Word
机 の 上 に コーヒー の しみ が あります。tsukue no ue ni koohii no shimi ga arimasu.
Meaning
There is a coffee stain on the desk.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of tsukue no ue ni koohii no shimi ga arimasu.
がga
subject particle
のno
possessive case particle
コーヒーkoohii
coffee
あるaru
to exist/have
机tsukue
desk
上 にue ni
on
しみshimi
stain
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Questions & Answers about tsukue no ue ni koohii no shimi ga arimasu.
What does the particle の indicate in 机の上に?
The particle の here links 机 (desk) and 上 (top), showing that the “top” belongs to or is part of the desk. So 机の上 literally means “the top of the desk.”
Why is 上 followed by に in 机の上に?
The particle に marks a location where something exists or occurs. In the phrase 机の上に, に tells us that whatever follows (the coffee stain) exists on the desk.
Why is コーヒー followed by の before しみ?
This の creates a noun modification: it turns コーヒー (coffee) into a descriptor for しみ (stain). So コーヒーのしみ means “a coffee stain” or literally “stain of coffee.”
Why is the particle が used before あります instead of は?
In Japanese existence sentences with あります (for inanimate things), the thing that exists is marked by が as the subject. You use が to introduce or point out something new: コーヒーのしみが. Using は here would topicalize the stain and might imply contrast or presuppose you already know about it.
Why do we use あります instead of います for the stain?
Japanese distinguishes animate and inanimate existence: あります (from ある) is used for inanimate objects and plants, while います (from いる) is for animate beings (people, animals). A coffee stain is inanimate, so we use あります.
Can the word order of this sentence change? For example, could we say コーヒーのしみが机の上にあります?
Yes. Both 机の上にコーヒーのしみがあります and コーヒーのしみが机の上にあります are grammatically correct. The difference is in emphasis. Placing コーヒーのしみが first emphasizes the stain, while starting with 机の上に emphasizes the location before introducing the stain.