Page 128 - Basic Japanese

nara(w)u the piano)

（数学を）教える (sūgaku o) teaches
oshieru (mathematics)

3.7. Particle と to, meaning ‘with’ and ‘and’

In ginkō to depāto no aida ‘(the place) between the bank and the

department store,’ the particle to means ‘and.’ This is an
exhaustive ‘and’ that means you have listed everything in a

series. There is also an inexhaustive ‘and’ that means you have
listed only some of the things in a series; this is the particle ya.
In an exhaustive listing of two or more things, each noun is

followed by the particle to except the last, which is followed by
whatever particle is appropriate to link the phrase up with the

rest of the sentence.

肉と魚と野菜とご飯を食べました。
Niku to sakana to yasai to go-han o tabemashita.
We ate meat and fish and vegetables and rice (and
that’s all).

肉や野菜を食べました。

Niku ya yasai o tabemashita.

We ate meat and vegetables (among other things).

In the phrase watashi to issho ni ‘together with me,’ the
particle to means ‘with.’ You can say watashi to kimashita ‘he

came with me,’ but with verbs of motion it is more usual to add
the phrase issho ni ‘together,’ as in watashi to issho ni kimashita.

Notice that just issho ni often corresponds to ‘with me’ or ‘with
you’ or ‘with us.’