で at・in - Grammar Discussion

at・in

Structure

  • Place +

[at ~ location]

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Can we use で as below

公園で歩く

if yes, what is the difference with 公園を歩く?

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公園で歩く would mean you walk in the park

The second sounds like you put the park on a leash to walk it

Welcome to the community :tada:

Hi, @IcyIceBear

according to this page
https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/を

公園を歩く (3rd example)
means walk through the park.

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Ya never stop learning ahaha interesting!

Hi @IcyIceBear

haha, learning never stops.

So, both mean the same. right?

Hi!

There is indeed a difference in nuance, though both of them can be rendered as ‘through’ in English:

  • 公園歩く means that you walk around the park, i.e. the park is the place you ‘use’ in order to walk.

  • 公園歩く means that you traverse the park to go somewhere else, i.e. you use the park as a shortcut or the park is part of the path to your destination.

There are some topics in the community that include discussions about the nuance that introduces when used with motion verbs.

HTH!

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A bit confused by the difference of function in these sentences for で and に.

私はここでピザを食べる。

彼は公園にいます。

From what the post says, で is used when “the place is considered essential for the action to be performed, or the result of the action to be achieved.” What about the first sentence makes eating pizza “here” essential? Is that something that would need to be known contextually through conversation already? Or can で be generalized as more so excluding the verb い る and being used when you have an action verb and a location in the same sentence?