Should どれ always be the first part of a sentence?


I have two sentences:

  1. どれがあなたのペンですか？
  2. あなたのペンはどれですか？

Are there any differences between the two sentences? I've heard that Japanese
is a flexible language structure so I'm wondering if they are interchangeable?




Both are 100% grammatical; That is for sure.

There is, however, a _slight_ difference in nuance between the two. It is so
slight that I probably would not mention it if I were teaching a beginning or
intermediate learner.

**_Both mean "Which one is your pen?"_**

The difference is in the main focus.

> 1) どれがあなたのペンですか？

focuses more on the "which one" part.

> 2) あなたのペンはどれですか？

focuses more on the "your" part -- in other words, the listener him/herself.




Both are 100% grammatical; That is for sure.

There is, however, a _slight_ difference in nuance between the two. It is so
slight that I probably would not mention it if I were teaching a beginning or
intermediate learner.

**_Both mean "Which one is your pen?"_**

The difference is in the main focus.

> 1) どれがあなたのペンですか？

focuses more on the "which one" part.

> 2) あなたのペンはどれですか？

focuses more on the "your" part -- in other words, the listener him/herself.

