# Imasu Vs. Desu



## guyper

Imasu Vs. Desu

"kare wa ima nani o shite imasu ka"

When do you exactly use imasu instead of desu? I might be wrong but aren't they both the verb "to be"?

Thank you


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## divisortheory

guyper said:


> Imasu Vs. Desu
> 
> "kare wa ima nani o shite imasu ka"
> 
> When do you exactly use imasu instead of desu? I might be wrong but aren't they both the verb "to be"?
> 
> Thank you


 
_desu_ is sort of like the english word "is", but it is only used when neither _iru_/_imasu_ or _aru_/_arimasu_ are used.

By itself, _iru_/_imasu_ assert the existance of something that is alive. 

_aru_/_arimasu_ are similar to _iru_/_imasu_ except the assert the existance of something that is not alive.

The number one rule in Japanese is that you should not learn the meaning of Japanese words by trying to put an English word to them. Instead, you should learn them by trying to put _situations_ to them. Here's some situations, and which word you would use in each one.


That book is blue. <--- _desu_
That book is here. <--- _arimasu_
He is here. <--- _imasu_

The example you gave in your original question is actually a bit more complicated. When _imasu_ or _arimasu_ come right after _shite_, the meaning is different, and in fact it might help to think of _shiteimasu_ and _shitearimasu_ as totally separate words. 

_shiteimasu_ describes an action that someone or something _has been doing and is still doing_. 

_shitearimasu_ is similar, but I wouldn't worry about it until your Japanese is a bit more intermediate level.


In short, the sentence you posted means "What is he doing right now?"  
_suru_ is the word that means "to do".  
_shite_ is the *~te form* of _suru_.  
_Verb~te+imasu_ is the ~ing part of Verb.


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## AT84

divisortheory said:


> _desu_ is sort of like the english word "is", but it is only used when neither _iru_/_imasu_ or _aru_/_arimasu_ are used.
> 
> By itself, _iru_/_imasu_ assert the existance of something that is alive.
> 
> _aru_/_arimasu_ are similar to _iru_/_imasu_ except the assert the existance of something that is not alive.
> 
> The number one rule in Japanese is that you should not learn the meaning of Japanese words by trying to put an English word to them. Instead, you should learn them by trying to put _situations_ to them. Here's some situations, and which word you would use in each one.
> 
> 
> That book is blue. <--- _desu_
> That book is here. <--- _arimasu_
> He is here. <--- _imasu_
> 
> The example you gave in your original question is actually a bit more complicated. When _imasu_ or _arimasu_ come right after _shite_, the meaning is different, and in fact it might help to think of _shiteimasu_ and _shitearimasu_ as totally separate words.
> 
> _shiteimasu_ describes an action that someone or something _has been doing and is still doing_.
> 
> _shitearimasu_ is similar, but I wouldn't worry about it until your Japanese is a bit more intermediate level.
> 
> 
> In short, the sentence you posted means "What is he doing right now?"
> _suru_ is the word that means "to do".
> _shite_ is the *~te form* of _suru_.
> _Verb~te+imasu_ is the ~ing part of Verb.


 


I think you hit most of it on the spot, except for your relevance in the words he's been comparing and has provided. Mainly because I have never heard any native, friends or myself say:

"Kare wa ima nani wo shite arimasu ka?"

It's not a correct sentence form, as there are correct sentence structure in any other language. To further clarify this, "Arimasu" is past tense, "to have done", as I will put into an example for you:

"Kyampu no shitaku wa mou *shite arimasu*"

translating into:

"The camp's preparation has already been done."

If you wanted to use a past-tense form of the thread starter's sentence, you would eliminate the word "ima" which means "now", and it would become:

"Kare wa nani o shima shita ka?"

"What did he do?"


Now, getting back to the original question, the only time and way I would use "desu" in your sentence is in an alternative/slang way. I will tell you straight off now that "Shite imasu" is a polite way of proposing the question, and if possible should be used most of the time. The following is an example of how your sentence would look like with "desu":

"Kare wa ima nani o shite irun (or, to be even more slang, 'shite run', prounounced a bit like "loon" or "lun") desu ka?"

Hope that helps.


