To Be...Or To Be Discussion
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so for the example where murakami sensei was not in class, we used imasu instead of arimasu even though a class technically isn’t animate. Is this appropriate?
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Although strange, using the tools taught in this lesson, can we therefore assume that if one wanted to say: "There will be a book on the table this saturday," one would have to write: "このどよう日にテーブルに本がいます?"
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Hi,
Sorry I seem to have confused you...
In short, "います" means "to be", "to exit", and "to stay" ,etc.
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What is the word for "stay" then? As far as I know we haven't been over it, just the words for "to exist" or "to be" :/
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Hi Tangeranamadidge-san,
The question "どこにいますか？" means "Where are you (staying)?"
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I’m really confused and have basically the same question as Ru, but need a deeper explanation. I understand that the 私は (for example) part is left out, and that because I am animate then it is います but I guess I don’t understand what the question どこにいますか is asking. Is it asking where I am or where I am staying?
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Hi Ru-san,
The question is '(あなたは)どこにいますか？' (= where are you staying? ), so it's NOT asking about 'where is the hospital?'
That's why the answer can be '(わたしは)びょういんにいます' (=I'm stayin at hospital.)
The subject is omitted in this case, which might confuse you. *The subject is not びょういん.
Please make sure about the pattern: ( A ) が [ PLACE ] にいます .
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I am confused by the use of "imasu" with buildings. In the drills for this lesson, you get questions like "doko ni imasuka" with a picture of a hospital. Shouldn't it be "doko ni amasuka", as the hospital is inanimate? This is not mentioned in the lesson as far as I can see, so I don't have an explanation.
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Hello Marta さん!
When you are talking about something/objects that is not alive, whether it be moving or not, it is generally "ある"
However, when you are talking about living things like cats, dogs, people, it becomes "いる"
So what about trees, you might ask!
Yes, trees are alive, but are also generally considered as objects rather than living things. As for the same reason, "ある" is also used for mountains, flowers, ocean, and etc.
I hope this helps!
