Particle に when related to state and how to recognize a verb as a state


While looking at the examples of ている form and usage in my textbook I came
across this sentence

> かぞくは とうきょうに すんでいます  
> My family lives in Tokyo.

I know from what I've been reading on the internet that that the verb here is
a state and that the に here marks the location that the state is taking place
in. Basically I'm wondering when a verb can or can't be a state. All the
examples I've seen have used ている form with に to make sentences like this which
makes sense but it makes me question my placement of the the particle で in
some of the ている practice sentences I made like this one.

> みちこさんは バスていで バスを まっています  
>  Michiko is waiting for the bus at the bus stop

Any help/explanation with this is appreciated and If Its unclear what I'm
asking say in the comments and I'll try to add to the question.




The problem is that 住{す}む does not translate well to English. In Japanese,
住{す}む behaves like a motion verb taking a destination, like 行{い}く and 入{はい}る.
Unfortunately "I live to Tokyo" doesn't make sense in English.

Maybe 住{す}む will make more sense if we compare it to a motion verb:

> 室内{しつない}に入{はい}る。  
>  I go inside.  
>  
>  室内{しつない}に入{はい}っている。  
>  I am inside.

入{はい}る is the changing state of going into (に) something. When you conjugate
it to 入{はい}っている, it shows that you are in the state resulting from that
action.

(You might have learned that verb+ている means "to be (verb)ing," which it can
also mean. It depends on the verb, and to a lesser extent the context.)

Here is another example to emphasize how ~ている can be equivalent to English
present tense, although in this case it is usually abbreviated to just ~てる.

> 君{きみ}を愛{あい}する  
>  I love you.  
>  
>  君{きみ}を愛{あい}してる。  
>  I am (in the state of) loving you. (I am in love with you.)

From a Japanese perspective, "I love you" doesn't sound very immediate or
permanent, so they use "I am in love with you" when in English we use "I love
you."

So a more accurate translation of 「東京{とうきょう}に住{す}んでいる」 is "I am living in
Tokyo," even though in English that means the same thing as "I live in Tokyo."
Just keep in mind that 住{す}む uses に like a motion verb and conjugates to
住{す}んでいる to show the persistent state.




The problem is that 住{す}む does not translate well to English. In Japanese,
住{す}む behaves like a motion verb taking a destination, like 行{い}く and 入{はい}る.
Unfortunately "I live to Tokyo" doesn't make sense in English.

Maybe 住{す}む will make more sense if we compare it to a motion verb:

> 室内{しつない}に入{はい}る。  
>  I go inside.  
>  
>  室内{しつない}に入{はい}っている。  
>  I am inside.

入{はい}る is the changing state of going into (に) something. When you conjugate
it to 入{はい}っている, it shows that you are in the state resulting from that
action.

(You might have learned that verb+ている means "to be (verb)ing," which it can
also mean. It depends on the verb, and to a lesser extent the context.)

Here is another example to emphasize how ~ている can be equivalent to English
present tense, although in this case it is usually abbreviated to just ~てる.

> 君{きみ}を愛{あい}する  
>  I love you.  
>  
>  君{きみ}を愛{あい}してる。  
>  I am (in the state of) loving you. (I am in love with you.)

From a Japanese perspective, "I love you" doesn't sound very immediate or
permanent, so they use "I am in love with you" when in English we use "I love
you."

So a more accurate translation of 「東京{とうきょう}に住{す}んでいる」 is "I am living in
Tokyo," even though in English that means the same thing as "I live in Tokyo."
Just keep in mind that 住{す}む uses に like a motion verb and conjugates to
住{す}んでいる to show the persistent state.

