Throughout season two, we have seen several uses of the particle で, arguably the most used particle in the Japanese language. Today, in this course, I would like to return to this particle and discuss with you everything there is to know about it. And this time I am going to go into detail. Nothing will be omitted except two or three small things which will wait for the third season.
This course, like all the others (of course!), is very important because the particle で is used in very diverse contexts and it is common for learners to be unable to know when they should use the particle で and when they should use the particle に, or even the particle を.
Thanks to this course, you will never be confused again, and if you need to refresh your memory, you can always come back and reread all the explanations that I give below, with supporting examples.
The particle で appears in many different contexts and is an important particle to consider. Its meaning changes depending on how it is used, but, at its core, the particle で helps specify where and how an activity or event takes place. In this course, I will explain the ins and outs of the particle で, always referring to the underlying concept it represents : specification.
Let’s take a closer look at this underlying concept of « specification » represented by the particle で. I will use some metaphors to help you understand this! To begin, imagine that the particle で is a computer's selection tool. You can use this tool to specify an area on your screen, right ?
Well, the particle で does the same thing. It often comes after a noun and specifies that noun as the area where an action takes place. With nouns without localization, it can add other specifications, such as describing how an event occurs, specifying the limit of a quantity, etc.
For example, if you add で after モービル・ホーム, as in モービル・ホームで, it is as if you have used a specification tool to delineate the mobile home as the place where an event or activity occurs.
Learners often have difficulty choosing between the particle で and the other location marker, the particle に. In general, the choice comes down to the type of verb present in the sentence. As we have seen during this season, there are different types of verbs in Japanese: action verbs, movement verbs and long-term state verbs, also called presence verbs.
Thus, the verbs いる (to be, for everything that is living and animate), ある (to be, for everything that is non-living or inanimate), 残る . のこる (to stay, to remain), 住む . すむ (to live, to reside) are verbs of presence and will be accompanied by a particle に.
Action verbs like 食べる . たべる (to eat), 飲む . のむ (to drink), 話す . はなす (to speak), 読む . よむ (to read), 見る . みる (to look), 歌う . うたう (to sing), 書く . かく (to write) and 学ぶ . まなぶ (to learn) will be accompanied by a particle で. Remember that the verbs 寝る . ねる → to sleep and 待つ . まつ → to wait too are considered action verbs.
I have already told you about the verb する which we will only cover in season three but I would just like to remind you that all verbs with する are action verbs. All without exception, keep that in mind.
So, to give you some examples:
私はシャンボール城の庭園で本を読む。
わたしはシャンボールじょうのていえんでほんをよむ。
I read a book in the gardens of the Chambord Castle.
洋二と弥一は山で茸と桜ん坊を摘む。
ようじとやいちはやまでキノコとさくらんぼとをつむ。
Youji and Yaichi pick mushrooms and cherries in the mountain.
健一は家でフレンチトーストを食べる。
けんいちはいえでフレンチトーストをたべる。
Ken’ichi eats French toast at home.
To really drive this difference home, let’s turn to another metaphor. Imagine that the particle で resembles the lines which demarcate the edges of the gardens of the Chambord Castle. These lines tell you where the area is, and that is also what the particle で does.
The lines around the gardens, the mountain and the house do the same thing: they specify the area in which the action takes place. As we go through the different uses of the particle で, which go beyond simply specifying locations, we will return to these metaphors to help you gain a holistic understanding of the particle.
Before summarizing all the different uses of the particle で, I would like to clarify one last thing. You can use で or を when all actions are performed in one place. However, the nuance is different. When you use で, you are likely to focus on the action and when you use を, you are likely to focus on the location. For example:
僕等は川で・を泳ぐ。
ぼくらはかわで・をおよぐ。
We swim in the river.
With the particle で, the action is what matters most. Implied, the place does not have to be a river.
With the particle を, the place is what matters most. Implied, the river is the place to swim.
To understand better, consider the sentence above as an answer to a question. If I ask the following question, first in English :
Where are we going to swim? / Where can we swim?
In Japanese, this gives us :
何処で泳ぐか。
どこでおよぐか。
Where are we going to swim ? / Where can we swim ?
