Here and there: ここ・そこ・あそこ

What it means

These are the place words. They follow the same four sounds as これ. ここ is here, near me. そこ is there, near you. あそこ is over there, far from both of us. どこ asks "where?"

Japanese uses them like nouns, so they take particles. ここで (here, for an action), ここに (here, for where something is), ここは (as for this place). トイレはどこですか is the question every new teacher in Japan learns first.

ここは教室です means "This is the classroom." English names a place with "this", not "here". Keep that in mind, because it is where students' English goes wrong.

The polite set is こちら, そちら, あちら and どちら. You will hear it from office staff: 職員室はあちらです, "The staff room is over there." It is also used for people: こちらは田中先生です, "This is Mr Tanaka."

How to build it

Examples

• ここは教室です。 koko wa kyoushitsu desu. This is the classroom.
• あそこに学校があります。 asoko ni gakkou ga arimasu. There is a school over there.
• トイレはどこですか。 toire wa doko desu ka. Where is the toilet?
• 職員室はあちらです。 shokuinshitsu wa achira desu. The staff room is over there.
• ここで靴を脱いでください。 koko de kutsu o nuide kudasai. Please take off your shoes here.

How English says it

English has "here" and "there". "There" covers both そこ and あそこ. To show that something is far away, English adds "over": "over there".

"Here" and "there" are not nouns in English. They do not take "to" or "in" after verbs like "come" and "go". "Come here", not "come to here".

English also has a second "there": the empty one in "There is a school." Students meet both in one sentence: "There is a bank over there." It helps to point this out.

Why it can make English hard

• Japanese place words take particles, like ここに and そこへ. Many students then add a preposition in English: "go to there", "live in here".
• ここは教室です has "here" in Japanese but "this" in English. Some students say "Here is the classroom" when they mean "This is the classroom."
• English "there" does two jobs: a place, and "there is". Some learners mix the two up, or drop one of them.
• Japanese needs no article before 教室 or 駅. English usually needs "the": "Where is the station?"

Mistakes you will hear

• Please come to here. → Please come here. From ここに来てください. "Here" takes no preposition.
• Let's go to there. → Let's go there. From あそこへ行きましょう. The same rule for "there".
• Here is my classroom. → This is my classroom. From ここは私の教室です. Use "this" to name the place you are in.
• Where is toilet? → Where is the toilet? From トイレはどこですか. Japanese has no "the".

In the classroom

• Do a short school tour in English. At each stop, students say "This is the music room." Then they point at the next room: "The library is over there."
• Write "come / go / live + here / there" on the board with "to" and "in" crossed out. Drill a few fast: "Come here. Go there. I live here."
• Give students a map of the school and play "Where is ...?" in pairs. The answers use "here", "there" and "over there", with a finger to point.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. 1. Fill the gap: 駅は＿ですか。 (Where is the station?)

   Answer: どこ

   どこ asks "where".

2. 2. You point at a building far from you and your colleague. Fill the gap: 体育館は＿です。 (The gym is over there.)

   Answer: あそこ

   It is far from both of you, so use あ.

3. 3. A student writes "Please come to here." Fix it.

   Answer: Please come here.

   "Here" is not a noun in English, so it takes no "to".

4. 4. Translate: ここは図書室です。

   Answer: This is the library.

   English names a place with "this", not "here".

Related grammar

• 21 This and that: これ・それ・あれ This; that; that over there これ・それ・あれ kore, sore, are
• 22 This book, that bag: この・その・あの This/that + noun この・その・あの + N kono, sono, ano + N
• 19 There is: あります Something exists; have something N があります N ga arimasu
• 6 Question words 何, 誰, どこ, いつ What, who, where, when 何・誰・どこ・いつ nani / nan, dare, doko, itsu

English grammar guides for your lesson

• Prepositions of place (basic)A1 Prepositions of place describe the location of a person or object in relation to another point. The most common basic prepositions are 'in', 'at', and 'on'.
• DemonstrativesA1 Demonstratives identify specific people or objects based on their distance from the speaker and their quantity. They function as both determiners and pronouns to indicate physical or temporal proximity.
• 'There is/are'A1 The structures 'there is' and 'there are' indicate the existence or presence of something in a specific location. They function as introductory subjects to mention new information.