How can I say that I ate a steak at a restaurant in Japanese?
Action place
When we want to talk about the place where we do something,
で
de
is typically used.
For example,
レストランでステーキを食べました。
resutoran de suteeki wo tabe mashita.
I ate a steak at a restaurant.
カラオケで友だちと歌を歌いました。
karaoke de tomodachi to uta wo utai mashi ta.
I sang songs at Karaoke with my friends.
How to ask about the action place?
If you want to ask about where someone do something,
どこで
doko de
where
is the one to use.
For example,
A :
どこでステーキを食べましたか。
doko de suteeki wo tabe mashita ka
Where did you eat a steak?
B :
レストランで食べました。
resutoran de tabe mashita.
I ate it at a restaurant.
Compare
Many learners make mistakes between the particles へ（に） and で.
Simply saying, they differentiate from one to another :
へ（に） : destination
で : action place
So,
へ（に） when you go to somewhere
で when you something at place
For example,
図書館へ（に）行きます。
tosyokan e (ni) iki masu.
I go to a library.
図書館で日本語を勉強します。
tosyokan de nihongo wo benkyou shi masu.
I study Japanese at a library.
For the difference between へ and に, see : へ・に : destination
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