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I don't quite get how あります is used in the following sentences from the Genki
textbook:

  * あなたの学校に何がありますか。
  * デパートに何がありますか。
  * 動物園に何がいますか。
  * あなたの国に何がありますか。
  * あなたの家に何がありますか。

Is あります used as in "where," "what," or "what's there?"

Thanks!
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2014-01-23T12:34:52.473
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2014-01-23T13:13:06.307
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question
grammar translation
Meaning of あります in the following sentences
あります in those sentences means something along the lines of "There is ..." or
"it has". It's an extremely common verb in Japanese with no perfect parallel
in English. It is not used for living things.

います is used similarly but for living things.

> あなたの学校に何がありますか。

What is in your school? / What does your school have?

> デパートに何がありますか。

What is in the department store? / What does the department store have?

> 動物園に何がいますか。

What lives in the zoo? / What does the zoo have [that is alive]?

> あなたの国に何がありますか。

What is there in your country? / What does your country have?

> あなたの家に何がありますか。

What is there in your house? / What does your house have?

* * *

All of that to say that あります does not make a sentence a question. So then what
does? The question is being generated by the か at the end and the 何 in the
middle.

何 roughly means "what" か transforms a sentence into a question (at least for
the sake of what you are asking).

* * *

The form of the answers would be:

> XにYがあります。

e.g. 私の国に[砂漠]{さばく}があります。

or for living things

> XにYがいます。

e.g. [動物園]{どうぶつえん}にりすがいます。There are squirrels in the zoo.
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2014-01-23T12:59:22.757
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2014-01-23T13:13:06.307
2014-01-23T13:13:06.307
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answer