6905
I have seen this expression a few times, and have never quite understood it.
In particular, it seems to be equatable both to ですから and to んです, but I can't
figure out where it would be used over either of those two expressions. Here
is an example I found on Google:

> 新聞{しんぶん}に目{め}を通{とお}していないと、仕事{しごと}が成立{せいりつ}しない **からです** 。

~~I believe this translates to "Since I haven't been skimming the newspaper, I
do not have a job." (but I am not sure, and please correct me if I'm wrong).~~

What does the からです mean in this sentence? And more importantly, when is it
appropriate to use, and how does it differ from ですから and んです?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-09-23T22:52:47.427
6903
2021-12-27T01:45:06.750
2020-02-03T11:33:47.237
1575
question
grammar translation nuances particle-から
What is 〜からです and when is it used? How does it differ from 〜ですから and 〜んです?
Your translation is not correct. It seems that there are a few
misunderstandings involved here.

First, “AとB” here means “B if A.” 仕事が成立しない means “I cannot do my job.”

> 新聞に目を通していないと、仕事が成立しない。 I cannot do my job without skimming the newspaper.

Next, ～から means “because ….” Therefore, your sentence is

> 新聞に目を通していないと、仕事が成立しないからです。 It is because I cannot do my job without skimming
> the newspaper.

Note that the whole sentence has the form Xです, where X =
新聞に目を通していないと、仕事が成立しないから. The subject of Xです is not stated, but for example the
whole sentence can be a reply to a question “Why do you subscribe to a
newspaper?”

As you can see, ～からです is used to state a reason for something.

> お菓子を食べたのは、おなかがすいていたからです。 The reason I ate snacks is because I was hungry.
>
> A: どうしてお菓子を食べたのですか。 Why did you eat snacks?  
>  B: おなかがすいていたからです。 Because I was hungry.

In colloquial context, です is often omitted. In this case, we can use polite
form before から.

> A: どうしてお菓子を食べたのですか。 Why did you eat snacks?  
>  B: おなかがすいていたから。 / おなかがすいていましたから。 Because I was hungry.

If the clause before から is a sentence ending with an adjective or a copula,
its polite form ends with です, and you will end up with ですから.

> 函館山からの夜景を見るといいですよ。とても美しいですから。 You should see the night view from Mt.
> Hakodate. (This is because) it is very beautiful.

んです does not state that it is a reason. Depending on context, it can sometimes
replace からです, though.

> A: どうしてお菓子を食べたのですか。 Why did you eat snacks?  
>  B: おなかがすいていたんです。 (Because) I was hungry.

Here おなかがすいていたんです literally just means “I was hungry,” but from the context,
it is clear that it is stated as a reason why B ate snacks.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-24T00:06:52.843
6904
2012-09-24T00:06:52.843
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
15
6903
answer
> And more importantly, when is it appropriate to use,

Almost always, although it may sound a little bit informal. When asked "なぜ" or
"どうして", you'd answer with からです。

> なぜ遅れていますか？
>
> なぜなら、目覚まし時計が壊れていたからです。

(Why are you late? Because my alarm clock is broken)

> and how does it differ from ですから and んです?

ですから is a connective, not a final part. "Aですから、B". If there's no B coming
afterwards, then there's a problem. It's a bit like "since" in English. You
don't just say "Since I like ice cream," but you say "(B) I bought an ice
cream (A) since I like ice cream."

んです is "のです" used more colloquially. It's like からです, and (in "のです" form) more
formal. Also more common, as far as I can tell.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-09-24T02:12:05.820
6905
2021-12-27T01:45:06.750
2021-12-27T01:45:06.750
30454
356
6903
answer