So, you can see that in the question we use the particle で, so logically in the answer we use the particle で.
Now if I ask the following question :
How to cross the river? / How can we cross the river?
Well, there are several ways to word this question in Japanese but I will go for the simplest one :
川を渡る方法は?
かわをわたるほうほうは?
How to cross the river ? / How can we cross the river ?
So, you can see that, in the question we use the particle を, therefore logically in the answer, we use the particle を. The answer will therefore be: We swim in the river, in the sense that We must swim to cross the river.
You will have noticed that the questions can translate into a possibility. We ask about the possibility of swimming or the possibility of crossing the river. The Japanese language has its own verb to say « to be able / can » but it is a rather particular verb that I will explain to you more in season three because there is a lot to say about it. For now, focus on the explanations that I have just given you to understand in which case it is preferable to use the particle で and in which other case it is better to use the particle を.
Now I will give you another sentence as an example, this time with the verb 待つ . まつ :
競馬場で待つ。
けいばじょうでまつ。
I wait in the racetrack.
In this context, you can only use で as 待つ . まつ does not require passing locations, but direct objects. So, if you use を, it will mean « I’m waiting for the racetrack », which makes no sense.
As we have already discussed, one of the most basic uses of the particle で is to specify the area in which an action or event occurs. This area is often a physical location. A park, a zoo, a train station, a bank, a beach, a bedroom, a kitchen, a garden, a room, a nightclub, a shopping center, a bakery, a grocery store, a pastry shop, the municipal swimming pool, an organic store, a volleyball court or other, a restaurant, a cinema or theater or even a forest, an island, a mountain, a country...
Well, you have already had a lot of examples in the previous lessons and in the exercises. But as I love you very much, I will give you a few more examples :
ギレルモはモービル・ホームで映画を見る。
ギレルモモービル・ホームでえいがをみる。
Guillermo watches a movie in the mobile home.
アンナとジャンニは台所でフルーツジュースを飲む。
アンナとジャンニはだいどころでフルーツジュースをのむ。
Anna and Gianni drink fruit juice in the kitchen.
私の彼女はパン屋でバゲットを買う。
わたしのかのじょはパンやでバゲットをかう。
My girlfriend buys a baguette from the bakery.
In these examples, the particle で specifies the mobile home, the kitchen, the bakery as locations where actions take place. You can imagine drawing a line around the mobile home, the kitchen, and the bakery.
Since the start of season two, and above in fact, I told you that the specified locations were often physical locations. I said « often», which means that this is not always the case. The places specified by the particle で are not necessarily physical spaces. These can be virtual or abstract places such as social networks, video games, the universe of a film or a series, the universe of a novel, a comic strip or even the platforms of VOD. Same if the virtual place is television, a magazine, a book, a podcast as in the examples below :
このビデオゲームでは、私がリンゴを捕まえる。
このビデオゲームでは、わたしがリンゴをつかまえる。
In this video game, I catch apples.
このシリーズでは、主人公が危険から逃げる。
このシリーズでは、しゅじんこうがきけんからにげる。
In this series, the protagonist flees a danger.
幻太はインスタグラムでアーティストの絵を眺める。
げんたはインスタグラムでアーティストのえをながめる。
Genta looks at an artist's drawings on Instagram.
白木と正樹はNetflixとADNでアニメを見る。
しろきとまさきはNetflixとADNでアニメをみる。
Shiroki and Masaki watch anime on Netflix and ADN.
This use of で is difficult to separate from the next use we will talk about, which is specifying the means by which an action is carried out. It is unclear whether Netflix and ADN are where Shiroki and Masaki watch anime or whether they are how they watch anime (and that depends on personal interpretation). The point is that the particle で does both things. Let’s take a closer look at this in the next part !
The particle で can be used to specify the means. For example, the means with which one eats (a fork, a spoon), the means with which one cuts meat (a knife), the means with which one opens a door (a key), the means of transport used to going to or returning to a place (a taxi, a bus, a car, a plane, etc.), the means with which we protect ourselves (a helmet, armor, a shield, leggings, etc.), the means by which we watch a video, a show, a documentary, a film, a series (television, social network, VOD platform, etc.), the means with which we communicate (telephone, walkie-talkie, letter, email, etc.) and many other things. It can even specify the language in which a game or a website is coded, the language in which a text is translated…
And here, I can reuse the examples seen in the course where I explained the particle で to you for the first time.
