だ
Casual version of です
You’ll be able to use the casual equivalent of です among friends and family.
今日は芽衣の誕生日だ。
kyou wa mei no tanjoubi da.
What do you think this sentence means?
Today is Mei’s birthday.
Make a plain affirmative noun or な-adjective statement
だ is a plain copular form used after nouns and な-adjectives. It is common in casual statements and writing, though casual speech sometimes omits it depending on context.
ミアは学生だ。
mia wa gakusei da.
Mia is a student.
After nouns and な-adjectives
Put だ after a noun or な-adjective to make a plain affirmative statement. Do not use だ after an い-adjective or verb.
今日は休みだ。
kyou wa yasumi da.
Today is a day off.
この町は静かだ。
kono machi wa shizuka da.
This town is quiet.
田中さんは先生だ。
tanaka-san wa sensei da.
Tanaka is a teacher.
です vs だ
Same job, different register. です is polite; だ is the plain equivalent, and it is often dropped altogether in speech.
Plain
ミアは学生だ。
mia wa gakusei da.
Mia is a student.
Casual, and common in writing that is not addressed to anyone.
Polite
ミアは学生です。
mia wa gakusei desu.
Mia is a student.
The form you use with people you are polite to.
明日は月曜日だ。
ashita wa getsuyoubi da.
Tomorrow is Monday.
これは私の傘だ。
kore wa watashi no kasa da.
This is my umbrella.
その部屋はきれいだ。
sono heya wa kirei da.
That room is clean.
8 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.