Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 3: 1/13

でAt, In

Structure

Place + で

Details

  • Particle

  • Case Marking Particle

  • Standard

About で

で is a particle that has several different uses in Japanese. At its core, it is always used to highlight something that is 'required' to perform some sort of action. One of these uses relates to places, and translates roughly as 'at', or 'in' in English.

In these sentences, the place is considered essential for the action to be performed, or the result of the action to be achieved. This is unlike the particle に, which marks the location itself as being the destination or target of an action. Basically, で means (A) 'place' allows (B) 'action' to occur. While に means (A) 'place' is the target for (B) 'action' occurring.

In the first example, we can see that に marks the place that the person exists during an action, but the action itself is not dependent on the place. In the second example, the action is considered dependent on being at that place, as there are possibly no barbeques in other areas.

Synonyms

Related

Examples

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  • そこで寝(ね)る。

    I sleep (at) there.

  • ホテルで寝(ね)る。

    To sleep at the hotel.

  • ここで曲(ま)がります。

    To turn (at) here.

  • 私(わたし)はここでサッカーをする。

    I play soccer (at) here.

  • そこで泳(およ)ぎますか。

    Will you swim (at) there?

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で – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (9 in total)

  • VictorFries

    VictorFries

    A bit confused by the difference of function in these sentences for で and に.

    私はここでピザを食べる。

    彼は公園にいます。

    From what the post says, で is used when “the place is considered essential for the action to be performed, or the result of the action to be achieved.” What about the first sentence makes eating pizza “here” essential? Is that something that would need to be known contextually through conversation already? Or can で be generalized as more so excluding the verb い る and being used when you have an action verb and a location in the same sentence?

  • gkocik

    gkocik

    Hi,

    I’m unsure if this is correct place to ask this question, but it is related to one of examples given. Sentence: 私は部屋で寝る was translated to “I sleep in my room”. Why does it say “my” room? Shouldn’t it be “I sleep in a room”? If the sentence was to be about “my room” wouldn’t it be “私の部屋で寝る” (の instead of は)?

  • Fuga

    Fuga

    Hey @gkocik !

    The sentence 私は部屋で寝る could be translated as ‘I sleep in my room’, and ‘I sleep in a room’.

    The sentence says my room it is more common for people to say that they sleep in their own room instead of saying that they sleep in A room.

    In Japaneses, pronouns can be omitted when the context is clear! This means that instead of saying 私は私の部屋で寝る, you could say 私は部屋で寝る without losing the original nuance.

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