eki de shiriai ni aimashita.

I met an acquaintance at the station.

Breakdown of eki de shiriai ni aimashita.

• で: location particle
• 駅えき: station
• 会あう: to meet
• に: target particle

Questions & Answers about eki de shiriai ni aimashita.

What does で mean in 駅で?

で marks the place where an action happens. So 駅で means at the station or in the station, depending on the situation.

In this sentence, the action is meeting someone, and that meeting happened at the station.

• 駅で会いました = met (someone) at the station

This is different from に, which often marks a destination, time, or the target of certain verbs.

Why is に used after 知り合い?

The verb 会う usually takes に for the person you meet.

So:

• 知り合いに会いました = met an acquaintance

Even though English says meet someone, Japanese does not usually use を here. With 会う, the person is normally marked by に.

Examples:

• 先生に会いました。 = I met my teacher.
• 友達に会いました。 = I met my friend.

Why isn’t it 知り合いを会いました?