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> 私は日本語を話しません
>
> 私は日本語が話しません

I've seen both versions on the Internet. Maybe only one is the correct
version? Maybe both?
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question
grammar negation
What's the difference between saying 私は日本語を話しません vs 私は日本語が話しません?
私は日本語を話しません means "I don't speak Japanese". 日本語が話しません is unnatural because
this が is the subject marker, so it means "Japanese language doesn't speak".
However 日本語は話しません make sense.

This usage of は is the contrastive-marker function. The difference of が and は
is already explained in this. [What's the difference between wa (は) and ga
(が)?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/22/whats-the-difference-
between-wa-%e3%81%af-and-ga-%e3%81%8c)
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日本語が話しません is ungrammatical. It sounds very unnatural. The following is the
summary of what is OK and what is not:

>   * 私は日本語 **を** 話しません: OK
>   * 私は日本語 **は** 話しません: OK
>   * 私は日本語 **が** 話しません: **Wrong!**
>   * 私は日本語 **を** 話せません: OK
>   * 私は日本語 **は** 話せません: OK
>   * 私は日本語 **が** 話せません: OK
>

話す is a transitive verb (like English "speak"), so basically its object must
be marked with を. But there are several exceptions you have to consider.

  * Exception (1): When the object is decorated by the topic marker, をは turns into は (or は replaces を). 
    * [は is used for Objective 格助詞](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/52336/5010)
    * [Particle は replacing を - where does the stress lie?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/14708/5010)
    * [What is the subject of this sentence? Is it the book (mentioned) or the author (who is not mentioned)?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/17571/5010)
  * Exception (2): When the verb is potential, the object can be marked with が, too. (話せる is the potential form of 話す) 
    * [The difference between が and を with the potential form of a verb.](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/609/5010)
  * Exception (3): Using two は in one sentence is [fine in a negative sentence](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/1077/5010). 私は日本語は話します is still grammatical, but the second は will have a strong contrastive meaning.
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