Lesson notes · ≈ JLPT N5 · Beginner 1
something exists in a place
Use 「場所に〜があります」 to say buildings, rivers, or objects are in a place.
Tell someone what there is in a place. Look at the picture: the green area is the town, 町, and the blue river is inside it.
Add 「に」 after the place: 町に. It marks where something exists, telling the listener which area you mean first.
Add 「が」 after the thing: 川が. The thing in the picture is a river. Attach the appropriate particle to the place and to the thing.
「あります」 means that something is there or exists. Here it is used for buildings, rivers, and similar things, rather than people or animals.
If you do not know what is there, ask 「この町に何がありますか」. Replace the name of the thing with 「何」.
To check whether there is a sea, ask 「海はありますか」. You have already named the thing you are asking about, so you are no longer asking what is there.
You can omit the place once it is clear. In the answer 「店があります」, the place is still near the building mentioned earlier.
To add another thing, replace 「が」 with 「も」. There is a sea, and there are mountains too: 山もあります.
You can make the place more specific: 山の近くに. Follow it with 「小さい湖があります」 to say there is a small lake near the mountain.
There is Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa.
And there is also the Skytree.
A: What is there in this town?
B: There are temples, supermarkets, and so on.
A: Is there a sea?
B: Yes, there is a sea. There are also mountains.
A: Are there any churches?
B: There are a few. There are also temples.
A: Is there a river?
B: Yes, there is a river in the town.
A: Is there a lake?
B: There is a small lake near the mountains.
A: What is there near the building?
Level 1 · Recognise
Which sentence is correct?
Level 1 · Recognise
Listen and choose the meaning
Level 2 · Build
Put the words in order
There are temples in Kyoto.
Level 3 · Use
What goes in the blank?
この町 川があります。
There is a river in this town.
B: There are shops. There are also supermarkets.
