There is: あります・います
Place に N が あります／います
あります (things) / います (living things). Place に N が あります = there's N in the place; N は place に あります = N is in the place.
In short
あります is used for objects and plants, います for living things that move (people, animals). が marks what exists. The place takes に.
- 川に 魚が います。kawa ni sakana ga imasuThere are fish in the river.
- 山に 木が あります。yama ni ki ga arimasuThere are trees on the mountain.
- ねこが います。neko ga imasuThere's a cat.
The basics
“There is” has two forms depending on what's there. あります for things and plants (what doesn't move by itself), います for living things that move: people and animals.
| Verb | For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| あります | objects, plants, events | つくえが あります |
| います | people, animals | ねこが います |
What is where: place に N が
To say where something is, the place takes に and the thing takes が. The usual order: place に — thing が — あります／います.
- へやに テレビが あります。heya ni terebi ga arimasuThere's a TV in the room.
- にわに いぬが います。niwa ni inu ga imasuThere's a dog in the garden.
Where something is: N は place に
When you're talking about something already known and saying where it is, the order flips: the thing takes は, then the place に.
- ねこは いすの 下に います。neko wa isu no shita ni imasuThe cat is under the chair.
- トイレは どこに ありますか。toire wa doko ni arimasu kaWhere are the toilets?
The negative, and “to have”
In the negative: ありません, いません. あります is also used to say you have something, or that an event takes place: じかんが あります (I have time), しけんが あります (there's an exam).
- きょうは じかんが ありません。kyō wa jikan ga arimasenI don't have time today.
Common mistakes
- Saying ねこが あります: for an animal, it's います.
- Using で for where something exists: you say へやに あります, not へやで.
- Mixing up は and が: が for what you discover (there's a cat), は to say where a known thing is (the cat is…).
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Hibiya Line (Nature) of the Tokyo subway.