I'm learning to use ～んです and according to my class notes, when used with a
noun it should be conjugated like " noun + な + んです".

This is just a random example but I want to make sure I'm using this properly.

Let's say someone asked: "それは どうですか。"  
Is this a correct response: "これは ねこなんです。"

Also, if you have a more realistic example of when you would use ～んです with a
noun, I'd love to see it.

Lastly, I would like to see an explanation on how to conjugate verbs with ～んです
as well. I'm still a bit confused about it and my textbook is not clearing it
up for me.

Thanks in advance!! :)
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2017-03-02T04:22:56.523
44009
2023-01-24T07:54:25.057
20116
question
grammar words conjugations
how do I use ～んです with a noun?
Usually Japanese uses "これは ねこです。". When you would like to emphasize it, you
should say "これは ねこなんです。". Perhaps it did look like a dog, but it is a cat
indeed.
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2017-03-02T04:44:20.770
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2017-03-02T04:44:20.770
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answer
Yes, ん is an abbreviation of の, which is not the particle の (despite what some
texts may tell you), but the generic pronoun の. So what comes before it is
essentially a relative clause that describes the pronoun. This is just a layer
of indirection that softens the sentence and can be thought of as saying
something like "The fact is that..." although it's more common in Japanese
than that phrase is in English.

So you have それは ねこだ as your relative clause, but だ cannot be used in a
relative clause (this is because だ is a predicative form, so can't be used in
an attributive position), so you should use the attributive particle な
instead.

Another example would be something like:-

> はなせば ながい こと なのです
>
> It's a long story. (Literally something like "The fact is, if I tell it,
> it'll be a long thing.")

For verbs it's quite simple. Verbs in the plain form are already attributive
(strictly speaking the attributive and predicative forms are identical), which
means they can be used in a relative clause without any alteration, so you can
simply attach のです or んです after any final verb conjugated in the plain form
(i.e. not the ～ます polite form or the ～おう volitional form).
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2017-03-02T08:48:07.557
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2017-03-02T08:48:07.557
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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answer
> 「～～な（の/ん）です/だ」 (More informal with 「ん」)

is an _**explanatory**_ expression. It is different from (and more nuanced
than) a simple declarative statement describing what/how something is, which
takes the form:

> 「～～です/だ」

**If there is a cat in front of you that looks unmistakably like a cat, you
will say** :

> 「これはネコです。」

In fact, (unless you want to practice speaking Japanese,) you might not even
say that because it is so obviously a cat. It could not be anything else (any
other kind of animal). The point is that it would still make sense to say
that.

What you will _**never**_ say, however, in this situation is:

> 「これはネコなんです。」 ≒ "Actually, this is a cat.", "Believe it or not, this is a
> cat.", etc.

That will sound nonsensical, won't it?. I hear this misuse among J-learners on
Japanese TV and Youtube **all the time**. In fact, I had been waiting for
someone to ask about this here for quite some time.

So, **when can we say 「これはネコなんです。」, the explanatory version**?

You can say it when you have a cat that does not look like a cat -- most
likely, it looks like another kind of animal.

> Guy: 「それ、何{なん}の動物{どうぶつ}？キツネ？」 "What's that animal? A fox?"

> You: 「これ、ネコなんです（よ）。そう見{み}えないけど。」 "It's a cat! Doesn't look like one,
> though."

Hope my explanation was clear enough.

With verbs, you can just add 「のです/んです」 to the dictionary form or the past
tense form. No other forms will work.

Below is the image of Japan's first disposable camera named 「写{うつ}ルンです」 (see
lower left corner for name). The name implies something like "It actually
takes (good) pictures despite its cheap look." In other words, it is
**explanatory**.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ju9B0.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ju9B0.jpg)  
(source:
[naver.jp](https://rr.img.naver.jp/mig?src=http%3A%2F%2Fimgcc.naver.jp%2Fkaze%2Fmission%2FUSER%2F20150320%2F25%2F2592725%2F8%2F300x233x12ee3d853677a1c2604eddd3.jpg%2F300%2F600&twidth=300&theight=600&qlt=80&res_format=jpg&op=r))
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2017-03-02T10:09:45.250
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answer