The particle で

What it means

で has two main jobs at N5. First, it marks the place where an action happens: 図書館で勉強します (I study at the library). Second, it marks the means: the tool, the transport or the language you use. バスで行きます (I go by bus). 英語で話します (I speak in English).

The place use is the one to watch in your own Japanese. に marks where something is. で marks where something happens. 教室にいます (I am in the classroom) uses に. 教室で食べます (I eat in the classroom) uses で. English says "in" for both. Ask yourself: is there an action verb? Then it is で.

A few more uses come up early. で can mark a total or a group: 全部で五百円です (it is 500 yen in total), 家族で行きます (we go as a family). With 一人, it means "alone": 一人で行きます (I go by myself).

How to build it

Examples

• 図書館で勉強します。 toshokan de benkyou shimasu. I study at the library.
• 毎日バスで学校に来ます。 mainichi basu de gakkou ni kimasu. I come to school by bus every day.
• 英語で話してください。 eigo de hanashite kudasai. Please speak in English.
• 昼ご飯は職員室で食べます。 hirugohan wa shokuinshitsu de tabemasu. I eat lunch in the staff room.
• 日曜日は一人で映画を見ました。 nichiyoubi wa hitori de eiga o mimashita. On Sunday I watched a film by myself.

How English says it

English splits で across several small words. The place of an action takes "at" or "in": at the library, in the gym. Transport takes "by" with no "a" or "the": by bus, by train. A tool takes "with": write with a pen, eat with chopsticks. A language takes "in": in English.

The trouble is at the edges. "By car" but "in my car". "By bus" but "on the bus". "On foot", not "by foot". English changes the word as soon as "the", "a" or "my" comes in. で never changes.

Why it can make English hard

• One particle maps to "at", "in", "by", "with" and "on". Some students pick one and use it for everything, often "by": "I write by pen."
• "By" with transport takes no article (no "a" or "the"). Students who are working hard on articles may add one: "by a bus", "by the train".
• "By bus" leads many students to guess "by foot". Japanese uses a different form, 歩いて, so there is no help from the first language here.

Mistakes you will hear

• I eat ramen by chopsticks. → I eat ramen with chopsticks. A tool takes "with". "By" is for transport.
• I come to school by my bicycle. → I come to school by bicycle. (or: on my bicycle) "By" takes the bare noun. Add "my" and the word changes to "on".
• I went there by foot. → I went there on foot. Students guess "by" from "by bus". "On foot" is fixed.
• Please speak by English. → Please speak in English. 英語で uses the same で as バスで. English uses "in" for a language.

In the classroom

• Build a table on the board: the で noun, then the English word. Library: at. Bus: by. Pen: with. English: in. Students add one new row each lesson.
• Play "How do you come to school?" Students ask and answer around the class: "By bus." "On foot." "My mother drives me." Write the odd ones on the board.
• Show "by bus" and "on the bus" side by side. A rule of thumb for students: no "the" or "my", use "by". With "the" or "my", use "on" or "in".

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. 1. Fill the gap: 図書館＿本を読みます。 (I read books at the library.)

   Answer: で

   Reading is an action, and the library is where it happens.

2. 2. Choose に or で: 先生は教室＿います。

   Answer: に

   います tells you where someone is, not what they do there. Use に.

3. 3. Fill the gap: 電車＿東京に行きます。 (I go to Tokyo by train.)

   Answer: で

   The train is the means: how you travel.

4. 4. A student writes "I write my name by pen." Fix it.

   Answer: I write my name with a pen. (or: in pen)

   A tool takes "with". "In pen" is also fine for writing.

5. 5. Translate: 英語で書いてください。

   Answer: Please write in English.

   で marks the language you use. English says "in English".

Related grammar

• 10 The particle に Marks a time, a goal or a place N に N ni
• 9 The particle を Marks the object of a verb N を N o
• 12 The particle へ Direction; toward N へ N e
• 33 The polite verb form ます Do; will do Verb ます verb masu

English grammar guides for your lesson

• By vs WithA2 This guide explains the difference between using 'by' for methods of transport or communication and 'with' for physical tools or body parts.
• 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'.
• Prepositions of movementA2 Prepositions of movement describe the direction or path of an object or person in motion. These words typically follow a verb of movement to show where someone or something is going.