Verbs of existence (ある/いる) and giving and receiving (あげる/もらう)

Introduction: Mastering Existence, Giving, and Receiving

Welcome to one of the most fundamental chapters in your Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Japanese journey! In this chapter, we will master two essential grammar pairs:

1. Verbs of Existence: ある (aru) and いる (iru) — how to say "there is" or "to have".
2. Verbs of Giving and Receiving: あげる (ageru) and もらう (morau) — how to describe giving gifts and receiving items.

These verbs appear everywhere across all four exam papers: Paper 1 (Listening), Paper 2 (Speaking), Paper 3 (Reading), and Paper 4 (Writing). Don't worry if Japanese sentence order feels back-to-front at first. Once you learn the core sentence patterns and particle roles, you will be able to construct and decode these sentences with confidence!

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Part 1: Verbs of Existence (ある and いる)

1. The Golden Rule: Inanimate vs. Animate

In English, we use "there is" for everything (e.g. "there is a cat", "there is a table"). In Japanese, you must choose your verb based on whether the subject is animate (living, moving beings) or inanimate (non-living things and plants).

ある / あります (aru / arimasu) — Inanimate Objects
Use ある for non-living things, inanimate objects, plants, events, and abstract ideas.
Examples: 本 (book), 車 (car), 花 (flower), 時間 (time), テスト (test).

いる / います (iru / imasu) — Animate Beings
Use いる exclusively for living people and animals that can move under their own will.
Examples: 人 (person), 学生 (student), 犬 (dog), 猫 (cat), 妹 (younger sister).

Memory Trick: Think of "I" in いる (Iru) as standing for "Individual / Insect / Iguana" — living things!

2. Complete Conjugation Forms

You need to recognise and produce both polite (ます form) and plain (dictionary / informal form) versions for GCSE.

Conjugations of ある (Inanimate):
• Polite Present Positive: あります (arimasu - there is)
• Polite Present Negative: ありません (arimasen - there is not)
• Polite Past Positive: ありました (arimashita - there was)
• Polite Past Negative: ありませんでした (arimasendeshita - there was not)
• Plain Present Positive: ある (aru)
• Plain Present Negative: ない (nai) — Caution: irregular! Never say "ar 具体 / aranai"!
• Plain Past Positive: あった (atta)
• Plain Past Negative: なかった (nakatta)

Conjugations of いる (Animate - Ichidan / Ru-verb):
• Polite Present Positive: います (imasu - there is/are)
• Polite Present Negative: いません (imasen - there is not/are not)
• Polite Past Positive: いました (imashita - there was/were)
• Polite Past Negative: いませんでした (imasendeshita - there was not/were not)
• Plain Present Positive: いる (iru)
• Plain Present Negative: いない (inai)
• Plain Past Positive: いた (ita)
• Plain Past Negative: いなかった (inakatta)

3. Key Sentence Structures for Existence

Pattern A: Stating what exists in a location
Formula: \(\text{[Location]} \text{ に } \text{[Noun]} \text{ が } \text{あります / います。}\)
• Example: つくえの上に新聞があります。 (There is a newspaper on the desk.)
• Example: 庭に犬がいます。 (There is a dog in the garden.)

Pattern B: Topicalised location (Talking about where something specific is)
Formula: \(\text{[Noun]} \text{ は } \text{[Location]} \text{ に } \text{あります / います。}\)
• Specification Example: 新聞はつくえの上にあります。 (The newspaper is on the desk.)
• Example: 田中さんは教室にいます。 (Tanaka-san is in the classroom.)

Pattern C: Replacing the existence verb with です
In everyday Japanese and GCSE texts, you can shorten location sentences by replacing に あります / に います with です.
Formula: \(\text{[Noun]} \text{ は } \text{[Location]} \text{ です。}\)
• Specification Example: 新聞はつくえの上です。 (The newspaper is on the desk.)
• Example: トイレはあそこです。 (The toilet is over there.)

Pattern D: Existence with Quantities and Counters
When counting items or people, place the counter directly before the verb without adding an extra particle.
Formula: \(\text{[Location]} \text{ に } \text{[Noun]} \text{ が } \text{[Number + Counter]} \text{ います / あります。}\)
• Specification Example: 部屋に子供が三人います。 (There are three children in the room.)
• Example: かばんにペンが二本あります。 (There are two pens in the bag.)

