Editing Null-subject language (section)

==Examples==
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2018}}
The following examples come from [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]:

*"I'm going home" can be translated either as "{{lang|pt|vou para casa}}" or as "{{lang|pt|eu vou para casa}}", where "''eu''" means "I".
*"It's raining" can be translated as {{lang|pt|está chovendo}} ([[Brazilian Portuguese]]) or {{lang|pt|está a chover}} ([[European Portuguese]]). In Portuguese, as in most other Romance languages (but not all, French is a notable exception), there is no exact equivalent for the pronoun ''it''. However, some older persons say {{lang|pt|Ele está a chover}} ([[European Portuguese]]) which directly translates to "He is raining".
*"I'm going home. I'm going to watch TV" would not, except in exceptional circumstances, be translated as {{lang|pt|Eu vou para casa. Eu vou ver televisão.}} At least the subject of the second sentence should be omitted in Portuguese unless one wishes to express emphasis, as to emphasize the ''I''.

As the examples illustrate, in many null-subject languages, [[personal pronoun]]s exist and can be used for [[Stress (linguistics)|emphasis]] but are dropped whenever they can be inferred from the context. Some sentences do not allow a subject in any form while, in other cases an explicit subject without particular emphasis, would sound awkward or unnatural.

Most [[Bantu language]]s are null-subject. For example, in [[Luganda|Ganda]], 'I'm going home' could be translated as {{Transliteration|lg|Ŋŋenze ewange}} or as {{Transliteration|lg|Nze ŋŋenze ewange}}, where {{Transliteration|lg|nze}} means 'I'.

=== Albanian === 
{{interlinear|lang=sq|indent=3
|Erdha, pashë, fitova
|came, saw, conquered
|I came, I saw, I conquered. ("[[Veni, vidi, vici]]")}}

===Arabic===
[[Arabic language|Arabic]] is considered a null-subject language, as demonstrated by the following example:

{{interlinear|lang=ar|indent=3
|top= {{lang|ar|ساعِد غيرك، يساعدك}}
|sā‘id ghayrak, yusā‘iduk
|help other, {helps you}.
|"Help another, (he) helps you."}}

Subject information for 'they' is encoded in the conjugation of the verb {{lang|ar|يساعد|italic=yes}}.

===Azerbaijani===
{{interlinear|lang=az|indent=3
|Gəldim, gördüm, {fəth etdim}
|came, saw, conquered
|I came, I saw, I conquered. ("[[Veni, vidi, vici]]")}}

===Bulgarian===
{{interlinear|indent=3
|Дойдох, видях, победих
|came, saw, conquered
|I came, I saw, I conquered. ("[[Veni, vidi, vici]]")}}

===Catalan/Valencian===
In [[Catalan language|Catalan]]/[[Valencian language|Valencian]], as in Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, etc., the subject is also encoded in the [[verb conjugation]]. Pronoun use is not obligatory.
* ''(Nosaltres) Anem a la platja'': We go to the beach.
* ''(Tu) Ets la meva amiga'': You are my friend.
* ''(Vostès/vosaltres) No són/sou benvinguts aquí'': You are not welcome here.
* ''(Ells) Estan dormint'': They are asleep.
* ''(Jo) Necessito ajuda'': I need help.
* ''(Ell) És a la seva habitació'': He is in his bedroom.
* ''(Ella) Està cansada'': She is tired.

In Catalan/Valencian, one may choose whether to use the subject or not. If used in an inclined tone, it may be seen as an added emphasis; however, in colloquial speaking, usage of a pronoun is optional. Even so, sentences with a null subject are used more frequently than sentences with a subject. In some cases, it is even necessary to skip the subject to create a grammatically correct sentence.

===Chinese===
Most [[varieties of Chinese]] tend to be non-null-subject. Verbs in Chinese languages are not conjugated, so it is not possible to determine the subject based on the verb alone. However, in certain circumstances, most Chinese varieties allow dropping of the subject, thus forming null-subject sentences. One of the instances where the subject would be removed is when the subject is known. Below is an example in Mandarin:

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=3
|妈妈: 不 要 忘 了 丢 垃圾。
|māma: bú yào wàng le diū lāji
|mother:  Not want forget PERF throw rubbish.
|Mother: "Do not (you) forget to take out the rubbish."}}

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=3
|妹妹: 知道 啦。
|mèimèi: zhīdào la
|{younger sister:} (I)know PTCL
|Younger sister: "(I) know it."}}

The above example clearly shows that a speaker could omit the subject if the doer of the verb is known. In a Chinese imperative sentence, like the first text, the subject is also left out.

===Galician===
In Galician, as in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, etc., the subject is also encoded in the [[verb conjugation]]. Pronoun use is not obligatory.
* ''(Nós) Imos á praia'': We go to the beach.
* ''(Ti) E-la miña amiga'': You are my friend. (Informal singular)
* ''(Vós) Non sodes benvidos aquí'': You are not welcome here. (Informal Plural)
* ''(Eles) Están durmindo'': They are sleeping.
* ''(Eu) Necesito axuda'': I need help.
* ''(El) Está no seu cuarto'': He is in his bedroom.
* ''(Ela) Está cansada'': She is tired.

