watasi ha yuka ni kaapetto wo sikimasu.

I lay a carpet on the floor.

Breakdown of watasi ha yuka ni kaapetto wo sikimasu.

• は: topic particle
• 私わたし: I
• を: direct object particle
• に: location particle
• カーペット: carpet
• 敷しく: to lay; to spread
• 床ゆか: floor

Questions & Answers about watasi ha yuka ni kaapetto wo sikimasu.

Why does the sentence use は after 私 instead of が?

は marks the topic of the sentence: what we’re talking about.
Here, 私は means “as for me / speaking about me”.

• 私は床にカーペットを敷きます。
  = As for me, (I) lay a carpet on the floor.

If you said 私が床にカーペットを敷きます, it would sound like:

• “I am the one who lays a carpet on the floor (not someone else),”
  adding a feeling of contrast or emphasis on I.

For a neutral “I (will) lay a carpet on the floor”, 私は is more natural.

Why is 床 followed by に and not で?

に marks the target / destination / final location of something.

• 床にカーペットを敷きます。
  = You spread/place the carpet onto the floor (the floor is the place where the carpet ends up).

By contrast, で usually marks the place where an action happens:

• 図書館で勉強します。 – I study at the library.

For verbs of putting / placing / attaching, such as:

• 置く (to put)
• 貼る (to stick)
• 敷く (to lay, spread)

you almost always use に for the surface / place you put something on.

床でカーペットを敷きます would sound like “I do the action of laying a carpet at the floor” and is unnatural.

What role does を play after カーペット?

を marks the direct object of the verb: the thing that undergoes the action.

• カーペットを敷きます
  = (I) lay the carpet.

So in this sentence:

• 私 – topic (“as for me”)
• 床に – location where the carpet ends up
• カーペットを – the thing being laid/spread
• 敷きます – the action (“lay / spread”)

Can I change the word order, like カーペットを床に敷きます?

Yes. Japanese word order is flexible as long as:

1. The verb stays at the end, and
2. The particles stay attached to the correct words.

All of these are grammatically fine and mean the same thing:

• 私は床にカーペットを敷きます。
• 私はカーペットを床に敷きます。
• 床にカーペットを敷きます。 (dropping 私)

The nuance changes very slightly in what feels “foregrounded,” but for everyday use they’re practically the same.

What is the dictionary form and meaning of 敷きます?

The dictionary (plain) form is 敷く.

Basic meanings:

• to lay (a carpet, futon, mattress)
• to spread (a blanket, sheet)
• to pave (a road with stones, etc.)

So 敷きます is the polite non-past form:

• 敷く → 敷きます (polite)
• It covers both present habitual and future:
  • “I lay a carpet (as a general statement).”
  • “I will lay a carpet (later).”

What’s the difference between 敷く and 置く?

Both can involve putting something somewhere, but they’re used with different kinds of objects and actions.

敷く

• Used for things that are spread out flat over a surface:
  • carpets, rugs, tatami mats
  • futons, mattresses
  • blankets, sheets

Examples:

• 布団を敷く – lay out a futon
• シーツを敷く – spread a sheet

置く

• Used for placing/setting objects somewhere (not spreading them flat):
  • furniture, books, objects, etc.

Examples:

• 机を部屋に置く – put a desk in the room
• 本をテーブルに置く – put a book on the table

For a carpet, 敷く is the natural verb, not 置く.

Why does 敷きます not clearly show whether it means “I lay” or “I will lay”?

Japanese non-past form (敷きます / 敷く) covers both present and future:

• habitual/general: “I (usually) lay a carpet…”
• scheduled/near future: “I’ll lay a carpet (later).”

The exact time is understood from:

• context,
• time words:
  
  • 明日、床にカーペットを敷きます。 – I’ll lay a carpet tomorrow.
  • 毎日、床にカーペットを敷きます。 – I lay a carpet every day.

The verb form itself doesn’t distinguish present vs future like English does.

What politeness level is 敷きます, and how would I say this casually?

敷きます is the polite (ます-form) used in:

• talking to strangers
• at work/school
• with people you’re not close to

Casual/plain forms:

• 私は床にカーペットを敷く。 – same meaning, but informal
• You can also drop 私 in casual speech:
  • 床にカーペットを敷く。

Polite vs casual:

• 敷きます – polite
• 敷く – casual/plain

Can I leave out 私 in this sentence?

Yes, and in real conversations it’s very common. Japanese often omits pronouns when they’re clear from context.

So you’ll frequently see and hear:

• 床にカーペットを敷きます。

In English you must say I, but in Japanese it’s usually understood from the situation who the subject is.

How do I say this in the past or progressive (ongoing) tense?

Starting from 敷きます:

• Past (polite):
  床にカーペットを敷きました。
  = I laid a carpet on the floor.

• Progressive / ongoing (polite):
  床にカーペットを敷いています。
  = I am laying a carpet on the floor.
  (or, depending on context, “a carpet is laid on the floor / has been laid and is there now”.)

Plain (casual) equivalents:

• 敷いた – laid
• 敷いている – am laying / is laid (context decides).