kono hagaki no ura ni, kyouto de totta shashin ga insatsushite arimasu.

subject particle

Breakdown of kono hagaki no ura ni, kyouto de totta shashin ga insatsushite arimasu.

• の: possessive case particle
• で: location particle
• 写真しゃしん: photo

Questions & Answers about kono hagaki no ura ni, kyouto de totta shashin ga insatsushite arimasu.

Why is 裏 followed by に in このはがきの裏に?

Because に marks the place where something exists or is located.

Here, このはがきの裏に means on the back of this postcard or more literally at the back side of this postcard.

The second half of the sentence is talking about a photo being there in a printed state, so に is the natural particle.

• 裏に = on the back / at the back side
• not 裏で, because で would mark the place where an action happens

So:

• 京都で撮った = taken in Kyoto (place of action)
• はがきの裏に = on the postcard’s back (place where the result exists)

Why is it 京都で撮った and not 京都に撮った?

Because で marks the location where an action happens.

The verb 撮る means to take a photo, so 京都で撮った means took in Kyoto / taken in Kyoto.

Use で for the place of the action:

• 京都で撮る = take a photo in Kyoto
• 公園で食べる = eat in the park
• 部屋で勉強する = study in the room

Using に here would sound wrong, because に is not normally used for the location where you take a photo.

Why is 撮った in the past form even though the whole sentence is not really about the past?