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I have two sentences:

  1. どれがあなたのペンですか？
  2. あなたのペンはどれですか？

Are there any differences between the two sentences? I've heard that Japanese
is a flexible language structure so I'm wondering if they are interchangeable?
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2015-02-07T19:32:02.660
21686
2015-02-07T23:54:55.293
2015-02-07T22:44:13.190
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question
syntax
Should どれ always be the first part of a sentence?
Both are 100% grammatical; That is for sure.

There is, however, a _slight_ difference in nuance between the two. It is so
slight that I probably would not mention it if I were teaching a beginning or
intermediate learner.

**_Both mean "Which one is your pen?"_**

The difference is in the main focus.

> 1) どれがあなたのペンですか？

focuses more on the "which one" part.

> 2) あなたのペンはどれですか？

focuses more on the "your" part -- in other words, the listener him/herself.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-07T23:54:55.293
21689
2015-02-07T23:54:55.293
21686
answer