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I can't really figure this out myself so I don't think I can really give an
example for this question so I'll just ask it and if it's too obscure to
really answer say something in the comments and I'll try to add to it.

So, you guys have really been helping me out explaining は and even が a little
in a [previous
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/28017/when-do-you-
mark-%E3%81%8D%E3%82%87%E3%81%86-or-other-similar-relative-time-expressions-
with-%E3%81%AF), but now I'm wondering about marking location words with は and
が.

I know that usually に and へ usually mark the thing to which you do something
and で usually marks where something takes place or by the means of which you
do something (by/with). So how do I know when to use a subject/topic marker to
mark words like きっさてん、 としょかん、 がっこう etc. that would usually take に, へ, and で.
I'm pretty sure I'm overthinking this, but whenever I start a sentence like
this がっこう に I'm always wondering if it shouldn't be the topic or subject or
something. Forgive the probably somewhat vague question, but I seem to have a
lot of problems/questions when it comes to particles.
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grammar particles
Using location words with Subject/topic markers
I'm not sure I understand what exactly you're asking and I don't know if this
helps, but objects can also be the _topic_ of a sentence (には, では, へは), but
objects can't be the _subject_ of a sentence.

If you want to use がっこう as an object, you can say がっこう **に**. If you want to
also make this object the topic of the sentence, you can use がっこう **には**.

If you want to use がっこう as the subject, you use がっこう **が**. If you want to
also make this subject the topic of the sentence, you use がっこう **は**.

Whether がっこう becomes the topic of the sentence is independent of it being an
object or a subject. But がっこう can only be either an object or a subject, never
both.

> がっこうには とけいが あります。  
>  At the school there is a clock.
>
> (スーパーは でんしゃで 10ぷんのところに あります。)  
>  がっこうは ちかくに あります。  
>  There is a school in the neighbourhood.
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answer