〜は[Vdic.]こと です　

Please take a look at the sentence below first.

おとこ

それはビールです。

That is beer.

This is simply a sentence structure of “A は B,” which we covered in Vol. 2.

For A, the subject, and for B, naturally, a noun is used.

This time, we’ll try putting the noun phrase “dictionary form + こと” into B.

For example, for A, we have “しゅみ” (hobby), and for B, we’ll put “うたうこと” (singing).

まさとし

しゅみは、うたうことです。

My hobbies is singing.

We’re using noun phrases, but please note that it is a simple “A は B” sentence structure.

By using noun phrases like this, you can express various things.

みか

しゅみは音楽をきくことです。

My hobbies is listening to music.

ケビン

きょうのしゅくだいは単語を２０こおぼえることです。

Today’s homework is to memorize 20 words.

たけし

ゆめはサッカーせんしゅになること!

My dream is to become a soccer player!

[V dic.]ことがあります　

Adding “ことがあります” to the dictionary form allows you to occasionally mention something in daily life.
It’s used when the frequency is low.
When asking a question, it’s okay to change “が” after こと to “は.”

まさとし

みなさんはカラオケとか行くことはありませんか。

Do any of you go to karaoke or something like that?

みゆき

週末、東京に行くことがあります。

I sometimes go to Tokyo on weekends.

It’s sometimes used in conjunction with expressions like “たまに” or “ときどき” to indicate infrequent occurrences.

さとる

毎日、電車で会社に行きます。
たまに、タクシーで会社に行くことがあります。

I go to work by train every day.
Occasionally, I take a taxi to go to work.

りゅうじ

Netflixでえいがをみます。
ときどき、えいがかんでえいがをみることがあります。

I watch movies on Netflix.
Sometimes, I watch movies at the cinema.