Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha kyou hazimete kanozyo no ie ni iku. sotira ha eki kara tikai? - I am going to her house for the first time today. Is it close to the station over there?

In most contexts, そちら politely means “your side/your place (where you are).” So そちらは駅から近い？ usually means “Is your place close to the station?” It only means “her place” if the listener is at her house or representing it. If you want to ask specifically about her house, say: 彼女の家は駅から近い？ (casual) or 彼女の家は駅から近いですか。 (polite).

Why is 行く non‑past if it’s about a future action “going today”?

Japanese non‑past covers both present and future. The time word 今日 (“today”) tells you it’s a future plan: 私は今日…行く = “I’m going today.”

Can I use へ instead of に in 彼女の家に行く?

Yes. …家に行く and …家へ行く are both correct. に focuses on reaching the destination (more common for specific places). へ marks direction a bit more abstractly. In everyday speech, に is more frequent.

Why is there no particle after 今日? Should it be 今日は?

Time words often act adverbially without a particle: 今日行く. Using 今日は makes “today” the topic (“as for today”), which slightly shifts emphasis. Both are natural; 今日は sounds a bit more contrastive/topical.

How does 初めて work here? Do I need 初めての?

初めて is an adverb meaning “for the first time,” modifying 行く: 初めて行く. Use 初めての when modifying a noun: 初めての訪問, 初めてのデート.

Does 彼女 mean “girlfriend” or just “her”?

It can mean either. In everyday conversation, 彼女 often implies “girlfriend.” If you simply mean “that woman previously mentioned,” Japanese often avoids pronouns and uses her name or role (e.g., 山田さんの家). Context disambiguates.

Is the politeness consistent? そちら sounds polite but 近い？ is casual.

Mixing そちら with a plain question is common and not jarring. For fully casual, you can say そっちは駅から近い？ For fully polite: そちらは駅から近いですか。

Why is は used after 私 and そちら?

は marks the topic. 私は…行く sets “I” as the topic; そちらは…近い？ sets “your place” as the topic to ask about its property. You could omit 私は if context is clear: 今日初めて彼女の家に行く。

Why use から with 近い? Can I say 駅に近い?

Both are natural:

駅から近い: “It’s close (when starting from) the station,” common in spoken “access” talk.
駅に近い: “It is close to the station,” a bit more static/description-like.
Either works in most situations.

What’s the difference between 近い and 近く?

近い: i‑adjective. 駅から近い。/ 駅に近い。
近く: noun/adverb. 駅の近くです。/ 駅の近くにあります。
Choose based on sentence structure; meaning is similar.

Is it okay to ask 近い？ without ですか?

Yes, in casual speech. Plain form questions often just rise in intonation (and may use a question mark in writing). Polite would be 近いですか。

Is the word order 今日初めて彼女の家に行く natural? Where else can I put 今日 and 初めて?

Yes, it’s natural. Common options:

今日は初めて彼女の家に行く。
今日、初めて彼女の家に行く。
初めて今日彼女の家に行く。 (less common; sounds marked)
Time words usually come early; 初めて sits before the verb phrase it modifies.

Could I drop 私は?

Yes. Subjects are often omitted when obvious. 今日初めて彼女の家に行く。 is very natural in context.

Would adding んだ/の change the nuance?

Yes, it adds an explanatory or sharing tone: 今日は初めて彼女の家に行くんだ。 (male/neutral) / …行くの。 (often female in casual speech). It sounds like you’re informing or justifying to the listener.

Are spaces between the Japanese words standard?

No. They’re sometimes added for learners. Native writing doesn’t insert spaces between words: 私は今日初めて彼女の家に行く。そちらは駅から近い？

Is そちらは駅から近い？ always okay, or can it be misunderstood?

It’s fine if you mean “your place/area.” If you mean “her house,” prefer 彼女の家は駅から近い？ unless the listener is physically at her house or clearly representing it.