First, there are two different ways of saying something exists. One is for animate things (people and animals) and one is for inanimate things. These are the verbs います and あります. These both mean "to exist." います is used for animate things and あります is used for inanimate things.

To ask where a place or inanimate object is, one can use the form:

XXは　どこに　ありますか。 Where is XX?

For people and animals, imasu is used instead:

XXは　どこに　いますか。 Where is XX?

Note the use of に. に was previously shown in Lesson 7; its meaning here is slightly different. に in this case means 'at.' どこに means 'at what location.' Similarly, ここに would mean 'at this location.' The above sentences literally translate as 'As for XX, at what location does it exist?'

In order to say where something or someone is, just replace the 'どこ' with the location.

Examples:

マイクさんは　どこに　いますか。

マイクさんは　がっこうに　います。

ねこは　どこに　いますか。

Where is the cat?

ねこは　あそこに　います。

The cat is over there.

わたしの　りんごは　どこに　ありますか。

Where is my apple?

ここに　あります。.

It's here.

Now that we have more location words to work with, we can make more location sentences. Just place the correct location word in the sentence.

Examples:

ねこは　どこに　いますか。
そとに　います。
なかに　います。

Where is the cat?
It's outside.
It's inside.

Now we need to combine the location words with objects to create such locations as 'in the bag' etc. We do this using the particle の. Recall from Lesson 2 that の indicates possesion.

Examples:

くるまのうえ
くるまのした
くるまのなか
くるまのそと
くるまのうしろ

on the car
under the car
in the car
outside of the car
behind the car

Note that where in English these phrases are indicated with prepositions these are more like postpositions.

OK, now that we have our new locations, we can insert them in our location sentence as before.

Examples:

ねこは　どこに　いますか。
くるまの　うえに　います。
くるまの　したに　います。

かばんは　どこに　ありますか。
くるまの　なかに　あります。

Where is the cat?
It's on the car.
It's under the car.

Where's the bag?
It's in the car.

Lesson 12 Vocabulary:

あります

to exist (for inanimate things)

います

to exist (for animate things)

に

particle meaning at

の

possessive particle