Genki Chapter 4 Grammar

4.1 があります / います - Expressing Existence

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Usage: が あります (ga arimasu) and が います (ga imasu) are used to express the existence of objects, things, or people in a particular location.

• が あります (ga arimasu) is used to indicate the existence of inanimate objects or things.
• が います (ga imasu) is used to indicate the existence of people or living creatures.
• These expressions are used to say that something or someone “is present” or “exists” in a specific place or context.
• が あります and が います are often used when describing the presence of items or individuals in various situations.

Examples:

1. この部屋に本があります。 (Kono heya ni hon ga arimasu.)

   • There are books in this room.

2. 公園に子供たちがいます。 (Kouen ni kodomotachi ga imasu.)

   • There are children in the park.

3. 机の上にコンピューターがあります。 (Tsukue no ue ni konpyuutaa ga arimasu.)

   • There is a computer on the desk.

4. 会議室に人がいますか？ (Kaigishitsu ni hito ga imasu ka?)

   • Are there people in the conference room?

5. この町に美しい景色があります。 (Kono machi ni utsukushii keshiki ga arimasu.)

   • This town has beautiful scenery.

4.2 Location Words in Japanese

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Describing Where Things Are with Location Words

Usage: In Japanese, you can describe where things are located using the structure X は Y の location words です (X wa Y no location words desu), where

• “X” represents the subject (e.g., objects, places, or people),
• “Y” denotes a reference point or context,
• and “location words” (みぎ, ひだり, まえ, うしろ, なか, うえ, した, ちかく, となり) specify the precise location or position in relation to “Y.”

This structure is essential for providing clear descriptions of the spatial relationships between objects or places.

Examples:

• この店は公園の隣です。 (Kono mise wa kouen no tonari desu.) - This store is next to the park.
• あの本はテーブルの上にあります。 (Ano hon wa teeburu no ue ni arimasu.) - That book is on the table.
• 彼の家は道の向こう側にあります。 (Kare no ie wa michi no mukougawa ni arimasu.) - His house is on the other side of the road.
• ペンは机の中にあります。 (Pen wa tsukue no naka ni arimasu.) - The pen is inside the desk.
• この町は山の近くにあります。 (Kono machi wa yama no chikaku ni arimasu.) - This town is located near the mountains.

Usage: In Japanese, you can describe where things are located using the structure X は Y と Z の あいだ です (X wa Y to Z no aida desu), where

• “X” represents the subject (e.g., objects, places, or people),
• “Y” and “Z” denote reference points or boundaries,
• and “あいだ” (aida) indicates the space or area between “Y” and “Z.”

This structure is used to specify the location or position of “X” within a defined space or area between “Y” and “Z.”

Examples:

• この川は山と町のあいだです。 (Kono kawa wa yama to machi no aida desu.) - This river is between the mountains and the town.
• その樹木は道路と駐車場のあいだにあります。 (Sono jumoku wa douro to chuushajou no aida ni arimasu.) - Those trees are located between the road and the parking lot.
• 私の家は公園と学校のあいだにあります。 (Watashi no ie wa kouen to gakkou no aida ni arimasu.) - My house is situated between the park and the school.

4.3 Past Tense of “X は Y です” Sentences

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Usage: In Japanese, to express the past tense of sentences structured as “X は Y です” (X wa Y desu), where “X” represents the subject and “Y” provides information or description, you can use the following past tense forms:

• Affirmative: “でした” (deshita)
• Negative: “じゃありませんでした” (ja arimasen deshita) or colloquially “じゃなかったです” (janakatta desu).

Affirmative Examples:

• 彼は学生でした。 (Kare wa gakusei deshita.) - He was a student.
• 昨日は忙しかったです。 (Kinou wa isogashikatta desu.) - Yesterday was busy.
• その本は面白かったです。 (Sono hon wa omoshirokatta desu.) - That book was interesting.

Negative Examples:

• あのレストランは高くなかったです。 (Ano resutoran wa takakunakatta desu.) - That restaurant wasn’t expensive.
• 彼女は昨日来なかったです。 (Kanojo wa kinou konakatta desu.) - She didn’t come yesterday.
• この町は静かじゃなかったです。 (Kono machi wa shizuka janakatta desu.) - This town wasn’t quiet.

4.4 Past Tense Forms of Verbs in Japanese

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Usage: In Japanese, to express the past tense of verbs, you can use the following forms:

• Affirmative: Verbs end with “ました” (mashita).
• Negative: Verbs end with “ませんでした” (masen deshita).

Affirmative Examples:

• 食べる (taberu) - To eat
  • 食べました (tabemashita) - Ate
• 行く (iku) - To go
  • 行きました (ikimashita) - Went
• 読む (yomu) - To read
  • 読みました (yomimashita) - Read

Negative Examples:

• 飲む (nomu) - To drink
  • 飲みませんでした (nomimasen deshita) - Didn’t drink
• 見る (miru) - To see / To look at
  • 見ませんでした (mimasen deshita) - Didn’t see
• 書く (kaku) - To write
  • 書きませんでした (kakimasen deshita) - Didn’t write

When to use です and when to use verb?

