わたしがテニスを始めたのは、大学時代だった。

Sentence Analyzer

English Translation

It was during my college years that I took up tennis.

Furigana

わたしがテニスを始(はじ)めたのは、大学(だいがく)時代(じだい)だった。

Romanji

Watashi ga tenisu o hajimeta no wa, daigaku jidai datta.

Words

私 (わたし、わたくし)

I; me; private affairs; personal matter; secrecy; selfishness

が (が)

indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; still; and

テニス (テニス)

tennis

を (を)

indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.

始める (はじめる)

to start; to begin; to commence; to initiate; to originate; to open (e.g. a store); to start up; to establish (business. etc.); to start ...; to begin to ...

の (の)

indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question

は (は)

topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis

大学 (だいがく)

post-secondary education institution, incl. university, college, etc.; former central university of Kyoto (established under the ritsuryo system for the training of government administrators); the Great Learning - one of the Four Books

時代 (じだい)

period; epoch; era; age; the times; those days; oldness; ancientness; antiquity; antique; period piece

だ (だ)

be; is; indicates past or completed action; indicates light imperative