Double が particles


To my understanding, `誰｛だれ｝が猫｛ねこ｝が好き｛すき｝？` is a valid sentence in Japanese.
What exactly is happening here with the two が particles? Is it really the case
that `好き` can take two subjects? Or is it that there is some hidden
information that we never usually say, such as `誰が猫が好き（と思う｛おもう｝）？` so that `誰`
goes with `思う` and `猫` goes with `好き`?

Similarly, what is going on with the sentence `誰が黒い猫がいますか？`?




> To my understanding, 「誰{だれ}が猫{ねこ}が好{す}き？」 is a valid sentence in Japanese.

It is only valid in highly informal/colloquial conversation even though this
has nothing to do with the use of the double-が. It has to do with the lack of
words at the end following the 「好き」.

As is, the above phrase can mean at least two completely different things and
those are:

**1) "Who likes cats?"**

**2) "Who did you (just) say likes cats?"**

For the first meaning, it would be more natural to say 「誰が猫が好きなの？」 or even
「猫が好きなのは誰（ですか）。」

The second meaning/usage works like this.

Person A: 「[Personal Name] + さん/ちゃん/くん + って猫が好きなんだって。」

Person B was unable to catch the name so s/he replies:

Person B: 「誰が猫が好き？」 ("Who did you just say likes cats?")

B could have replied with a longer sentence such as:

  * 「誰が猫が好きだって？」

  * 「（今{いま}）誰が猫が好きだって言った？」

Hope you are following all this.

For either meaning/usage, the double-が is 100% justifiable.

The 「が」 in 「[Object] + **が** + 好き」 ("to be fond of [Object]") is simply the
only natural particle choice, except for the contrastive 「は」 used when saying
"to be fond of X but not Y", which would be 「Ｘ **は** 好きだが **Ｙ** は好きではない」.

(For the nit-picky, 「の」 is also possible when forming an **adjective phrase**
with 「好き」 as in 「ボク **の** 好きな食{た}べものはピザです。」)

In addition, the 「が」 is the only proper subject-marker when a question word
（だれ、どこ、なに、いつ, etc.） is used as the subject of the sentence. Again, the
contrastive 「は」 is the exception.

This might sound simplistic, but if both 「誰が好き」 and 「猫が好き」 are correct and
natural-sounding, which they are, then the combination of the two 「誰が猫が好き」
will also be correct and natural-sounding.

> Similarly, what is going on with the sentence 「誰が黒{くろ}い猫がいますか？」?

That sounds highly informal, too, but still 'valid'. I just cannot say native
speakers do not say that. They do and that is the only reason that I know what
it means. It means " **Who has/keeps a black cat (as a pet)?** "

Again, it would be more natural and unambiguous to say:

  * 「誰が黒い猫を飼{か}っていますか。」 or

  * 「黒い猫を飼っているのは誰ですか。」




> To my understanding, 「誰{だれ}が猫{ねこ}が好{す}き？」 is a valid sentence in Japanese.

It is only valid in highly informal/colloquial conversation even though this
has nothing to do with the use of the double-が. It has to do with the lack of
words at the end following the 「好き」.

As is, the above phrase can mean at least two completely different things and
those are:

**1) "Who likes cats?"**

**2) "Who did you (just) say likes cats?"**

For the first meaning, it would be more natural to say 「誰が猫が好きなの？」 or even
「猫が好きなのは誰（ですか）。」

The second meaning/usage works like this.

Person A: 「[Personal Name] + さん/ちゃん/くん + って猫が好きなんだって。」

Person B was unable to catch the name so s/he replies:

Person B: 「誰が猫が好き？」 ("Who did you just say likes cats?")

B could have replied with a longer sentence such as:

  * 「誰が猫が好きだって？」

  * 「（今{いま}）誰が猫が好きだって言った？」

Hope you are following all this.

For either meaning/usage, the double-が is 100% justifiable.

The 「が」 in 「[Object] + **が** + 好き」 ("to be fond of [Object]") is simply the
only natural particle choice, except for the contrastive 「は」 used when saying
"to be fond of X but not Y", which would be 「Ｘ **は** 好きだが **Ｙ** は好きではない」.

(For the nit-picky, 「の」 is also possible when forming an **adjective phrase**
with 「好き」 as in 「ボク **の** 好きな食{た}べものはピザです。」)

In addition, the 「が」 is the only proper subject-marker when a question word
（だれ、どこ、なに、いつ, etc.） is used as the subject of the sentence. Again, the
contrastive 「は」 is the exception.

This might sound simplistic, but if both 「誰が好き」 and 「猫が好き」 are correct and
natural-sounding, which they are, then the combination of the two 「誰が猫が好き」
will also be correct and natural-sounding.

> Similarly, what is going on with the sentence 「誰が黒{くろ}い猫がいますか？」?

That sounds highly informal, too, but still 'valid'. I just cannot say native
speakers do not say that. They do and that is the only reason that I know what
it means. It means " **Who has/keeps a black cat (as a pet)?** "

Again, it would be more natural and unambiguous to say:

  * 「誰が黒い猫を飼{か}っていますか。」 or

  * 「黒い猫を飼っているのは誰ですか。」

