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JLPT N5 · Grammar
Highlighted parts are the fixed pieces of the pattern; the rest changes with the word you attach it to.
## What it means This **で** marks the tool or method you use to do something — what you use to eat, write, cut, or communicate.
## When to use it Attach で after the noun for the tool or method, then follow with the verb: **Tool + で + Verb**. For example, 箸で食べます means "I eat with chopsticks" — 箸 (chopsticks) is the tool used.
## Don't confuse it with で actually does three common jobs in N5 grammar, and they all look identical on the surface: marking the **place** an action happens (図書館で勉強します, "I study at the library"), marking the **vehicle** used to travel (バスで行きます, "I go by bus"), and marking the **tool or method** used (箸で食べます, "I eat with chopsticks"). The particle never changes — only the noun in front of it tells you which job で is doing.
箸で食べます。
I eat with chopsticks.
鉛筆で名前を書きます。
I write my name with a pencil.
日本語で話しますか。
Do you speak in Japanese?
ナイフで果物を切ります。
I cut fruit with a knife.
電話で話します。
I'll talk on the phone.
スプーンで食べません。
I don't eat with a spoon.
何で作りましたか。
What did you make it with?