Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha byouin de isya ni aimasu.

The particle は marks the topic of the sentence—what the sentence is “about.” Here, 私 (I) is already known or assumed, so we set it up as the topic with は.

What’s the difference between the topic marker は and the subject marker が?

は introduces or shifts the topic and often contrasts or emphasizes known information. が marks a new or specific subject doing or experiencing something. If you said 私が病院で…, you’d be emphasizing “I” (as opposed to someone else) doing the action.

Why do we use で after 病院, not に?

で indicates the location where an action takes place (“at the hospital”). に would mark destination or point in time (“to the hospital” or “at [a moment]”), but here you’re describing the meeting event’s location, so you need で.

Why is 医者 followed by に instead of を?

In Japanese, 会う (to meet) treats the person you meet as an indirect object, so you mark that person with に. を would normally mark a direct object, but 会う doesn’t take one.

Why is the verb 会います used here instead of something like 診ます (to examine)?

会います simply means “to meet” or “to have an appointment with.” If you want to emphasize “being examined by the doctor,” you’d use 診てもらいます (“to receive an examination”). But if you’re focusing on the act of meeting the doctor, 会います is the right verb.

What politeness level is 会います?

会います is the polite non-past form (the -ます form) of 会う. It’s appropriate for everyday polite conversation with someone you’re not extremely close to.

Why does the verb come at the end of the sentence?

Japanese typically follows Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order. You place the verb (会います) at the end, after you’ve introduced the topic (私), location (病院), and indirect object (医者).

Can you omit 私は and just say 病院で医者に会います?

Yes. In Japanese, subjects/topics can be dropped when they’re clear from context. If it’s obvious you’re talking about yourself, saying 病院で医者に会います is perfectly natural.

Could you use 先生 or 医者さん instead of 医者?

Absolutely. 先生 (“teacher”/“doctor” as an honorific) and 医者さん (adding さん for politeness) are common alternatives. For example:

病院で先生に会います。
病院で医者さんに会います。

Both are more friendly or respectful ways to refer to the doctor.