"Desu" is a very common word in Japanese that is very easy to understand, yet is so heavily mistaught, some people don't even see it as a word. It is very much so a real word and it has a very clear, distinct meaning.
Desu is the formal version of the Japanese Copula, DA.
Despite how even some native Japanese speakers (like Joey The Anime Man) want to make Desu sound like this overly complex and confusing "word but not a word" entity. Desu is a very simple word with a very straightforward meaning.
Other sources of misinformation come from Tae Kim sensei, who created the Tae Kim's Japanese grammar guide. Tae Kim sensei denies the function of the copula completely and rejects the idea that Desu and Da are the same. This is because his understanding of the Japanese language is fundamentally flawed.
Desu (and the Japanese Copula) is one of the core elements of Japanese and MUST be understood properly in order to truly grasp what Japanese is saying.
Credits to Cure Dolly Sensei (RIP):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdmU8hGK4Fg3LghTVtKltQ
🎬 Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:55 What is a "Copula"
01:16 English's Copula
02:05 Japanese Copula
02:46 だ＝です
03:16 Difference between English & Japanese Copulas
04:43 Example sentences
05:51 The ONLY exception
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