Of course, in English, we will sometimes translate the idea of means using the word “with”, but we must differentiate between :
– The idea of doing something with someone or something.
– The idea of doing something by means of something.
If we want to say :
I go to the pharmacy on foot.
In this example, 徒歩で means "on foot" and the particle で shows that it is the means to perform the moving action. If you are going somewhere by taxi, it is タクシーで, by bus it is バスで, and by train it is 電車で. Okay, now you understand how it works.
私は徒歩で薬局に行く。
わたしはとほでやっきょくにいく。
I go to the pharmacy on foot.
If we want to say :
Maddy and Nora listen to podcasts on YouTube.
As seen previously with another example, depending on the interpretation we make of it, we can consider YouTube as the virtual place where the action takes place or the means by which Maddy and Nora listen to podcasts.
マディとノラはYouTubeでポッドキャストを聴く。
マディとノラはYouTubeでポッドキャストをきく。
Maddy and Nora listen to podcasts on YouTube.
If we want to say :
Aiden writes a letter in English.
Here, English is the language (the means) in which the letter is written.
エイデンは英語で手紙を書く。
エイデンはえいごでてがみをかく。
Aiden writes a letter in English.
If we want to say :
I cut the paper with scissors.
We use the particle で because scissors are the way I cut paper. We will therefore translate the sentence as follows :
鋏で紙を切る。
はさみでかみをきる。
I cut the paper with scissors.
If we want to say :
Tomorrow morning, Mr. Kazuyoshi will speak to his wife by phone.
We use the particle で because the phone is the means with which Mr. Kazuyoshi will speak to his wife tomorrow morning. We will therefore translate the sentence as follows :
明日の朝、和義さんは妻と電話で話す。
あしたのあさ、かずよしさんはつまとでんわではなす。
Tomorrow morning, Mr. Kazuyoshi will speak to his wife by phone.
If we want to say :
I open the door of the house with the key.
We use the particle で because the key is the means with which I open the door, the box or anything else. We will therefore translate the sentence as follows :
私は鍵で家のドアを開ける。
わたしはかぎでうちのドアをあける。
I open the door of the house with the key.
If we want to say :
I eat noodles with chopsticks.
We use the particle で because chopsticks are what we use to be able to eat. Note the polite prefix お preceding the word 箸 . はし. As always, it is not obligatory but it may be preferable to embellish the word to be polite to the person you are talking to. Of course, we put the verb 食べる . たべる in the polite form :
私はお箸で麺類を食べます。
わたしはおはしでめんるいをたべます。
I eat noodles with chopsticks.
On the other hand, if we want to say :
I eat scrambled eggs and bacon with friends.
We use the particle と because friends are simply people I eat with, they are not a means. We will therefore translate the sentence as follows :
私は友達とスクランブルエッグとベーコンを食べる。
わたしはともだちとスクランブルエッグとベーコンをたべる。
I eat scrambled eggs and bacon with friends.
Finally, if we want to say :
Isaki and Ryouta run with all their might to Professor Hatoyama’s house.
Here we have a sentence with a slightly more figurative meaning with 全力で. Isaki and Ryouta use all their strength (the means) to run to Professor Hatoyama’s house.
伊崎と良太は鳩山先生の家まで全力で走る。
いさきとりょうたははとやませんせいのいえまでぜんりょくではしる。
Isaki and Ryouta run with all their might to Professor Hatoyama’s house.
The particle で can specify the cause. For example, the cause of pain, illness, disaster...
Nothing too complicated here. I give you an example below :
電車が雪で止まる。
でんしゃがゆきでとまる。
The train stops because of the snow.
This is not the most frequent use of the particle で. We will see in season three that there are other ways to specify cause.
