Lesson 18: どこに 行きますか

N5 · Lesson 18 · 20 min — Say where you go, where you do things, and who you go with

This lesson teaches four small particles: に・へ・で・と. All verbs use the ます form you already know. New verbs: go, come, return, plus 勉強べんきょうします (study), 撮とります (take a photo) and 待まちます (wait). Read the four-panel comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use に・へ to say where you go, come or return to
• Use で to say where you do something
• Use と to say who you go with, and ask どこに・どこで・だれと

Where this weekend?

The Asakusa poster in the classroom... the big lantern looks like the one in Grandpa's photo!

に・へ for going where, で for doing where, と for with whom. Maybe the photo's shop is in Asakusa? But what Rin finds first is melon pan.

Words for saying where you go

• 行いきます (ikimasu): go
• 来きます (kimasu): come
• 帰かえります (kaerimasu): return, go back home
• 勉強べんきょうします (benkyō shimasu): study
• 撮とります (torimasu): take (a photo)
• 待まちます (machimasu): wait
• 写真しゃしん (shashin): photo
• 学校がっこう (gakkō): school
• 駅えき (eki): station
• コンビニ (konbini): convenience store
• うち (uchi): home; one's own house
• ホテル (hoteru): hotel
• 公園こうえん (kōen): park
• 日本にほん (Nihon): Japan
• 台湾たいわん (Taiwan): Taiwan
• 日本語にほんご (nihongo): Japanese (language)
• 浅草あさくさ (Asakusa): Asakusa (a Tokyo district)
• メロンパン (meronpan): melon pan (sweet bun)
• 友達ともだち (tomodachi): friend
• 家族かぞく (kazoku): family
• 先生せんせい (sensei): teacher

Grammar 1 / 4: に (destination)

Put に after a place, then use go / come / return: "go / come / return to ~"

• に = to where: に follows a place and marks the end point of a movement. It goes with 行いきます (go), 来きます (come) and 帰かえります (return).
• Verb comes last: English says "go to the station" (verb first). Japanese says 駅えきに＋行いきます: place first, verb last.
• Time に can join in too: 7時じに うちに 帰かえります (I go home at 7). The first に marks a time (you learned this). The second に marks the destination.
• Asking "Where to?": どこに 行いきますか。 To answer, replace どこ with a place: 浅草あさくさに 行いきます。

• 駅えきに 行いきます。 — Go to the station.
• あした、浅草あさくさに 行いきます。 — I'm going to Asakusa tomorrow.
• 先生せんせいは 学校がっこうに 来きました。 — The teacher came to school.
• 7時じに うちに 帰かえります。 — I go home at 7.
• どこに 行いきますか。 — Where are you going?

Grammar 2 / 4: へ (direction)

へ also shows direction, but as a particle it is read e

• Write へ, say e: Normally へ is read he. As a particle it is read e. The topic particle は (read wa) works the same way. You still write へ.
• へ = toward ~ (direction): へ feels like "heading in that direction". With 行いきます・来きます・帰かえります it means almost the same as に. In daily talk, に is more common.
• Pair it with movement: For now, remember: へ goes with moving verbs like go, come and return. For eating, buying or taking photos somewhere, you can't use へ (next point).

• 日本にほんへ 行いきます。 — Go to Japan.
• 台湾たいわんへ 帰かえります。 — Return to Taiwan.
• どこへ 行いきますか。 — Where are you going?
• 友達ともだちは 日本にほんへ 来きました。 — A friend came to Japan.

Grammar 3 / 4: で (place)

To say where you do something, put で after the place

• で = where you do it: で follows a place and means "this is done here". Eating, drinking, buying, taking photos, studying... all use で.
• に or で? Look at the verb: Moving there (行いきます・来きます・帰かえります) → に. A person or thing is there (あります・います) → に. Doing something there → で.
• Asking "Where?": どこで 昼ひるごはんを 食たべますか (Where do you eat lunch?). Answer: 公園こうえんで 食たべます。

• コンビニで パンを 買かいます。 — Buy bread at the convenience store.
• 公園こうえんで 写真しゃしんを 撮とります。 — Take photos at the park.
• 学校がっこうで 日本語にほんごを 勉強べんきょうします。 — Study Japanese at school.
• ホテルで 朝あさごはんを 食たべました。 — I ate breakfast at the hotel.
• どこで 昼ひるごはんを 食たべますか。 — Where will you eat lunch?

Grammar 4 / 4: と (together)

Put と after a person to mean "with ~"

• と = together with ~: Person + と + action: 友達ともだちと 行いきます (go with a friend), 先生せんせいと 食たべます (eat with the teacher).
• と follows the person: English puts "with" before "friend". Japanese puts と after 友達ともだち.
• Asking "Who with?": だれと 行いきますか (Who are you going with?). Answer: 家族かぞくと 行いきます。
• Using all four together: 友達ともだちと 浅草あさくさに 行いきます。浅草あさくさで メロンパンを 食たべます。 With whom → と, going where → に, doing it where → で.

• 友達ともだちと 浅草あさくさに 行いきます。 — Go to Asakusa with a friend.
• 先生せんせいと 昼ひるごはんを 食たべました。 — I ate lunch with the teacher.
• 家族かぞくと 日本にほんに 来きました。 — I came to Japan with my family.
• だれと 行いきますか。 — Who are you going with?
• 友達ともだちと 駅えきで 写真しゃしんを 撮とりました。 — I took photos at the station with a friend.