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Lesson 7: Nの上/下/中/前/後

In this lesson, I will teach you how to express the position.
Positions in Japanese
上=top,下=bottom,前=front,後ろ=back,右=right,左=left |
中=inside,外=outside |
向かい=across from,となり=next to,横=next to,そば=近く=near Difference between となり and 横 A B C B,C are 横 to A B is となり to A, but C is not となり to A. |
東=East 西=West 南=South 北=North |
Examples:
机の上 on the desk 机の下 under the desk 家の前 in front of the house 家の後ろ behind the house 教室の中 in the classroom 教室の外 outside the classroom 田中さんの右 Mr. Tanaka’s right 田中さんの左 Mr. Tanaka’s left 田中さんのとなり next to Mr. Tanaka Note: の is a particle that can be used to express the position. You can learn more usage of の in [Particle Course]. |

Below are some examples that combine what you have learned in the former lessons.
机の上に本があります。 There is a book on the desk. 机の下にかばんがあります。 There is a bag under the desk. かばんの中にノートがあります。 There is a notebook in the bag. 田中さんの右に山田さんがいます。 Mr. Yamada is on the right of Mr. Tanaka. 田中さんの左に木村さんがいます。 Mr.Kimura is on the left of Mr. Tanaka. 家の前に猫がいます。 There is a cat in front of the house. 家の後ろに車があります。 There is a car behind the house. ポストは家の向かいにあります。 The post is opposite the house. 埼玉は東京の北にあります。 Saitama is located north of Tokyo. 田中さんは教室の中にいます。 Mr.Tanaka is in the classroom. 山田さんは教室の外にいます。 Mr.Yamada is outside the classroom. 家の前は公園です。 There is a park in front of my house. 山田さんのとなりは田中さんです。 Mr. Tanaka is next to Mr. Yamada. 学校は家の近くです。 The school is near my house. 本はかばんの中です。 The book is in the bag. |

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10 thoughts on “Lesson 7: Nの上/下/中/前/後”
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机の上に鉛筆があるよ。
椅子の下にペンがあるね。
扉の前に猫がいますわ。
学校の後ろに学生がいますの。
店の右に学校があるのよ。
家の左に駅があるのね。
家の中に本田先輩がいますのわ。
会社の外にパパがいますよ。
会社の向かいに学校があるね。
詩野本さんの横に本田先輩と莉子さんがいますよ。
でも、莉子さんは詩野本さんのとなりにいませんね。
学校の近くは駅がある。
中国の東に日本がある。
フランスの西に亜米利加があるね。
ドイツの南にイタリアがあるわ。
日本の北はロシアがある
家の前に猫がいます。
There is a cat in front of the house.
家の前は公園です。
There is a park in front of my house.
Is there any difference between these two sentences?
Like, do they put more emphasis on different parts of the sentence? Is one more colloquial than the other? Or they are just the same?
The first sentence: cat is the subject.
The second sentence: “before house” is the theme. You will learn more about は and が in Particle Course
Oh, I see.
Thanks, and Merry Christmas 🎄
Would 学校の近くは家です be considered correct?
近く is too wide. This sentence will be considered that all houses near the school are your houses.
You should use 学校の近くに家があります。
I see, thanks for clearing up the confusion.
It seems like we can use both the “is in” structures and the “is” structures here to say the same thing.
So, would
山田さんの前に車があります
and
山田さんの前は車です
mean “There is a car in front of Mr. Yamada” ?
yes!
Gosh, this is more difficult to think from English to Japanese, than it is from Greek to Japanese… I am happy my mother tongue is not English.
In my mind this happens when I use English “Book Bag inside is ?????”
Whereas from Greek is so smoother… Το βιβλίο στην τσάντα μέσα είναι. Not an usual structure but it makes sense.
If you are not an English native speaker, it might worth trying your mother tongue to understand this…