Breakdown of gakkou no tonari ni kouen ga arimasu.
学校gakkou
school
がga
subject particle
のno
possessive case particle
公園kouen
park
あるaru
to exist
隣 にtonari ni
next to
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Questions & Answers about gakkou no tonari ni kouen ga arimasu.
What is the function of the particle の in 学校の隣?
の is the genitive (possessive) particle that links two nouns. In 学校の隣, it shows that the “next” belongs to or is related to the “school,” so it literally means “the next of the school” (i.e. “next to the school”).
Why do we use the particle に after 隣 instead of, say, で or nothing at all?
In Japanese, に marks the location where something exists or happens. Since we’re stating where the park is located, we use 隣に (“at/beside the school”). で would indicate the location of an action or event (“do something at the school’s side”), not mere existence.
Why is が used with 公園 instead of は?
In existential sentences using ある/いる, が marks the thing that exists (the grammatical subject). If you used は, you’d turn 公園 into the topic and potentially introduce contrast or imply “as for the park…” rather than simply “there is a park.”
Could we say 学校の隣には公園があります with には?
Yes. 隣には combines に (location marker) and は (topic marker) to place slight emphasis or contrast on that location: “As for next to the school, there is a park.” It’s still correct but shifts the nuance.
Why can’t we say 学校が隣に公園があります or 公園学校の隣にあります?
The structure for existence is always [location]に [thing that exists]が ある/いる. You can’t swap them. 学校 is part of the location phrase, not the thing that exists. 公園 must follow が as the subject of あります.
How do I decide between あります and います?
Use あります for inanimate objects (e.g. buildings, parks, books) and います for animate beings (people, animals). Since a park is inanimate, we choose あります.
How would I read or spell this sentence in kana and romaji?
Kana: がっこう の となり に こうえん が あります。
Romaji: gakkō no tonari ni kōen ga arimasu.
If I wanted to say “There’s also a library next to the school,” how would I modify the sentence?
You’d replace 公園が with 図書館も (using も for “also”):
学校の隣に図書館もあります。
(“Next to the school, there is also a library.”)
Can I change the order and say 公園が学校の隣にあります?
Yes. That’s grammatically fine and just emphasizes 公園 (“The park is located next to the school”). Both orders are acceptable, though placing the location first is more neutral.