Hanamaruhanamaru

Say what there is

あります says a thing exists somewhere; います says a person or creature does.

JLPTN5
Noun + が + あります/います

Example Sentences

あります is for things that don't move on their own (books, chairs, desks); います is for people and creatures (cats, dogs, you). Both are fixed polite forms here — no conjugation yet — and the thing that exists takes : ねこが います, ほんが あります.