How can I say in Japanese “I’ll go to a party this evening”?
Movement for an event
When we want to say that wego somewhere for an event or an activity,
Event (activity) noun + に + movement verb
is typically used in Japanese.
Here, “movement verb” means “move from A to B” like:
- 行く: iku: to go
- 来る: kuru: to come
- 戻る: modoru: to return
- 帰る: kaeru: to go home
So, for example,
今晩、パーティーに行きます。
Konban paatii ni iki masu.
I’ll go to a party this evening.
To go
- 行く: iku
- 行きます: iki masu
See also: How to make Masu-form
Another example is like:
すみません、パーティーに戻ります。
Sumimasen, paatii ni iki masu.
Sorry, I’ll go back to the party.
To return
- 戻る: modoru
- 戻ります: modori masu
Attention:
To ask a general question, use
何をしに行きますか。
Nani wo shi ni iki masu ka.
What are you going to do there?
If you say,
何に行きますか。
Nani ni iki masu ka.
You go there for what?
It becomes a question to confirm what we have just heard.
See also: に行く①: Go to V
(Important) Feasible nouns and infeasible nouns
There is one difficult point about the grammar pattern,
Event (activity) noun +に + movement verb
That is about:
- which nouns can be used
- which nouns cannot be used
Possible nouns:
- 食事: syokuji: Eating
- 釣り: tsuri: Fishing
- 仕事: shigoto: Working
- 会議: Kaigi: Meeting
- 勉強: Benkyoo: Studying
- 買い物: Kaimono: Shopping
- お花見: Ohanami: Cherry blossom party (which Japanese people love)
So, for example, you can say
日曜日、日本人の友達とお花見に行きました。
Nichoyoobi, nihonjin no tomodachi to ohanami ni iki mashita.
I went to see cherry blossoms with my Japanese friends last Sunday.
On the other hand,
Impossible nouns:
- 留学: ryuugaku: Studying abroad
- 野球: yakyuu: Baseball
- サッカー: sakkaa: Football
There are many students who make a phrase with
日本へ留学に行きます。
Nihon e ryuugaku ni iki masu.
To say that “I’ll go to Japan to study.”
But it’s a mistake.
The correct one is
日本へ留学します。
Nihon e ryuugaku shi masu.
I go and study in Japan.
As for the group sports, you can change it little bit like
サッカーの試合を見に行きます。
Sakka no shiai wo mi ni iki masu.
I’ll go to see a football match.
試合: shiai: game, match
To see
見る: miru
見ます: miasu
See also: に行く①: Go to V
Different nuance
Some expression can have the same meaning between
- Verb (masu-form) + に + movement verb
- Event (activity) noun + に + movement verb
For example,
日本へ日本語を勉強しに行きます。
Nihon e nihongo wo benkyoo shi ni iki masu.
日本へ日本語の勉強に行きます。
Nihon e nihongo no benkyoo ni iki masu.
I’ll go to Japan to study Japanese.
The difference is
- Rather formal: Verb (masu-form) + に + movement verb
- Rather casual: Event (activity) noun + に + movement verb
Attention to the particles!
Oops, have you noticed the difference between the particles?
I’ll go to study Japanese:
日本語を勉強しに行きます
Nihongo WO benkyoo shi ni iki masu
日本語の勉強に行きます
Nihongo NO benkyoo ni iki masu
The former uses 勉強 as a verb (勉強する: benkyoo suru: to study). And it needs the particle を to indicate the object(日本語: nihongo : Japanese (language)).
The latter uses 勉強 as a noun(勉強: benkyoo: study). And to connect nouns(日本語: nihongo : Japanese (language)), the particle の is used.
So pay attention to which pattern you use:
- Verb (masu-form) + に + movement verb
- Event (activity) noun + に + movement verb
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