で or を?

[GenjiMain]

If I want to say "to walk on the left side" on japanese, my assumption is to use で, but google translate uses を. Which is correct?

左側を歩きます
左側で歩きます

if the former is correct, why?

thanks.

 

[Majestic]

で means by what method, or by what conveyance you move from one place or another.
車で来ます
バスで行きます
電車で来る etc.

で is also used to show where the locus of an action is

映画館で映画を見ます
レストランで食事をします

を is used when the place of the action is a transitory route, as opposed to the place where the action begins and ends. Its a subtle distinction, and you would be forgiven/understood even if you say 左側で歩きます, but since the left side is just the route where the temporary action of walking is taking place, を is the correct one to use.

The following may be helpful

格助詞「を」と「で」の違いを教えてください。 - ポスターの作成で、格助詞「を」と「で」のどちらを使うかで悩んでおります。具体的な文と... - Yahoo!知恵袋

格助詞「を」と「で」の違いを教えてください。 ポスターの作成で、格助詞「を」と「で」のどちらを使うかで悩んでおります。具体的な文として…★○○でお願いしています。★○○をお願いしています。という文章で迷っております。「で」を使うと強制的な印象を受ける気がします。日本語としてどちらが正しいのでしょうか…？ もう少し具体的な例文がほしいところです。「○○でお願いします」も「○○をお願いします」も、「○○」が何なのか...

detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp

 

[GenjiMain]

So a more literal translation of 左側を歩きます would be 'run through the park', while 左側で歩きます would be 'run at the park'. I understand particles don't really have perfect translations, but do you think it is useful to think of these sentences in this way?

Also, let's say for example, someone is walking along the left side, you could say その人は左側を歩きている, but if someone were to ask at that moment, "what side is he walking on?", you could say 左側で歩きている. Is that correct?

 

[Majestic]

So a more literal translation of 左側を歩きます would be 'run through the park', while 左側で歩きます would be 'run at the park'.

Yes that sounds like a useful conceptualization.

you could say 左側で歩きている. Is that correct?

That doesn't feel right because the person is still using the left side as a transitory location for walking. I would use を in this instance as well.

 

[nice gaijin]

careful, the present progressive form of 歩く is 歩いている, not 歩きている

 

[Toritoribe]

If I want to say "to walk on the left side" on japanese, my assumption is to use で, but google translate uses を. Which is correct?

左側を歩きます
左側で歩きます

if the former is correct, why?

thanks.

を is the correct answer, as Majestic-san already wrote. The point is that 歩く is a verb to describe "movement from one place to another" and 左側 is the route the movement is done. It's just 左側 in your example, but the word implies "the left side of somewhere" from the context, e.g., 道路の左側 or 廊下の左側.