The particle で can specify the material from which an object, tool, clothing, shoe, bag, book, building, toy or other is made. Even the fruits from which a fruit juice is made, the ingredients with which we make a cake, a pie, a bread, a soup...
This function is most often used with direct objects defined by the particle を. However, if you remember your lessons well, you know that the particle から can also be used to specify the raw material as the starting point, the thing that served as a basis.
Below I will give you the examples that you already know, first with the particle から.
私はお酒米から造る。
わたしはおさけこめからつくる。
I make sake from rice.
私は杉の木から人形を作る。
わたしはすぎのきからにんぎょうをつくる。
I make puppets from cedar wood.
It is entirely possible to replace the particle から with the particle で. See instead :
私はお酒米で造る。
わたしはおさけでつくる。
I make sake from rice.
私は杉の木で人形を作る。
わたしはすぎのきでにんぎょうをつくる。
I make puppets from cedar wood.
Whether you use the particle で or the particle から, the meaning of the sentence will always be the same.
I will give you another example. If we want to say :
My mother makes these cookies only with flour, sugar and chocolate.
This gives us :
お母さんは小麦粉と砂糖とチョコレートだけでこれらのクッキーを作る。
おかあさんはこむぎことさとうとチョコレートだけでこれらのクッキーをつくる。
My mother makes these cookies only with flour, sugar and chocolate.
In this sentence, do you think the particle で is interchangeable with から? Well, this is a difficult question to decide because here we have the adverbial particle だけ. Although this remains quite rare in Japanese, it sometimes happens that particles are considered interchangeable if the sentence remains grammatically correct without seeming natural. However, the fact that a sentence seems natural even if it is grammatically correct is a question of personal feeling. Not everyone will have the same opinion.
So, grammatically the answer is yes. Then, does it sound natural to your ears? Each of you has your answer.
However, one thing is certain. In a sentence including the adverbial particle だけ, if you use the particle から, some people will consider that the particle から can be placed before だけ and others will say the opposite, and still others will consider the sentence to be grammatically correct in the two scenarios. On the other hand, the particle で can only be placed after an adverbial particle, never before.
Personally, I always use the particle で to specify the material, especially if there is an adverbial particle in the sentence. This way I can be sure I will never make a mistake.
The particle で can specify the limit. For example, the time limit, the quantity, the price, the speed, or the velocity… And there are a lot of things to say so, I will dissect this part in a sub-section.
1/ The amount
Let’s start with an example where we have a quantity. If we want to say, first in English :
Ten tomatoes cost 1000 yen.
In Japanese, we will translate the sentence as follows :
トマトは十個で百円だ。
トマトはじゅうこでひゃくえんだ。
Ten tomatoes cost 1000 yen.
In this case, で specifies a quantity of tomatoes as a unit, and a unique price is assigned to that unit. Imagine the seller uses で as a selection tool to draw a line around ten tomatoes, and then adds a price tag.
Please understand that here, the particle で is used after a numeral classifier. This particle will never be used after a price. It is not strictly speaking the price that matters here, but the price as a function of the quantity of the element in question, quantity represented by a numeral classifier and therefore followed by the particle で.
This use of で can also apply to measurements. So, « ten grams per 100 yen » would be equivalent to 十グラムで百円, and « ten centimeters per 100 yen » would be equivalent to 十センチで百円. Note that this is often omitted and people simply say 十個百円, 十グラム百円, or 十センチ百円.
2/ The price
We continue with a sentence, a little simpler, where we have a price. This time I will give you two sentences. Observe them carefully, I will explain everything to you shortly afterwards :
このベッドの価格は550ユーロです。
このベッドのかかくは550ユーロです。
The price of this bed is 550 euros.
月末に私が100万円でその車を買う。
げつまつにわたしが100まんえんでそのくるまをかう。
At the end of the month, I will buy this car for a million yen.
First, we have the first sentence where we simply give the price of the bed. We do not use the particle で since we do not have action verbs. In the second sentence, the million yen is what the subject of the sentence, « I », will buy the car with. « I » will buy the car with one million yen. I hope you understand the subtle difference between the two phrases.
3/ The number of people
The particle で can also specify groups of people. It draws boundaries around the number of people who participate in an activity or event.
