Let's now learn more about the Japanese particle DE and its use!
As I had been missing articles on particles in the Japanese language very much, I wrote three articles on this subject. The first was about the particle wa and the two most recent were about the particle ga.
If you are interested in knowing these articles, I will leave the links below:
the wa particle
When to use the ga particle
The functions of the ga particle
In today's article, I intend to talk a little more about particles in Japanese. Being that this time, I will share a little of what I learned about the particle in.
The Japanese DE particle – where an action takes place
I think one of the most common functions of the particle in is to indicate where an action is happening or has happened. It is usually used in conjunction with Japanese nouns, such as names of places, people, animals or objects.
Examples:
学校で勉強する。
Study at school.
私は海で泳ぎました。
I swam at the sea.
あのレストランで食べましょうか。
Let's eat atwhat restaurant?
彼女は本屋で辞書を買いました。
she bought a dictionary at bookstore.
Note that, again, a Japanese particle cannot be tied to a single translation. In the sentences above, the particle in can be translated as at the or at. Furthermore, in the next topics, we will see that the particle in may assume other different translations.
The particle of – instrumentality and utensils
Under these conditions, the particle in is used as a complement to a given action, adding more information about how that action is performed. Given that this information it is the means by which the action happens, it became known as instrumentality.
Generally instrumentality actions can take place to inform that a utensil or means of locomotion has been used. Despite this, exceptions can happen.
Examples:
私は学校へ電車で行きます。
I go to school in train.
彼は日本へ船で行きますよ。
he goes to japan in boat!
鉛筆で書いてください。
Write with the pencil please.
彼女はケーキをナイフで切りました。
she cut the cake with The knife.
日本語で話してください。
Speak in Japanese please.
“Note that now, the particle of has been translated as of, in, and with. And there are still more different translations for the particle from around.”
The particle of – Indicating superlative
The most common cases of superlative with the particle in, are the ones that let us know when someone, or something, is the best or worst in some role.
Examples:
世界で一番高い山何ですか。
What is the highest mountain of world?
彼女は学校で一番きれいですね。
She is the most beautiful girl gives school is not.
The particle of – Indicating limitations
An alternative way to indicate time limits without using particles kara and made, using the particle in. It seems to be more common to use the particle in in time-limited cases, but exceptions can happen.
Examples:
この新聞は二時間で読めますか。
You can read the newspaper in two hours?
あのテレビは10万円で買える。
You can buy that television in 100,000.00 yen.
The Japanese particle of – Indicating age or period when something happened
When we want to express the moment of an action, we can use the particle in. That way, you can use dates or any other word that indicates a period of time, telling you when something happened.
彼女は２８歳で結婚した。
She got married with twenty eight years.
記者は３０歳で死んだ。
the reporter died to the thirty years.
The particle of – Price and composition
Another very common use case of the particle in is when we will say or ask the price of something. In addition, we can also use the particle in to express quantities or that an action was taken on behalf of a community.
Examples:
その本は五十円で買いました。
I bought this book per fifty yen.
ブラジルへは、いくらで行けますか。
How much does it cost to go to O Brazil.
そのりんごは二つで３百円です。
These apples are two per three hundred yen.
バターはミルクで作ります。
butter is made in milk.
Conclusion
I know there are other ways to use the Japanese particle in, but these are what I believe to be the most common. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this article.
After I finish writing about the main particles of the Japanese language, I think I'll write a small particle dictionary as a study guide, the same way I did with the Japanese course it's the Japanese alphabet. What do you think?