This is going to be a recurring theme I think, especially as I get to some more advanced grammar points, where I comment on ways the English language really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. In the process I think I will also highlight ways Japanese doesn't make sense, and how some of the difficulties arise in translating features inherent to English to Japanese-thinkers and speakers.
Why can't we say "He is reading book" ? Why does it have to be "He is reading a book" ? Is it because the book is singular? Because we can say "He is reading books"
Why can't we say "She is listening music" ? Why is it "She is listening to music" ? And we can't say "She is listening musics"
Similarly, food works the same way. We can't say "He is eating riceball" because riceball is singular, but we can say "He is eating riceballs" because it is plural, or else we would have to say "He is eating a riceball". But when we say "He is eating sushi" why don't we need the a ? I think it is because there is no singular or plural in Japanese so sushi can be both, or neither. When we say "He is eating a piece of sushi" the word piece is what he is eating, and it is singular, so we need the a.
However what is the deal with drinks? We always say "He is drinking coffee" "She is drinking tea" "They are drinking orange juice" . etc. Why no a ? Is it because the beverage is plural? The only time I can think of when you would need to qualify the beverage would be if it was a mixed drink: "She is drinking a Mai Tai" "He is sipping a martini." etc.
I would like to point out that it is grammatically correct to say "he is drinking a coffee"
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