I put below a note that I gave you in the course on numeral classifiers.
Note: if you place the particle で in front of:
一人 → 一人で, this translates to « all alone ».
二人 → 二人で, this translates to « the two of us ».
三人 → 三人で, this translates to « the three of us ».
…etcetera. So, you can specify the number of people with whom you perform an action.
The group does not necessarily have to be expressed as a number. For example, a word like 皆 . みんな (everyone) is enough :
奈菜と慎吾は十人でカラオケで歌を歌う。
りなとしんごはじゅうりでカラオケでうたをうたう。
Rina and Shingo sing songs at karaoke with ten people.
皆で歌を歌う。
みんなでうたをうたう。
Everybody sings songs.
私は電車で一人で川崎に行く。
わたしはでんしゃでひとりでかわさきにいく。
I will go to Kawasaki alone by train.
私達は三人で冒険小説を書く。
わたしたちはさんにんでぼうけんしょうせつをかく。
The three of us are writing an adventure novel.
4/ The speed / velocity
The particle で can also specify the speed / velocity at which a person, animal, vehicle, or any other moving object is moving. I will give you two examples right away :
車は時速50kmで走行する。
くるまはじそく50kmでそうこうする。
The car goes at 50km/h.
ガゼルは平均時速80～90kmで走る。
ガゼルはへいきんじそく80～90kmではしる。
The gazelle runs at 80-90km/h on average.
So, when it comes to measuring speed or velocity, で cannot be omitted. To express speed in kilometers per hour format, in Japanese it will be 時速〜キロで. If you want, you can also replace that with miles and say 時速〜マイルで. In either case, the particle で is an obligatory element.
5/ The time limit
Now, I give you an example where the particle で specifies a time limit. And there too, you will see, there is a little puzzle. First, here is the sentence in English :
Miya will arrive at the office in an hour.
In your opinion, in the Japanese sentence, will we have the particle に or the particle で ? Casually, this question is very important and to refresh your memory, I will remind you of some grammatical rules that we saw in the course entitled Time Complement.
When our time complement will indicate a specific point in time, a specific period, a specific date, a day of the week or even a year, we use the particle に.
And when our time complement is, in our sentence, a word relative to the moment of utterance, we do not use any particle.
For example, if I say « today », « today » indicates a specific day. But that is going to change every day, and every day will be a different day. Same for « tomorrow », « yesterday », « the day after tomorrow », « the day before yesterday », « last week », « next week »… This is what a relative word is.
Now, our sentence is: Miya will arrive at the office in an hour. This means that Miya will arrive at the office not after an hour but in an hour maximum, or even less than an hour.
I would like you to visualize again the metaphor of the line which demarcates the element concerned, namely the limit of time in what concerns us. The time limit is one hour. No more. We are talking here about a time limit, not a specific period or a specific time or a specific date. No, we are talking about a time limit. So, we will use the particle で :
美弥は一時間で会社に着く。
みやはいちじかんでかいしゃにつく。
Miya will arrive at the office in an hour.
If I reminded you about the use of the particle に, it is because many people often confuse these two particles, especially when there is a temporal element in the sentence. It is important to clearly identify whether the temporal element is a specific point in time or a vague relative word or whether it is a time limit. In any case, know that even if you make a mistake and use the particle に in a sentence with a time limit, the Japanese will still be able to understand you. But try to make the distinction clearly.
I give you one last sentence :
今日は三時で帰ります。
きょうはさんじでかえります。
I will return home at 3 p.m. today.
In this case, the particle で functions the same as in the previous sentence, but the targeted action here is what « I » will do after the limit — 帰る (to go home). The particle で always implies that there was an activity going on before and that « I » will return home after that action is completed.
Note: so far you have learned that the verb 帰る . かえる means « to go home », but if we take into consideration the context of the sentence. Let’s imagine that « I », the theme of my sentence, is at work and he says : 今日は三時で帰ります。 We could easily translate this sentence into English as :
– I will leave the office at 3 p.m. today.
– I will leave at 3 p.m. today.
As you can see, we are coming from a word-for-word translation. Of course, all three translations are equally valid.
