How do I handle a sentence in which I would normally have two が? For example,

```

    彼がその本を読んでる。
    彼はその話題があまり分からん。
    
```

are normal sentences with slight distinction in meaning between が and は there,
but what if I want a typical subject to use with 分かる?

```

    彼がその話題が分からん
    
```

This doesn't work with two が, but I swear I hear this phrase often as

```

    彼がその話題を分からん
    
```

Maybe I'm just mishearing, but is it possible to turn a second が into を for
grammatical fit? Or are there other ways to express a が subject with a が verb?
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2019-04-17T00:51:13.693
66624
2019-04-17T10:38:26.760
33717
question
particle-が particle-を
Justifying が into を
The following four sentences are all valid.

  * 彼 **は** その話題 **が** 分からない。  
He does not know about the topic.

  * 彼 **は** その話題 **を** 分からない。  
He does not know about the topic.

  * 彼 **が** その話題 **が** 分からない。  
It is he who does not know about the topic.

  * 彼 **が** その話題 **を** 分からない。  
It is he who does not know about the topic.

As for the difference between 彼 **は** and 彼 **が** , the former is the normal
particle choice, as you probably know. If you use が here, it will carry an
exhaustive-listing meaning. See: [What's the difference between wa (は) and ga
(が)?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/22/5010)

As for the difference between その話題 **が** 分からない and その話題 **を** 分からない, they mean
the same thing, but the former is still considered more standard. Some
expressions including 好き, 分かる, ～(ら)れる and ～たい sometimes take を, but it's
difficult to make a clear distinction, and the level of acceptance varies from
person to person. See the following questions for details.

  * [Usage of ～を好き outside of embedded clauses](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/26005/5010) (See Darius Jahandarie's answer)
  * [The difference between が and を with the potential form of a verb](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/609/5010)
  * [Difference between "ga" vs "wo"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/52123/5010)
  * [Difference between particles wa, ga and o with sukidesu](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/44409/5010)

When exhaustive-listing が is involved, you can safely use two が's in one
sentence, and just because there are two が's doesn't mean you have to replace
the second が with を.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-17T10:38:26.760
66634
2019-04-17T10:38:26.760
5010
66624
answer