JLPT N5 · There is, this and that · 19 of 60

There is: あります

N があります N ga arimasu Something exists; have something

あります (arimasu) says that a thing is there: a pen on the desk, a shop near the school. It also means "have" for time, money and plans.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: There is, this and that
English links: there is / there are, have, subject-verb agreement, articles

What it means

あります says that something exists. Use it for things that do not move by themselves: books, buildings, trees, money. 机の上にペンがあります means "There is a pen on the desk."

The usual order is place first, then the thing. The place takes に, the thing takes が, and あります comes last. When you already know the thing and want to say where it is, turn it round: 職員室は二階にあります, "The staff room is on the second floor."

あります also means "have" for things you do not hold in your hand: 時間があります (I have time), 宿題があります (I have homework), 会議があります (I have a meeting). Events use it too. The negative is ありません, and the past is ありました.

For people and animals, Japanese uses a different verb, います. That is the next point in this list.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
Place に + N が + あります place ni + N ga + arimasu	There is N in the place. The place comes first.
N は + place に + あります N wa + place ni + arimasu	N is in the place. Use this for a thing you already know about.
N が + あります N ga + arimasu	I have N, or there is N. For time, money, homework, meetings and events.
あります → ありません → ありました → ありませんでした arimasu → arimasen → arimashita → arimasen deshita	There is, there is not, there was, there was not.

Examples

机の上にペンがあります。 tsukue no ue ni pen ga arimasu. There is a pen on the desk.
学校の近くにコンビニがあります。 gakkou no chikaku ni konbini ga arimasu. There is a convenience store near the school.
職員室は二階にあります。 shokuinshitsu wa nikai ni arimasu. The staff room is on the second floor.
今日は宿題がありません。 kyou wa shukudai ga arimasen. There is no homework today.
明日、会議があります。 ashita, kaigi ga arimasu. I have a meeting tomorrow.

How English says it

English splits あります into three tools. "There is" or "there are" brings in something new: "There is a pen on the desk." The verb "be" tells you where a known thing is: "The staff room is on the second floor." And "have" covers time, money and plans: "I have a meeting."

English also starts with an empty subject, "there", and puts the place at the end. Japanese puts the place first. So the English sentence runs in almost the opposite order.

Notice the articles. New things often get "a" after "there is". Known things often get "the" with "is". In Japanese, が and は do a little of this job, but there are no articles at all.

Why it can make English hard

Japanese starts with the place, so many students start with the place in English too, and then look for a verb. You will often hear "In my town has a big park."
あります has one form for one thing or many. English needs "there is" or "there are", so the verb must agree with the noun that comes after it.
Students must choose between "there is", "be" and "have" for one Japanese verb. Some learners use "have" for everything, or "there is" for things everyone already knows.
Words like time, money and homework cannot take "a" in English, but students do not see that from 時間があります.

Mistakes you will hear

In my town has a big park. There is a big park in my town. From 町に大きい公園があります. The place comes first in Japanese. "My town has a big park" is also fine.
There is three books on the desk. There are three books on the desk. あります does not change for plural. English does.
There is the post office near the station. The post office is near the station. From 郵便局は駅の近くにあります. A known place takes "the" and "is", not "there is".
Do you have a time? Do you have time? From 時間がありますか. With "the", "Do you have the time?" asks what time it is.

In the classroom

Put real things on your desk: a pen, a book, a phone. Students make "There is a ... on the desk" sentences. Then take one away and ask "Is there a ...?"
Draw a simple map of the town round the school. Students ask and answer "Is there a convenience store near the school?" It is real, and they know the answers.
Write two columns on the board: "new thing: There is a ..." and "known thing: The ... is ...". Sort a few sentences together before students write their own.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: 教室にテレビ＿あります。 (There is a TV in the classroom.)

Answer: が

The thing that exists takes が. The place takes に.
2. Choose: 公園に木が（あります／います）。 (There are trees in the park.)

Answer: あります

Trees do not move by themselves, so they take あります.
3. A student writes "In my house has a piano." Fix it.

Answer: There is a piano in my house. (or: We have a piano at home.)

English needs a subject. Use "there is" with the place at the end, or use "have" with a person.
4. Translate: 時間がありません。

Answer: I do not have time. (or: There is no time.)

あります means "have" here. "Time" takes no article.