Page 94 - Basic Japanese

insert the specific place word naka ‘inside’: heya no naka ni.

Notice the difference between gakkō ni imasu ‘he’s at school,
he’s in school’ and gakkō no naka ni imasu ‘he’s in(side) the

school (building).’

A NOUN PHRASE + ni is not used to modify another noun,
and it does not occur before desu ‘is (equals)’; it is usually

followed by arimasu ‘(a thing) is (exists)’ or imasu ‘(a person)

is (exists in a place).’ To say ‘the people in the room,’ you
connect heya no naka ‘the inside of the room’ with hito ‘the

people’ by means of the particle no: heya no naka no hito.
The particle ni is also used figuratively:

Tomodachi ni iimashita.

He said TO his friend.

It sometimes shows “purpose”:

Sanpo ni ikimashita.
He went FOR a walk.

It is also used to indicate a “change of state” and after
an adjectival noun, to show “manner”:

Sensei ni narimashita.

He became a teacher, he turned into a teacher.

Netto kafe ni shimashita.

They made it into an Internet café.