"The window is there."
Translation:窓はそこです。
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There's a grammar rule in 日本語 called ko-so-a-do. こ(ko) refers to something physically near you in about arms reach or so. そ(so) means something about in your direct field of vision, but not terribly close. あ(a) is something too far away for the previous two, and ど (do) is along the lines of where.
That was pretty long, but applied to your question the difference is そこ means "over there", like you could point to it, and あそこ means "way over there", like it was further off.
Also そ is not only the intermediate distance but usually refers to the object being closer to whoever your talking to.
So does that mean something like どこ means you're asking where something?
The way my teacher put it, adding to the great explanation earlier:
If I'm talking to you - こ is by me そ is by you あ is not by either of us
これ this それ that あれ that over there
ここ here そこ there あそこ way over there
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That sentence uses the general formula to say a topic is in a certain state of being (including being ~at a certain place~). It's somewhat equivalent to the use of verb "to be" in English. Check the formula:
[Topic] は [State] です。 [窓] は [そこ] です。 [Window] is the topic, [there] is the state. ~Speaking of window, there it is. ~The window is there.
So the placement of the state/place そこ (there) is in accordance to the above formula. If you change the state/place, the structure remains the same:
窓は 台所 です。 [Window] is the topic, [kitchen] is the state. ~Speaking of window, (in the) kitchen it is. ~The window is in the kitchen.
You can also change the state to something that is not a place. For example, using 大きい (おおきい big) as a state:
窓は大きいです。 [Window] is the topic, [big] is the state. ~Speaking of window, big it is. ~The window is big.
In other sentences, そこ may appear somewhere else because a different formula is being used.
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「窓はそこです」and「そこは窓です」are both valid phrases I think, but they have slightly different meanings.
It may help, to understand them, to see to which question they can be an aswer of :
- 窓はどこですか。窓はそこです。Where is the window ? The window is there.
- そこは何ですか。そこは窓です。What is there ? There it is a window.
(of course, the topic won't be repeated in a real question-answer followup)
You can say まどはそこです or you can say まどはそこにあります. They essencially mean the same thing but the first one is shorter so it's preferred in most conversation. It's like the difference between "The window is there" and "The window is there existing".
So it doesn't make sense to say まどはそこにです? I think I'm still confused about に or です then S:
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Why can't I use the が particle instead of the は particle for まど? The window in this case is the subject?
I think は refers to more general. が refers to more specific. So, 窓はそこです means "Window is there", but 窓がそこです means "A specifc (you would be pointing at it) window is there". I am still not 100% though.
窓はあります means "there is a window." (describes existence of a window)
窓はあそこです means "a window is over there" (describes location of a window)
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It is quite difficult to apprehend with the English examples, as in English "there" can be both:
- a place distant of the speaker (eg: そこ )
- a part of the fixed idiom "there is/there are" (eg: あります (for inanimates) / います (for animates) ）
The phrase "There is a window" can be parsed two different ways:
- (there)(is)(a window) = そこには窓です
- (there is)(a window) = 窓があります
I was bounced on 窓がそこです If I want to say "The WINDOW is there" rather than"The window is THERE", wouldn't I say that?
So the description of the noun goes second and the noun comes first. Does this happen always?
yes, like akai neko/red cat. You can sometimes change this by changing the literal idea as in heya wa nigiyakana/the room is lively
I think he said something like: SOKO is used when you can see the objetc, and ASOKO when you can't (plus something else).
Wow I can read some Japanese without knowing all the kanjis.
It would literally be 'as for there, window is. You could interpret it as 'there is the window' as opposed to 'the window is there.'
It is wrong! You've said, "there? it is a window", as if you want to describe what is there. The proposed answer is "the window? it is there", as if you want to tell where the window is.
It's 窓-が-あります. And no, Mado Ga Arimasu means "A window exists". Not that it is present 'there'. It could be present 'here'.
Here it is soko because... If u r asking for window it means u r in the home or very near to home. So in both the case window is also near to you.
We use asoko when the thing is so far (out of our reach) Soko - when we can point are our finger to that thing. Asoko - when we cannot point our finger to that thing. (We only give direction that where is it)
I really thought the sentence is about window just exist there, Its really hard to differentiate bitween , 窓はあります and 窓はそこです。
If I say: "窓があります。" would it mean then "There is a window". Instead if I want to say: "The window is there" I need "窓はそこです。" Is that right?
Yes, in English there are multiple meanings for "there" which can be determined based on context. "There" can refer to existence あります "There is a window" (A window exists). Or position そこ "The window is there"
窓があります - [As for the window] [It exists] (There is a window)
For "the window is there" you can use two different constructions.
窓はそこです - [As for the window] [It is there] - this directly equates "window" with its position "there"
窓はそこにあります - [As for the window] [It exists there] - the window is being described as existing in the location of "there"
I'm not sure what "i" is doing there, い by itself has a lot of meanings but none are related to a location (stomach, medicine, feelings, etc.)
https://jisho.org/search/%E3%81%84
Were you thinking of います imasu? The existence verb for animate/living things?
is 窓にあります also correct in the real world? If not, how does this translate?
That says "(something) is at the window"
に marks a location of existence, so in your sentence "window" is the location of existence and the subject that exists (which would be marked with は or が) is being omitted
窓があります would be "There is a window" using the existence 'there' meaning "A window exists"
"The window is there" is using the locational "there" to indicate the window exists in a location away from the speaker.
This could be written two ways:
そこに窓があります「窓が a window そこに There (location) あります "exists (there is...)"」
窓はそこです 「窓は - The window そこ - There です- is」
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How are we to know how far away the window is without context ? Why would anyone be randomly pointing out a window that is close? Surely this question is a bit silly and unfair.