98578
日本人は外来語なしで話ができる **もの** なんでしょうか?

how would it change if just said できますか or できるんでしょうか?

what does the もの imply here?
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2023-02-12T13:44:05.763
98575
2023-02-12T16:07:02.617
55009
question
grammar
もの in this sentence
This is ["ものだ for general
tendency/fact"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/82294/5010) but in a
question form. It adds a sense of "Is it generally the case that...?" or "Is
it how things normally work...?"

  1. …できますか: a plain question
  2. …できるのですか: seeking explanation
  3. …できるものなのですか: seeking explanation as a general fact

In your case, since the subject of the sentence is explicitly 日本人 in general,
the difference between 2 and 3 is small. But when the subject is not present,
the implied subject may change due to this ものだ/ものか.

  * え、寿司を手で食べるんですか？  
Oh, are you eating sushi with your hands?

  * え、寿司を手で食べる **もの** なんですか？  
Oh, do people (in general) eat sushi with their hands?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-12T16:07:02.617
98578
2023-02-12T16:07:02.617
5010
98575
answer