eki de michi ni mayotta gaikokujin ni eigo de hanashikakemashita.

English (language)

Breakdown of eki de michi ni mayotta gaikokujin ni eigo de hanashikakemashita.

• で: location particle
• で: means particle
• 駅えき: station

Questions & Answers about eki de michi ni mayotta gaikokujin ni eigo de hanashikakemashita.

How is this sentence read out loud?

A natural reading is:

えきで みちに まよった がいこくじんに えいごで はなしかけました。
Eki de michi ni mayotta gaikokujin ni eigo de hanashikakemashita.

A rough rhythm/parse is:

• 駅で = at the station
• 道に迷った外国人に = to a foreigner who was lost
• 英語で = in English
• 話しかけました = spoke to / started talking to

Why is there no subject like I in the sentence?

Because Japanese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.

So this sentence naturally means something like:

• (I) spoke to a foreigner who was lost at the station in English.

But Japanese does not need to say 私が unless there is a reason to emphasize it or contrast it with someone else.

This is very common and very natural in Japanese.

Why is it 駅で and not 駅に?

Here, で marks the place where an action happens.

• 駅で話しかけました = spoke to someone at the station

By contrast, に often marks:

• destination: 駅に行く = go to the station
• existence: 駅に人がいる = there is a person at the station
• specific time, target, etc.