Japanese grammar · Beginner (A1)
あります and います
あります for things and places, います for people and animals: saying where something is, “I have”, and position words (上, 下, 中, 隣).
Things or living beings?
Japanese has two verbs for “there is” and “to be (somewhere)”. (arimasu) is for things that don't move by themselves: objects, buildings, plants, and also events such as meetings. (imasu) is for people and animals.
The polite negative is (arimasen) and (imasen). The plain forms (A2) are (aru) and (iru), with one irregular form: the plain negative of is simply (nai).
| Form | Things | People and animals |
|---|---|---|
| polite | (arimasu) | (imasu) |
| polite negative | (arimasen) | (imasen) |
| polite past | (arimashita) | (imashita) |
| plain (A2) | (aru) | (iru) |
| plain negative (A2) | (nai) | (inai) |
- 猫がいます。Neko ga imasu.There's a cat.
- 大きい木があります。Ōkii ki ga arimasu.There's a big tree.
- 明日、会議があります。Ashita, kaigi ga arimasu.There's a meeting tomorrow.
There is …: place に thing が あります
To say that something is somewhere, start with the place and (ni), then the thing with (ga), then the verb: (eki no mae ni konbini ga arimasu), “in front of the station there is a convenience store”.
This order is used when the thing is new to the conversation. To ask if something exists, just add : (chikaku ni ginkō ga arimasu ka, is there a bank nearby?).
- 駅の前にコンビニがあります。Eki no mae ni konbini ga arimasu.There's a convenience store in front of the station.
- 近くに銀行がありますか。Chikaku ni ginkō ga arimasu ka.Is there a bank nearby?
- 部屋に誰もいません。Heya ni dare mo imasen.There's nobody in the room.
Where is it? thing は place に あります
When the thing is already known and you want to say where it is, it becomes the topic with (wa) and comes first: (ginkō wa eki no mae ni arimasu), “the bank is in front of the station”.
In everyday speech the shortest version uses : (toire wa asoko desu, the toilet is over there), (Tanaka-san wa kaigishitsu desu, Tanaka is in the meeting room).
- 銀行は駅の前にあります。Ginkō wa eki no mae ni arimasu.The bank is in front of the station.
- 猫はベッドの下にいます。Neko wa beddo no shita ni imasu.The cat is under the bed.
- トイレはあそこです。Toire wa asoko desu.The toilet is over there.
Position words
Words like “on”, “under” and “next to” are nouns in Japanese. They follow the thing they relate to, joined with (no), and then take or : (tsukue no ue ni), literally “at the desk's top”, means “on the desk”.
(tonari) is “right next to”, usually for two things of the same kind, such as two buildings or two people. (yoko) is “beside” in general. For “between”, use AとBの間 (A to B no aida).
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 上 (ue) | on, above | (tsukue no ue) on the desk |
| 下 (shita) | under, below | (beddo no shita) under the bed |
| 中 (naka) | in, inside | (kaban no naka) in the bag |
| 外 (soto) | outside | (eki no soto) outside the station |
| 前 (mae) | in front of | (eki no mae) in front of the station |
| (ushiro) | behind | (doa no ushiro) behind the door |
| (tonari) | next to | (ginkō no tonari) next to the bank |
| (yoko) | beside | (terebi no yoko) beside the TV |
| (chikaku) | near | (eki no chikaku) near the station |
| (mukai) | opposite | (yūbinkyoku no mukai) opposite the post office |
| 間 (aida) | between | (ginkō to eki no aida) between the bank and the station |
- かばんは机の上にあります。Kaban wa tsukue no ue ni arimasu.The bag is on the desk.
- 郵便局は銀行の隣にあります。Yūbinkyoku wa ginkō no tonari ni arimasu.The post office is next to the bank.
I have: があります, がいます
Japanese often says “I have” as “there is”: (kuruma ga arimasu) is “I have a car”, and (jikan ga arimasen) is “I don't have time”. The person who has it can be the topic: (watashi wa kuruma ga arimasu).
For family members and pets, use : (ani ga hitori imasu, I have an older brother). Another way to talk about owning things is (motte imasu, I own, I have on me), from A2.
- 明日は時間がありますか。Ashita wa jikan ga arimasu ka.Do you have time tomorrow?
- 兄が二人います。Ani ga futari imasu.I have two older brothers.
- 子供はいません。Kodomo wa imasen.I don't have children.
- 犬が一匹います。Inu ga ippiki imasu.I have a dog.