other N5 essential casualpolitewritten
〜がいる — there is ~ (animate)
〜がいる ・ がいる
Meaning
- there is ~ / ~ exists / I have ~ — the existence construction for living things
Key sentence
池に魚がいる。
There are fish in the pond.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Location + living thing | [場所] に ＋ N が ＋ いる | 庭に鳥がいる |
Examples
受付に誰かいますか。
Is there someone at the reception desk?
私には犬が二匹いる。
I have two dogs.
あそこに有名な歌手がいる。
There's a famous singer over there.
When you can't use it
- Living, moving things only. For objects use 〜がある: ×机に本がいる → ○本がある.
Easily confused with
See 〜がいる in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜がいる the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.