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I found this sentence on
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%81%84%E3%82%89%E3%81%A3%E3%81%97%E3%82%83%E3%82%8B>
and it struck me as odd.

> 山田【やまだ】さん **が** いらっしゃいますでしょうか。

Listening to my co-workers (business phone calls) I've noticed that most times
they will drop the particle completely and I don't believe that I have ever
heard them use 「が」. As a point of reference I would probably say something
like 「〇〇さん、いらっしゃいますでしょうか？」.

My question: Is there a semantic difference between using 「は・が」or nothing at
all? Also beyond the base semantics are there any connotations to using
〇〇さん「が・は」？
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-19T10:19:38.210
36784
2019-10-01T00:29:03.200
2016-07-19T12:31:39.027
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question
particle-は particle-が keigo business-japanese は-and-が
〇〇さん「は・が」いらっしゃいますか？
The sentence:

> 「[山田]{やまだ}さん **が** いらっしゃいますでしょう **か** 。」

is definitely more than weird and it is nothing native speakers would say. The
particle needs to be 「は」, and never 「が」.

**To ask if someone is in, the topic marker is always 「は」**. Admittedly,
though, using 「が」 to do so is a very common mistake among Japanese-learners.

There is, however, a situation in which 「Name + が」 can be used with
「いらっしゃる/いらっしゃいます」 **_in a statement_** if not a question. That is when you
have just seen or found someone and want to tell another person that he is
here/there. You will say:

> 「山田さん **が** いらっしゃいます。」

This is completely correct and you cannot use 「は」 here.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2016-07-19T10:51:50.523
36785
2019-10-01T00:29:03.200
2019-10-01T00:29:03.200
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answer