Breakdown of eki de hidari ni magaru to, basutei ga arimasu.
がga
subject particle
でde
location particle
駅eki
station
とto
conditional particle
あるaru
to exist
左hidari
left
にni
direction particle
曲がるmagaru
to turn
バス停basutei
bus stop
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Questions & Answers about eki de hidari ni magaru to, basutei ga arimasu.
Why is the particle で used after 駅 instead of に?
The particle で indicates the location where an action takes place—in this case, the spot at the station where you turn. By contrast, に often marks a destination or point of arrival (“go to the station”) or a point in time. Since 曲がる (“turn”) happens at the station, you say 駅で曲がる.
Why do we say 左に曲がる and not 左を曲がる or 曲がる左?
左に uses に to show the direction of movement (“to the left”). 曲がる is an intransitive verb describing movement in a direction, so it naturally pairs with に. You cannot use を here because you’re not acting on “left” as an object—you’re heading into that direction.
What is the function of と after 曲がる?
In the pattern [dictionary form] + と, と expresses a conditional meaning like “when/if.” It indicates that as soon as you turn left, the result follows: there is a bus stop.
Why is the verb 曲がる in its dictionary form even though the sentence ends with the polite あります? Should it be 曲がります?
In Japanese, only the final verb of a sentence reflects the overall politeness. Subordinate clauses—like the one before と—always use the plain (dictionary) form, regardless of the politeness of the main clause. That’s why 曲がる stays as-is, and only the main clause uses あります.
Why is あります used for バス停 instead of います?
あります is used for inanimate things or locations (like a bus stop). います is reserved for animate beings (people, animals). Since a bus stop is not alive, you use あります.
Could we use the ～たら conditional instead of ～と, for example 駅で左に曲がったら、バス停があります? What’s the difference?
Yes, you can. Using ～たら (“turn left and then…”) often feels more focused on a specific instance or sequence of actions. ～と tends to express a general or inevitable result whenever the condition happens. In giving directions both are common; ～と sounds a bit more like “whenever you do that, you’ll find…,” while ～たら can feel more like “once you’ve done that.”
Who is the subject of this sentence? I don’t see “you” or “I” anywhere.
Japanese frequently omits subjects when they’re obvious from context. Here the implied subject is “you” (the person receiving directions). It’s a common way to give instructions: no need to say あなたは – you just state the action directly.