XはYです

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Here are the key points of this lesson: Omission of the subject (Xは) Using 'は' for clarity Nouns in Japanese” Omission of the subject (Xは) In Japanese, sentences often omit subjects when the context makes them clear, unlike in English where subjects like "I" or "it" are typically included.  For example, "I am a student," "My major is Japanese language," and "It is 12:30" translate into Japanese as "がくせいです," "にほんごです," and "12じはんです," respectively, without direct subjects. Using 'は' for clarity If the context doesn't provide clarity, Japanese sentences can start with a topic marked by "wa" (は in hiragana), indicating "As for X, it is Y.” For example,  “わたしは がくせいです" (As for me, I am a student), “せんこうは にほんごです" (As for my major, it is Japanese language), and "じかんは12じはんです" (As for the current time, it is 12:30). The particle "wa" (は), used to denote ...
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21. Can you “There is a bird on the roof” in Japanese?

 21. Describing Existence: "(Place) ni N ga Imasu"



This structure pattern is used to indicate the existence of animate objects such as people and animals. "Imasu (います)" is used when the animate object can move by itself.

屋根の上に鳥がいます。Yane no ue ni tori ga imasu.
There is a bird on the roof.  

教室に学生がいます。Kyōshitsu ni gakusē ga imasu.
There are students in the classroom.


To ask about the existence of a person, we use the interrogative "dare（だれ）" (who), and for animals, we use "nani（なに）" (what).

A: 教室に誰がいますか。Kyōshitsu ni dare ga imasuka?   Who is in the classroom?
B:  (教室に) リーさんがいます。(Kyōshitsu ni) Rī-san ga imasu. It's Lee in the classroom.

A: あそこに何がいますか。asoko ni nani ga imasuka? What is there?
B: いぬがいます。inu ga imasu. It's a dog.


When talking about the existence of objects, there are two Japanese verbs equivalent to the English verb "be": "arimasu（あります）" and "imasu（います）." The general rule is to use "あります" for non-living objects and "います" for living objects. However, there is an additional distinction to consider. "あります" is used when objects cannot move by themselves, while "います" is used when objects can move by themselves.

For example, a tree is a living thing, but it cannot move on its own, so we say "Ki ga arimasu (木があります)." There is a tree. On the other hand, a ghost (obake) is not a living thing, but it can move on its own, so we say, "Obake ga imasu（おばけがいます）." There is a ghost.

Location: Japan

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