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## linguist786

guyper said:


> Imasu Vs. Desu
> 
> "kare wa ima nani o shite imasu ka"
> 
> When do you exactly use imasu instead of desu? I might be wrong but aren't they both the verb "to be"?
> 
> Thank you


Hi,

I have literally _just_ started learning Japanese (since a few days!) through some videos on the net, so if I say something wrong, put me straight natives! I'm just responding since I thought I could possibly help you.

"imasu" and "arimasu" is exactly the same thing (in this context anyway), except the former is used for people and animals (ie, living things) and the latter for things/objects.

To put it very simply, "imasu/arimasu" is used to show the presence of something/someone, whereas "desu" is used to show that something is something. For example:

Mamiko is in the kitchen 
= Mamiko daidokoro no naka ga *imasu* 
= used to show presence of Mamiko in the kitchen

compared to:

This is Mamiko's kitchen
= Kore wa Mamiko no daidokoro *desu*
= used to show that the kitchen is Mamiko's

---

The cat is in the kitchen
= Neko wa daidokoro no naka ga *arimasu*
= used to show presence of cat in the kitchen

compared to:

Is that your baggage?
= Sore wa anata no nimotsu *desu* ka?
= used to ask whether the baggage is yours


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## Flaminius

Moderator Note:
The discussion about _teimasu _vs. _tearimasu _(_iru _vs. _aru_ as tense/aspect augments) has been moved to a new thread.


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## AT84

linguist786 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have literally _just_ started learning Japanese (since a few days!) through some videos on the net, so if I say something wrong, put me straight natives! I'm just responding since I thought I could possibly help you.
> 
> "imasu" and "arimasu" is exactly the same thing (in this context anyway), except the former is used for people and animals (ie, living things) and the latter for things/objects.
> 
> To put it very simply, "imasu/arimasu" is used to show the presence of something/someone, whereas "desu" is used to show that something is something. For example:
> 
> Mamiko is in the kitchen
> = Mamiko daidokoro no naka ga *imasu*
> = used to show presence of Mamiko in the kitchen
> 
> compared to:
> 
> This is Mamiko's kitchen
> = Kore wa Mamiko no daidokoro *desu*
> = used to show that the kitchen is Mamiko's
> 
> ---
> 
> The cat is in the kitchen
> = Neko wa daidokoro no naka ga *arimasu*
> = used to show presence of cat in the kitchen
> 
> compared to:
> 
> Is that your baggage?
> = Sore wa anata no nimotsu *desu* ka?
> = used to ask whether the baggage is yours


 

For watching a few vids online and getting the concept right is amazing, keep it up! I found that watching videos or reading materials helps me maintain and build upon my japanese a lot, in my case those media being anime and manga, as well as playing video games.

Just a minor correction of your examples though:

Mamiko is in the kitchen. 
= Mamiko (wa) daidokoro no naka (ni) *imasu.* 
= used to show presence of Mamiko in the kitchen.

The cat is in the kitchen. 
= Neko wa daidokoro no naka (ni) *imasu.* 
= used to show presence of Mamiko in the kitchen.


I wish japanese was an easier language to translate...

"ga" would be used for objects/things, where as "ni" would be for refering to places. At least that's what I think it is right off the bat, I could be wrong, but I know for sure using "ni" instead of "ga" is the right way... hope that helps!


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## Captain Haddock

I think I got some recent insight from the book _Making Sense of Japanese_.

"to be" in English is overly broad, with many meanings, including:
1. "existence"
2. "to equal something"

Japanese いる, ある, and です sort of fulfill those different functions.

ペンです。 It's a pen.
友達でいようね！ Let's be friends!

いる is sort of an active being/existing, and ある is for inanimate things. This logic sort of extends to the ている and てある forms too.

Chances are that'll make no sense without a lot more explaining.


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## Minlen

Hey, I just started learning Japanese using the website livemocha. 

One sentence I've seen is:
Watashi wa sega takai desu. (I am tall.)

Another sentence is:
Watashi wa yasete imasu. (I am thin.)

What is the reason for the using desu/immasu here?
I've read some of the reasons given in this forum and am not sure how they apply in this case. I'm guessing it has something to do with takai/yasete, but I'm not sure. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!