• This depends on what you want to express in your sentence:

Use “でした” and “じゃありませんでした” (Copula Forms):

• These forms are used to describe the past state or condition of a noun or an adjective.
• In this case, you’re not focusing on a specific action or event but rather on the state of something in the past.

For example, if you want to say “It was hot yesterday,” you would use these forms:

• 昨日は暑かったです。 (Kinou wa atsukatta desu.) - It was hot yesterday.
• 昨日は暑くありませんでした。 (Kinou wa atsuku arimasen deshita.) - It wasn’t hot yesterday.

Use Past Tense of Verbs:

• The past tense of verbs is used when you want to specifically describe actions or events that happened in the past.
• You use verbs in the past tense to indicate what someone did, what happened, or what actions were taken.

For example, if you want to say “I ate sushi yesterday,” you would use the past tense of the verb:

• 昨日、寿司を食べました。 (Kinou, sushi o tabemashita.) - I ate sushi yesterday.

4.5 Using the Particle も (Mo) to Indicate Common Attributes or Shared Actions

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Usage: In Japanese, the particle も (mo) is used to indicate that the second item shares a common attribute or characteristic with the first item mentioned in a sentence. It can also be used when two or more people are performing the same activity.

• も is versatile and is employed to emphasize the inclusiveness or similarity between multiple elements.

Examples of Common Attributes:

• 彼はピアノを弾きます。私もピアノを弾きます。 (Kare wa piano o hikimasu. Watashi mo piano o hikimasu.) - He plays the piano. I also play the piano.
• この本は面白いです。その本も面白いです。 (Kono hon wa omoshiroi desu. Sono hon mo omoshiroi desu.) - This book is interesting. That book is also interesting.
• 私は日本に行きます。友達も日本に行きます。 (Watashi wa Nihon ni ikimasu. Tomodachi mo Nihon ni ikimasu.) - I am going to Japan. My friend(s) is/are also going to Japan.

Examples of Shared Actions:

• 彼は映画を見ます。彼女も映画を見ます。 (Kare wa eiga o mimasu. Kanojo mo eiga o mimasu.) - He watches movies. She also watches movies.
• 私たちは散歩に行きます。子供たちも散歩に行きます。 (Watashitachi wa sanpo ni ikimasu. Kodomotachi mo sanpo ni ikimasu.) - We are going for a walk. The children are also going for a walk.
• 彼らはレストランで食事をします。私たちもレストランで食事をします。 (Karera wa resutoran de shokuji o shimasu. Watashitachi mo resutoran de shokuji o shimasu.) - They will have a meal at the restaurant. We will also have a meal at the restaurant.

Using も (Mo) with Other Particles to Emphasize Similarity

Usage: In Japanese, も (mo) can be used in conjunction with other particles, such as に (ni) and で (de), to emphasize the similarity between the first item mentioned in the preceding sentence and a new item.

Examples:

• 私は東京に行ったことがあります。京都にも行ったことがあります。 (Watashi wa Toukyou ni itta koto ga arimasu. Kyouto ni mo itta koto ga arimasu.) - I have been to Tokyo. I have also been to Kyoto.

• このカフェに友達と行きます。あのカフェにも友達と行きます。 (Kono kafe ni tomodachi to ikimasu. Ano kafe ni mo tomodachi to ikimasu.) - I go to this cafe with friends. I also go to that cafe with friends.

• 彼は英語に堪能です。フランス語にも堪能です。 (Kare wa Eigo ni tan’nou desu. Furansu-go ni mo tan’nou desu.) - He is proficient in English. He is also proficient in French.

• このアートギャラリーに行くのが楽しいです。美術館にも行くのが楽しいです。 (Kono aato gyararii ni iku no ga tanoshii desu. Bijutsukan ni mo iku no ga tanoshii desu.) - Going to this art gallery is fun. Going to the museum is also fun.

• 彼女は公園でヨガをします。海岸にもヨガをします。 (Kanojo wa kouen de yoga o shimasu. Kaigan ni mo yoga o shimasu.) - She does yoga in the park. She also does yoga at the beach.

• 私は仕事でロンドンに行きました。休暇でもロンドンに行きます。 (Watashi wa shigoto de Rondon ni ikimashita. Kyuuka demo Rondon ni ikimasu.) - I went to London for work. I will also go to London for vacation.

• このレストランで寿司を食べました。あのレストランでも寿司を食べます。 (Kono resutoran de sushi o tabemashita. Ano resutoran demo sushi o tabemasu.) - I had sushi at this restaurant. I will also have sushi at that restaurant.

