TIPS START TWO PARAGRAPHS DOWN
Before I say anything, I will preface this with stating that particles are super 適当 and even Japanese people don’t have it PERFECT, but there aren’t any cases where they butcher a particle so bad that the sentence doesn’t make sense (like a foreigner). Generally though context people understand.
This is also partially a response to that Japanese person that was teaching Japanese to students. This doesn’t directly answer his question so I didn’t comment it, but it does go in depth on some of the things he was asking.
に・で、に関して
So, here’s the tips!
I taught Japanese for two years until about a week ago, and I always taught the difference between に and で like this:
公園に歩く can use（まで）as well
This means you will “walk TO the park” or as I like to say, the に particle indicates direction so “I will walk IN THE DIRECTION of the park”
公園で歩く
I will walk IN the park. I will walk WITHIN the park. There is no direction of going, you’re just 公園の中で歩いてる
With the に particle there is “in the direction”
And this “in the direction” translation holds true for
させる、もらう、くれる etc
田中さんに食べさせる
IN THE DIRECTION OF tanaka san, I will force to eat.
田中さんにとても美味しいお弁当を貰った
IN THE DIRECTION OF TANAKASAN, I received a delicious lunch.
公園を歩くに関して
With concerning 公園を歩く、it doesn’t differ so much from 公園で歩く, only that for whatever reason 公園を歩く feels more 広い(expansive, vast). It’s like you might do things other than walking such as talking, eating ice cream, etc.
Not to say that 公園で歩く doesn’t mean you won’t do other things, it just feels like it has more of a 狭義.
4 comments
I am not really qualified to teach anybody Japanese particles, but I’m curious how you fit in へ? To me へ feels more like “in the direction of” or “towards” than に. Does this confuse people at all?
Of course, disclaimer that this is my non-native sprachgefühl speaking
In my opinion,
公園に歩く is technically ungrammatical and should be 公園に向かって歩く.
公園で歩く means that the place where you walk is none other than the park. It has a more comprehensive viewpoint than を in the sense that you will judge it with whether you step out or not in the end. In this regard, 空で飛ぶ is a pointless expression because the sky is an only place to fly in.
On the other hand, 公園を歩く is just a straightforward way of saying it. It represents the surface your movement rubs. It can be translated into “walk through” but it doesn’t particularly have the sense of penetration. That’s the difference.
If it describes a place, で+ verb describes the place where it is done.
But, if it is を+ verb, this verb is only use for a verb meaning to move.
公園で歩く
Walking in the park
公園を歩く
Walk in the park
Is it something like this.maybe.
I simply remember で as “the place in where an action is/will happen”