How to construct a sentence that’s correct, using についての?


I know the sentence structure XについてのY, but I don’t know how to effectively use
it. I know that what precedes it must be a noun or has to be nominalised, but
still can’t figure out how to use it properly.

My best guess would be something like:

> ベルギー人はビール **について** の考え方とはベルギーのが一番美味しいと思います。  
>  Belgian people’s views about beer are that Belgian beer is the best
> tasting.

Would that be a correct sentence? I wasn’t sure about how to use some of the
particles with this construction.

[![The information page on について / についての in my grammar
book.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9lUqS.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9lUqS.jpg)
(This is where I first learned about the construction.)




> 「ベルギー人{じん} **は** ビールについての考{かんが}え方{かた}とはベルギーのが一番美味{いちばんおい}しいと **思{おも}います** 。」

Before discussing the validity of your sentence above, I would like to talk
about a couple of items.

> 「Noun 1 + に + ついて + **の** + Noun 2」

will always be a **_noun phrase_** ; therefore, it will need to be treated as
such without an exception.

This differs from the expression:

> 「Noun + に + ついて + Verb」

which is a verb phrase.

Now, let us take a look at:

> 「ビール + に + ついて + の + 考え方」

That is a perfectly formed noun phrase.

Your sentence, however, has two flaws even though it was a very nice try.

1) The 「は」 after the 「ベルギー人」. It needs to be 「の」 for it to be grammatical. You
said "Belgian people’s views" yourself; You used the "'s", which is 「の」 in
Japanese.

2) 「思います」 at the end. The subject of this sentence is 「考え方」 and **_not_**
「ベルギー人」. You cannot say 「考え方は/が思います」 (even though you can say 「ベルギー人は/が思います」).

Ideally (and naturally), this sentence should end in 「～～という **もの** です」. If you
used 「考え方」 as the subject, you would use that 「もの」 to correspond to it within
the predicate.

You used "views about beer **_are that_** ~~~" in your English. The Japanese
expression that is closest in both meaning and feeling to "is/are that ~~~"
would be 「～～というものです」.

Thus, the sentence I would personally recommend would be:

> 「ベルギー人 **の** ビールについての考え方とは、ベルギーのが一番美味しい **というものです** 。」

A very natural use of 「の」 in 「ベルギーのが」 by you, by the way.




> 「ベルギー人{じん} **は** ビールについての考{かんが}え方{かた}とはベルギーのが一番美味{いちばんおい}しいと **思{おも}います** 。」

Before discussing the validity of your sentence above, I would like to talk
about a couple of items.

> 「Noun 1 + に + ついて + **の** + Noun 2」

will always be a **_noun phrase_** ; therefore, it will need to be treated as
such without an exception.

This differs from the expression:

> 「Noun + に + ついて + Verb」

which is a verb phrase.

Now, let us take a look at:

> 「ビール + に + ついて + の + 考え方」

That is a perfectly formed noun phrase.

Your sentence, however, has two flaws even though it was a very nice try.

1) The 「は」 after the 「ベルギー人」. It needs to be 「の」 for it to be grammatical. You
said "Belgian people’s views" yourself; You used the "'s", which is 「の」 in
Japanese.

2) 「思います」 at the end. The subject of this sentence is 「考え方」 and **_not_**
「ベルギー人」. You cannot say 「考え方は/が思います」 (even though you can say 「ベルギー人は/が思います」).

Ideally (and naturally), this sentence should end in 「～～という **もの** です」. If you
used 「考え方」 as the subject, you would use that 「もの」 to correspond to it within
the predicate.

You used "views about beer **_are that_** ~~~" in your English. The Japanese
expression that is closest in both meaning and feeling to "is/are that ~~~"
would be 「～～というものです」.

Thus, the sentence I would personally recommend would be:

> 「ベルギー人 **の** ビールについての考え方とは、ベルギーのが一番美味しい **というものです** 。」

A very natural use of 「の」 in 「ベルギーのが」 by you, by the way.