In Galician, one may choose whether to use the subject or not. If used in an inclined tone, it may be seen as an added emphasis; however, in colloquial speaking, usage of a pronoun is optional. Even so, sentences with a null subject are used more frequently than sentences with a subject. In some cases, it is even necessary to skip the subject to create a grammatically correct sentence.

===Modern Greek===
{{fs interlinear|indent=3
|Ήρθα, είδα, νίκησα.
|Írtha, eída, níkisa.
|came, saw, conquered.
|I came, I saw, I conquered.}}

"Εγώ(Egó)", which means "I",has been omitted. The conjugation has encoded them,

===Hebrew===
[[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] is considered a partially null-subject language, as demonstrated by the following example:

{{interlinear|indent=3
|top= עזור לאחרים, יעזרו לך
|azor l'acherim, ya'azru l'kha
|help others, will-help you
|You help others, they will help you.}}

Subjects can usually be omitted only when the verb is conjugated for grammatical person, as in the third-person plural in the example above.
In Hebrew one can also construct null-subject sentences as in the Latin and Turkish language examples: "We/you/they are going to the beach" can be expressed as "holkhim la-yam" (הולכים לים), lit. "Are going to the beach." This is truly a null-subject construction.

As in Spanish and Turkish, though, Hebrew conjugates verbs in accordance with specific pronouns, so "we went to the beach" is technically just as much a null-subject construction as in the other languages, but in fact the conjugation does indicate the subject pronoun: "Halakhnu la-yam" (הלכנו לים), lit. "Went (we) to the beach." The word "halakhnu" means "we went", just as the Spanish and Turkish examples indicate the relevant pronoun as the subject in their conjugation. So these should perhaps not be considered to be true null-subject phrases. Potentially confusing the issue further is the fact that Hebrew word order can also make some sentences appear to be null-subject, when the subject is in fact given after the verb. For instance, "it's raining" is expressed "yored geshem" (יורד גשם), which means "descends rain"; "rain" is the subject. The phrases meaning "It's snowing" and "It's hailing" are formed in the same way.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

=== Hindustani ===
The [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] language shows radical pro-drop. This type of pro-drop differs from pro-drop in languages like Spanish where pro-drop is licensed by rich verbal morphology. Radical pro-drop is possible only in NP languages.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Grewendorf |first1=Günther |title=Discourse and Grammar: From Sentence Types to Lexical Categories |last2=Zimmermann |first2=Thomas Ede |publisher=Deutsche Nationalbibliothek |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-61451-215-8 |location=Germany |pages=192}}</ref> South Asian languages such as Hindustani, in general, have the ability to pro-drop any and all arguments.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Butt|first=Miriam |date=2001-01-01|title=Case, Agreement, Pronoun Incorporation and Pro-Drop in South Asian Languages|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228599742|journal=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref> Here, the case is expressed in a morpheme that is independent from the stem, making the pro-drop possible.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bhatia|first=Tej K.|title=Colloquial Hindi|publisher=Biddles Ltd, Guildford and King's Lynn|year=1996|isbn=0-415-11087-4|location=Great Britain|pages=42–51, 188–189}}</ref>

{{interlinear|number=1.
|bārish ho rahī hai.
|rain:DIR happen:VRB stay:FEM:SG is:3P:SG
|'It is raining.'
|abbreviations=PRF:perfective; DIR:direct case; COP:copula; VRB:verb stem;}}

{{interlinear|number=2A.
|tum-ne nādyā-ko khānā di-yā
|you:ERG nadya:DAT food:DIR give:PRF:MASC:SG
|'Did you give food to Nadya?'
|abbreviations=PRF:perfective; DIR:direct case; DAT:dative case;}}

{{interlinear|number=2B.
|hā̃ diyā
|yes give:PRF:GND:MASC:SG
|'Yes, (I) gave (food to her).'
|abbreviations=PRF:perfective; DIR:direct case; GND:agrees with the direct object in gender}}

===Italian===
{{fs interlinear|indent=2
|Faccio una torta.
|(I) bake a cake.}}

{{fs interlinear|indent=2
|Chiama i suoi genitori.
|(He/She) calls his/her parents.}}

The conjugations of the root verbs (''faccio'' for ''fare''; ''chiama'' for ''chiamare'') already imply the subject of the sentences.

===Japanese===
[[Japanese language|Japanese]] and several other null-subject languages are [[topic-prominent language]]s; some of these languages require an expressed [[topic (linguistics)|topic]] in order for sentences to make sense. In Japanese, for example, it is possible to start a sentence with a topic marked by the particle ''は''(read as ''wa'', written as ''ha'') and in subsequent sentences leave the topic unstated, as it is understood to remain the same, until another one is either explicitly or implicitly introduced. For example, in the second sentence below, the subject ("we") is not expressed again but left implicit:

{{fs interlinear|lang=ja|indent=3
| 私達 は 買い物 を した。 後 で ご飯 を 食べた。
| Watashitachi wa kaimono o shita. Ato de gohan o tabeta.
| We TOP shopping OBJ did. After COMPL dinner OBJ ate.
| "We went shopping. Afterwards, we ate dinner."}}

In other cases, the topic can be changed without being explicitly stated, as in the following example, where the topic changes implicitly from "today" to "I".

