N5 · The basic sentence
There is: ある and いる
existence and location
ある for things, いる for people and animals — and two word orders, depending on what is new.
Japanese has two verbs for "there is". ある (politely あります) is for things and plants; いる (います) is for people and animals — whatever moves of its own accord. 机があります "there is a desk", 猫がいます "there is a cat". English "there is" does not care, so the choice has to become a habit.
To say what is somewhere, the place comes first with に and the thing follows with が: 公園に池があります "there is a pond in the park". The new information is the pond, and が marks it. To say where a known thing is, the thing becomes the topic with は and the place follows: 池は公園にあります "the pond is in the park". The two orders answer two different questions.
The negatives are ありません and いません; in plain speech いない, and for ある the special form ない. ある also covers "to have" and "to take place": 時間がありません "I have no time", 明日テストがあります "there is a test tomorrow". For family and pets, "have" is いる: 兄弟がいます.
English speakers stumble in three places: using ある for people or animals, building the plain negative あらない, which does not exist, and answering "where is it?" with the order that answers "what is there?". The question tells you which order to use: if the thing is already known, it takes は.
The form
| There is a book on the desk. | 机の上に本があります。 |
| There is a cat in the garden. | 庭に猫がいます。 |
| The book is on the desk. | 本は机の上にあります。 |
| Mr Tanaka is in the office. | 田中さんは事務所にいます。 |
| I have no time. | 時間がありません。 |
| There is nobody here. | ここにはだれもいません。 |
| plain, for things: there is, there is not | ある・ない |
| plain, for people: there is, there is not | いる・いない |
The rules one by one
ある is for things and plants; いる is for people and animals.
部屋にテレビがあります。犬もいます。There is a television in the room. There is a dog too.
To say what is somewhere: the place with に, the thing with が, then ある or いる.
駅の近くにスーパーがあります。There is a supermarket near the station.
To say where something is: the thing with は, the place with に, then ある or いる.
スーパーは駅の近くにあります。The supermarket is near the station.
The plain negative of ある is ない, not あらない.
お金がない。I have no money.
ある also means "to have" and "to take place".
明日、会議があります。There is a meeting tomorrow.
A closer look
Which order: what is new?
The two orders do what English does with "a" and "the". "There is a dog in the garden" introduces a new dog: 庭に犬がいます, with が on the newcomer. "The dog is in the garden" talks about a dog we already know: 犬は庭にいます, with the known dog as the topic.
Events are the one thing that changes the particle of the place. A party or a meeting does not simply sit somewhere, it happens there, so the place takes で: 教室で試験があります, "there is an exam in the classroom". ある stays, because an event is not alive.
Exceptions and special cases (2)
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the thing is an event — a meeting, a party, an exam
it takes ある, and the place takes で, not に.
体育館でコンサートがあります。There is a concert in the sports hall.
An event is not located somewhere; it takes place there, and で marks where something happens.
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the living thing is a plant
it takes ある, not いる.
庭に大きい木があります。There is a big tree in the garden.
The line is drawn at moving by oneself, not at being alive, and a tree stays where it is.
How to spot it
- あります
- います
- ありません
- いません
- ない
- 〜に〜がある
- 〜は〜にある
Example sentences
この近くにコンビニがありますか。Is there a convenience store near here?
庭に子どもが三人います。There are three children in the garden.
父は今、会社にいます。My father is at work now.
兄弟がいますか。Do you have any brothers or sisters?
財布はテーブルの上にあります。The wallet is on the table.
すみません、今日は時間がありません。Sorry, I do not have time today.
8 more example sentences
冷蔵庫に牛乳があります。There is milk in the fridge.
池に魚がたくさんいます。There are lots of fish in the pond.
山田さんはどこにいますか。Where is Mr Yamada?
日曜日に駅の前でお祭りがあります。There is a festival in front of the station on Sunday.
部屋にはだれもいません。There is nobody in the room.
質問がありますか。Do you have any questions?
車は家の前にあります。The car is in front of the house.
私には子どもが二人います。I have two children.
Worth knowing (2)
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です as a short cut
When the question is simply where something or someone is, Japanese often drops the verb and uses です: the place word stands in for "is at". 田中さんは会議室です is as natural as the longer sentence with います.
田中さんは会議室です。Mr Tanaka is in the meeting room.
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"To have" without a verb for having
Japanese says "there is a car (for me)" where English says "I have a car". The owner, if mentioned at all, is the topic, and the thing owned takes が.
車がありますか。Do you have a car?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
A dog moves of its own accord, so it takes いる. ある with an animal sounds as if the dog were an object — a statue, or worse. The test is simple: if it can walk away by itself, use いる.
If it can move by itself, use いる; otherwise ある.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.