I'll answer your question about と and や here. (I will create a separate thread and talk about が and は there.)
Both と and や can connect nouns like the following:
(1) 私はりんごといちごとバナナが好きです。 Watashi wa ringo to ichigo to banana ga suki desu. "I like apples, strawberries, and bananas."
(2) 私はりんごやいちごやバナナが好きです。 Watashi wa ringo ya ichigo ya banana ga suki desu. "I like apples, strawberries, and bananas."
Just like in the above, it is okay to translate (1) and (2) into English exactly the same way. However, if you want to be very precise and reflect the subtle difference between と and や, here's how you could translate (2):
"Among other things, I like apples, strawberries, and bananas."
So, if you use や instead of と, you covey that whatever list you are giving is NOT an exhaustive list. In other words, there are probably more fruits that you like other than apples, strawberries, and bananas, but you are not listing everything here.
In colloquial/casual Japanese, people often use とか instead of や. But the effect of とか is the same as や. It's just an informal expression.
Comments
Both と and や can connect nouns like the following:
(1) 私はりんごといちごとバナナが好きです。
Watashi wa ringo to ichigo to banana ga suki desu.
"I like apples, strawberries, and bananas."
(2) 私はりんごやいちごやバナナが好きです。
Watashi wa ringo ya ichigo ya banana ga suki desu.
"I like apples, strawberries, and bananas."
Just like in the above, it is okay to translate (1) and (2) into English exactly the same way. However, if you want to be very precise and reflect the subtle difference between と and や, here's how you could translate (2):
"Among other things, I like apples, strawberries, and bananas."
So, if you use や instead of と, you covey that whatever list you are giving is NOT an exhaustive list. In other words, there are probably more fruits that you like other than apples, strawberries, and bananas, but you are not listing everything here.
In colloquial/casual Japanese, people often use とか instead of や. But the effect of とか is the same as や. It's just an informal expression.
I will answer your は and が question shortly.