Breakdown of kouen ni inu ga iru.
犬inu
dog
がga
subject particle
公園kouen
park
にni
location particle
いるiru
to exist
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Questions & Answers about kouen ni inu ga iru.
Why do we use に after 公園 in 公園に犬がいる instead of で?
The particle に marks the specific location of existence with verbs like いる/ある, showing “where something is.” In contrast, で indicates the place where an action or event occurs. Since いる simply states that a dog exists somewhere (it’s not an action), you must use に:
公園に犬がいる
(“A dog is in the park.”)
Why is 犬 marked with が instead of は here?
In existential sentences, が marks the subject and introduces new or indefinite information (“There is a dog”). If you used は (犬は公園にいる), you would be making “dog” the known topic and possibly implying contrast or that you’re talking about a particular dog you’ve already mentioned.
Could we say 犬が公園にいる instead? Does changing the word order matter?
Yes, 犬が公園にいる is also grammatically correct. Japanese word order is flexible because particles show each word’s role. Changing the order shifts the nuance slightly:
- 公園に犬がいる: “(Out of various things in the park) there’s a dog.”
- 犬が公園にいる: “(Out of various places for the dog) it’s in the park.”
Why do we use いる here and not ある?
いる is used for animate beings (people, animals). ある is used for inanimate objects (chairs, books, trees). Since a dog is alive, we use いる.
How do we make this sentence polite?
Change the plain form いる to its polite form います:
公園に犬がいます。
How do you ask “Is there a dog in the park?” in Japanese?
Add the question particle か at the end (in polite speech):
公園に犬がいますか？
Optional plain‐question version (less common in conversation):
公園に犬がいる？