Lesson 6 (Existence of People)

こんにちは！！！
Today is a new day, so we'll start a new new lesson YAY!

Existence of People and Things:

First let us take a look at the verbs used to express being:

• あります　＝　used for inanimate things (like books, trees etc.)

• います　　＝　used for animate things (like people, animals etc.)

And now let us use the verbs in sentences:

１かいに レストランが あります

(There's a restaurant on the 1st floor)

うけつけに おんなの ひとが います

(There's a woman at the reception desk)

Particle が is a subject marker just as は is, BUT it is used after a noun that is introduced for the first time OR something that is new to the listener.

So to construct a sentence as I have, just follow this formula:

________________________________

PLACE  ＋ に ＋ NOUN  ＋ が ＋ あります／います

________________________________
 

BUT if the listener already knows there's a restaurant or a woman, but just doesn't know their location, you use は because in that case the restaurant or woman will be the topic of the sentence.

レストランは １かいに あります

(The restaurant is on the 1st floor)

おんなの ひとは うけつけに います

(The woman is at the reception desk)

So you would construct the sentence this way:

________________________________

NOUN＋ は ＋ PLACE  ＋ に ＋ あります／います

________________________________

Now let us look at a dialogue and learn a little but more:

ラシャ　　　　：　どようびに かぞくと スルに いきます。

ゆきえ　　　　：　そうですか。スルに なにが ありますか。

ラシャ　　　　：　おおきい ふねや ドウが あります。　

ゆきえ　　　　：　ドウって なんですか。

ラシャ　　　　：　オマーンの でんとう ふねですよ。

ゆきえ　　　　：　いいですね。

________________________________

Rasha　　　　：  On Saturday I'm going to Sur with my family.

Yukie 　　　　：  Really? What is there in Sur?

Rasha　　　　：  There are large ships and Dhows.

Yukie 　　　　：  What are Dhows?

Rasha　　　　：  Omani traditional ships.

Yukie 　　　　：  That's nice.

Now let us look at some of the expressions:

〜と　＝　and
〜や　＝　and (implying the existence of others)
〜よ　＝　don't you know (used for something new to the listener)
〜ね　＝　isn't it！

You attach って to a word you don't understand and want to ask about. So 〜って なんですか is "what is an/a..."

ふね　　　＝　Ship
でんとう　＝　Traditional

Now let us practice conjugating verbs:

２かいに　なにが　ありますか

(What is on the 2nd floor?)

２かいに　なにも　ありません

(There is nothing on the 2nd floor)

________________________________

２かいに　だれが　いますか

(Who is on the 2nd floor?)

２かいに　だれも　いません

(There is no one on the 2nd floor)

That's all folks！！！