# Are verbs ある and いる always used with が particle?



## Bradgiarco

Hello everybody,

I attach a picture of my textbook (sorry for the small size, but if you zoom you can see it very clear). 

I'm wondering if the _wa_ marked with pencil is correct or it is a mistake. I have always seen this kind of structure with _ga_, and in previous pages there are 16 examples and the textbook always uses _ga_, that's why I was wondering...

It's always the first time that the textbook uses _ni wa_ without any explanation, and doing some research I've come to the conclusion it doesn't add any significant meaning to the sentence. So I was wondering, can I use _ni wa_ in all the sentences of the textbook? (it only uses it in the answer of the second one)


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## frequency

は covers a wider range than が does, when は is used with ある・いる.
ベッドの下にスリッパはあります。means _At least a pair of slippers is there.._, or _As for a pair of slippers, it is.._

But if you say ベッドの下にスリッパがあります。, this is more simple like, What? A pair of slippers. So you don't add a meaning or effect like "at least" and "As for".
So ～はあります is a bit different from the case you just want to say "There is a pair of slippers."

The sentence ベッドの下にスリッパはあります。isn't wrong per se. For example, if question 1 asks:
_I'm looking for a pair of slippers and my watch. Can you find them?
ベッドの下にスリッパはあります。_(You're saying "As for a pair of slippers, it is.." This is contrastive は.)

Topic, theme, and subject: は wa and が ga



Bradgiarco said:


> _ni wa_ without any explanation


学校の前*には*誰もい*ません*。This is には＋negation. I think it is emphasis and similar to "at least". At least, not in front of the school.

You can omit は: 学校の前に誰もいません。 This isn't wrong, and this sounds as well: Where? Not in front of the school.
(So there are cases where this one is appropriate. But generally speaking, には is fine.)


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## 森人さん

The examples used in the book are correctly written.


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## Contrafibularity

Bradgiarco said:


> It's always the first time that the textbook uses _ni wa_ without any explanation, and doing some research I've come to the conclusion it doesn't add any significant meaning to the sentence. So I was wondering, can I use _ni wa_ in all the sentences of the textbook? (it only uses it in the answer of the second one)


In all the answers, _ni wa_ can be used and they are all correct.  
①B'      はい、ベッドの下*には*スリッパがあります。 
②B　    いいえ、学校の前*には*誰もいません。
③B'      はい、（机の上*には*本が）まだあります。 
　　　　 いいえ、（机の上*には*本は）もうありません。
_wa _is used when the topic is clear.    In those questions, B is asked whether there is something/someone *in a given location *(under the bed/in front of the school/on the table).  The location is known to B so it is natural to answer with _ni *wa*_.    Given a proper context, those questions too can be asked with _ni_ _wa_.


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## frequency

ベッドの下にはスリッパがあります。 means At least under the bed, .. 
You're implying "Not other places, at least under the bed, yes." Contrastive は.
テレビはよく見る。 - 対象をテレビに限定する。映画を見ないのかもしれない。


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## Contrafibularity

frequency said:


> ベッドの下にはスリッパがあります。 means At least under the bed, ..
> You're implying "Not other places, at least under the bed, yes." Contrastive は.


"は" limits the scope of reference, so there are cases where "at least" is appropriate.  But yours is just one of the possible interpretations that the use of "は" allows, and it doesn't quite fit here.   Note that the example sentences I listed in #4 are all answers to questions.


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## frequency

ベッドの下に何かありますか？
ベッドの下にはスリッパがあります。Topic は (at least )

ベッドの下には何かありますか？(Contrastive は）
ベッドの下にはスリッパがあります。（Contrastive は）


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## Bradgiarco

Hello,

Thanks to everybody for their answers. I have some doubts about them:



frequency said:


> This is には＋negation.


Does this mean that the nuance is different in affirmative and negative questions sentences? I just noticed it, but it's true that the textbook uses it only in the negative sentence (just a coincidence, perhaps?)



Contrafibularity said:


> Given a proper context, those questions too can be asked with _ni_ _wa_.


This confuses me a bit. To the speaker the location is also clear, isn't it?
Then, about the first _wa _(the one marked in pencil), could it also be used because it's a specific book/cat (Ueda's one), or the speaker would be clearly trying to make a contrast?



frequency said:


> ベッドの下にはスリッパがあります。Topic は (at least )





frequency said:


> ベッドの下にはスリッパがあります。（Contrastive は）


Sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you mean here. It's the same sentence, right? The difference in meaning of the answers comes because of the particles used in the questions are different?


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## Contrafibularity

Bradgiarco said:


> This confuses me a bit. To the speaker the location is also clear, isn't it?
> Then, about the first _wa _(the one marked in pencil), could it also be used because it's a specific book/cat (Ueda's one), or the speaker would be clearly trying to make a contrast?


The _wa _you marked with pencil is fine because the speaker is limiting the scope of reference to the book/cat.  The topic can be a person or a thing as well as a location. 
机の上に*は*本*は*ありません。
机の後ろに*は*猫*は*いません。


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## frequency

Bradgiarco said:


> Does this mean that the nuance is different in affirmative and negative sentences?


Roughly.
学校の前に誰かいる。Where? In fron of the school.
学校の前には誰もいません。
This can convey "At least not there, not in front of the school. (So somebody might be there somewhere else but at least not there.)" So the nuance fits negative sentences.
So that is the reason why には＋negation is better:


> it's true that the textbook uses it only in the negative sentence





> The difference in meaning of the answers comes because of the particles used in the questions are different?


Yes. It depends on what a speaker wants to say.

ベッドの下には何かありますか？Contrast. Not the desk, not the sofa, but under the bed?
ベッドの下にはスリッパがあります。Contrastive は.

ベッドの下に何かありますか？What this speaker wants to do is not contrast.
ベッドの下にスリッパがあります。
But you can select ベッドの下にはスリッパがあります。 , too. You're going to use は in this non-contrast case. Then this is not contrastive は. Topic は.
主題を示す。文が何について（のみ）語っている


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## Bradgiarco

Great, thanks a lot to everyone!


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