Breakdown of sigoto ni iku totyuu de miti ni mayoi, tomodati ni denwasimasita.
にni
destination particle
行くiku
to go
友達tomodati
friend
にni
indirect object particle
仕事sigoto
work
にni
location particle
道miti
road
電話するdenwasuru
to call
途中 でtotyuu de
on the way
迷うmayou
to get lost
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Questions & Answers about sigoto ni iku totyuu de miti ni mayoi, tomodati ni denwasimasita.
What does 途中で mean, and why do we use the particle で here?
途中で means “on the way” or “in the middle of” doing something. The particle で marks the place or time where an action happens. So 仕事に行く途中で literally means “at the point/time when (I am) going to work,” i.e. “on the way to work.”
Why is the phrase 道に迷う using に instead of を?
In 道に迷う, the verb 迷う is intransitive (“to lose one’s way”), and に marks the “location” or “sphere” in which that intransitive action takes place. You’re essentially “getting lost in the road.” Using を would imply a direct object, which doesn’t fit here.
Why is 迷う in the stem form (迷い、) instead of the て-form (迷って) when connecting to the next action?
Using the verb’s stem (the ます-stem) plus a comma is a more formal or written way to link clauses. The stem itself carries no tense—only the final verb does. In casual speech you’d often hear:
• 道に迷って、友達に電話した。
In more formal or narrative writing you’ll see:
• 道に迷い、友達に電話しました。
In 友達に電話しました, why is the person you call marked with に?
When you say “call someone” in Japanese (電話する), the person being called is marked with に to indicate the target or recipient of that action. So 友達に電話しました means “I called my friend.”
Can we say 仕事へ行く途中で instead of 仕事に行く途中で?
Yes, へ can also mark direction (“toward work”), so 仕事へ行く途中で is grammatically correct and understandable. However, に is more common after 行く because it directly shows the destination. Thus 仕事に行く途中で is the usual, more natural choice.
Why is there no subject like 私は in this sentence?
Japanese frequently omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, it’s obvious the speaker is talking about themselves, so 私は (“I”) is implied. You could add it for emphasis—私は仕事に行く途中で…—but in natural conversation or written Japanese it’s normally dropped.
Why does only the final verb show the past tense, while the earlier verb remains unchanged?
When you link verbs using the 連用形 (stem form), only the final verb in the sequence is inflected for tense. The earlier verbs simply form part of the narrative flow without their own tense marking. That’s why 迷い、電話しました conveys “(I) got lost and (then) called,” with the past tense shown only once at 電話しました.