The particle で can specify the state. Here, the state in which the subject of the sentence performs an action is different from the means. The two should not be confused. Below are some examples :
広樹は裸で川で泳ぐ。
ひろきははだかでかわでおよぐ。
Hiroki swims in the river naked.
真弓は家から森の端まで裸足で歩く。
まゆみはいえからもりのはたまではだしであるく。
Mayumi walks barefoot from the house to the edge of the forest.
和雄と和志は上半身裸で山道を走る。
かずおとかずしはじょうはんしんはだかでさんどうをはしる。
Kazuo and Kazushi run shirtless on a mountain trail.
文世は水着でプールサイドで休む。
ふみよはみずぎでプールサイドでやすむ。
Fumiyo relaxes by the pool in her swimsuit.
歩弓ちゃんは明日着物で京都に行く。
あゆみちゃんはあしたきものできょうとにいく。
Ayumi will go to Kyoto tomorrow in a kimono.
This is not the most common use of the particle で but at least now you know it exists.
Well, it is time to summarize everything we just saw. Of course, do not hesitate to reread the entire course. I will only briefly summarize everything that has been said above.
The particle で is one of the most used particles in the Japanese language. It appears in many different contexts and is an important particle to consider. Its meaning changes depending on how it is used.
Specify the location where an action takes place
First, the particle で helps specify where an action or event takes place. Therefore, it is often used with action verbs: 食べる . たべる (to eat), 飲む . のむ (to drink), 話す . はなす (to speak), 読む . よむ (to read), 見る . みる (to look), 歌う . うたう (to sing), 書く . かく (to write) and 学ぶ . まなぶ (to learn) will be accompanied by a particle で. Remember that the verbs 寝る . ねる → to sleep and 待つ . まつ → to wait are considered action verbs. Additionally, all verbs with する are also action verbs. All without exception, keep that in mind.
Sometimes the particle で and the particle を are interchangeable. You can use で or を when all actions are performed in one place. However, the nuance is different. With the particle で, the action is what matters most. With the particle を, the place is what matters most. Understanding this nuance is important, especially when asked a question. Depending on whether the question contains a particle で or a particle を, you will know whether your answer should contain で or を.
The place where the action or event takes place is often a physical location. A park, a zoo, a train station, a bank, a beach, a bedroom, a kitchen, a garden, a room, a nightclub, a shopping center, a bakery, a grocery store, a pastry shop, the municipal swimming pool, an organic store, a volleyball court or other, a restaurant, a cinema or theater or even a forest, an island, a mountain, a country... It can also be virtual or abstract places like networks social networks, video games, the world of a film or series, the world of a novel, a comic strip or even VOD platforms. Let’s add TV, a magazine, a book, a podcast...
Specify the means
The particle で can be used to specify the means. For example, the means with which one eats (a fork, a spoon), the means with which one cuts meat (a knife), the means with which one opens a door (a key), the means of transport used to going to or returning to a place (a taxi, a bus, a car, a plane, etc.), the means with which we protect ourselves (a helmet, armor, a shield, leggings, etc.), the means by which we watch a video, a show, a documentary, a film, a series (television, social network, VOD platform, etc.), the means with which we communicate (telephone, walkie-talkie, letter, email, etc.) and many other things. It can even specify the language in which a game or a website is coded, the language in which a text is translated…
Of course, in English, we will sometimes translate the idea of means using the word “with”, but we must differentiate between :
– The idea of doing something with someone or something.
– The idea of doing something by means of something.
Specify the cause
The particle で can specify the cause. For example, the cause of pain, an illness, a catastrophe...
Specify the material
The particle で can specify the material from which an object, tool, clothing, shoe, bag, book, building, toy or other is made. Even the fruits from which a fruit juice is made, the ingredients with which we make a cake, a pie, a bread, a soup...
This function is most often used with direct objects defined by the particle を. However, remember that the particle から can also be used to express the raw material as the starting point, the thing that served as the basis.
