そこにいるあなた
soko ni iru anata
The English phrase "you there" is translated into Japanese as そこにいるあなた (soko ni iru anata).
そこにいるあなた is used to address a specific person located in a particular place. This phrase is most commonly found in written literature, song lyrics or dramatic monologues rather than in natural conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the verb いる is used in its plain or dictionary form to act as an adjective clause that modifies the noun あなた.
How do you pronounce it?
soko ni iru anata
When do people say it?
To grab someone's attention politely, you can use すみません (excuse me / I'm sorry). For informal situations, you might use おい (Hey) or おう to call someone's attention.
Did you know?
- Using あなた to mean 'you' can actually make a Japanese speaker feel awkward or even insulted. In many social contexts, it is much more natural to use the person's name or their title instead of any word for 'you'.
- The verb いる is part of a specific class of verbs used only for living things. You can use it to address 'you there' if the person is human, but you could never use it to address 'the chair there' because inanimate objects use the verb ある.
- If you use the informal おい to call out 'you there', you are projecting a very rough or masculine persona. It is the kind of 'hey' used by characters in anime who are often hot-headed or trying to sound intimidating.
Example conversation
Misaki is calling out to Hiroto from across a room.
- 美咲 Misakiそこにいるあなた、大翔くんですよね？soko ni iru anata, Hiroto-kun desu yo ne?You there, you're Hiroto, right?
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、そうです。美咲さんですか？hai, sō desu. Misaki-san desu ka?Yes, that's right. Are you Misaki?
- 美咲 Misakiはい！やっと見つかりました。hai! yatto mitsukarimashita.Yes! I finally found you.
- 大翔 Hirotoあはは、びっくりしました。ahaha, bikkuri shimashita.Haha, you surprised me.
