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watasi no ie ni neko ga iru.

私わたし　の　家いえ　に　猫ねこ　が　いる。watasi no ie ni neko ga iru.
There is a cat in my house.
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Questions & Answers about watasi no ie ni neko ga iru.

What is the function of the particle の in 私の家?
The particle の marks possession or a genitive relationship. Here, 私の家 literally means my house, linking 私 (I/me) with 家 (house) to show ownership.
Why is に used after 家 instead of another particle like で?
In existence (there is/are) sentences, に indicates the location where something exists. 私の家に means “at my house.” By contrast, で would mark the location of an action, not simple existence.
Why is が used after 猫? Could we use は instead?

が marks the subject in existential sentences, introducing something as existing or present. Using は would make 猫 the topic and imply contrast or known context.

  • 猫がいる: “There is a cat” (introducing its existence).
  • 猫はいる: “As for cats, they do exist” (contrastive/general statement).
Why is the verb いる used instead of ある?

Japanese distinguishes animate vs. inanimate existence.

  • いる is used for living beings (people, animals).
  • ある is used for inanimate objects or abstract things.
    Since a cat is animate, you must use いる.
Why isn’t there a verb meaning “have” in this sentence?

Instead of a direct equivalent of “have,” Japanese often expresses possession by stating that something exists at a location.
私の家に猫がいる literally means “At my house, a cat exists,” which naturally corresponds to “I have a cat.”

Could the word order be changed? For example, 猫が私の家にいる?

Yes. Japanese word order is flexible because particles mark grammatical roles.

  • 私の家に猫がいる focuses first on the location.
  • 猫が私の家にいる brings the cat (subject) to the front.
    Both are grammatical; they just shift the emphasis.
Is it necessary to include 私の? Could I just say 家に猫がいる?

You can omit 私の if the context makes it clear whose house you mean.

  • 家に猫がいる means “There’s a cat at (my/your/our) house,” depending on context.
    Including 私の removes any ambiguity and specifies my house.
What’s the difference between いる and its polite form います?

いる is the plain/dictionary form, used in casual speech or writing.
います is the polite form, used when speaking formally or respectfully.
Both mean “to exist” for animate subjects; you choose based on the level of politeness you need.