However, do not forget the example I gave you with the adverbial particle and the little puzzle that results from it :
お母さんは小麦粉と砂糖とチョコレートだけでこれらのクッキーを作ります。
おかあさんはこむぎことさとうとチョコレートだけでこれらのクッキーをつくります。
My mother makes these cookies with just flour, sugar, and chocolate.
In this sentence the particle で is potentially interchangeable with から, at least grammatically, there is no problem except that we have the adverbial particle だけ. Although sometimes particles are considered interchangeable if the sentence remains grammatically correct, it may not sound natural to everyone. And this is a question of personal feeling. Not everyone will have the same opinion.
However, one thing is certain. In a sentence including the adverbial particle だけ, if you use the particle から, some people will consider that the particle から can be placed before だけ and others will say the opposite, and still others will consider the sentence to be grammatically correct in the two scenarios. On the other hand, the particle で can only be placed after an adverbial particle, never before.
Personally, I always use the particle で to express the material, especially if there is an adverbial particle in the sentence. This way I can be sure I will never make a mistake.
Specify the limit and groups of people
The particle で can specify the limit. For example, the quantity, price, speed, or velocity at which a person, an animal, a vehicle, or any other moving object moves…
It can also specify groups of people. It draws boundaries around the number of people who participate in an activity or event.
I put below a note that I gave you in the course on numeral classifiers :
Note: if you place the particle で in front of:
一人 → 一人で, this translates to « all alone ».
二人 → 二人で, this translates to « the two of us ».
三人 → 三人で, this translates to « the three of us ».
…etcetera. So, you can specify the number of people with whom you perform an action.
The group does not necessarily have to be expressed as a number. For example, a word like 皆 . みんな (everyone) is enough.
The particle で can also specify the time limit. However, be careful! Many learners fail to know when they should use the particle で and when they should use the particle に, especially when there is a temporal element in the sentence. It is important to clearly identify whether the temporal element is a specific point in time or a vague relative word or whether it is a time limit.
Specify the state
The particle で can specify the state. Here, the state in which the subject of the sentence performs an action is different from the means. The two should not be confused :
– To swim naked. → 裸で. はだかで
– To walk barefoot. → 裸足で. はだしで
– To run shirtless. → 上半身裸で. ジョウハンシンはだしで
– To rest in a swimsuit. → 水着で. みずぎで
– To go in a kimono. → 着物で. きもので
Do not hesitate to reread the example sentences above.
This course is finally over. The particle で now has no more secrets for you... or almost. There are still two or three things to know about it and we will address them in season three. You will understand why. Also, the particle で can be translated as « among » when we want to specify a choice. But we will see this in the following lesson on the kanji 中.
For the moment, I give you your exercises, as always of the theme and the version. In the first exercise, some sentences you will have to translate into Japanese will contain at least one particle で. In the second exercise, some Japanese sentences contain at least one particle で. Pay attention to the function of particles で in sentences. If they specify the place where an action takes place, the means with which an action is carried out, a cause, a material, a limit, a group of people, a state.
With that, I also give you some new vocabulary words. And there are many.
モービル・ホーム
. the mobile home
シャンボール城 .
シャンボールジョウ
. the castle of Chambord
捕まえる .
つかまえる
. to catch, to take (new verb)
危険 .
キケン
. the danger, the peril
逃げる .
にげる
. to run away, to flee, to escape (new verb)
主人公 .
シュジンコウ
. the hero, the heroine, the main character, the protagonist
インスタグラム
. Instagram
ポッドキャスト
. the podcast
鋏 .
はさみ
. the scissors, the shears
全力 .
ゼンリョク
. all his strength, all his energy, all his possible
止まる .
とまる
. to stop, to take a break (new verb)
価格 .
カカク
. the price
カラオケ
. the karaoke
冒険小説 .
ボウケンショウセツ
. the adventure novel
会社 .
カイシャ
. the company, the enterprise; the office
裸 .
はだか
. naked
森の端 .
もりのはた
. the edge of the forest
裸足 .
はだし
. barefoot
上半身裸 .
ジョウハンシンはだか
. shirtless
山道 .
やまみち / サンドウ
. the mountain road, the mountain path, the mountain trail
水着 .
みずぎ
. the swimsuit
プールサイド
. the poolside
Introduction