- JLPT N5
に ([go] to [do something])
NikoSpeed lesson. Go!
に is a particle that sometimes means "to." Like this:
学校に行きます。
がっこう に いきます。
(I) go to school.
Sometimes, though, it connects to the masu-stem of verbs to mean "(go) to do something."
We do this by saying:
masu-stem of a verb ＋ に + verb of movement
go to verb
What I mean by "verb of movement" is verbs like "to go," "to come," to return," etc. Those are:
行く（いく // to go）
来る（くる // to come）
戻る（もどる // to return; to go back）
The masu-form of 食べる（たべる // to eat）：
食べます（たべます）
The masu-stem is made by chopping off ます, like this:
食べ（たべ）
So:
食べに行きます
たべ に いきます
go to eat // to go for the purpose of eating
Example:
今夜は友達と焼肉を食べに行きます。
こんや は ともだち と やきにく を たべ に いきます。
Tonight I'm going to go to eat yakiniku with my friend.
But wait!
Though this is most commonly done with the masu-stem of verbs, we can also make sentences like this with nouns that are capable of combining with する (let's call them "する nouns").
食事（しょくじ // meal）
食事する（しょくじする // to eat a meal）
昼休みには、家へ食事にもどります。
ひるやすみ に は、 いえ へ しょくじ に もどります。
I'll go home to eat during my lunch break.
Notice that へ in the previous example?
へ is also a particle for "to," like に. The nuance and usage is a little different, though (and a topic for another lesson; when in doubt, use に).
It is worth noting that へ is commonly used when we need a "to" particle before or after the "(go) to (VERB)" phrases that use に.
See the previous or following sentences to see what I mean.
More examples!
こんな時間に何をしに山へ行くの。危ないよ。
こんな じかん に なに を し に やま へ いくの。 あぶない よ。
What are you going to a mountain for [to do] at this time? It's dangerous!
忘れ物を取りに来ました。
わすれもの を とり に きました。
I came to get the thing(s) I forgot.
Last but not least, let's talk about ために.
When we are going to do something that is NOT an everyday objective, we use ために, as in the following sentence:
Next month, I'm going to go to Hawaii to participate in the Honolulu Marathon.
来月、ホノルルマラソンに参加するためにハワイへ行きます。
らいげつ、 ホノルルマラソン に さんか する ために ハワイ へ いきます。
We'll look at ために more in other lessons, but for now just remember that the に we're looking at in this lesson is used for common actions that aren't too special. Oh also, note that this is different from the ため we saw in this lesson: JLPT N4: ため（に）(because of).
Niko
