Overview
Both あります and います mean “there is / there are” — they say that something exists somewhere. The choice between them is famous at N5, and beginners usually learn it as “あります for non-living, います for living.” That’s a good first rule, but the real dividing line is sharper: does it move on its own will? People and animals move by themselves, so they take います. Objects don’t move, so they take あります — and crucially, so do plants, which are alive but rooted to the spot. That plant case is the trap that catches everyone, so hold onto the movement test, not the biology test. The shorthand for students: can it decide to walk/fly/crawl away? → います; if not (objects, plants, buildings, events) → あります. They confuse learners because English “there is” doesn’t care whether the thing is alive, so nothing in the translation warns you which verb to pick. The sections below fix each, and both verbs also quietly do “to have,” which we’ll cover too. The entries lead with a simple example, then a funny one.
あります — “there is / there are (non-living things)”
Explanation
あります states that a non-moving thing exists: objects, plants, places, buildings, and even abstract things like events and appointments. つくえの上に本があります (“There is a book on the desk”); 駅の前にコンビニがあります (“There’s a convenience store in front of the station”). Because the test is self-movement rather than life, plants use あります even though they’re alive: 庭に大きい木があります (“There’s a big tree in the garden”). It also covers scheduled events and abstract “there is”: 明日、テストがあります (“There’s a test tomorrow”); 時間があります (“There is time / I have time”).
Grammatically, the existence pattern is [place] に [thing] が あります, where に marks the location and が marks the thing that exists: 部屋にテレビがあります (“There’s a TV in the room”). あります is the polite form of the verb ある, and its full set is worth memorizing because one piece is irregular. Polite: あります (is), ありません (isn’t), ありました (was), ありませんでした (wasn’t). Plain: ある (is), あった (was) — but the plain negative is ない, not “あらない,” which is a special form you must simply learn. So “there isn’t” is polite ありません or plain ない.
The register is neutral and everyday. The teaching anchor is the non-mover: あります is for things that can’t get up and leave — objects, plants, places, events. It differs from います, which is reserved for living things that move on their own. If the thing is an object, a plant, a building, or an event, あります is the fit.
Examples
かばんの中に本とペンがあります。 — There are a book and a pen in the bag.
🍫 さっき、れいぞうこにチョコレートがありました。でも、今はありません。だれが食べましたか。私は知りません。本当に知りません。 — A moment ago, there was chocolate in the fridge. But now there isn’t. Who ate it? I don’t know. I really don’t know.
Common mistake
Don’t use います for objects or plants just because plants are alive. ✗ 木がいます is wrong; a tree can’t walk away, so it’s 木があります. And watch the negative: the plain “there isn’t” is ない, not ✗ あらない — 時間がない (“there’s no time”), not “時間があらない.” The polite ありません is regular, but the plain negative is the odd one out.
います — “there is / there are (living things)”
Explanation
います states that a self-moving living thing exists: people and animals. 公園に子供がいます (“There are children in the park”); 池に魚がいます (“There are fish in the pond”); あそこに先生がいます (“The teacher is over there”). The unifying idea is that these things can move by their own will, which is exactly what separates them from the あります group. います is also the natural verb for “having” living relations and pets: 兄弟がいます (“I have siblings”), 犬がいます (“I have a dog”) — the possession sense runs on the same animate/inanimate split as existence.
Grammatically, います uses the same pattern as あります — [place] に [living thing] が います — with に for location and が for the one who exists: 教室に学生がいます (“There are students in the classroom”). います is the polite form of いる, and its conjugation is fully regular, which makes it the easier twin. Polite: います, いません, いました, いませんでした. Plain: いる, いない, いた, いなかった. (Don’t confuse this いる with the いる inside the ている progressive — 食べている; that’s a different job, even though the shape overlaps.)
The register is neutral and everyday. The teaching anchor is the self-mover: います is for people and animals — anything that can choose to move. It differs from あります, which handles everything that stays put, including plants. If the thing is a person or an animal, います is the fit.
Examples
きょうしつに先生と学生がいます。 — There are a teacher and students in the classroom.
🛏️ 夜、私のベッドの下に何かがいます。暗い中で、目が二つ光っています。とてもこわいです。……あ、私のねこでした。 — At night, there is something under my bed. In the dark, two eyes are glowing. I’m so scared. …Oh, it was my cat.
Common mistake
Don’t use あります for people or animals. ✗ 犬があります is wrong; a dog moves on its own, so it’s 犬がいます. The same goes for possession: “I have a child” is 子供がいます, never ✗ 子供があります. If it can walk, fly, swim, or crawl away by itself, it takes います.
How to choose
The quick version: ask one question — can it move on its own? People and animals → います. Everything else, including plants, objects, buildings, and events → あります. The same split decides “have”: living things (family, pets) → います; things and abstractions (money, time) → あります.
| The thing is… | Use | Why | Example |
| A person or animal | います | moves on its own | 犬がいます |
| An object or building | あります | doesn’t move | 車があります |
| A plant | あります | alive, but doesn’t move | 花があります |
| An event or appointment | あります | abstract, non-moving | 会議があります |
| Family or pets (“I have”) | います | living | 子供がいます |
| Money or time (“I have”) | あります | non-living | お金があります |
あります versus います — does it move on its own?
The deciding question is movement, not life, and the cleanest way to see it is the plant trap. Compare, in the same garden:
庭に犬がいます。 — There’s a dog in the garden. (a dog can run off → います)
庭に木があります。 — There’s a tree in the garden. (a tree is alive but rooted → あります)
Both are living, yet they take different verbs, because only the dog can move by its own will. So when a student asks “but isn’t a tree alive?”, the answer is: yes, but the test isn’t life — it’s self-movement. Anything that can’t decide to leave (plants included) goes with あります.
Both verbs also mean “to have”
ある and いる don’t only say “there is over there” — they also express possession, “I have,” and they keep the exact same animate/inanimate rule. For living relations and pets, use います: 姉がいます (“I have an older sister”), ねこがいます (“I have a cat”). For things and abstractions, use あります: お金があります (“I have money”), 時間があります (“I have time”), 宿題があります (“I have homework”). So if you can pick the right existence verb, you already know the right “have” verb — it’s the same choice.
Negatives and past — one regular, one irregular
Because you’ll constantly need “there isn’t” and “there was,” pin down both sets. います is regular all the way; ある has one surprise — its plain negative is ない, not “あらない.”
| Meaning | あります (non-living) | います (living) |
| is / are | あります | います |
| isn’t / aren’t (polite) | ありません | いません |
| was / were | ありました | いました |
| wasn’t / weren’t | ありませんでした | いませんでした |
| plain negative | ない (irregular) | いない |
The only form that doesn’t follow the pattern is ある’s plain negative ない, so give it special attention — 犬がいない (“there’s no dog”) is regular, but お金がない (“there’s no money”) uses the irregular ない.
A memory hook
Picture two things in a room and ask, “if I leave and come back, could it have moved on its own?” A cat might have wandered off — living, self-moving → います. A chair will be exactly where you left it — non-moving → あります. Now add the tricky one: a potted plant is alive, but it’ll also still be sitting right there, because it can’t walk — so it sides with the chair, あります. Living-and-moving takes います; everything that stays put, plants included, takes あります. And for the odd negative, just remember the plain “there isn’t any” for things is ない (時間がない), the one form that breaks the pattern.