other N5 essential casualpolitewritten
いる — to exist (animate)
いる
Meaning
- (there) is / exists — for people, animals, and other living, moving things
- to have — for people in your life (兄がいる, 友達がいる)
Key sentence
庭に猫がいる。
There's a cat in the garden.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain (regular ichidan verb) | いる ／ いない ／ いた | 誰もいない |
| Polite | います ／ いません | 事務所に人がいます |
Examples
教室に学生がいます。
There are students in the classroom.
私には兄が一人いる。
I have one older brother.
公園に子どもがたくさんいる。
There are lots of children in the park.
When you can't use it
- Living things only. For objects, plants, and abstractions use ある: ×机の上に本がいる → ○本がある.
Easily confused with
See いる in real sentences
Jengo shows 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 with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.