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## horangi

"Watashi wa sega takai desu. (I am tall.)

Watashi wa yasete imasu. (I am thin.)

What is the reason for the using desu/immasu here?"

There are 2 ways in Japanese of expressing what are considered adjectives in English: There are Japanese adjectives, such as _takai, _which means tall, and there are Japanese verbs that act as predicate adjectives in English, such as _yaseru_, which means "to be (or become) thin". Generally speaking, for any English adjective, there will either be a Japanese verb or adjective (but not usually both) that corresponds to it. Adjectives are easily distinguished from verbs, so you shouldn't have trouble remembering whether a given word is one or the other.

Japanese adjectives are used with _desu_, the way one uses "is" with an English verb: "I am tall". _Se ga takai_ (literally, "my height is tall"). The ending _imasu_ in _yasete_ _imasu_, however, has nothing to with the fact that _yaseru_ is acting like an adjective in English. Instead, this is is just the progressive tense that is commonly used in Japanese, with many different kinds of verbs. The progressive tense in Japanese is used when an action is continuing (similar to the progressive tense in English) or when a state or condition of something is continuing, as applies in this case, where being thin is not an instantaneous property.

BTW, there is another kind of Japanese adjective, so-called _na_ adjectives, which also uses _desu_.


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## horangi

linguist786 said:


> "imasu" and "arimasu" is exactly the same thing (in this context anyway), except the former is used for people and animals (ie, living things) and the latter for things/objects.
> 
> To put it very simply, "imasu/arimasu" is used to show the presence of something/someone, whereas "desu" is used to show that something is something. For example:
> 
> Mamiko is in the kitchen
> = Mamiko wa daidokoro no naka ni *imasu*
> = used to show presence of Mamiko in the kitchen
> 
> compared to:
> 
> This is Mamiko's kitchen
> = Kore wa Mamiko no daidokoro *desu*
> = used to show that the kitchen is Mamiko's
> 
> ---
> 
> The cat is in the kitchen
> = Neko wa daidokoro no naka ni *imasu*
> = used to show presence of cat in the kitchen
> 
> compared to:
> 
> Is that your baggage?
> = Sore wa anata no nimotsu *desu* ka?
> = used to ask whether the baggage is yours


 
You're starting to get it, but you've made a bunch of mistakes, and there are a number of exceptions.

First of all, in Japanese, although "technically" _imasu_/_arimasu_ is used to indicate existence or location, _desu_ is often substituted in the exact same sentences, with the same meaning. For example, "Where are you now?" is ordinarily translated by _ima doko imasu ka?,_ but in reality _ima doko desu ka?_ is a more common expression. Another example would be in the phrase _hitsuyou (ga) arimasu_, meaning "(something) is necessary" - you often hear _hitsuyou desu_ instead. (I've put the subject particle in parentheses because it is optional in this case and generally omitted.)

[BTW, Korean has equivalent verbs to _desu_ and _imasu_/_arimasu_ but the usage is much cleaner - these kinds of (mis)uses of the equivalent of _desu_ never occur.]

As for your examples, they've already been corrected by AT84, but I'll add a few more comments:
_ga_ could've been used instead of _wa_ in the first 2. (i.e., _Mariko ga daidokoro ni imasu_.)
It's unnecessarily to say _no naka_ in your 2 sentences. If someone is in a room, obviously that person is inside the room.
It is more common to use _koko_ (here) or _kochira_ (this way) for a place than _kore_ (this, used as a noun), which generally refers to a thing. _koko wa Mariko daidokoro desu_. Or even, _kono heya wa_ _Mariko daidokoro desu_ ("This room is Mariko's kitchen.")

"Sore wa anata no nimotsu *desu* ka?
= used to ask whether the baggage is yours"

Don't think of it this way, or you're likely to make mistakes with possessives. Think of the translation of _sore wa anata no nimotsu desu_ as, "this (thing) is your baggage", i.e., "this" = "your baggage". That is why _desu_ is being used. OTOH, if one were to ask, do you have any baggage, one would say, _anata wa_ _nimotsu ga arimasu ka?,_ which literally means, "As for you, does baggage exist?"


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