Particles: に vs. で


I have progressed pretty far in Japanese, but when I construct Japanese
sentences, I still get these two particles mixed up. For example, when talking
about being inside something, I don't know when to use "の中に" and when to use
"の中で." Likewise, when speaking about being next to something, I sometimes
don't know if I should use "となりに" or "となりで." How do you know which one to use
in a sentence?

Which of these is correct?

> 部屋の中 **に** 泣いている。

or

> 部屋の中 **で** 泣いている。




In general, で is where an action is performed and に is the "direction"
toward/to/into which the result of an action happens.

>   * 部屋の中で泣いています → I'm crying in the room / "The place where I'm at while I'm
> crying is in the room"
>   * 部屋の中に泣いています → I'm crying into the room (meaning like, your tears are
> flowing from your face into the room). This doesn't make sense unless you
> happen to be talking about where your tears flow when you cry. In the case
> of the English saying "crying in my beer", ビールの中に泣いています **would** make
> sense, although that's an idiom that you probably wouldn't directly
> translate.
>

The other example

>   * 部屋の中にいます → I'm in the room ("My existence results in something being in
> the room (namely, me)" -- ??)
>   * 部屋の中でいます → "The place where I am doing my existence is the room" - Since
> existing is not really a (one-time) "performable" action, this doesn't make
> sense.
>




In general, で is where an action is performed and に is the "direction"
toward/to/into which the result of an action happens.

>   * 部屋の中で泣いています → I'm crying in the room / "The place where I'm at while I'm
> crying is in the room"
>   * 部屋の中に泣いています → I'm crying into the room (meaning like, your tears are
> flowing from your face into the room). This doesn't make sense unless you
> happen to be talking about where your tears flow when you cry. In the case
> of the English saying "crying in my beer", ビールの中に泣いています **would** make
> sense, although that's an idiom that you probably wouldn't directly
> translate.
>

The other example

>   * 部屋の中にいます → I'm in the room ("My existence results in something being in
> the room (namely, me)" -- ??)
>   * 部屋の中でいます → "The place where I am doing my existence is the room" - Since
> existing is not really a (one-time) "performable" action, this doesn't make
> sense.
>

