アメリカに住んでいます
Amerika ni sunde imasu
To say "I live in america" in Japanese, use アメリカに住んでいます (Amerika ni sunde imasu).
This phrase is used to state that your current place of residence is the United States.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down into アメリカ (America), に (a particle indicating location) and 住んでいます (living am), which expresses the continuous state of living.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal tone, you might say Watashi wa Amerika-ni sunde imasu. In informal settings, you can use Watashi wa Amerika-ni sunde iru yo. to mean "I live in America, you know." or Amerika-ni sunde iru n da. to mean "I live in America, you see.". In very casual conversation, the polite imasu is often shortened to iru or dropped entirely as sunderu.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb form sunde imasu uses the ~te iru form to express a continuous state of residence rather than a single action.
How do you pronounce it?
Amerika ni sunde imasu
Did you know?
- The verb 住む (sumu) is historically related to the word for 'to dwell' or 'to settle', but it also shares a root with the word for 'to be clear' or 'to be settled'.
- While アメリカ means 'America', a Japanese speaker will assume you mean the USA, not the entire American continent.
- The particle に used in this phrase is the same one used to indicate the time a clock strikes or the point of contact when touching an object.
Examples in context
- 私はアメリカに住んでいます。I live in America.This sentence is useful for practicing the form アメリカに住んでいます.Tatoeba #13126482 by shuuzui__i, translation #1655730 by gleki
- 今はアメリカに住んでいます。Ima wa Amerika ni sunde imasu.I live in America now.
Example conversation
Two people are introducing themselves at a language exchange meetup.
- 大翔 Hirotoはじめまして、大翔です。アメリカに住んでいます。Hajimemashite, Hiroto desu. Amerika ni sunde imasu.Nice to meet you, I'm Hiroto. I live in America.
- 結衣 Yuiそうなんですね！私は結衣です。よろしくお願いします。Sō nan desu ne! Watashi wa Yui desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Is that so! I'm Yui. Nice to meet you.
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣さんは、どこに住んでいますか？Yui-san wa, doko ni sunde imasu ka?Yui, where do you live?
- 結衣 Yui私は東京に住んでいます。Watashi wa Tōkyō ni sunde imasu.I live in Tokyo.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
