(ふだ)には切符(きっぷ)と整理券(せいりけん)の二(ふた)つがあります。前者(ぜんしゃ)は電車(でんしゃ)に乗(の)るために必要(ひつよう)なもので、後者(こうしゃ)はバスに乗(の)るときに取(と)るものです。

    There are two types of transportation tickets: 'kippu' and 'seiriken'. The former is a thing needed for getting on a train, and the latter is taken when boarding on a bus.

    どちらのパソコンがいいですか？前者(ぜんしゃ)は安(やす)いが性能(せいのう)は一般(いっぱん)向(む)け、後者(こうしゃ)は高(たか)いが高性能(こうせいのう)。

    Which laptop is better? The former is cheap, but the specifications are average.
    The latter is expensive, but has better performance.

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      前者は・後者は – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (6 in total)

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        Hey! Long time no see!

        Sorry!
        It was most likely a conversion error that got caught in the translation:

        移動経路はこのように２つあります。
        前者は電車に乗るもので、後者はバスに乗る必要があります。

        I have fixed the sentence
        Thank you for the feedback

      • Johnathan-Weir

        Johnathan-Weir

        Just a reminder about making those new sentences.

        But also, it seems like a lot of the other grammar used seems pretty stiff and formal (like the literary conjunctive). Are these words only used in formal conversations and writing?

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        @Johnathan-Weir
        Hey
        後者は・前者は are normally formal written expressions that can also be used in casual conversation when needed.
        Cheers

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