{{fs interlinear|lang=ja|indent=3
| 今日 は ゲーム の 発売日 なんだ けど、 買おうか どうか 迷っている。
| Kyō wa gēmu no hatsubaibi {na n da} kedo, {kaō ka} {dō ka} {mayotte iru}.
| Today TOP game GEN {release date} is but, {whether to buy} {or not} confused.
| "The game comes out today, but (I) can't decide whether or not to buy (it)."}}

It is also common for Japanese to omit things which are obvious in context. If the above line were part of a conversation about considering purchasing the game, it could be further shortened to:

{{fs interlinear|lang=ja|indent=3
| 発売日 だけど、 迷っている。
| Hatsubaibi dakedo, {mayotte iru}.
| {Release day} but {not sure}.
| "(It's the game's) release day, but (I) can't decide (whether or not to buy it)."}}

===Latin===
Verb-conjugation endings in Latin express number and person (as well as tense and mood).

{{interlinear|indent=3
|Veni, vidi, vici
|Came-I, saw-I, conquered-I
|[[Veni, vidi, vici|I came, I saw, I conquered.]]}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|Cogito ergo sum.
|Think-I, therefore am
|[[Cogito ergo sum|I think, therefore I am.]]}}

===Macedonian===
{{interlinear|indent=3
|Дојдов, видов, победив.
|came, saw, conquered
|I came, I saw, I conquered. ("[[Veni, vidi, vici]]")}}

===Polish===
{{interlinear|indent=3
|Myślę, więc jestem.
|{(I) think}, therefore {(I) am}.
|I think, therefore I am. ("[[Cogito ergo sum]]")}}

In Polish, the subject is omitted almost every time, although it can be present to put emphasis on the subject.

===Russian===
{{interlinear|indent=3
|Пришёл, увидел, победил
|came, saw, conquered.
|I came, I saw, I conquered. ("[[Veni, vidi, vici]]")}}

===Sindhi===
{{interlinear|lang=si|indent=3
|top= <span lang="sd" dir="ltr">آيس، ڏٺم، کٽيم</span>
|āyus, dditham, khatiyus
|I came, I saw, I conquered. ("[[Veni, vidi, vici]]")}}

'''With subjects:''' <span lang="sd" dir="ltr">آئون آيس، مون ڏٺو، آئون، کٽيس</span><br />
'''Idiomatic translation:''' I came, I saw, I conquered.

===Spanish===
In Spanish, as with Latin and most Romance languages, the subject is encoded in the verb conjugation. Pronoun use is not obligatory.
* {{lang|es|(Yo) Necesito ayuda}}: I need help.
* {{lang|es|(Tú) Eres mi amiga}}: You (informal) are my friend.
* {{lang|es|(Vos) Sos mi amiga}}: You (informal) are my friend.
* {{lang|es|(Usted) Me ve}}: You (formal) see me.
* {{lang|es|(Él) Está en su habitación}}: He is in his bedroom.
* {{lang|es|(Ella) Está cansada}}: She is tired.
* {{lang|es|(Nosotros) Vamos a la playa}}: We go to the beach.
* {{lang|es|(Vosotros) Deberíais andaros}}: You (plural, informal) should leave.
* {{lang|es|(Ustedes) No son bienvenidos aquí}}: You (plural) are not welcome here.
* {{lang|es|(Ellos) Están durmiendo}}: They are asleep.
* {{lang|es|(Ellas) Van allí}}: They (feminine) go there.

In Spanish, for the most part one may choose whether to use the subject or not. Generally if a subject is provided, it is either for clarity or for emphasis. Sentences with a null subject are used more frequently than sentences with a subject.

===Tamil===
Verb conjugations in Tamil incorporate suffixes for number (singular and plural) and person (1st, 2nd and 3rd), and also for gender (masculine, feminine and neuter) in the third person. An explicit subject, therefore, is unnecessary, and can be inferred from the verb conjugation.

'''Tamil script:''' முடிந்துவிட்டது <br/>'''Transliteration:''' muḍinduviṭṭadu<br/>'''Literal Translation:''' It has left, having ended.<br/>'''Idiomatic Translation:''' It has come to an end.

Another example:

{{fs interlinear|indent=3|glossing=link
| பந்தை அவரிடம் கொடுத்தேன்
| Pantai avariṭam koṭuttēṉ
| Ball(ACC) him(LOC) gave
| (I) gave him the ball}}

===Turkish===
{{interlinear|lang=tr|indent=3
|Geldim, gördüm, yendim.
|{(I) came}, {(I) saw}, {(I) conquered}
|I came, I saw, I conquered. ("[[Veni, vidi, vici]]")}}

{{interlinear|lang=tr|indent=3
|Düşünüyorum, öyleyse varım.
|{(I) Think}, therefore {(I) exist}.
|I think, therefore I am. ("[[Cogito ergo sum]]")}}