How to Say ‘Where should they be?’ in Japanese
どこにいればいいですか。
doko ni ire ba ii desu ka
[doko nee ee-REH bah ee dess ka]
💬 Usage Tip: いる "to be, stay" turns into いれば, and ばいいですか makes "where should they be?". The same ending appears in なんて言えばいいですか.
Phrase Breakdown
どこにいれば
doko ni ire ba
if (they) are where
'Doko ni' means 'where'. 'Ireba' is the 'if' form of 'iru' (to be somewhere).
どこにいれば会えますか。
Where should I be so we can meet?
Words in this phrase
どこ
doko
[doko]
Where
Used to ask the location or origin.
どこから来たのですか？
Where did you come from?
に
ni
[nee]
in; at; to
Marks the location where someone lives.
おおさかにすんでいます。
I live in Osaka.
いれ
ire
[ee-REH]
be; stay (conditional stem)
Form of いる (to be, for people) before ば, meaning 'if (someone) is/stays'.
ここにいればだいじょうぶ。
If you stay here, you're fine.
ば
ba
[bah]
if
Conditional particle meaning if or when attached to verbs.
先に聞けば安心でした。
If I had asked first, I would have felt reassured.
いいですか。
ii desu ka
would be good?
Together with the '-eba' part, this means 'where should (they) be?'. Raise your pitch slightly on 'ka'.
何時に来ればいいですか。
What time should I come?
Words in this phrase
いい
ii
[ee]
good; okay
Used to ask if something is acceptable or suitable.
この場所でいいですか。
Is this place okay?
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
か
ka
[ka]
question particle
Added at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.
お茶を飲みますか？
Do you drink tea?
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