Photos of JapanNihongo o Narau

Lesson 19: I read at the library.
Click here for the kana version.

This lesson builds on what we've learned about the particle de. Recall from Lesson 13 that de is a particle that can be used as "by means of", "at" or "in" depending on the situation. In Lesson 13 we used it like this: Basu de kouen e ikimasu. I'll go to the park by bus. Now we will study the 'at' function.

De can be used to show where an action takes place. For example, if you wanted to say 'I study in my room.' you would use de to show that you do the action of studying in your room.

Examples:

kouen de
in/at the park.
puuru de
in/at the pool
toshokan de in/at the library
uchi de at home
eigakan de in/at the movie theater

From there you should be able to make whole sentences indicating where you do things.

Examples:

Kouen de tenisu o shimasu.
I play tennis at the park.
Watashi no heya de benkyou shimasu.
I study in my room.
Toshokan de hon o yomimasu. I read books at the library.
Watashi no uchi de shukudai o shimashou. Let's do homework at my house.
Eigakan de eiga o mimasu. I watch movies at the movie theater.

Careful! Recall from Lesson 12 that indicating where something is does not use de. This case always uses ni. Don't use de with arimasu or imasu.

Kaigi wa toshokan ni arimasu.
The meeting is at the library.
Neko wa watashi no heya ni imasu. The cat is in my room.
   

Lesson 19 Vocabulary:
toshokan library
kaigi meeting
uchi house
puuru swimming pool
eigakan movie theater
   
tenisu o shimasu play tennis
   
de particle indicating a location where an action takes place
Home | Contact | Privacy
Copyright DL © 2002-2008