Existing, giving and receiving
あります and います for where things and people are and how many there are, and あげる and もらう for giving and receiving.
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Existing, giving and receiving, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Use あります for things and います for people and animals
Both mean there is or there are. あります is for objects, plants and places (テーブルが あります), and います is for people and animals (ねこが います). Events take あります too: あした テストが あります.
Say what is in a place
Start with the place and に, then the thing and が, then the verb: えきの まえに 本屋が あります, こうえんに 犬が います. For an event, the place takes で instead: 学校で コンサートが あります.
Say where a thing or person is
When you already know what you are talking about, start with it and は: テレビは へやに あります, ねこは にわに います. In a reply, です can stand in for the verb: トイレは どこですか。 二かいです。
Use position words with の
Words such as 上 (on top of), 下 (under), 中 (inside), まえ (in front of), うしろ (behind) and となり (next to) follow a noun and の: いすの 下に ねこが います. Then come に and the verb: 本は かばんの 中に あります.
Say how many there are
Put the number and its counter after が, just before the verb: きょうだいが 二人 います, りんごが 三つ あります. Ask with 何人 or いくつ: きょうだいは 何人 いますか.
Say what you have with あります and います
Japanese often says I have by saying there is: しゅくだいが あります (I've got homework), いもうとが 一人 います (I have a younger sister). People and pets still take います: 犬が 二ひき います.
Give with あげます
あげます means give, from you or someone else to another person. The giver takes は or が, and the person who gets it takes に: 私は 友だちに プレゼントを あげました. Never use it for something given to you.
Receive with もらいます
もらいます means receive or get. The person who receives takes は, and the giver takes に or から: 私は ははに お金を もらいました, 友だちから てがみを もらいました. So when someone gives you something, say it from your side with もらいます.
Existing, giving and receiving key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- あります
- There is, for things, plants and events. Its negative is ありません.
- います
- There is, for people and animals. Its negative is いません.
- Position word
- A word for where something is, such as 上, 下, 中 or となり, used after a noun and の.
- あげます
- Give, from the giver's side: あげました, I gave.
- もらいます
- Receive or get: もらいました, I got.
- Giver and receiver
- With あげます, the person who gets the gift takes に; with もらいます, the person who gives it takes に or から.
- Counter
- The word after a number that shows what is counted, placed just before あります or います: 三人 います.
Common mistakes in Existing, giving and receiving
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Using あります for a person or an animal, as in 犬が あります.
Living things that move take います: 犬が います, 先生が います. Plants and objects take あります.
Using で for where a thing is, as in へやで テレビが あります.
For where something is, use に: へやに テレビが あります. Keep で for where an action or an event happens.
Using あげます for something given to you, as in 友だちが 私に あげました.
あげます goes away from you, never towards you. Say it from your side with もらいます: 私は 友だちに もらいました.
Mixing up giver and receiver with もらいます, as in ははは 私に お金を もらいました for my mum gave me money.
With もらいます, the person who gets it comes first with は: 私は ははに お金を もらいました.
Practice
Try a Existing, giving and receiving question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
In which sentence is the verb used correctly?
- ほんだなの 上に ねこが あります。
- ほんだなの 上に ねこが います。
- ほんだなの 上に しゃしんが います。
- ほんだなの 上に 先生が あります。
Show the answer and the working
Answer: ほんだなの 上に ねこが います。
A cat is alive, so ねこが います is right. Photos take あります and teachers take います, so the other sentences mix them up.
- Living things take います.
- Objects like しゃしん take あります.
- Only ねこが います matches.