JLPT N5 · There is, this and that · 20 of 60

There is: います

N がいます N ga imasu Someone or an animal exists

います (imasu) says that a person or an animal is there. It also means "have" for family and pets: 兄がいます, "I have an older brother".

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

What it means

います is the "there is" verb for people and animals. あります is for things. A simple test: if it can move by itself, use います. 教室に生徒がいます means "There are students in the classroom."

The order is the same as with あります. Place に, person が, います. To say where a known person is, put the person first with は: 田中先生は職員室にいます, "Mr Tanaka is in the staff room."

います also means "have" for family and pets. 兄がいます is "I have an older brother", and 猫がいます is "I have a cat." The negative is いません, and the past is いました. You will hear いません a lot in the staff room: "He is not here."

It is the same verb that you will meet later in ～ています (be doing).

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
Place に + person or animal が + います place ni + person or animal ga + imasu	There is someone in the place.
Person は + place に + います person wa + place ni + imasu	The person is in the place. Use this for someone you already know.
Family or pet が + います family or pet ga + imasu	I have a brother, a cat, and so on. Add a counter like 一人 or 二匹 before います.
います → いません → いました → いませんでした imasu → imasen → imashita → imasen deshita	Is there, is not there, was there, was not there.

Examples

教室に生徒が三十人います。 kyoushitsu ni seito ga sanjuunin imasu. There are thirty students in the classroom.
田中先生は職員室にいます。 tanaka sensei wa shokuinshitsu ni imasu. Mr Tanaka is in the staff room.
兄が一人います。 ani ga hitori imasu. I have one older brother.
家に猫がいます。 ie ni neko ga imasu. We have a cat at home.
今、校長先生はいません。 ima, kouchou sensei wa imasen. The principal is not here now.

How English says it

English does not care if something is alive. "There is a dog" and "There is a desk" use the same words. So the います and あります split does not carry over. That part is easy for students.

The hard part is the same three-way choice as with あります. "There are thirty students" for something new. "Mr Tanaka is in the staff room" for a known person. "I have a brother" for family and pets.

Why it can make English hard

います has one form for one person or many. With people, numbers are often large, so "there is" with a plural noun is a very common slip.
Japanese counts people with a counter (一人, 二人) and has no plural ending. Students often forget the "-s" on "brothers" and "students".
Japanese often says how many people are in a group with です: 家族は四人です. Many students carry this straight into English.
Asking if a known person is around uses は and いますか in Japanese. In English it is "Is Mr Tanaka here?", not "Is there Mr Tanaka?"

Mistakes you will hear

There is many students in the gym. There are many students in the gym. The verb agrees with "students". います never changes.
I have two brother. I have two brothers. From 兄弟が二人います. The counter shows the number, so the plural "-s" goes missing.
My family is four people. There are four people in my family. From 家族は四人です. English uses "there are" here.
Is there Mr Tanaka? Is Mr Tanaka here? From 田中先生はいますか. A known person takes "is ... here", not "is there".

In the classroom

Family is the best topic for this point. Students draw a family tree and say "I have one sister and two brothers." Listen for the plural "-s".
Use a picture of a busy park or a zoo. Students say what they see: "There are three dogs. There is a man on a bench." Count out loud so the plural stays in mind.
In my classes, "My family is four people" is the first thing I listen for. Write it on the board early, fix it together, and it stays fixed.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Choose: バス停に犬が（あります／います）。 (There is a dog at the bus stop.)

Answer: います

A dog moves by itself, so it takes います.
2. Fill the gap: 公園に子どもが＿。 (There are children in the park.)

Answer: います

Children are people, so use います.
3. A student writes "There is three teachers in the staff room." Fix it.

Answer: There are three teachers in the staff room.

"Teachers" is plural, so English needs "there are".
4. Translate: 姉が二人います。

Answer: I have two older sisters.

います means "have" for family. English adds the plural "-s".