Noken
es

N5 · Lesson 10

Existence and location

Say what there is and where it is with あります・います and the position words (上[うえ], 下[した], 前[まえ], 隣[となり]…).

Grammar

N が あります/います — "there is"

N が あります (things) / N が います (living beings)

あります expresses the existence of inanimate things and plants; います that of people and animals. The thing that exists is marked with が.

Examples

  • There is a photo on the desk.

  • There is a dog in the garden.

Place に N が あります/います

place に N が あります/います

The particle に marks the place of existence. The usual order gives the place first and then what is in it.

Examples

  • Mr. Miller is in the meeting room.

N は (place) に あります/います

N は place に あります/います

When you ask where something already known is, that thing becomes the topic with は and the place is marked with に: ミラーさんは に います.

Examples

  • Tokyo Disneyland is in Chiba prefecture.

N1 (thing/person/place) の N2 (position)

N の ろ/く/

Position words combine with の: (on the desk), (next to the bank), AとBの (between A and B).

Examples

  • The post office is next to the bank.

  • There are old letters inside the box.

N1 や N2 [など] — an open-ended list

N1 や N2 [など]

や lists examples without being exhaustive (unlike と, which lists everything). など ("and so on") can close the list.

Examples

  • There are letters, photos and other things in the box.

アジアストアですか — confirming by repeating

N ですか

Repeating the key word with ですか confirms you have understood before answering — a very common conversational move.

Examples

  • Do you have nam pla? …Nam pla? It's over there.

Vocabulary

WordReadingMeaning
to be, there is (things)
to be, there is (living things)
various
man
woman
child
girl
dog
cat
panda
elephant
tree, wood
thing, object
battery
box
switch
fridge
table
bed
shelf
door
window
postbox
building
cash machine, ATM
convenience store
park
café
~ shop
stop, stand (for taxis, trains…)
prefecture
on top, above
below, underneath
in front
behind
right
left
inside
outside
next to, beside
near
between
~, ~, and so on
thank you [very much]
nam pla (fish sauce)
section
the lowest

See this lesson's vocabulary →

See also