Modal particles – words put into phrases which don’t change the sense but provide information about the speakers attitude. A common one found in the course is “ja” used as an intensifier whereas it normally means "yes".
I understand that the use of modal particles is an advanced concept and that students will probably not want to use them themselves.
However, they do appear quite often in the latter stages of the course and they were a source of confusion for me. I suppose it is useful to have an idea what they are if we are going to hear them in every day speech and if they are going to appear in the course it would be useful to have a brief explanation in a grammar section, or maybe a note attached to the phrases as they appear.
I understand that the use of modal particles is an advanced concept and that students will probably not want to use them themselves.
However, they do appear quite often in the latter stages of the course and they were a source of confusion for me. I suppose it is useful to have an idea what they are if we are going to hear them in every day speech and if they are going to appear in the course it would be useful to have a brief explanation in a grammar section, or maybe a note attached to the phrases as they appear.