Tiny Question

Tomii515 · 12 Jan 2009

I don't know if this question deserves its own thread, so feel free to move it if you'd like.

I saw on a forum, someone said:

私には車があります。
I have a car.

(By the way, it wasn't by a Japanese person.)

I thought it would be:

私は車があります。
I have a car.

Can it be either? If both are acceptable, does one of them sound awkward, or does one sound less natural? If one is wrong, which is correct?

よろしくお願いします！

Aurura · 12 Jan 2009

to hold, to have = motsu, 持つ（もつ）

Watashi ha kuruma ga motteimasu.

私は車が持っています

This is the sentence I learned for "I have a car".

Glenn · 12 Jan 2009

Tomii515 said:
私には車があります。
I have a car.

私は車があります。
I have a car.

Either way is fine, and I believe both are equally natural. As far as meaning, I don't believe there's any appreciable difference.

Aurura said:
to hold, to have = motsu, 持つ（もつ）

Watashi ha kuruma ga motteimasu.

私は車が持っています

That should be 車を持っています. が marks subjects; 車 is a direct object here.

Mike Cash · 12 Jan 2009

Just a little thought exercise for you:

Read the following English sentences and tell me if they are different....

1. I have a car.
2. I have a car.
3. I have a car.

Now read the following English sentences, stressing the bold part...

1. I have a car.
2. I have a car.
3. I have a car.

The sentences are all the same, yet with the use of stress they are now all different and each would strike your ear as very odd if used under the wrong set of circumstances.

Now.....ask yourself what sort of linguistic device the Japanese language would use to accomplish the same sort of thing.

Aurura · 12 Jan 2009

Thank you for the correction, Glenn!

kyubisharingan · 13 Jan 2009

So whats the difference between using 持っています and あります when both can mean "to have"?

Red5 · 13 Jan 2009

Mike Cash said:
Just a little thought exercise for you:

Read the following English sentences and tell me if they are different....

1. I have a car.
2. I have a car.
3. I have a car.

Now read the following English sentences, stressing the bold part...

1. I have a car.
2. I have a car.
3. I have a car.

The sentences are all the same, yet with the use of stress they are now all different and each would strike your ear as very odd if used under the wrong set of circumstances.

Now.....ask yourself what sort of linguistic device the Japanese language would use to accomplish the same sort of thing.

if it was the same , here the に what was it working ??
for what we use ni here ??

and thank you for your advice

Toritoribe · 14 Jan 2009

車を持っています would be most commonly used when the subject owns the car. Also, something like 私のうちには/会社には車があります has almost same meaning as 持っています. However, (person)は/には車があります seems to be used in another sense.

帰りはどうされます？
How do you go home?
私は車があります。(as the meaning "I drove here" - 車で来ています, 車を待たせています or like that)

私には車がありますが、妻は乗れないので買物にも困ります。(as the meaning "I can drive" - 車に乗れる, 車を手段として使うことができる)

The expression (person)は/には車があります is hardly used just simply to denote "to have a car" as a single sentence without any context, in my impression.

Tiny Question

Tomii515

やった～！

Aurura

Reaching out...

Glenn

一切皆苦

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Aurura

Reaching out...

kyubisharingan

旨くなるつもりだよ

Red5

後輩

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

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