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Breakdown of migi no miti ni atarasii singou ga arimasu.
がga
subject particle
のno
possessive case particle
新しいatarasii
new
にni
location particle
あるaru
to exist
道miti
road
右migi
right
信号singou
traffic light
Questions & Answers about migi no miti ni atarasii singou ga arimasu.
What does 右の道 mean in this sentence?
右(みぎ) means “right” and 道(みち) means “road.” When you link them with の, you get 右の道, literally “road of right,” but naturally translated as “the road on the right” or “the right-hand road.”
Why is the particle の used between 右 and 道?
In Japanese, の often connects two nouns so that the first noun modifies the second. Here, 右の道 uses の to make 右 describe 道, turning “right” into an adjective meaning “right-side.”
What function does the particle に have in 道に?
When talking about existence (there is/are), [location]に [thing]がある／いる is the basic pattern. に marks 道 as the place where the new traffic light exists: “at the road.”
Why is 新しい placed before 信号?
新しい(あたらしい) is an い-adjective, and in Japanese adjectives always come before the noun they modify. So 新しい信号 = “new traffic light.”
Why does the sentence use 信号が (with が) rather than 信号は (with は)?
In existential sentences introducing new information, が marks the thing whose existence you’re pointing out. If you used は, you’d be contrasting or making 信号 the topic, which changes the nuance (e.g. “As for traffic lights, there is...” or “Speaking of traffic lights, there is...” rather than simply “There is a new traffic light”).
Why is the verb あります used here, and why not います or the dictionary form ある?
Existence verbs: use ある/あります for inanimate objects and いる/います for animate beings. Since a traffic light is inanimate, we use あります. The 〜ます ending makes the sentence polite.
What is the general structure for saying “there is/are …” in Japanese?
The pattern is:
[location] に [thing] が／は ある(います)
– Use ある for inanimate things, いる for animate.
– が introduces new/dependent information; は makes it the topic or contrastive.
Why is there no explicit subject like “it” or “there” at the beginning of this Japanese sentence?
Japanese doesn’t use a dummy subject for existence. The verb あります by itself carries the meaning “there is.” You simply specify the place with に, the thing with が, and then あります to complete “there is … at ….”
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Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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