Structure
Noun + が + いる
Details
Expression
Verb
Standard
About がいる
がいる is a common construction that is simply a combination of the が particle, and the verb いる. This expression means 'to exist', or 'there is', and is used in relation to living/animate things.
Because the things being described in these examples are considered to be alive (or operated by something that is alive), いる is the verb that will be used. ある is used for non-living things.
The polite form of いる conjugates as います. Due to the る being removed, we can determine that いる is a る-Verb (Ichidan verb).
The kanji form of 居る is quite common, and should be learned as early as possible to save any confusion while reading. There is no nuance difference between this expression being used with or without kanji, and is up to the preference of the writer.
Caution
The が in がいる is often omitted in casual speech, or writing that behaves like casual speech (manga, instant messaging, etc).
Synonyms
Related
Examples
--:--
私がいる。
I am (here). (exist)
トムがいます。
Tom is (here). (exists)
田中さんとトムがいます。
Mr. Tanaka and Tom are (there). (exist)
先生がいます。
There is a teacher. (exists)
私と友達がいます。
A friend and I are (here). (exist)
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Compare 「がある」and「がいる」
いいね Nihongo
ある & いる
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[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 10 & 153
Genki I
Page 77
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 107
みんなの日本語 I
Page 68 [CH 10]
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がいる – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (5 in total)
Hormon
Thank you Fuga, I do appreciate. Does it mean that also my car can have 2 modes: the one when it is mentioned as a thing and the second when it is driven by me? Just trying to figure out when the things may have that dual approach. Thank you very much! Best regards Hormon
Fuga
がいる will be used when talking about emergency vehicles (in most cases), so a car driven by you will not be used with がいる in most cases, since only people who know you will know that it is your car.
For example, if your friend sees your car in a parking lot, they would not say, Hormonの車がいる, they would just say Hormonがいる or Hormonの車がある.
For non-emergency vehicles, you might hear something like 今日は車いっぱいいるね (while on the road or when referring to a full parking lot), but it is more common for people to say 今日は車いっぱい走ってる・停まってるね。
Hormon
Thank you very much Fuga!
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