N5 Topics
L3: Location, Location, Location
Expand our particle knowledge
Location, Location, Location
In this Topic, we'll learn about how the particles で and に are used with locations, and also see the particle と being used to mean something like 'with'.
With these particles and uses of them, we will be able to start constructing more complicated sentences.
Grammar in this Topic
で
At, In
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.
に
In, At, To, For, On
に can be a very difficult particle to master in Japanese, as it has many different translations in English. These translations are usually 'in', 'at', 'to', 'for', or 'on'. Let's look at an example of each meaning.
While these examples may seem quite confusing at first, it will be easier to think of に as always having one 'basic' meaning. That meaning is to be the 'end-point' of an action. This means that whatever action is being described, can only be considered complete/able to be completed once you're at/while you're at the location/time described in the sentence.
Verbs like 住む (to live/dwell) often confuse learners, as they use に instead of で. This is also due to the fact that 住む is a verb that can only be 'completed' at the destination. (You can only complete the act of living/dwelling in the place that you live, so to speak).
と
With
In our second lesson about と, we will look at the common translation of 'with' that is associated with this particle. と shows that there is a relationship between (A) and (B), regardless of if that relationship is translated as 'and', or 'with'.
In either case, the nouns that are marked with と are usually all performing some mutual action (that mutual action may simply be existing).
When と is used as 'with', it means that both/all people or objects are equally involved in the action. However, に highlights that one person is the target (destination) of an action, so will result in something sounding a lot more one sided.
Here we can see that both people are talking when と is used. It is a mutual conversation. When に is used, however, the person marked by に is being talked 'to', and is usually not actively participating in the conversation.
Details
Although particles are tiny words, we've already seen that they carry a lot of meaning. Let's take a closer look at the differences between で and に when used with locations, and also see how changing the position of と can affect the meaning of a statement.
Means and Ends
As we have just learned, に tends to focus on the 'ends' (destination, purpose, etc.), while で tends to focus on the 'means' (where an action takes place).
When used with locations, で tells us the 'stage' upon which an action occurs.
On the other hand, に has two main uses with locations. First, when used with verbs to do with movement, it will tell us the intended destination of an action.
Second, when used with verbs to do with existing, it will tell us where the thing in question exists. As mentioned in the grammar point information, it may seem like で should work here, but it is actually unnatural due to the verb focusing on passively existing (and not actively doing something). We can see the difference more clearly in the examples below.
There is no need to remember everything mentioned in this Topic all at once, as we will revisit both で and に again later!
Are You With Me Now?
Finally, let's look at と. We've seen how と can mean something like 'and' (connecting nouns) or 'with' (connecting a person to an action). But, sometimes, the sentence order can change the nuance. Let's see how this works in practice.
When an action is reciprocal (something people do with or to each other, like marrying or fighting), the particle position changes the focus.
On the other hand, when an action is something that can only be done alone (doesn’t require a partner), or is expected to be done alone, then the meaning is completely unambiguous. (A) と (B)は will mean 'and'.
Although this can seem tricky when examples are listed together like this, it will normally be very clear from the context what is meant!
At the Station
--:--
さくら：「おはよう！えみちゃん！駅の入口はここ？」
えみ：「おはよう、さくらちゃん！ここは出口だよ！入口はあそこ！」
さくら：「ありがとう！今日も図書館に行く？」
えみ：「ううん！今日は学校の友達と公園でバーベキューをする！さくらちゃんは？」
さくら：「私は、お母さんと妹と一緒に旅館に行くよ！私とお母さんはそこで働く。私は旅館でピザを作るよ！」
えみ：「旅館は遠い？お母さんと一緒にピザを作る？」
さくら：「旅館は近いよ。お母さんは旅館で日本語を教えるよ！妹はそこで日本語を習う！」
えみ：「面白いね！私も、お姉ちゃんの誕生日にその旅館に泊まるよ！」
さくら：「じゃあ私はこの電車に乗るね。」
えみ：「行ってらっしゃい！」