Lesson 14
Existence: あります and います
Animate vs. Inanimate: います vs. あります
In English, the single phrase 'there is' or 'there are' describes the existence of anything, whether it is a book, a dog, or a teacher. In Japanese, existence is divided into two distinct categories based on whether the entity is animate (capable of autonomous movement) or inanimate (non-living or immobile). Japanese uses two different verbs to represent this: います (imasu) and あります (arimasu).
The verb います (imasu) is used for living things that can move on their own, specifically humans and animals. For example, people (学生 - gakusei, 先生 - sensei), family members, dogs (犬 - inu), and birds (鳥 - tori) all take います. Conversely, あります (arimasu) is reserved for inanimate objects, such as books (本 - hon), cars (車 - kuruma), buildings, and abstract concepts like time or events. Using the wrong verb sounds jarring to native speakers, so categorizing your subject correctly is the essential first step.
Basic Sentence Pattern: [Location] に [Subject] が あります / います
To state that something or someone exists in a specific place, Japanese uses the formula: [Location] に [Subject] が あります/います. The particle に (ni) marks the location of existence, functioning like 'in', 'at', or 'on' in English. The particle が (ga) marks the subject—the item or living being whose presence is being identified.
Consider this inanimate example:「部屋に机があります」(Heya ni tsukue ga arimasu), which translates to 'There is a desk in the room.' Here, 部屋 (heya, room) is the location marked by に, and 机 (tsukue, desk) is the inanimate object marked by が. For an animate subject:「庭に猫がいます」(Niwa ni neko ga imasu), meaning 'There is a cat in the garden.' In this sentence, 庭 (niwa, garden) takes に, and 猫 (neko, cat) takes が paired with います.
Shifting the Focus: [Subject] は [Location] に あります / います
While the [Location] に [Subject] が structure introduces new information about what is found in a place, you often want to talk about where a specific known subject is located. To state where a known person or object is, switch the topic particle は (wa) to the front: [Subject] は [Location] に あります/います. This translates to '[Subject] is at [Location].'
For example, if someone asks where your friend Tanaka is, you would answer:「田中さんは教室にいます」(Tanaka-san wa kyoushitsu ni imasu), meaning 'As for Mr. Tanaka, he is in the classroom.' If you are looking for your keys:「鍵は机の上にあります」(Kagi wa tsukue no ue ni arimasu), meaning 'The keys are on the desk.' Notice that に still marks the location of existence, but the subject is now marked by は because it represents the established topic of the conversation.
Questions and Negative Forms
To turn these verbs into the negative, replace the suffix ます (-masu) with ません (-masen). For inanimate things, あります becomes ありません (arimasen), meaning 'there is not' or 'do not have.' For animate beings, います becomes いません (imasen), meaning 'there is not / isn't present.' For example:「公園に犬はいません」(Kouen ni inu wa imasen) means 'There are no dogs in the park.'
To ask questions, add the question particle か (ka) to the end: ありますか (arimasu ka) or いますか (imasu ka). When asking what exists in a place, use the question word 何 (nani / what):「机の上に何がありますか」(Tsukue no ue ni nani ga arimasu ka - 'What is on the desk?'). When asking who exists in a place, use だれ (dare / who):「部屋にだれがいますか」(Heya ni dare ga imasu ka - 'Who is in the room?').
Special Nuances and Common Traps
A common trap for beginners is classifying plants and trees. Even though botanically alive, plants (花 - hana, 木 - ki) cannot move autonomously. Therefore, Japanese classifies plants under あります, not います. For example, 'There is a big tree in the garden' is「庭に大きい木があります」(Niwa ni ookii ki ga arimasu).
Additionally, あります is used to describe holding events, appointments, or abstract possessions. If you want to say 'I have an exam tomorrow' or 'There is a party tonight,' you use あります:「明日テストがあります」(Ashita tesuto ga arimasu) and「今夜パーティーがあります」(Kon'ya paatii ga arimasu). Finally, あります can express having non-living things like money (お金があります - okane ga arimasu) or free time (時間があります - jikan ga arimasu).
Lesson quiz · 1 of 5
Choose the correct verb to complete the sentence:「あそこに犬が＿＿。」(Asoko ni inu ga ___ / 'There is a dog over there.')