We use the particle に for saying that something is present at a certain location.
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| I am in the United States. | 米国 に います。beikoku ni imasu. |
| I have a car at home. | うち に 車 が あります。uchi ni kuruma ga arimasu. |
Note how あります is translated with to have in the sentence above. To have is a second meaning of the verb ある.
When an event or action is happening at a particular place, we use the particle で instead of に.
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| I will buy rice at the shop. | お店 で 米 を 買います。omise de kome o kaimasu. |
| I drank a beverage at home. | うち で 飲み物 を 飲みました。uchi de nomimono o nomimashita. |
Note the お in front of 店. The お is an honorific prefix, showing respect to the person or object you are talking about. There are several words that commonly go together with this prefix. For example, it can also come in front of 水 to make お水. Using お is polite, and in casual speech you would just say 水 and 店.
Finally, the particle で can also be used to talk about the means/mode by which something is done.
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| (I) went by car. | 車 で 行きました。kuruma de ikimashita. |
