[Place] NI [Subject] GA | arimasu {inanimate subject} indefinite | imasu {animate subject} [Topic] WA [Place] NI | arimasu/arimasen definite | imasu/imasen Daigaku ni shokudoo ga arimasu. Kurasu ni gakusee ga oozee imasu. Ginkoo wa hon-ya no soba ni arimasu. Tomodachi wa koko ni imasen.
MAE 'front' USHIRO 'back, behind' YOKO 'side' TONARI 'next to, next door' CHIKAKU 'nearby, vicinity' SOBA 'nearby' -HEN 'vicinity' -ATARI 'vicinity' TEMAE 'on this side' MUKOO 'on the other side, beyond' SAKI 'ahead' -GAWA 'side' NAKA 'inside' SOTO 'outside' UE 'top, above' SHITA 'below, under' MIGI 'right' HIDARI 'left' TSUKIATARI 'end of the alley' [Place] NO [Dimension] NI/WA Ginkoo no tonari ni yuubinkyoku ga arimasu. Uchi no tonari wa hana-ya desu. Kono chikaku ni kooen ga arimasu ka? Kissaten wa kono biru no shita ni arimasu.
NI is required by existential verbs: arimasu/imasu/gozaimasu/orimasu Eki no mae ni ginkoo ga arimasu. Heya no naka ni neko ga imasu.
Honorific: Sp promoting H/H's peer Sensee wa irasshaimasu ka? Humble: Sp demoting self/peer Kinoo watashi wa uchi ni orimashita. Neutral: Sp beautifying utterance Ii kuruma ga gozaimasu.
Satoo-san wa doko | ni imasu ka? | desu ka? Denwa wa eki no mae | ni arimasu. | desu Dare ga kimashita ka? Suzuki-san | ga kimashita. | desu. (limited use)
Kono eega wa | omoshiroi |deshoo.\ 'probably' | |deshoo./ 'Don't you think ....?' | |deshoo ka.\ 'Do you think ....?' | |deshoo ka (nee).\ 'I wonder .....' | | doo deshoo ka.\ 'What do you think .....?'
basic polite familiar/informal koko kochira kotchi soko sochira sotchi asoko achira atchi doko dochira dotchi KO/SO/A/DO-CHIRA: 1. choice : one out of two Dochira ga ii deshoo ka. 2. direction : way Kochira e doozo. 3. location : polite Zasshi wa achira ni gozaimasu. 4. person : polite Kochira ga watashi no sensee desu.
Discourse Particles WA/MO/DAKE/SHIKA replace GA/O/(NI) but follow others. Hikooki wa Nihon kara mo kimasu. Furansu e shika ikimasen.
Nominal suffix -YA 'shop, dealer, delivery man'
-san is added to refer to people.
hon-ya 'bookstore, bookseller'
shinbun-ya 'newspaper distributer, delivery person'
yuubin-ya 'letter carrier'
pan-ya 'bakery, baker'
saka-ya 'liquor shop, wine dealer '
yao-ya 'vegetable store, greengrocer'
sakana-ya 'fish-shop, fish dealer'
niku-ya 'butcher shop, butcher'
hana-ya 'flower shop, florist'
kusuri-ya 'drugstore, pharmacist'
toko-ya 'barber shop, barber'
© Norio Ota 2000