JLPT N5 Grammar: 〜といっしょに — “Together With”

JLPT N5 Grammar: 〜といっしょに

Q: Can I use といっしょに with animals?

Yes. 犬といっしょに散歩します = I take a walk with my dog. と marks the companion, whether human or animal.

Q: What's the difference between いっしょに and ともに?

ともに is a more formal, written version of 'together'. At N5, stick with いっしょに. ともに appears at N3 and above.

Expressing companionship — “together with”

JLPTジェイエルピーティー N5エヌゴ文法ぶんぽう〜といっしょに解説かいせつ (同伴どうはん・一緒いっしょ)

⏱️ Study time: 4–6 minutes

〜といっしょに (to issho ni) is the standard way to say “together with” someone in Japanese. The particle と marks the companion, and いっしょに means "together". Use this pattern whenever you do something with another person, pet, or group.

🚀 JLPT N5 Warm-up Quiz

Q: How do you say “I went to the park with my friend”?

Both A and C are correct! A uses といっしょに (explicit "together with"). C uses と alone (with), which also implies togetherness. B is wrong because に is not the companion particle.

Quick Summary

Grammar Point
〜といっしょに

Meaning
Together with (someone)

Pattern
Person + と + いっしょに + Verb

Example
家族かぞくといっしょに住すんでいます。かぞくといっしょにすんでいます。Kazoku to issho ni sunde imasu.
I live together with my family.

📝 Core Pattern

Companion: Person/Animal + と + いっしょに + Verb

Without companion: いっしょに + Verb (just "together")

Question: だれといっしょに〜ますか (Who do you ~ with?)

⚠️ いっしょに can also mean "at the same time" when used with nouns (e.g., 食事といっしょに薬を飲む = take medicine with a meal), but the N5 focus is companionship.

🧠 Need the companion particle? See と (to) — "With" Particle →

💡 Toggle furigana, hiragana, or romaji for easier reading.

What is 〜といっしょに?

〜といっしょに means "together with ~". The particle と marks the companion (the person or animal you are with), and いっしょに is an adverb meaning "together". The に is part of いっしょに and functions adverbially — it describes how the action is done.

Companion + と + いっしょに + Action: 友達ともだちといっしょに勉強べんきょうします = I study together with my friend.
いっしょに can be used alone (without と): いっしょに行いきましょう = Let's go together.
The companion can be a person, animal, or even a group.

昨日きのう彼女かのじょといっしょに映画えいがを見みました。きのうかのじょといっしょにえいがをみました。Kinō kanojo to issho ni eiga o mimashita.
Yesterday I watched a movie together with my girlfriend.

⚡ Common Patterns with 〜といっしょに

Pattern	Meaning	Example
Person + といっしょに + Verb	Do ~ together with (person)	母ははといっしょに料理りょうりをします。 I cook together with my mother.
いっしょに + Verb	Do ~ together (without specifying companion)	いっしょに遊あそびましょう。 Let's play together.
だれといっしょに〜ますか	Who do you ~ with?	だれといっしょに来きましたか。 Who did you come with?
Noun + といっしょに	At the same time as ~ (N4/N3 nuance)	食事しょくじといっしょに薬くすりを飲のみます。 I take medicine with my meal.

Examples & Mini Dialogue

毎日まいにち犬いぬといっしょに散歩さんぽします。まいにちいぬといっしょにさんぽします。Mainichi inu to issho ni sanpo shimasu.
Every day I take a walk together with my dog.

✅ と marks the companion (dog); いっしょに emphasises doing it together.

週末しゅうまつに友達ともだちといっしょに買かい物ものに行いきます。しゅうまつにともだちといっしょにかいものにいきます。Shūmatsu ni tomodachi to issho ni kaimono ni ikimasu.
On the weekend I go shopping together with my friend.

🗣️ Mini Dialogue
A: だれといっしょに日本にほんへ来きましたか。だれといっしょににほんへきましたか。Dare to issho ni Nihon e kimashita ka.
B: 家族かぞくといっしょに来きました。かぞくといっしょにきました。Kazoku to issho ni kimashita.

⚡ といっしょに vs と (alone)

Pattern	Nuance	Example
〜といっしょに + Verb	Emphasises doing the action together; makes the companionship explicit	友達ともだちといっしょに食たべました。 I ate together with my friend.
〜と + Verb	Simply states "with"; togetherness is implied but not emphasised	友達ともだちと食たべました。 I ate with my friend.

⚠️ JLPT Trap: Don't use に to mark a companion. 友達ともだちにいっしょに ✕ → 友達ともだちといっしょに ✓. The particle for "with (a person)" is always と, never に.

Common Mistakes (and Fixes)

✕ 友達ともだちにいっしょに行いきます。

✓ 友達ともだちといっしょに行いきます。 (Use と for companionship, not に.)

✕ 家族かぞくと住すんでいます (grammatically correct, but missing the warmth of いっしょに).

✓ 家族かぞくといっしょに住すんでいます (adds the feeling of living "together").

✕ Forgetting the に in いっしょに.

✓ Always いっしょに, not いっしょ.

JLPT N5 Practice Questions

Score: 0 / 3

1. “I studied with my friend.” Choose the correct particle.

2. “Let's go together.” (without naming a companion) — choose the correct form.

3. だれといっしょに means:

🎯 JLPT N5 tip: いっしょに is frequently used in the listening section — you'll hear it when speakers describe doing something with someone. The particle before it is always と. If you hear にいっしょに, that's a distractor.

Test yourself with a free mock exam →

About the Instructor

Taught by Anup Sensei at Gogaku Language & Training Center in Pokhara. With real Japan experience and a focus on exam essentials, he helps students pass the JLPT with confidence.

⚡ Vocabulary Used in This Lesson

Japanese	Reading	Type	English Meaning
いっしょに	いっしょに	Adverb	together
家族かぞく	かぞく	Noun	family
友達ともだち	ともだち	Noun	friend
彼女かのじょ	かのじょ	Noun	girlfriend / she
映画えいが	えいが	Noun	movie
散歩さんぽ	さんぽ	Noun	walk, stroll
住すむ	すむ	Godan verb	to live, reside

Related Grammar

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use といっしょに with animals?

Yes. 犬いぬといっしょに散歩さんぽします = I take a walk with my dog. と marks the companion, whether human or animal.

Is the に in いっしょに always required?

Yes. いっしょに is the adverbial form; いっしょ alone is a noun. To modify a verb, you need the に: いっしょに行いきます, not いっしょ行いきます.

What's the difference between いっしょに and ともに?

ともに is a more formal, written version of "together". At N5, stick with いっしょに. ともに appears at N3 and above.

Continue Learning

Next: と (to) — the companion particle.

Learn と →

→ Explore the JLPT N5 Grammar Hub

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