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Statements and Questions

Think of  "desu" as a good friend who makes speaking Japanese easy.　です "desu" is the equivalent to the "be" verb of English. Depending on the subject it can used to state the following

it is
they are
he is
she is
we are
I am
you are

WOW! Doesn't "desu" make things easy? Just add desu to a noun or adjective and you are already sounding like a native. Have a look at the table below

わたしはがくせいです。 watashi wa gakusei desu I am a student.
オーストラリアじんです。 o-sutoraria jin desu I am Australian.
ねむいです。 nemui desu (I'm) sleepy.
あついです。 atsui desu (It's) hot.
はたちです。 hatachi desu (I'm) twenty years old.
げんきです。 genki desu (I'm) fine.



Note:

When talking about oneself native speakers rarely use the word "watashi" (I/I am). In general the subject is often dropped when it has been already mentioned and when it is clearly understood to both the speaker and listener. As a student of Japanese this takes some time getting use to and can be rather confusing.

Questions
Another good friend who makes speaking Japanese easier is  か "Ka" Forming questions in Japanese is very easy indeed. Just add か to statements.
 
（あなたは）にほんじんですか Nihon jin desuka Are you Japanese?

Like "わたし" "watashi" in statements, if the subject is understood you don't need to state it for questions. In fact, non-native speakers often make the mistake of over using  あなた anata. For example;
 

あなたはねむいですか anata wa nemui desuka Are you sleepy?
あなたはだいじょうぶですか anata wa daijyouubu desuka Are you OK?


The above questions sounds unnatural and could be considered rude depending on who you are talking to. A Japanese speaker would either drop "あなたは", or use the speakers name. Have a look at the table below to see how "ka" changes the statements into questions.

Have a listen to these questions

（あなたは）がくせいですか Are you a student?
オーストラリアじんですか Are you Australian?
ねむいですか　　 Are you sleepy?
あついですか Is it hot?
はたちですか Are you twenty years old?
げんきですか How are you?