Saying what exists: あります and います
English uses “there is” for both a car and a person. Japanese usually chooses a different verb for each.
Learn
Use います for people and animals, and あります for objects and plants. 犬 が います means “There is a dog.” 本 が あります means “There is a book.” This is the basic distinction to learn first.
| います | あります | |
|---|---|---|
| usually used for | people and animals | objects, plants, and places |
| example | けんさん が います | 車 が あります |
Being alive is not the whole rule: plants normally take あります. Movement can be a memory aid, but it is not a literal test—a sleeping dog still takes います. Learn the usual category rather than checking whether something is moving now.
These verbs can also express what someone has, when the context makes the person clear. お金 が あります can mean “I have money,” and 友達 が います can mean “I have friends.” The Japanese structure describes what exists or is available; natural English often uses “have.”
Examples
けんさん が います。
Ken is here.
車 が あります。
There is a car.
犬 と 猫 が います。
There is a dog and a cat.
時間 が あります か。
Do you have time?