Key Takeaways: Existence

• ある / あります = Inanimate objects, plants, events, ideas.
• いる / います = Animate beings (humans, animals).
• Mark static locations with the particle に (never で for pure existence).
• Put counters right next to the verb without particles.

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Part 2: Verbs of Giving and Receiving (あげる and もらう)

In Japanese, describing transactions requires looking at the direction the item moves. At GCSE, you focus on two essential verbs: あげる (to give) and もらう (to receive).

1. あげる (ageru / あげます agemasu) — "To Give"

Use あげる when you give something to another person, or when a third person gives something to someone else.

The Grammar Formula:
\(\text{[Giver / Subject]} \text{ は / が } \text{[Recipient]} \text{ に } \text{[Item]} \text{ を } \text{あげます。}\)

• Conjugation: Ichidan verb (あげます, あげません, あげました, あげませんでした / Plain: あげる, あげない, あげた, あげなかった).
• Crucial GCSE Rule: The item always flows away from the subject/giver. The speaker (私) can never be marked with に when using あげる (you cannot say someone "あげました to me").

Specification Examples:
• 私は友達にプレゼントをあげました。 (I gave a present to my friend.)
• 田中さんは先生に本をあげました。 (Tanaka-san gave a book to the teacher.)

2. もらう (morau / もらいます moraimasu) — "To Receive"

Use もらう when you receive something from someone, or when a third person receives something from someone else.

The Grammar Formula:
\(\text{[Receiver / Subject]} \text{ は / が } \text{[Giver / Source]} \text{ に / から } \text{[Item]} \text{ を } \text{もらいます。}\)

• Conjugation: Godan verb (もらいます, もらいません, もらいました, もらいませんでした / Plain: もらう, もらわない, もらった, もらわなかった).
• Particle Tip: The person who gave you the item can be marked with either に (ni) or から (kara - from). When receiving something from an organisation, school, or company, から is standard.

Specification Examples:
• 私は父に時計をもらいました。 (I received a watch from my father.)
• 私は父から時計をもらいました。 (I received a watch from my father.)
• 友達にチョコレートをもらいました。 ([I] received chocolate from a friend.)

Visualising the Direction of Items

• あげる (Give): \(\text{[Speaker / Giver]} \xrightarrow{\quad \text{Item} \quad} \text{[Recipient (に)]}\)
• もらう (Receive): \(\text{[Recipient (Subject)]} \xleftarrow{\quad \text{Item} \quad} \text{[Giver / Source (に / から)]}\)

Key Takeaways: Giving & Receiving

• あげる: Subject gives to the recipient (Recipient + に).
• もらう: Subject receives from a giver (Giver + に / から).
• The item transferred is always marked with the object particle を.

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Part 3: Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

1. Confusing ある and いる

• Wrong: 妹があります。
• Correct: 妹がいます。 (Younger sisters are human beings \(\rightarrow\) use います).
• Wrong: 車がいます。
• Correct: 車があります。 (Cars are inanimate machines \(\rightarrow\) use あります).

2. Particle Mix-up: に vs. で for Location

Students often use で because they associate it with places. Remember:
• で = location where an action happens (e.g. 図書館で勉強します - I study at the library).
• に = location of static existence with ある / いる.
• Wrong: 部屋で猫がいます。
• Correct: 部屋に猫がいます。

3. Adding Unnecessary Particles with Counters

Do not put の or other particles between the counter and the verb.
• Wrong: 部屋に子供が三人のいます。
• Correct: 部屋に子供が三人います。

4. The Irregular Negative of ある

In plain form, the negative of ある is simply ない (nai).
• Wrong: あらない / ありませんない
• Correct: ない (Past negative: なかった).

5. Direction Errors with あげる

Never use あげる when someone is giving something to you.
• Wrong: 友達は私にプレゼントをあげました。
• Correct: 私は友達にプレゼントをもらいました。 (I received a present from my friend.)

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Part 4: Quick Review Checklist

Before sitting your exam, check that you can answer these questions with ease:
• Can you distinguish when to use あります (books, flowers, cars, time) versus います (pets, friends, teachers)?
• Can you write out the plain past forms (あった, いた) and plain negative forms (ない, いない)?
• Do you remember to mark the static location of existence with に?
• Can you use です as a quick substitute for location sentences (e.g. 新聞はつくえの上です)?
• In an あげる sentence, is the giver the subject and the recipient marked with に?
• In a もらう sentence, is the receiver the subject and the giver marked with に / から?