• 彼女は山でキャンプをしました。ビーチでもキャンプをします。 (Kanojo wa yama de kyanpu o shimashita. Biichi demo kyanpu o shimasu.) - She went camping in the mountains. She will also go camping at the beach.

• 私たちは映画館で映画を見ました。家でも映画を見ます。 (Watashitachi wa eigakan de eiga o mimashita. Ie demo eiga o mimasu.) - We watched a movie at the cinema. We also watch movies at home.

4.6.1 Expressing the Duration of an Activity with Bare Nouns and 時間 (Jikan)

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Usage: In Japanese, you can express the duration of an activity by using a bare noun followed by the word 時間 (jikan), which means “hours.” This construction allows you to specify how long an activity lasted or will last.

Examples:

• この料理の準備に一時間かかります。 (このりょうりのじゅんびにいちじかんかかります。) - It takes one hour to prepare this dish.
• 毎日運動するのは二時間です。 (まいにちうんどうするのはにじかんです。) - I exercise for two hours every day.
• 今日の仕事は三時間です。 (きょうのしごとはさんじかんです。) - Today’s work is three hours.
• 昨日勉強したのは五時間でした。 (きのうべんきょうしたのはごじかんでした。) - I studied for five hours yesterday.
• この列車は東京まで十時間かかります。 (このれっしゃはとうきょうまでじゅうじかんかかります。) - This train takes ten hours to reach Tokyo.

4.6.2 Expressing the Approximations Duration of an Activity

Usage: To provide an approximate measurement, you can add ぐらい (gurai) after the duration in 時間 (jikan). This construction allows you to convey how long an activity lasted or will last with an element of estimation.

Examples:

• この料理の準備に一時間ぐらいかかります。 (このりょうりのじゅんびにいちじかんぐらいかかります。) - It takes about one hour to prepare this dish.
• 毎日運動するのは二時間ぐらいです。 (まいにちうんどうするのはにじかんぐらいです。) - I exercise for about two hours every day.
• 今日の仕事は三時間ぐらいです。 (きょうのしごとはさんじかんぐらいです。) - Today’s work is about three hours.
• 昨日勉強したのは五時間ぐらいでした。 (きのうべんきょうしたのはごじかんぐらいでした。) - I studied for about five hours yesterday.
• この列車は東京まで十時間ぐらいかかります。 (このれっしゃはとうきょうまでじゅうじかんぐらいかかります。) - This train takes about ten hours to reach Tokyo.

4.7 Adding a Quantity Word Like たくさん (Takusan) to the Direct Object

Usage: In Japanese, you can add a quantity word like たくさん (takusan) to the direct object of a sentence to indicate a large or abundant quantity of that object.

• You can place it either before the noun or after the particle を (o).

This construction allows you to specify that there is a considerable amount of the item or things being referred to.

Examples:

• フルーツバスケットにはたくさんの果物があります。 (ふるーつばすけっとにはたくさんのくだものがあります。) - There are many fruits in the fruit basket.

• フルーツバスケットに果物をたくさん詰めました。 (ふるーつばすけっとにくだものをたくさんつめました。) - I packed many fruits into the fruit basket.

• 彼女は本棚にたくさんの本を持っています。 (かのじょはほんだなにたくさんのほんをもっています。) - She has many books on her bookshelf.

• 彼女は本をたくさん読みました。 (かのじょはほんをたくさんよみました。) - She read many books.

• 庭にはたくさんの花が咲いています。 (にわにはたくさんのはながさいています。) - Many flowers are blooming in the garden.

• 庭に花をたくさん植えました。 (にわにはなをたくさんうえました。) - I planted many flowers in the garden.

4.8 Using the Particle と to Connect Nouns and Indicate “Together With”

Usage: In Japanese, the particle と (to) serves two main functions.

• One function is to connect two nouns, A and B, indicating that both A and B are present or involved in the action.
• The other meaning of と is to express “together with,” describing with whom or with what something is done.

This usage helps convey the idea of companionship or the company of others during an action.

Examples:

Connecting Nouns:

• 友達と公園に行きます。 (ともだちとこうえんにいきます。)

  • I will go to the park with friends.
  • In this case, the particle と connects the noun 友達 (friends) and 公園 (park), indicating that the action of going to the park involves both friends and the speaker.

• 猫と犬が仲良く遊んでいます。 (ねこといぬがなかよくあそんでいます。)

  • The cat and the dog are playing together harmoniously.
  • Here, と connects the nouns 猫 (cat) and 犬 (dog) to show that both animals are involved in the action of playing.

Expressing “Together With”:

• 彼と映画を見に行きます。 (かれとえいがをみにいきます。)

  • I will go see a movie with him.
  • In this case, と is used to indicate that the speaker and 彼 (him) will watch a movie together.

• 家族と夕食を食べる。 (かぞくとゆうしょくをたべる。)

  • Eat dinner with the family.
  • Here, と signifies that the speaker will eat dinner in the company of 家族 (the family).