ある is the verb used to say that things or places exist. It is used for inanimate objects such as books, tables, and buildings. The polite form is あります. Key points: • Use ある/あります for things and places • The pattern is Location に Thing が あります • が marks the thing that exists • に marks the location For example, “机の上に本があります” means “There is a book on the desk.” The book is the thing that exists (が), and the location is marked by に. When talking about where something is, あります is the polite default. If the subject is a person or animal, switch to います. This is a core difference in Japanese existence verbs. You can also use ある to say that you have something, such as “時間があります” (I have time). For beginners, focus on location sentences first, then notice this “have” meaning later.